System Shock® 2 (1999)

I missed it back in the day but now I played it and it absolutely blew my mind in general, how far ahead it was, with story, abilities, atmosphere, level design. I recommend to change movement keys before playing, defaults are a bit unusual, and if it is too hard - set difficulty to easy. This game is 10/10 for me.

System Shock 2 is an absolute classic, primarily due to it's use of atmosphere, lighting, and sound, hearing the mutterings of mutants. or the mechanical footsteps of a server droid all add to the feeling of unease. The fact that the game doesn't pause when you are in inventory mode adds to the fear, you can't be inventory managing while some mutants are bearing down on you. The isolation, with the story and world being built up by audio logs, it really adds to that sense of helplessness. In short, it has a great soundtrack, excellent acting, tremendous atmosphere and really has an excelent story despite the protagonist being the heroic mime variety with basically no reaction to the horrors going on around him. If you are looking for some classic sci fi horror, you should really check this out.

Something about Looking Glass / OG Irrational games just feel amazing to play even in 2024. Yes, it is due to some great design (with a few caveats) and writing, but there is just something that feels so satisfying when playing their games (Ion Storm too with OG Deus Ex). Perhaps it's the lack of hand holding (even though I am suprised at how helpful SS2 is at onboarding new players with it's extensive tooltips and such) and that the game doesn't treat you like an imbecile which in 2024....is quite rare. Perhaps it's the stellar atmosphere that accompanied OG imisms or feeling of completeness when all of the game mechanics and systems work together to create something amazing. Whatever it is, it's perfect and not a day goes by that the industry isn't made worse by not having Looking Glass as a pioneer. Just think of how many more amazing games they could've made. And no, I have no nostaliga for any of these games, as I did not play them growing up. I played many within the last year, but I as someone learning game dev, I do appreciate solid design and mechanincs. As well as the risk it must've been to make a game like this (or Thief) when Doom and Quake were still in their heyday. Additonally, almost being 30 means I grew up when the industry was different and saw first hand as companies started to take less risk with new innovative IPs in the hopes of milking past successes until there was nothing left but disdain from their loyal fans. Going back to games like these feels like opening a time capsule back to when passion and the desire to give fans a solid expierence was more important than money and more money. Do yourself a favor and look up MandaloreGaming on youtube, watch his SS2 video, and go to the top comment for a comprehensive guide on how to set this game up with a few mods that give it a face lift without detracting from the devs original version. The process is very simple. Or simply look up a modding guide, tho some may be outdated.

amazing pure bliss playing this right up be Deus Ex and Thief

The best blend of action and RPG, System Shock 2 provides THE best horror survial experience - trapped on a space ship, infested by unknown entity with the ship's systems going haywire. Your only help are mysterious transmissions from other survivours. The game's unique stat-based RPG system, inventory management, difficulty and atmosphere has made this game what it is today - an undisputed classic, still fresh after all those years. A must buy.