I finished System Shock: Classic Edition a few days a ago and kinda want to talk about it. But to do that I need to talk about why it surprised me with it's greatness.

My favourite video game of all time, and in fact the one that made me take video games seriously as a entertainment, rather than just time wasters, is Bioshock. Playing Bioshock actually did change my life. It might be my favourite work of fiction in any media. So I was pretty hyped to play System Shock 2 when it came it GOG. A version of my favourite game ever only even better? This was going to be great! But it wasn't.
System Shock 2 is the most disappointing game I've played in my life. I'm going to be roasted for saying this. But it feels like Bioshock with a whole lot of annoying junk added on (Fuck the repair system) and a less interesting story, and two villains who are kinda annoying. I wouldn't call it a bad game. But I can't see anything about it that Bioshock didn't improve.


Well the years passed. And one day I found myself itching to play an FPS even though I had no mouse (Long story).
Then I remembered, "Hey. System Shock 1 is mostly a keyboard FPS. I can do the aiming with the touchpad. Lets see if it's any good!" And boy was I in for a shock! (Not sorry).


I know I'm not breaking new ground by saying System Shock 1 is great. But I was not expecting it to be this much fun! And I wasn't expecting to to be so different to SS2. I assumed it would be slow, fiddly, and unrewarding. But once you get a handle on the game's weird-ass controls it's actually a fast and very tightly put together game.
It's actually a lot like Halo: Combat Evolved. You are a tank, you pack some serious firepower, but if you're facing the wrong direction, or loose you shields, you will be torn apart in seconds. It really rewards playing smartly and not just barrelling into danger. Using things like the map and the environments to your advantage is key to victory The weapons are great fun. Once I got to Storage I felt like a baddass. Like I was Arnold Swatchnegger in Total Recall. What made it better was I earned this by learning the game rather than just being unstoppabble from the start.
The sense of recoil actually adds to the fun instead of ruining it for once. And as has been said by many others. Once you get the hang of its crazy controls it actually becomes extra immersive guiding the hacker's every move instead of just circle strafing everywhere.

And strangely, the game felt a lot more like Bioshock's than SS2. The level design was more like Bioshock's. More logically designed and less liner (I'm sure I'll get roasted for that as well).
The environments more fun to explore and the levels more individual. And the loot is just way better! The audio logs are better fitted to the environments and more rewarding to listen to than SS2's and If anything this feels like the game I was promised. An old game that is like Bioshock. But better and with more depth. At least in some-parts. I still enjoy Bioshock more overall.

And SHODAN is a way more compelling villain here than she was in SS2. In SS2 she feels like a nagging, ungrateful wife. A chore to put up with. Here she's just scary! I felt my nerves go on on edge when I found an audio log from her. I would freak out when I saw her face on the viewing screens. Why did she come so dull in the sequel?

I know this has been said many times before, but this game was crazy ahead of it's time The 3D world and movement is better than Quake's or Quake 2's. The story and storytelling are almost as good as Half-life's. And while I don't care much about graphics I really liked the visual style of SS1. The game has mostly aged beautifully (apart from the enemy sprites). When you compare it to Doom 1 it seems like a game from the future. I image back in '94 in must have been mind-blowing.


I actually feel like I like SS2 less now that I've played SS1. I now know that SS2 added in a whole bunch of junk that just makes the game worse, which Bioshock sensibly got rid of.

System Shock - Spacious and logical inventory system
System Shock 2 - Cramped and awkward tile-based inventory system
Bioshock - Gets rid of the inventory system altogether

System Shock - Fun machine guns
System Shock 2 - No machine guns in a pathetic attempt to make the game scarier.
Bioshock - Fun single machine gun

System Shock - No levelling system - You can use every weapon and powerup
System Shock 2 - Gruelling and joyless levelling system - limits the number of weapons and powers you can use
Bioshock - Minimal levelling system - You can use every weapon and power again (Yay!)

