System Shock® 2 (1999)

Another ultra-rare (for me) 5-star review. Well, 4.5 stars rounded up! First thing I thought was, "Yuk! Another Blood 2!" when I saw the graphics and animations and the general feel of movement through the game world. Easily as low-poly, dull, bland coloured and downright ugly as Blood 2's "Monolith engine". But when I got playing it was "YES! It's Deus Ex all over again!". Ok, it's not *exactly* like Deus Ex, but the RPG style character progression and useage of an inventory and choice of going for a brute force fighting character, a stealthy spy or a technical hacker makes it quite similar. Deus Ex is better, but System Shock 2 is a close second. Every one seems to call this a major landmark of classic gaming from the turn of the century period like Deus Ex, well, I did experience Deus Ex, but I never played SS2. I played SS1 but was hampered by having a PC too poor to really run it at the time. I can see how it has got it's reputation built up over the past 24 years! But again, it does also show it's 24 years of age in it's gfx. Poor cosmetically, but superb functionally (where it really matters)!

I admit I didn't play this game in its time, which I don't doubt is where the amazing amount of hype originated. I'm sure its another case of "you had to be there", but that's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable game, and a very worthy addition to gog. Yes, I *really* enjoyed it, but I can say with the certainty of a veteran gamer that it is still grossly overrated. In no way does it live up to the "OMG THEY JUST DON'T MAKE GAMES LIKE THIS, ITS SO UNIQUE" fanboy screaming that made me curious enough to buy it. It looks great for the time, the controls are decent, the story was... predictable, at least to me (but to the game's credit, the concept wasn't as overdone back in '99) and the character development is deeper than many full-fledged RPGs. However, at the end of the day, it is JUST a decent shooter with RPG elements. I do recommend it, but just realize going in that it's not the holy-grail-of-gaming-that-will-never-be-topped that many would have you believe. Enjoy it with realistic expectations.

Sound Design. There are many parts of this game that are dated, and perhaps unimpressive to many. But the thing is, System Shock 2 is a genuinely creepy game. Try to play it in the dark with headphones, try. I played it for the first time ever last year, and was totally consumed. By no means is it an air tight experience, in fact I recommend turning off the music until a second play-through. Nevertheless SS2 has the telltale storytelling polish of the all the old 0451 Games, and what sloppiness remains usually adds to the charm. If you like survival horror, or like distinct FPS games this is a "must play" situation.

The best thing about this game is how engrossing but also how unsettling it is, it creates a real tension, using twisting turning corridors (although it’s far from being linear) and some great atmospheric sounds which really give you the creeps. To get the best effect, a strong tip is to TURN OFF THE GAME MUSIC and just have the ambient sounds, it’s the way the game should be played IMO The game really makes you think, as well needing to be quick with reactions – as you make your way through the big spaceship the previous decks are still open and you sometimes have to return to them but they're never fully cleared and every time you open a door you don’t know what’s on the other side TIPS on playing the first time (no spoilers) DEFINITELY play on ‘Normal’, pick ‘navy’ and give yourself extra shooting, strength and hacking skills in training Then focus on upgrading stats (STR, END, CYB), tech (Hack) and weapons (get to full Energy and Standard, plus some Heavy). Unless you play as Psy, only get basic psy ability plus the skill to pull things towards you The best weapons are: assault rifle, EMP rifle (great for droids, cyborgs), grenade launcher and keep a wrench / energy rapier. You don’t need ‘exotic’ weapons, though on repeat playthrough they'll give a new experience. And the upgrade ability to see the full map of a new deck straight away is very useful So, on the mods, I used: SS2 Tool Jock's no spiders mod (essential for arachnophobes!) Texture update Four hundred texture update Vurt’s hi-res space scapes Enemy models Weapons designs Neq quest notifier Also I removed weapons degradation, personally I think having weapons degrade after just a few uses isn’t realistic Lastly switch off your lights and play in the dark - enjoy!

While I did play Deus Ex back in 2000, I somehow managed to dodge System Shock 2 until today. Accordingly, I'm rating the game as a first-time player in 2022, which isn't easy to do. On the one hand, it is clear that the game introduced several novel and innovative elements back in 1999, and laid the groundwork for many gameplay concepts taken for granted these days. On the other hand, just half a year later Deus Ex released, and beat SS2 at its own game. Unlike the protagonist in SS2, JC Denton not only can talk, he also has agency. Meanwhile, in SS2, you have no choice but to do as you're told, even well knowing that you're essentially doing the bidding of a murderous rogue AI. There is exactly a single moment in the entire game where you're allowed to disobey, and it is about the most meaningless choice one could think of. From a narrative standpoint, SS2 feels very static and dated. While the atmosphere is rich, the level design varied and believable, and the voice acting excellent throughout, the gameplay itself is very basic. Essentially, you're running through the levels for 15 hours, pick up stuff, and kill the occasional enemy. Combat is incredibly basic and, contrary to what many people suggest, the challenge isn't really there. Provided you're using the 'correct' build, you'll never run low on resources, and the enemies are way too dumb to pose any threat. I've found myself quite bored by how repetitive the game started to become after the third deck. Granted, I was only playing on normal, but the higher difficulties merely make resources scarcer, the enemies deal the same damage and don't get any brighter. Overall, SS2 is not a bad game, and surely worth playing for the history lesson alone. At the same time, I couldn't help but long for it to end more than once while playing. I'd give it a try, but don't feel bad about quitting halfway through. As for the GOG release, the latest version of NewDark is already integrated and works perfectly well.