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System Shock 2 |OT| A Perfect, Immortal Machine
- Thread starter DocSeuss
- Start date
Alessandro
Member
It's interesting how little core mechanics carry through years and games: having played Bioshock first I chuckle everytime I get by a Replicator, Bio-reconstructor or Datapad. It's like Obsidian and their stories with memory loss (Planescape, Mask of the betrayer, KOTOR 2).
Levine and whoever worked on this know what's what. Now I start to understand why this game and its creator are so much praised.
Levine and whoever worked on this know what's what. Now I start to understand why this game and its creator are so much praised.
I'm having a very similar experience.
One thing I am finding is that the game is making me feel stupid. Dark Souls aside, this is the most unrelenting game I've played in a long time, for all the right reasons. I'm a couple of hours in and have just realised there isn't an objective marker anywhere in sight, which is quite the revelation after being exposed to today's games for so long.
I'd be really interested to re-play BioShock after this, and of course to see what else if anything has carried through again to BioShock Infinite.
cartman414
Member
I think a better, if more crass, topic title selling point to the uninitiated would be to reference Bioshock.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Bioshock for Grown Ups
jim-jam bongs
Member
I'm guessing it's already one of their biggest sellers of all time.
Yup, I mentioned everything it includes in the OP. It's got maps, in case you get lost.
Alright! Will probably do that tomorrow.
You'll very likely love the hell out of STALKER, then.
O_O
That is the most awesome thing.
I have STALKER in my library, actually.
For some masochistic reason I decided to start playing The Witcher 2 and System Shock 2 at around the same time, but when I'm done with both of them I have STALKER lined up as my next game.
Snacks the sober sea lion
Member
Not necessary, although it would probably be nice for some story reasons.
Except that game is ancient. It runs on DOSBox.
At some point, I should just get my STALKER mod folder up and running so everyone can download from it.
This question has been asked so many times, I should probably put it in the OP in my update tomorrow.
And I doubt it's easy to find it for a good price.
TheChillyAcademic
Member
One of the greatest games ever made and contains one of the greatest villains ever conceived. System Shock 2 is required reading for any and all who call themselves a gamer.
Ok GAF, convince me : I'm an awful person who couldn't stomach finishing Deus Ex, playing it for the first time sometime 2012. I have nothing against old games per se but when playing 3D-games from late 90s early 00s my brain just fries for some reason. Even if I can reminisce to the days where Thief II blew away my balls with its awesomeness I still don't think I could stomach that game today.
Am I a monster who shouldn't bother with SS2?
Am I a monster who shouldn't bother with SS2?
Red Blaster
Member
if you couldn't stand do sex then you won't like this either
Yes Corky, you are a terrible human being.
Again, mind you I'm not talking about the game itself - just how certain 3D-games look and play from that fraction of time in game-space.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
I can understand not playing a mediocre game because it has terrible graphics. I cannot understand not playing two of the greatest games ever released because their looks are dated.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Well, I can see Deus Ex's clunky mechanics making it not enjoyable at a core level for some. The same goes for the awful combat in Torment which might make others not play through it. The Thief games however doesn't really suffer from that. System Shock 2 doesn't either. It doesn't have modern or complex shooting mechanics with iron sights or whatever else but at the same time it's easy to use and solid enough even without the stats that reduce recoil and what not. The rest of the gameplay is fine, it wouldn't really be done better in a modern game. It's just exploration with mostly standard FPS controls, really, and some inventory and stat management on top. I guess it could be better balanced but it's fine. The graphics are ok.
In my opinion, System Shock 2 holds up really well.
Download the texture update and you shouldn't have a problem. The character models are a bit blocky and there's sort of solid, hard edged late-90's look to everything, but the overall world and textures look good.
Got it working; cheers.
After beating the game multiple times, my preference is soldier with assault rifle(standard) . It is the safest choice in terms of character building. Drop point into hacking and maintain. I would not recommend the "psi' build route. A lot of the skills are terrible. Focus on Str and AGI, then perhaps the others. Avoid PSI like the plaque. This is the safest and IMO the best route to play the game, anything else and you will have a difficult time.
