System Shock® 2 (1999)

I can't tell you how many times I've played this game. I can't tell you how many different ways I've started and how many different evolutions my character has undergone. I can't tell you how many times a lumbering zombie has made me leap out of my skin, or how on many sleepless nights my trips to the toilet were peppered with hallucinations every time I went to open a door or a floorboard creaked. I can't tell you how many times (or how badly) my spine tingled on hearing some of the creepier voice-work, or just how badly my stomach lurched as the floor (sometimes literally) dropped out from under me. But I can tell you that this game was a bargain at full price and that it's even more of one now - even for me, though I still have the original disc, box and manual. This game took scope, ambition, depth of character, a living and breathing (and dying and decaying) world and put them all together and just made it all work. Full voice-acting for all characters and logs, models which remain creepy even while terribly aged (creepier than the much prettier rebuild, even), music just dripping with atmosphere and, let us never forget, those god. damned. psychic. monkeys. Buy it. Install it. Play it. Then play it again. And if it's not 2am and you aren't hallucinating, you're not doing it right.

Thank you so much for making it possible to play this game again and to own some great bonus stuff, too! One of the most atmospheric/immersive games I have ever played.

I love this game, have played many times since its original release, and still think that it holds its own against much newer games. It is a game you don't play when you are alone in the house with the lights out--the atmosphere is that immersive. And I truly appreciate that it doles out supplies incredibly sparingly, giving you a very good reason to sneak up on a target to hit it over the head with a crowbar instead of taking it out at range. If there are a few minor quibbles, (equipment degrades very rapidly in the future, apparent, they don't detract much from the ultimate pleasure of this game. <Very Minor Spoiler> And the first time I heard the sepulcher voice say, "Babies need sleep. Babies need rest. Wise is the one who does not disturb us." I actually turned around and ran the other way. *That's* immersion. Highly recommended.

Shock 2 is the cult classic that has long been spoken of in gamer's top 10 lists. The game is distinct, a blend of FPS and RPG elements, but is also at times quite unsettling - as many twisted, unforgiving enemies hunt you down. In this way it is a Science Fiction horror game that feels completely unique with its balance of character development, item and weapon management, and first person action. Beyond this it is distinct in its consistent presentation ie. Its stylized electro drum and bass soundtrack, its disturbing and gloomy designs, its use of dead characters as plot progression, and indeed the presentation of the AI character SHODAN are all things that make System Shock 2 stand out. Even though this game is from 1999, I think its vision still holds strong even in the face of aging graphics. It is an experience that gives the right balance of adrenaline, reward, and terror. So many years later this game still has left an impression, and I hope, now that it is widely available, more gamers will be able to experience this game. We need more games like it.

The stunning game-play and detailed original concepts like breadcrumb audio logs, character ability choices, weapon designs and modifications set this game far ahead of its time. It doesn't feel a decade or more old. instead it sets the standard for modern FPS/RPG games to be compared against, and many modern games fall short! I'm so glad one of my most all time favourite games is back and on Gog!!