I am writing this review because I am probably in a minority of those playing this game. I have played very little of the original System Shock (I played the Enhanced Edition for all of about 30 minutes) so I have nothing really to compare it to. Nor do I have any nostolgia for the original. I can say that I am having quite a bit of fun with this one. It seems to strike a good balance between having that old-school feel, which it does, and playing very well for a modern gamer. It is much slower than most other first person shooters that you can find on the market, but it controls very similarly. The inventory management feels a bit dated and borders on too faithful to be useful. In the graphics department it looks quite good. For an Unreal Engine game that is as pretty as this it plays very smoothly and won't melt your video card. Everything looks distinct and feels like it has a place in this mazey, claustrophobic station. There are a few bugs but they aren't game-breaking (your head will appear in your chest, or when you load a game every dead enemy will ragdoll). Again, neesd a touch of polish but nothing that is frustrating or off-putting. All in all I am having fun with this game despite not being a fan of the original. About as good as one, and a bit better than, could expect.
Just kind of boring. The Dark Descent was fantastic and SOMA was an amazing philosophical journey but this game just kind of meanders around the desert. I'll be honest I gave up after about 4 hours of play. I'm just bored and Tasi is about interesting as a damp rag.
It's hard for a game to come off as an intellectual pursuit. It either falls in the category of "Why did you even try?" (See: Bioshock: Infinite) and "Look at us. We are very smart." (See: Everyone Has Gone To The Rapture). Soma is something else, giving you as the player lots to think about without beating you to death with it. Every decision is there for a reason, and every beat of the story perfectly in sync with the overall narrative. That narrative not necessarily being what happens to the protagonist, Simon, but a question that hangs over everything: "What does it mean to be you?" Are you the collection of your thoughts, memories and personality? If these things were copied into another, would they be you? A different you? Is the original you more you than the copy? Question upon question upon question is explored as you make your way through the underwater research facility, PATHOS-II. All of this cerebral work is wrapped in a dark, dilapidated remnent of a destroyed world at the bottom of the ocean. As you sneak by enemies and solve puzzles you are constantly making decisions based on those questions and are forced to move forward with the consequences. All of this culminates in a final ending that is both surprising and glaringly obvious. If you want a sci-fi survival horror game with a solid philosophical core, then this is the game for you. Keep in mind that this game will leave you wanting more, but there's absolutely no other like it.
