System Shock 2 is one of my all time favorites, which I've played many times and will play many times more. It's a great game in all respects. The game is a CRPG-FPS hybrid with basic stats and specific skills to level up. Skills include a Hack skill, a Repair skill, a Strength skill, skills for specific weapons (Standard, Energy, etc.), psionic powers (think magic spells), and other standard RPG skills and stats. The shooting aspect of the game requires caution--ammo is scarce and weapons break (which is one reason you'd want to level up the Repair skill). You don't feel powerful in this game; the sense of surviving on limited means is one of the aspects that makes System Shock 2 rewarding and fun to play. The game takes place on the Von Braun, a spaceship of the mega corporation TriOptimum. It's exploring way out in space when the ship is hijacked by an unknown force. On top of PDA audio logs, there are other effective story elements, like blood writing on the walls and intercom voiceovers by the ship's AI, "Xerxes". The audio is also really well done. The hum of the spaceship makes you feel like you're floating way out, isolated in space; the music is fantastic cyber-computery fare; and the voice acting for the PDA logs and enemies is overall excellent. System Shock 2 an excellent, great game. I feel kind of bad just writing this quick snippet review of it, but I'll have to let this suffice. You owe it to yourself to play this classic.
