In System Shock 2, you play a soldier who has joined the UNN’s military force, becoming part of a mission on the Earth's first faster-than-light starship. Waking suddenly from a healing coma with military-grade cybernetic implants and a bad case of amnesia, you find that the onboard AI has gone rampant, that everyone has been turned into apologetic zombies, and that you can see ghosts. While its story is compelling, what makes System Shock 2 so great is the fact that it's dripping with atmosphere. The emptiness of the ship is palpable, and you feel fear at every turn. So is System Shock 2 worth the buy? Absolutely! This game is so good that it nearly killed me (though that’s a story for another day)! So what are you waiting for? Click that ‘add to cart’ button and get playing!
Master Thief Garrett is back in this fantastic sequel that improves on the original in every way. Having foiled the Trickster's plot during the events of the original game, Garrett hopes to return to thieving in peace, but there's a new sheriff in town and he seems to have a personal vendetta against the thief. Reluctantly, Garrett is pulled into a plot involving the Pagans, the Keepers, and the Mechanists, an upstart sect of Hammerites led by the enigmatic Karras, that could forever change the face of The City. Thief II has never been a pretty game, even at its original time of release, but it does use an improved version of the Dark Engine (which was used in the first game), doubling the colour depth, increasing the model polygon count, and adding coloured lighting as well as environmental effects like fog. Gameplay, as well, has been improved from the original Thief. You'll encounter 15 unique missions with varied (and occasionally secret) objectives (though a few missions share near-identical maps) that weave a gripping tale. Non-player character AI has been improved, with guards being more attentive to their surroundings, and with somewhat better pathfinding in all characters. Thankfully, the emphasis on undead and creature combat from the first game has been greatly diminished, with most fights being completely optional, giving you the option of doing what Garrett does best: being sneaky and stealing to your heart's content. Thief II: The Metal Age is not without its flaws, but its qualities more than make up for them and in all aspects it is a worthy follow-up to the original Thief and is easily recommended to both fans of that game, and of stealth games in general.