System Shock - Hacking is simple and fun
System Shock 2 - Hacking only works if you wasting your XP on it. Not fun
Bioshock - Hacking is no longer tied to XP. Is fun again

System Shock - Melee combat is fast and punchy
System Shock 2 - Melee combat is slow and awkward.
Bioshock - Melee is fast and punchy again

System Shock - Radiation is problem
System Shock 2 - Radiation kills you more than the enemies.
Bioshock - Gets rid of the radiation (Good riddance).

System Shock - No research. Backtracking is unneeded.
System Shock 2 - Joyless reserch system that mandates backtracking
Bioshock - Research is now a fun (and optional) mini-game. Backtracking is uneeded.

System Shock - Weapons last the whole game
System Shock 2 - Introduces weapons made of wet biscuit that need to be repaired all the time
Bioshock - Weapons last the whole game again.


Even the cyborg ninjas are less annoying in SS1. They fit the tone better too. Ninjas seemed like an odd fit for a horror game like SS2. But for an action game like SS1 they work very nicely.
I'm sorry if this has turned into a rant against SS2. But I need to do this to explain why SS1 so totally blew my mind the way it did. And I have been sitting on these complaints for a few years ^^;



So yeah. System Shock rules. It's probably already in my top ten favourite FPS games of all time. I'm probably going to replay it again a soon. Once I have a mouse again I might try the Enhanced edition just to see how it compares. To the classic version. But I have to wonder. Does it enhance the game, or just take away from the immersion?

Regaurdless. It'll be fun to play it again without getting lost for four hours straight! (Yes that did happen to me :P)


Thanks for reading! :)
And System Shock 2 fans. Please be gentle with me.

I've only played SS1 (ages ago) and loved it too. :)
I went in "blind", so also the plot surprised me.
The game was quite scary and difficult, but damn entertaining.
And I liked its MIDI music too lol.

I watched a partial LP of SS2 and even if it improved in many aspects, it seemed to have lost a bit its magic.

You played it without a mouse? I can't decide whether that's hardcore or just plain crazy. I definitely couldn't go back from the enhanced edition as its quality-of-life improvements really just make System Shock more fun to play for me. It does make the VR segments trivially easy, although I was never a big fan of those so.... *shrug*

SS 1 > SS 2. Definitely. ;)

I'm genuinely surprised to read a "review" of system shock which actually reflects common sense. You earne my respect.
I feel your enthusiasm oozing out from your words and I'm honestly happy to know there are still people who can overlook minor hurdles to enjoy good stuff, the best actually.

Let me first say one thing: a software, every software, is designed around its controls and then the interface is created.
Well, if you had played SS1 with mouselook you wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as you did simply because the game is designed around its original controls and using a mouse and keybord is basically cheating: the monsters' behavior wasn't designed for those.
I'm actually referrint to modern mouselook edition in which yuo can use mouse + keybord like they are not intendedf in the original game.

SS1 in my opinion is best played mouse only: In your next playthrough try to play the game mouse only and then come back and tell us about it.
Maybe let time go by and let the memories fade out then get back to it.

If you read what people thinks about this game they always go with something like: yeah it's easy, it's like Bioshock, it's like SS2 but it's actually the other way around and this game came out 25 years ago and I clearly remember nobody had seen in game features like SS1's ones, it was mind blowing and still is today.

SS2 SHODAN is like a little girl while SS1's is ruthless and when it becomes aware of you it always keeps you on your toes especially when exploring new areas because, you know that, ambushes are very likely.

Oh and another thing that rubs me the wrong way: in the first game SHODAN is never addressed as a SHE with the exception of a log by a secondary character where referenced as SHE in but is just a one time thing, so SHODAN isn't SHE nor HE, in SS2 they turned it into a SHE but that wasn't a thing in SS1.

In my opinion BS1 is too streamlined: the hacking mechanic is too simple with limited effort for the player, level design and story are decent, but SS1 has platforming sessions and shooting is more "tactical" in a sense that you have to carefully choose weapon and ammo or you will waste it and there are no vending machines so ammunition management is a serious stuff in SS1.

BS1 is a good game it just came well after SS1 taking much from it and not actrually improving things really, the narration system, the vita chambers, modified people, a closed space surrounded by a deadly enviroment, like SS2 but they both pale compared to SS1.

