I'm a gigantic fan of System Shock 2, Bioshock, etc.-it's one of my absolute favorite genres of games. I'd highly recommend System Shock 2 to anyone that like for example Bioshock-I think it holds up great (although I did use a sort of "cheat" to eliminate respawning enemies, like a line in a configuration file).

Anyway I've never played SS1, and of course I guess it predates 3D hardware...I'm not even certain it has a truly 3D engine.

A lot of older games are kind of tricky to play in terms of interface and the like, by modern standards, and I just don't have the patience for them anymore.

Just wondering what people thought about SS1!

It's an amazing game, made all the better by the Mouselook patch of Malba Tahan. So, emphatically, YES, it's worth it. So long as you're not a graphics whore. The game was originally released 21 years ago after all.

(and yes, it does have a true 3D engine, but given the capabilities of systems at the time, enemies were dealt with as billboarded sprites (Code example here : http://nehe.gamedev.net/article/billboarding_how_to/18011/) rather than 3D models)

iam a huge fan of system shock 2 but i have never played system 1 ... its my first time

now after 4 hours of playing it i would say YES ... but only enhanced with free mouse look

its very very addictive + i like that medpacs etc got some negative side effects :D
(the midi soundtrack rocks hard !)

so just that you know E= free mouse look on/off
(its like ss2 menu click / play system)

totally YES (but only with enhaced edition)

I agree that the mouselook mod makes it a lot more accessible. Do note, however, that the mouse aiming mode makes for better stealthy shooting around corners, so you can get the best of both worlds.

With enhanced edition additions (mouse look, resolutions etc) the SS1 is definitely worth playing. The UI is surprisingly simple and straightforward to use after you get used to it, which shouldn't take longer than fifteen minutes or so.

Having played the SS1 first time just couple of years ago I'd say it has aged very well and personally I prefer the balance and pacing of SS1 over the SS2.

Wow, thanks guys! Well, I do love great graphics (I'm astonished that 360-era games are starting to look a little shabby at times LOL) but I play a lot of DS/PSP/3DS stuff and can adjust to the graphics I'm sure.

I can't believe it's been 21 years!

I'm definitely going to buy it :-)