Posted on: November 17, 2020

Scorpagor

Games: 56 Reviews: 7

A Magnificent Classic

The original System Shock featured a clunky control scheme that may have turned a lot of people off. This Enhanced Edition remedies that problem by making the game far more accessible so its greatness can be properly appreciated. The Classic Edition is also included in this package however, so it can still be played in its original form. The game is a survival horror experience like no other. Most of the environments are brightly colored and the music on its own is more upbeat rather than scary. This did not stop System Shock from keeping me on edge throughout my entire playthrough as I explored the narrow corridors of a space station where everything is trying to kill you. Characters will occasionally send you communications, though most of the story is being told through audiologs of the station's deceased crew. These recordings steadily paint the picture of how a rogue A.I. called S.H.O.D.A.N. (let loose by the player) has taken control of all systems aboard the space station and is reshaping everything in its twisted vision, and how it plans to do the same thing to the people back on Earth. The creepy way in which it addresses the player backed by excellent voice acting make S.H.O.D.A.N. one of the most memorable villains of any videogame. It is important to pay close attention to the contents of the emails and audiologs as they sometimes contain vital clues on how to proceed. This unclear progression can be frustrating at times, but it's also part of the game's intended challenge and is the reason why finally beating it feels so satisfying.

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Posted on: August 22, 2021

Chillidoge

Verified owner

Games: 263 Reviews: 7

One of the best immersive sims ever

Man, what a game. System Shock Enhanced Edition was a game I picked up for a few bucks on a whim, thinking since everyone bangs on about the sequel, so what's the first one like? Well, it's definitely got its quirks such as how you attack and interact with items in the world as well as reloading, so fair warning this game is kind of clunky. With all that aside, this was easily one of my favourite games of all time. I absolutely love the setting, the chunky graphics and saturated audio that just oozes 90's charm. The story is such an interesting take on a "doom clone" in that Shodan knows roughly where you are and what you're trying to do, and is very intent on stopping you by any means necessary. This can come in the form of some truly cruel traps. I have never had a game behave with such hostility towards the player and I love it. You never know what trump card Shodan has ready to play, as soon as you think you have an edge over them the rug can be pulled out from under you. It makes for an unmatched atmosphere even with it being an old title. In terms of the actual mechanics (walking, shooting, interacting) it definitely shows its age, but I really enjoyed the weapons they gave me access to. I think there are over ten. You also get a lot of tech upgrades giving you access to sprinting, a shield, jump jets and so on. The player can take advantage of these by going back to earlier levels to explore using these tools. In terms of getting the game to run, it was pretty simple, I seemed to have crashing issues with Vulkan/Borderless modes so I just stuck to what worked on my rig. I can't see it being a difficult title to get running, even on the least powerful computer in your home. All in all I had a blast playing through this and can't wait for the remake. If you see it on sale for a few bucks I would highly recommend it if you like immersive sims, sci-fi survival horror and games that don't hold your hand very much, allowing you to explore at your pace.

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Posted on: September 26, 2015

EclecticWizzard

Verified owner

Games: 639 Reviews: 3

Definitely one of the greats

Having tried to play the first System Shock recently only to be frustrated by the controls which a reminiscent of the Ultima Underworld games I picked this up as soon as it was advertised. Definitely a great game now that the controls have been modernised and mouse look has been included. The game now has a sensible resolution making it much easier to play for long periods and it looks less like Minecraft. Visually the only downside is the 2.5d sprites which are still fairly pixelated and obviously look like cardboard cut outs but the overall atmosphere and improved gameplay of the Enhanced Edition more than make up for this. Stellar soundtrack, good sound design and a unique blend of adventure, fps and horror components.

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Posted on: October 7, 2015

Glodaf

Verified owner

Games: 65 Reviews: 1

As good as ever! (+ one important tip)

Still as good as ever! Truly a milestone of video gaming and great ambiance (read all the logs). Musics are cool too. For new players I really recommend to discover it. For others, it's worth a replay ;) The enhanced controls really make it a joy to play, it's less clunky than the old interface. I used video mode 854x480, 1024x768 is also available but it doesn't cover the screen as much. One important thing with controls: For some reason on my system, the right click for attack was slower (like not all clicks would trigger a shot), so, for optimum damage with the I had to use Enter key to shoot instead of the mouse. This wasn't really a problem with regular weapons but it was mandatory to use Enter in cyberspace as the pulser can shoot a lot faster.

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Posted on: May 12, 2020

Voukras

Verified owner

Games: 165 Reviews: 6

Good, Native Res, Frustrating Respawns

I'll spare you describing the game since it's a cult classic with so many reviews and stick to a few very specific details. The game was incredible in 1994 and is decent today. Without any nostalgia (since I didn't play until 2020), I can tell you this game holds up today, as long as you have a medium tolerance for "what the hell am I supposed to do?" and initially clunky controls. This version can run in higher resolutions such as, 1920x1080, this is great because you can alt-tab really fast in and out of the game, I really liked this. Persistent mouselook lets you toggle between the mode where [your mouse moves your cursor] and the mode where [your mouse moves the camera]. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this was added in the Enhanced Edition - it's a godsend, as it makes the game much less annoying to control. In particular, cyberspace is borderline impossible to control if you're not in mouselook mode. The only major downside to the game (perhaps specific to this Enhanced Edition) are the ridiculous respawns, which is half the reason I'm giving it 4 stars. I'm not against respawning and I'm not being overly sensitive here, this is something that happened to me: I was in Corridor A and opened a door into Corridor B. Corridor B had two enemies, and I started shooting at them. While killing them, 2 enemies spawned behind me in Corridor A, in such a way that they could immediately start firing on me. Before I could finish dealing with them, 2 more enemies spawned in Corridor B. So essentially, 4 enemies spawned very close to me in a very frustrating and immersion-breaking manner. The game constantly respawns enemies in areas it defines as corridors as long as you're not in said corridors. This is somewhat frustrating but it's part of the game - it makes you plan and minimize your travel. But sometimes it just goes into overdrive and becomes rather ridiculous.

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