Enjoy the game, on of the best gaming experiences on the PC.
Enjoy the game, on of the best gaming experiences on the PC.
I can handle this and Thief just fine. Deus Ex I gave up on though. For $10, it's worth a gamble, Corky.
Speaking of Thief, I really love the way this engine feels, by the way. There is this weird but awesome floaty movement to it all. Don't really understand how it works so well, how it feels so good, but it does. It's fantastic.
Speaking of Thief, I really love the way this engine feels, by the way. There is this weird but awesome floaty movement to it all. Don't really understand how it works so well, how it feels so good, but it does. It's fantastic.
exmachina64
Banned
That would be awesome.
The Crimson Kid
what are you waiting for
Yep, this game is still fantastic and holds up really well for a game in its teens.
I tried this game seven or eight years ago and didn't get too far into it (up to some place pretty early where I kept getting killed by robots, maybe cargo bays?) and got stuck but it was enjoyable up to that point.
Upon getting this yesterday, I was worried that time wouldn't be kind to it, but it is still one of the most engrossing games I've played in a long time. A whole lot about this game still holds up (and even excels!) by today's standards.
I played it for a solid 2 1/2 hours yesterday and made it back to the cargo holds, which is where I stopped last time I played it. I'm pretty well equipped at the moment, with plenty of health and rad hypos and a pistol and shotgun with several dozen rounds each, along with light armor and a rad suit, and ~350 nanites to boot. I'm sure that won't last though...
That would be much appreciated.
While I'm no modding novice, I always seek out and prefer packages of mods that have been tested by someone familiar with that game instead of seeking out and installing individual mods, because each games has a different process of how to mod it.
The giant mod pack for SS2 was a much smoother process than installing them individually, even if that process didn't seem too tough.
I've been meaning to get back into STALKER with mods, and a deeper collection would be really cool to use.
I tried this game seven or eight years ago and didn't get too far into it (up to some place pretty early where I kept getting killed by robots, maybe cargo bays?) and got stuck but it was enjoyable up to that point.
Upon getting this yesterday, I was worried that time wouldn't be kind to it, but it is still one of the most engrossing games I've played in a long time. A whole lot about this game still holds up (and even excels!) by today's standards.
I played it for a solid 2 1/2 hours yesterday and made it back to the cargo holds, which is where I stopped last time I played it. I'm pretty well equipped at the moment, with plenty of health and rad hypos and a pistol and shotgun with several dozen rounds each, along with light armor and a rad suit, and ~350 nanites to boot. I'm sure that won't last though...
That would be much appreciated.
While I'm no modding novice, I always seek out and prefer packages of mods that have been tested by someone familiar with that game instead of seeking out and installing individual mods, because each games has a different process of how to mod it.
The giant mod pack for SS2 was a much smoother process than installing them individually, even if that process didn't seem too tough.
I've been meaning to get back into STALKER with mods, and a deeper collection would be really cool to use.
You find them in the various chemical storage rooms in the game (marked C on the map). There's one on every deck including hydroponics. Once you have the chemical in your inventory you just right click on it while researching the toxin.
There are chemical storage rooms in the ship, you can find the chemicals you need there.
Star Falcon
Member
Thread has inspired me to give this a go again.
I had the game way back when, but think i was a bit too young too appreciate it and didn't get past the first few rooms. Will get the version from GOG
I had the game way back when, but think i was a bit too young too appreciate it and didn't get past the first few rooms. Will get the version from GOG
DeathGlobe
Member
Played through this when the new patch came out. But I had to use mods to disable enemy respawns. I would like to replay it with co op how does that work is it full single player experience ?
GraveHorizon
poop meter feature creep
Just installed the game, and followed the newbie modding guide. But I didn't get Rebirth because some posts here say it's awful. Is it really that bad, or should I not worry about ruining the atmosphere and just get better graphics? Also, I plan on playing it with a friend.
toddhunter
Member
I think it holds up well due to the art style. A bland sort of spaceship still looks like a spaceship today.
