They've killed my men and now they've killed me. I'm holding my guts inside me with both hands; I'm almost done. Resist. This is bigger than my little life, the lives of my men, and the lives of the people I was forced to kill. Resist. Humanity demands it. Resist.
What is System Shock 2?
“System Shock 2 shits on Bioshock from a great height. Owe it to yourself to play it.” ~ EviLore
System Shock 2 is one of the best, most influential video games ever made. Chances are, if you've played a video game, you've played something influenced by the System Shock games. Perhaps it was Bioshock, the game touted as System Shock 2's spiritual successor. Maybe you tried Dead Space, the game many believe to have begun life as System Shock 3. You might be fond of Portal, thinking the friendly-yet-murderous turrets or GLaDOS' relationship with the player to be something original.
System Shock 2 influenced these, and more, but still surpasses them in many ways. It's more frightening, immersive, and emotionally engaging than Dead Space or Bioshock, for instance, despite the dated graphics. After Bioshock's release, the demand for an added challenge was so high that Irrational Games promised the addition of a new difficulty mode called 1999 Mode.
System Shock 2 is the game that convinced a writer at GamePro to say “Never has a game gripped my attention so completely, it was able to throw me from my chair while trying to dodge an attack, lean forward to be one inch from the screen, or throw my mouse off the table in an effort to get away from an enemy.”
System Shock 2 is one of the best video games you will ever play.
It's been lost for quite some time, unfortunately. After Microsoft and Sony both elected not to pick up Looking Glass as a first-party studio and Eidos' bank prevented them from saving LGS
Who is SHODAN?
Look at you, hacker: a pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?
SHODAN is the primary antagonist of the System Shock series, an artificial intelligence who had her ethical restrictions removed during the events of the original System Shock. SHODAN is constantly listed on “Best Villains of all time” lists, and with good reason. As Kieron Gillen writes, in his essay, The Girl Who Wanted to be God:
Your relationship with SHODAN will be nothing less than intimate.
History:
After System Shock 2 launched in 1999, it received critical acclaim, raking in seven Game of the Year awards in the same year that Age of Empires II, Homeworld, Counterstrike, Planescape: Torment, Medal of Honor, and Shenmue were released, a considerable feat. Since then, it's been ranked on many “best games of all time” and “best horror games of all time” lists.
Unfortunately, Looking Glass shut down during the development of Thief II Gold and Deep Cover. The game was lost in a legal jungle for years, with the rights to the game going to Meadowbrook/Star Insurance, and the trademark going to EA. For whatever reason, Meadowbrook has made it near impossible for anyone to get the rights. In the years since, it has become the most requested game on classic PC gaming store gog.com, garnering 34,885 votes in the community wish list, far higher than any other game. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Night Dive Studios popped up and negotiated a deal where the game would be sold digitally on gog.com and Steam. Apparently, sequel rights and such are still off the table.
Basic Info:
Platform: PC
Release Dates: August 11, 1999 and February 14, 2013
System Requirements: Any PC built this century should be fine.
Metascore: 92
Metacritic User Score: 9.4
Currently available on gog.com for US $9.99 (if you use a different monetary system and have a different price, let me know and I'll add it).
The DRM-free gog version, released by Night Dive Studios, is a collector's edition that includes:
- Manual
- Wallpaper
- Ken Levine radio interview
- Soundtrack (FLAC and MP3)
- Avatars
- SHODAN full-sized render
- Artworks
- Pitch Document
- Concept Maps
A Steam version will be released at an unknown later date, but is unlikely to include any of these bonus features. Plus, the game's worth double-dipping for.
Advice for Playing:
This game is broken to the point of being unplayable. I don't get a gun when I start, I'm told that I can't even use the gun I just found (because people in the military don't know what guns are), and my only weapon is a wrench. Wow, isn't that fun. Easily the worst PC game ever made. ~The only negative user review on Metacritic.
System Shock 2 had some UI issues, odd key-bindings, and, yes, it's an old-school PC game, which means that the challenge comes from thinking rather than mastering play through repetition. It's a game with an environment that must be respected as if it's a real space. If you try to treat it like a game, it will destroy you, and you definitely won't find it fun. Treat it like an alternate reality instead.
When you pick a class, it's probably best to start off Navy. SHODAN calls you a hacker, and it's best to try playing as one. Make sure to activate the respawn chambers throughout the game—this isn't Bioshock where you can exploit your death. Keep a sharp eye out for resources, as they're often hidden, but nearly always invaluable.
It's best to avoid playing co-op without having completed a solo run. Some have recommended that you avoid listening to music—don't listen to them, the music is awesome.
Modding:
System Shock 2 used to be somewhat hard to run. Fortunately, the new release of the game actually comes in an already-modded state. Textures appear to have taken a bump, the mouse wheel is apparently usable, but some other features appear to be missing, including pre-set keybindings.
There's a great thread over on gog that lists all the mods you are likely to want or need. While it might seem tempting to pick up the updated models, they're not particularly true to the original game, and are best avoided.
I've created a basic WSAD keybinding profile you might find useful. Just take the “Bindings” folder and drop it in the System Shock 2 folder. Once you've started the game, go into the options menu, click “customize controls,” then “load,” and you should see some GAF controls you can load. I couldn't get the game to pick F5 for quicksaving, though. Not sure what's going on with that.
To edit the cam_ext.cfg file and change the UI, open it in Notepad or Wordpad, then:
All The Other Stuff:
We've got ourselves a Steam group, courtesy of Jim-Jam Bongs, for those of you who want to play co-op. It's invite only, but ask here, and someone will send you an invite.
If you want to read up on the history of the series, check out this piece on G4 detailing the series' history. Our own RedSwirl wrote a piece about the game as well, which you can check out here. Gamespot's“Best games of all time” series included an interview with Ken Levine about System Shock 2, which I found pretty enjoyable.
I have a migraine, so I am done. If anyone has ways to improve this, by all means, tell me.