And SS1 took great inspiration from the best of '70s and '80s sci-fi and cyberpunk media: the plot itself and the ending are overwhelming. The intro when for the first time the hacker and SHODAN metaforically stares at each other's face gives me shivers still now.

And yes SS1 music rocks, well... industrial synth!

I bought and played System Shock 1 the first time in the 90s when I bought the CD version. I loved it. The controls were cumbersome already back then, but I guess I was kinda used to it due to playing Ultima Underworld 1-2. The atmosphere in System Shock was and is so great (same goes to Ultima Underworld, by the way).

I played System Shock again a couple of years ago, with the mouseaim mod. Damn that feels good, adding better more modern controls to the classic. Now the controls are great, not cumbersome anymore.

After that I played System Shock 2 for the first time. While it had its good parts, I didn't like it that much, mainly due to some irritating enemies and some bad game mechanism. So no, I don't consider SS2 a classic, like SS is.

I haven't played Bioshock yet... except once I did install it and play a bit of the beginning, just to see how it runs. Looking forward to playing it. Yeah I agree nowadays people should really play System Shock Enhanced, with the mouseaim support. Playing the classic with more cumbersome controls doesn't really add anything to the game. Just play the better version with better controls, you will not be missing anything.

That reminds me, it would be nice if Ultima Underworld had a similar mouseaim mod... UUW has a pretty similar (cumbersome) control system as System Shock, maybe a bit simpler (due to not having controls for leaning to the side etc.).

Maybe I'm in the minority but would like to point out that System Shock 2 having RPG elements does not mean it has bad mechanisms or is unfun. It is different, but different does not necessarily mean bad. Imo, the way System Shock 2 incorporates RPG elements is better than most modern games do, but I suppose that is a low bar. All 3 great games we are very fortunate to have available to own here.

Given that I absolutely adored SS2 and haven't played SS1, I keep wondering if that will be a case of "if you liked SS2 then you'll love SS1" or "if you loved SS2 then you'll hate SS1".

I enjoyed all three games mentioned. A few points:-

- SS1 definitely has the worst HUD / UI and controls of all. The gap between SS1 (1994) vs SS2 (1999) is like 50x greater than the gap between SS2 vs 2019 games for basic things like native mouse-look. I did play it when it came out, but I also found it one of the hardest games to go back to for the controls.

- SS2's weapon degradation can be disabled if required. Simply create a file named user.cfg in the game's main folder and add the line "gun_degrade_rate 0" (without the quotation marks) then save.

Makes sense what you say... since you like your shooters.
Me, I like immersive sims/RPGs/Adventures and rarely play shooters... so SS2 >> SS1/BS (though I do like both games).

Well. Like I said. I had my laptop touchpad to aim and pick stuff up with. I wasn't totally Hardcore ^^;
But thanks anyway :)

Yeah I didn't like the VR secotions either. I'm not sad SS2 dropped them.

SS1 and SS2 are very different games doing very different things. SS2 went for a horror-survival-desperation vibe, which SS1 doesn't have.

I think both are good, but I think Thief does sound and horror better than SS2, which uses the same engine. BTW the lack of machine guns was due to using the Thief engine. The engine would simulate each bullet too slowly, making it impossible to fire them fast enough.

Maybe neither. Maybe you'll enjoy the world and story of SS1 but also miss the gameplay features SS2 added in.

All the reasons that you listed as negatives regarding ss2 are exactly the ones that make the game superGreat.
Cheers!

I did not know that. It's a shame but it makes more sense than switching to a new enigne would have. I always thought that it was off they'd remove machine guns to make things scarier but then give you weapons like the Stasus Field Genorator which is honestly a bit too funny for its own good. It being an enigne issue make more sense.

i really need to play Thief soon. I've been playing a lot of stealth missions in Obivion recently and it's wetted my appatite for somethingsimilar but more polished. I did try it once. Got so scared my the zombie in the seconf mission I dropped the game. Maybe It's time I corrected that.

That we certianly are =)

I hope GOG adds Bioshock: Infinet someday. Then we can have the whole Shock series here :)