System Shock

First introduction to the series for me, I enjoyed it very much! The lack of direction was honestly refreshing as the game didn't insult your intellegence and requires you to look around and actually listen to the audio logs or read the emails to progress. Good job, Night Dive!

Retains the soul of the original.

System Shock is one of those classics that those of us old enough to have played in our childhood remember fondly, but probably don't want to play today. I bought the enhanced version of System Shock and played through the first level, but grew tired of the clumsy interface, and never played it again. The remake, however, brings a modern UI and control scheme while still retaining the original's gameplay and storyline. I found myself using decades old walkthroughs to complete the remake, and every item and quest was present. The graphics are a delightful mix of modern techniques like realtime lighting, reflections, and particle effects, while still retaining a retro look with pixelated textures and relatively low poly characters. This graphic style is contentious, but I think it works well. The music has been completely replaced, but again I think the change is for the better. The original was very MIDI techno, while the new soundtracks are more ambient and haunting. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the OST as part of my Kickstarter pledge, and "The Ruined Infirmary" (the exploration music for the first level) is a particularly engaging track. I would have liked to see this remake modernize even more aspects of the game. A simple goal tracker would make the game much more approachable for those less interested in the puzzle solving mechanics that often require noting down codes and instructions from messages and recordings found throughout the game. You will need pen and paper to complete the game, which feels a little anachronistic. Combat is also pretty tedious. FPSs have come a long way with simple mechanics like cover, melee, and peeking being common enough that they are noticeably absent when not included. System Shock will often have you running around a corner, firing one or two shots, running back behind the corner, and waiting for the enemy to fire hopelessly into the wall that stands between you and them. Highly recommended overall though.

I'll admit to being somewhat jaded and generally quite trepidatious towards remakes, it all too often feels like they are simply taking the name and a few token references for the sake of brand recognition, then make whatever the hell they want. I was worried this would be the case here, and the cryptic development didn't help. I am very surprised to say, it's really damn good. I almost want to call it a glorified remaster, but the game is as old as I am. Nightdive have brought a false 3D maze game with sprited enemies into the modern age, and it's entailed a ground up remake of the original game. They've gone out of their way to make it as respectful to the original as possible, as almost the entire original game is faithfully recreated. The UI is less overwhelming, but it still maintains the clunkyness that adds tension, and a few of the more redundant weapons are removed. They added a audio log about a nearby wormhole to link to the second game. It looks great, sounds great and was a clear labour of love for the developers, and I cannot emphasise enough how good it is.

1:1 remake of the orginal. You can't go wrong. If you like the original you'll love this.