System Shock

Fun to play and faithful to the original. The only issues I have are towards the odd frame dip and a few crashes.

I cleared two sectors at the time of this writing and i have to say this game is a success on almost every metric. First of all you can really immerse yourself into this game. It is not really an im-sim, more like a prototype of an im-sim. At the difficulty i play right now, you have to be very observant, and think like you are really there. If you just blindly run around, you will get confused really fast. So observe, listen closely to audio logs, plan out your routes, learn the layout and you will have a blast. The puzzles are also great. I especially love the ones, where you fix the "fuse panels". You plug and unplug wires and reroute traces with your own hands. I think this is really cool. It doesn't take you out of the experience, because it's not some abstract thing that happens on a separate UI. Weapons feel really powerful especially the sparq's 3rd firing mode and also have to be used purposefully, since enemies have specific strengths and weaknesses. Some animations are lacking weight tough (reload minipistol&shotgun). I also like the graphics, they are low-fi and high-res at the same time. From afar everything looks modern, but when you're up-close then everything shines in glorious retro chunkiness. I love that aspect. What i see as bit overkill, is the shinyness of certain objects/scenes. One good example would be the fuse-puzzles. On the first one i couldn't figure out what i was doing wrong, because the lighting made the heads of the cables so bright, that i couldn't see, that some cables are worth 2 "energy-points" and some cables are worth 1. So there are some moments where reflections become too bright, but aside from that it just looks beautiful, colorful and haunting at the same time. I'm currently playing this on Linux Mint, using bottles as a compatibility layer, and i get a solid 60 FPS on a GTX980ti, there is some weird audio crackling/pops here and there but aside from that it runs buttery smooth with almost everything maxed out.

Might seem a big praise but being a fan of System Shock I was worried that this game might simply be System Shock with a fan mod or a souless cash grab that changes System Shock for a more modern audience. To summarise this game, this is what you think when you think "I wonder what this would look like with a modern engine." done right. Everything is laid out the same, if you love System Shock you will LOVE this game as you go around citadel station admiring how they've made it look like a space station and not just a level that needs your imagination. The lore and voice overs are all redone and I swear that some of the villains have been changed slightly as I don't remember them being explored as much as they are here. Is it Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal levels? No, it's very low key and true to the world of System Shock. What I love about this game is that it doesn't make the original non void. In fact, I would argue you will get more out of this game by playing the original then this one so you can appreciate all of the changes. Are all of the changes better? No, they're just different but in a good way, that is respectful not fanfic. Shodan isn't going to lecture you on politics or enviromental issues, everything is as it was but just slightly expanded enough that it makes you think "Damn, what happened in System Shock 2 again?" This is why this game is so good. It's not only a fantastic survival, adventure, FPS game but it makes you want to not only play the original but the sequals too. It's by far the new standard of remakes moving forward, if I could give this game 10 stars I would. Now at this point in time is it perfect? No, it does crash from time to time, so make sure you save often and don't just rely on quick saves, manually save too. I cannot reduce a star because of that because the game is just too good and I'm a very jadded old gamer.

I played a modded version of System Shock more than 10 years ago and felt in love with this game. This modded version allowed to increase resolution and added mouse look control (very similar to what years later would be known as the "enhanced edition"). These improvements helped me enjoy the game in a way I don't think it would be possible with the original control scheme. This remake takes this idea a lot further. By adding several quality of life improvements I don't think I could go back to the enhanced edition. The System Shock remake _is_ the proper way to play this masterpiece. I had my minor concerns after checking out the demo. But after completing this game, spending more than 20 hours with it, I have to say this game is perfect! Kudos to the Nightdive team on bringing this game with so many improvements.

I finished the original and the remake and it´s so faithful to the original,such amazing game!!. The only reason i took one star was beacause the game crashed several time for me, the solution was to put the graphics on high and reinstal my gpu drivers.