System Shock

After completing the game, I can enthusiastically report that this remake delivered on what I was looking for - a modernized way to enjoy the ORIGINAL game. This is what the developers have delivered here - It's not a reboot or reinterpretation, this is System Shock as if it were made today from the original design document. It's clear that this is a labor of love. It's faithful in all the right ways, including level design. The game doesn't hold your hand. It puts you into this scenario and lets you figure things out for yourself. Unlike most modern games, it risks giving you the freedom to potentially get yourself into an unenjoyable situation. From my point of view, that freedom is what this genre is all about. Before I played, the art style felt off-putting to me from screenshots (the high contrast, the rich neon colors, etc) but in motion I instantly accepted it and immersed into the world. It works well. It's been a while since I lost myself in a virtual world like this, with my notepad next to me to note down codes and important numbers and remind myself where I stashed a weapon or surplus items. I loved that the game can be unrelenting at times, pushing me to be resourceful and try different things. If you love immersive sims but haven't tried any of the System Shock games, this is a great way to experience the birth of the genre. Don't expect the most sophisticated imsim out there - this is the first, but it holds up well enough to notice how slowly the genre has evolved in 30 years. Games are still made in System Shock's image today (Prey). The game is well polished and feels like it was crafted by people who care about doing justice to this IP. My gratitude to the team.

This is what a remake should be. This should be held as the golden example for all other developers trying to cash in on a beloved franchise by doing a remake. As a backer, I've followed the development from day one, and it was a bit troubled, but you should see those troubles as a positive, because they reversed course halfway through when we backers said it was deviating too far from the original in terms of graphics and overall feel. This backtracking added a lot of time and costs to the development, but NIGHTDIVE wanted to do it right and had the utmost respect for not only the IP, but the fans as well. KUDOS NIGHTDIVE! I've been happily playing the beta for months now, and now the full release is everything I could want it to be. The style and tone is spot on. The looks and feels exactly as it should, as a now retro-futuristic cyber hellscape. The modern quality of life features mean this is the best way to play an all time classic.

Superb remake - a great translation of the original game in a more modern feel! For new players the game doesn't take you by the hand but the enhancements to the gameplay make it ten times more user friendly than the original game. Everything loads smoothly and quickly - no crashes and crystal clear visuals at 4K for the art style with no apparent stutter or texture issues. They translated the art style from the original game quite nicely and you get a better sense of what the original game tried to accomplish - it is staggering! PC hardware is fully utilized with up to 99% GPU usage and the game feels well optimized and the install size is relatively small! Great experience so far after "completing" the first 3-4 levels (there is back and forth between levels over the course of the game). The scale of things and the FOV even after adjustments is a bit off but translates how the original game felt. Tips: - Make sure to note down all the codes you find (there is randomization)! - Recharge stations are your second best friends! - Game is a bit rough with low amount of healing resources (unless you know the game mechanics well) if you plan on doing a no death playthrough or trying a harder difficulty or you are a first time player. Make sure to figure out how to handle healing before attacking a new level or bunch of enemies! - Don't stress about the map layout it all makes sense once you complete a portion of the map / once you start getting how the level is structured! Technical detail: - I am getting 85-110 FPS with -everything- maxed out @4K on a 6900 XT. I suggest using the game config files to lock down your max FPS if you want to control the heat of your GPU unless you want it to reach out 97|106+ degrees all the time :) - If you can set a custom resolution you can play this game in ultrawide mode without issue on a regular screen. By example I am getting 120 FPS @ 3840x1440. Hope you get to enjoy the game as much as I did!

This is probably one of the best remakes I've ever played. It balances major quality of life improvments that will be welcomed by people familar with the original system shock and by those who aren't. At the same time it also sticks to what made the original game so great with it's level design, retro-style graphics and sensibilities. Night Dive studios knocked it out of the park, absolutely brilliant!

As an old System Shock fan, this game is what every remake should strive for. Especially an indie one. That being said, what happened to the powerful MIDI music?! This soundtrack is bland at the very least, bordering on abysmal in comparison to its former.