yeah, System Shock Portable is the answer :)

Yeah, you can play the first one on Win7X64 problem free. Just search this and follow the instructions in the first link.

SS1 SYSTEMSHOCK-Portable v1.2.2

I'm holding off on buying SS2 from GoG until they decide to add SS1.

I'd guess that GOG would love to add SS1, but there's inevitable legal wrangling involved before they can actually release it. Buying System Shock 2 actually might help, since GOG can point to high sales to help motivate the other parties involved. But I understand wanting to play them in order!

I'd also guess that if System Shock 1 shows up on GOG it will be a separate purchase.

god damn, this scared the shit outta me when i played it as a kid...

it's still unsettling

I have system shock portable but i want to buy it legally, Not in the grey zone. LOL i'm just post this to let them know they have my 10 bucks for the first one.

Lol where did you get that quote?

There is SOME plot overlap between both games but SS1 is definitely not required.

As for being better - apart from the controls I actually think it is the better game. I mentioned it in another thread but it seemed to me SS1 had better vibe, was somehow more electrifying, more stylish (and, of course, had the best music in the videogaming history).

But it also depends on your preferences - SS1 is a sci-fi/cyberpunk adventure action first and survival horror second, with SS2 it's the other way around.

I agree. I loved the second game too though.

For me, the difference between ss1 and ss2 is one plays like Ultima Underworld and the other more like Thief, taking into account their engines and developers.

SS1 Portable is LEGAL....

Depends on your point of view of abandonware really. but by the book No. I do want to own a leagal copy though

i remember reading on the ttlg forum that ss1 is freeware, but i can't find the post right now or was just my imagination lol.

The way SS2 was protected for so many years, I think SS1 portable download would be shut down pretty quickly if the owners didn't want it out there.
Just my opinion. Makes me think it is truly abandonware.

THere is no such thing as 'truly abandonware'. Abandonware is never legal. It would take something like 70+ years for a game to become 'public domain'.

Now, there is 'freeware' in which a company makes the game free to the public, legally. It is very important to find out if that was ever the case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_freeware_video_games

Then there "opensource' in which the game itself may not be freeware, but the sourcecode has been opened ot the public by the company. Keep in mind sometimes the sourcecode 'escapes', and is not legally released. That is not 'opensource'.