A dizzying mix of Silent Hill, Resident evil, Persona and Killer 7 of all things. Also comes out swinging with an artistic style that cant be beat, the gay poppy colors mix deliciously with the grungy PS1 gore. And the story is queer to the max, the duchess is an instantly iconic villain/love interest. There really is a lot going for this one. But it has some sticky issues. The survival horror exploration is well tuned with RE style score rankings on levels for people who want to run them again. I dont think they are as dynamic as RE1-2 but if you WANT there is stuff to challenge yourself on. But the stop and pop shooting from killer 7 creates some inherent problems. They enemies dont stun as long as you'd think they would when getting heart shots and i cant even imagine playing this on controller with the rapid precise first person aiming. So keyboard and mouse, but then that has the issue of movement being limited. There's an option to play old tank controls that I liked using but there are currently some puzzles that are just bugged when you play in that control style. You can switch away from it to do the puzzle but thats annoying. I really liked what this story was serving in terms of relationships and how scary love can be. Combining that with angels and demons to discuss love as annihilation of the self is a really strong hook. But i dont think the endings serve that idea as well as they could. The multiple endings feel a little rigid in how you get them. They aren't arbitrary but there really isn't room to role play stuff, you have to aim to be on the ending you want. And the consequences of your choices feel muted to so that you can get a wrap up with all the characters regardless of your choices. I ultimately had a good time with this game and am so glad for its existence, more really queer games please. But the beginning was so strong I thought we had an all time classic and it just didn't quite get there.
System Shock 2 is a wonderfully paced and atmospheric game. As a shooter RPG, its absolutely great. The enemies are imaginative and the weapons are responsive. The story is well presented and you will be compelled to keep playing. I do not give the game a perfect for 2 reasons 1. LOOKS POOR: The game is old. It isn't the worst looking game from the era and it isn't like it gets in the way, but if blocky models bug you, this will infuriate you. Mods are available to alleviate this. 2. POSSIBLE TO FAIL: Even with the well designed level system that offers a lot of playstyle variety, there are right and wrong choices. People who don't put any points in to hacking are going to hit a wall and, though it isn't required, PSI users are going to have an easier time in the late game. And investing into exotic weapons is pointless. Even with these flaws, this game should be played. Actually, I feel that all of the shock series should be played, with the exception of Bioshock 2.
