I just finished this game for the first time this year, so no real nostalgia goggles here. Sure I'd tried it before, but like for so many other people the UI put me off 15 minutes in. I did play System Shock 2 when it was new though, and I'm reasonably comfortable with early 90s games. Others may have a harder time getting adjusted. System Shock is intense and atmospheric still in 2020, and I came to it after finishing Prey (2017). The game that started the "immersive sim" genre can still stand on its own merits, if anything newer titles are still drawing from it. There were some annoyances sure, but I found the hype mostly justified. Instead of a longer review I'll just share some setup tips and other things I'd wish I'd known before playing. I also suggest you read the mini FAQ on the GOG forums. - To really enjoy the soundtrack, replace the lousy default Windows MIDI soundfont. Google "system shock virtualmidisynth" and you should find a Steam guide with instructions to replace the soundfont. - This game really takes some time to get used to thanks to the infamous UI and control scheme, so don't get discouraged too quickly. Enhanced Edition really helps and runs natively on modern systems (DOSBox is there for the original edition), but mouselook still has to be toggled all the time as you can't do many UI interactions with it on. The default controls for EE are pretty good but can always be customized. - You've probably heard this before, but remember to save often. No auto save here! There is a very forgiving resurrection mechanic though, but that has to be found and activated on each level. Also, saves are not dated or sorted so get in a habit of saving in slot 1 before quitting, or naming saves descriptively.
