System Shock

This is an atmospheric and visually arresting remake of a highly influential classic, which leaves the core gameplay largely unchanged. For fans of immersive sims it's a no-brainer, but those accustomed to modern gaming may be in for a different kind of "shock." The remake focuses mainly on updating the most dated aspects of the original, namely the graphics, audio, interface and controls. The game has a unique cyberpunk horror aesthetic which is both colorful and dark, combined with a graphical style that looks simultaneously high resolution and pixelated. The upbeat 90s soundtrack is replaced with a cerebral and creepy score similar to Prey in some respects, with a touch of industrial and metal during combat. The end result is fantastic, and I really could not get enough of the atmosphere it creates. Gameplay wise, I would describe their approach as very conservative. They have brought in a few elements from System Shock 2, namely a grid-based inventory and currency that you can spend at vending machines. But in terms of level layout, puzzles and direction, this is essentially the same 1994 game, for better or worse. This means that the levels are often similar to Doom levels, being somewhat abstract and maze-like. They've touched up some things here and there, but the core layout is the same, to the point that guides for the original game also work with the remake. You'll have to learn the ins and outs of each floor to be successful. This approach also means that there is no list of objectives like modern games would have. You'll have to pay close attention to your surroundings to find and listen to audio logs to give you hints at what to do next. If you miss something, you'll probably end up having to do some backtracking. I think this is unfortunate as it will turn away some modern gamers who don't have the patience for that sort of thing. If you can deal with this old-school approach however, chances are you will highly enjoy this remake, as I did.

I am pretty sure this is the first time I can give a game 10/10 score! I've spent 3 days or 45 hours to beat it on 1/2/1/2 difficulty. Honestly I love it so much that I didn't want to leave the place! I love the combat, I love puzzles, I love sound, music, voice acting! I love level design, secrets, enemies, weapons, graphics! I love the fact that it was not destroyed with modern politics and that it was not anti white! This game is a rare gem and gets on a shelf with other modern classics like Kingdom Come Deliverance, X3, Deus Ex: HR and the Witcher series.

I don't have any serious complaints and this is one of the best games I've played in years. FYI the GOG Galaxy overlay and achievements don't seem to be working. The devs say it's on GOG's end.

Longtime huge fan of the original, was looking forward to this one. The engine and gameplay are generally excellent, the best part of this remake and certainly factors better and more accessible than the original. Faithfulness to the original is also generally very good (especially early in the game, though...annoyingly enough this aspect drops off quite a bit in the late game stages). On the surface and initial play impressions, this remake seems excellent. However. The voice acting is...atrocious. Just awful. Not sure if the devs just voiced the game themselves (always a bad idea/outcome) or used neighborhood buddies or what, but the end result is that the voice acting is so amateurish that it ruins the story immersion. Add to that the fact that a lot of dialogue has been altered (and in almost all cases, made a lot worse - the writing of the original was truly excellent). It can be surprising how badly this ruins the play experience for such a story-driven game. A shame really...with better voice acting and dialogue, this could have been a master remake. Other negatives include the new portrayal of cyberspace. As annoying as the original's could sometimes be, this remade version may actually be worse. And, I think they fell down on the late-game finale sequences. There was a lot of potential for improvement, but blown...the original's late-game is much better. PROS: Excellent engine, much improved gameplay over the original. CONS: Very poor, amateurish voice acting and dialogue alterations. Cyberspace and end-game sequences are generally worse than the original.

I am writing this review because I am probably in a minority of those playing this game. I have played very little of the original System Shock (I played the Enhanced Edition for all of about 30 minutes) so I have nothing really to compare it to. Nor do I have any nostolgia for the original. I can say that I am having quite a bit of fun with this one. It seems to strike a good balance between having that old-school feel, which it does, and playing very well for a modern gamer. It is much slower than most other first person shooters that you can find on the market, but it controls very similarly. The inventory management feels a bit dated and borders on too faithful to be useful. In the graphics department it looks quite good. For an Unreal Engine game that is as pretty as this it plays very smoothly and won't melt your video card. Everything looks distinct and feels like it has a place in this mazey, claustrophobic station. There are a few bugs but they aren't game-breaking (your head will appear in your chest, or when you load a game every dead enemy will ragdoll). Again, neesd a touch of polish but nothing that is frustrating or off-putting. All in all I am having fun with this game despite not being a fan of the original. About as good as one, and a bit better than, could expect.