Look at it this way. Worst case? You lose $10 and an hour or two. Best case? You experience one of the greatest games of all time.
When was the last time a game was released that actually tried to be the greatest game of all time? You may not get that experience again soon.
It's basically the single player campaign except with another person. You share cyber modules, data logs, and research results, but you'll have to determine who gets what ammo, med supplies, etc. Death equates to respawning without cost. Difficulty either starts out at Hard or Impossible, so expect a lot of enemy resistance.
Frankly, SS2 has aged far better than Deus Ex.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
This is the System Shock 2 demo updated with NewDark, so you can try it before you buy it. I found it here. To minimize any damage from potentially missing parts and being unable to carry your save over to the full game you can just use it to see how the game feels and if it's mechanically acceptable for you then buy the full game rather than play the demo from start to finish.
Edit: the demo seems to be using visual enhancements like the Rebirth mod and the beginning of the game is re-arranged with missing bits that make it a little worse than the full game and in a way nonsensical. You get your re-assignment during the intro and then are thrust onto the spaceship right after you select the only career path available in the demo, not that you'll know what exactly this means on your first play, but yeah, keep that in mind, it's not as abrupt in the full game.
Vurt's Flora Overhaul also got a new version today. I don't know if it's fixed all the issues people had but if it has then it's another mod that compliments the visuals nicely without affecting the game's atmosphere in a negative way.
Edit: the demo seems to be using visual enhancements like the Rebirth mod and the beginning of the game is re-arranged with missing bits that make it a little worse than the full game and in a way nonsensical. You get your re-assignment during the intro and then are thrust onto the spaceship right after you select the only career path available in the demo, not that you'll know what exactly this means on your first play, but yeah, keep that in mind, it's not as abrupt in the full game.
Vurt's Flora Overhaul also got a new version today. I don't know if it's fixed all the issues people had but if it has then it's another mod that compliments the visuals nicely without affecting the game's atmosphere in a negative way.
BloodMoney
Banned
Engineering is tough section. i am playing through the game again, probably my 5th playthrough of the game since purchasing it in 1999. Time has changed nothing. I am still on my toe, running out of AP ammo to use against the turrets and robots, pistol is jaming, barely escaping various encounters with my life...
SS2 is no doubt an intense game. best played in the dark, alone
Stick with it.
The game is soooooo good. Just get to Polito.
Glad you (and others) are enjoying the game. It's a stellar experience.
SnakeLinkSonic
Member
It definitely has aged better than DE, but I'm not sure if that guy is talking about design or visuals. He mentioned Thief, but that had pretty good design (especially TMA), so I have to assume he's referring to visuals, in which case I'd advise against him trying it.
Yes sir, you are a monster. It's your loss though.
BloodMoney
Banned
Considering your balls were blown off by Thief II, you need to re-grow them and play System Shock 2. While Thief appears to have turned you into a unic, SS2 will turn you into a crying little girl. The graphics, have aged surprisingly well considering more than a decade has passed. The audio design is as terrifying as ever. A 2012 playthrough will certainly be rated "nostalgic great"... 10 out of 10.
BloodMoney
Banned
I would personally stay away from Rebirth and just stick with the HD textures and HD space background. Experience the game (models) the way there we designed by the original team. The texture patches simply increase resolution, they don't alter the design intent like rebirth does.
IMO
Fried Food
Banned
Is there any way to make things like the map and log/notes window stay open when going into item mode? Like so you don't have to keep reopening the map and other stuff?
phantomspiker
Member
You can turn on the mini map in the map screen, not sure about the other things though.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
You can use the map hotkey to open that display instead of the inventory key. It opens the inventory as well since they're all connected, but you'll need to use the inventory key to close everything as pressing the map key again will only close that and keep the inventory open. Similarly for the other screens I'd guess, I haven't bound all of them individually in my setup.