Posted on: August 12, 2016

atarirob

Games: 132 Reviews: 11

(2nd) Best PC game of the 1990's!

If I had to pick 5 or 6 games to spend the rest of my life with, System Shock and it's sequel, which is my favourite game of all time would probably be my first choices. System Shock 2 might be one of the best games ever made, however, System Shock 1 is where it all began. Warren Spector's superb design shines through incredibly well here, and the game still looks incredibly charming even today. The game feels very fleshed out for such an early FPS/cRPG hybrid. If you've ever played System Shock 2, then you should feel right at home. Many of the people who worked on SS1 also worked on SS2, so it's not entirely surprising, but they do feel different enough from eachother as to not get too boring. The game is impossibly difficult, and honestly one of the hardest games I've ever owned (to the point where I have never completed it on it's regular difficulty) however the game allows you to crank down (or up) the difficulty entirely to the point where it's either a simple adventure-like game or a sprawling, puzzle filled near impossible reflex test. The entire game feels extremely well cooked for such an 'old' game and makes other FPS's of the time like Doom and Quake look like simple, baby games. However, the game is certainly not for everyone, to people who grew up with FPS's like the ones listed above or have only played games from the past decade or so, the game will just come off as being an awful, over complicated, abhorrent mess with a UI from hell. But that's looking at it in the wrong way. You have to put yourself in a 1994 mindset and forget what you think an FPS is. It's more of an RPG than an FPS, featuring upgrades, puzzle solving, loot collecting etc. which is really no surprise as the team that made the original Ultima Underworld also made this. This game is the definition of a cult classic, just like it's sequel, and also the definition of a flawed masterpiece, which is fine. If you've never played it, I'd highly recommend this game to anyone. 10/10 game

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Posted on: September 5, 2021

MrFoofles

Verified owner

Games: 683 Reviews: 24

Immersive 90s Cyberpunk Thriller

This was on my "to play" list for quite some years. Overall, a surprisingly immersive and engaging experience. Not for faint of heart: there are mutilated bodies everywhere. World-building and atmosphere are the game's highpoints and stand strong to this day. Citadel station immerses the player easily thanks to excellent lighting design, compelling backstory, and an ever-present sense of tension and despair. The game follows a linear plot and you must explore to uncover the clues to SHODAN's schemes and how to stop them. Exploration rewards you well with plenty of additional backstory, items, and weaponry. SHODAN is a menacing villain, who instills far more dread than the typical 90s bad-guy. Between her visage, unsettling communications, and relentlessness, SHODAN is classic and memorable. The gameplay is a mx of between first-person combat, puzzle solving, and implant-driven cyberspace romps. Of course, no one in the 90s could use the internet without cybernetic implants. The game boasts a strong variety of weapons, items, and implants to aid your cause. Enhanced edition includes mouse-look but it is unresponsive; otherwise you can drive turning and moving with the mouse like an old-school dungeon crawler. It can be awkward to aim or react quickly. On the plus side, there are many interesting enemy types and plenty of ammo to go around. Puzzles are usually "you're getting warmer"-style guessing games, with a few genuine brain-teasers here and there. Cyberspace is easily the weakest part of the game; unfortunately, it is required to progress. The 6 DOF movement and wireframe virtual world might have been spectacle at the time, but it is a chore to play. Nonetheless, you can change the difficulty of each part of the game individually, in case one would break your experience. All in all, this is a journey worth taking. Though, I did find the final stretch underwhelming.

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Posted on: September 28, 2015

svatem1

Games: 158 Reviews: 3

DO NOT BUY, BUGS CAUSE CRASHES

Don't get me wrong. System Shock 1 is eternal classic. For quite a long time it was possible to run it (even for free or using previously bought copy) inside dosbox / via community crafted version called SSP. But the selling point of this particular enhanced edition is the inclusion of the new engine called SHLINK. And that's where the problems start. Literally minutes after release this appeared: https://www.gog.com/forum/system_shock_series/sshock_enhanced_edition_crashes_2_sec_after_intro_started . Meaning: for large group of ppl this game crashes immediately after running it. As time goes, it starts to be pretty clear the bug manifests itself under very different conditions for different ppl, which is never a good sign. So what's here to blame is the fact almost week after release with known showstopper GOG is still selling it and announcing as some feat. Which it is not, usual practice in industry has reversed logic - you pay alphatesters to do work for you, NOT you let customers pay to do alphatesters for you.

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Posted on: February 10, 2018

ZenClark

Verified owner

Games: 470 Reviews: 1

Greatly Improved

With the mouse-look toggle added, the game now has a significantly smoother play experience. Worth getting, worth playing.

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Posted on: October 31, 2020

Bart-t

Verified owner

Games: 300 Reviews: 2

audiologs and cyborgs

Had few attempts before, but couldn't get through the UI and cyberspace. Not this time! I'm surprised at how good this game is and loved how SHODAN had a back up plan for a back up plan. I've heard people were complaining about a number of guns being useless, which is kinda true. I've used a Stun gun once and dropped immediately, didn't use a rail gun too often because of the splash damage (same thing with grenades), shot few tranquillizer darts but those weren't effective at all, dropped using energy weapons in the late game because I prioritized saving up energy for the energy shield. So I used regular guns for the most time. The controls are janky. It's not that much of a problem for the most time, but it hinders platforming sections or sections where you would appreciate better movability. I'm glad I've heard about writing down numbers near computer nodes so I didn't have to backtrack. The only time I've got stuck was at the Executive (7) level. The audiolog said something about security numbers being shuffled near the elevator, and indeed there were numbers. There was even a camera to show you the numbers without backtracking, but both codes were incorrect. Apparently the code was located in cyberspace, I just had to check cyberspace notes. I wonder why is everyone referring SHODAN with male pronouns when both her voice and avatar have feminine features. Did they've changed it after writing things down? my main regret is basically skipping the Security section by entering the middle tower via rocketboots and speed booster

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