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System Shock Remake: A Surprise GotY Contender

FinalBossWithTheMostPower

FinalBossWithTheMostPower

Member
This might be a bit of a hot take, but I gotta throw it out there: the System Shock remake has become a surprise Game of the Year contender for me.

Now, full disclosure: I never played much of the original or System Shock 2 back in the day. While I can definitely see how it laid the groundwork for stuff like Bioshock, I gotta say, System Shock feels like it accomplishes a lot more narratively, and feels much tighter and more focused.

Also, there's this constant sense of dread and isolation that I haven't felt since the original Bioshock. Plus, the whole hacking mechanic with the different cyber modules just feels more...grounded? Like it actually makes sense within the world, unlike the fantastical plasmids of Bioshock. Plasmids were still fun, though.

And while I miss having a Big Daddy to tangle with, SS throws some serious punches at you difficulty-wise. It's brutal at times, borderline unforgiving.

Speaking of throwing punches, the resource management in this game is fantastic. It reminds me a lot of Resident Evil, forcing you to strategize and make every bullet and medkit count. Plus, being able to scrap materials and recycle stuff gives you a great reason to explore every crack and crevice. Honestly, I'm not sure how much of this was in the original, but the environmental storytelling and world-building here are top-notch. It's easily one of the best FPS experiences I've had recently.

The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag though (UE4). They can go from absolutely stunning to looking a bit pixelated and muddy in some areas. I'm not sure if it's just a case of Nightdive Studios being lazy or if it's some kind of stylistic choice, but it's definitely noticeable. Regardless, it hasn't taken away from the overall experience. Honestly, it just makes me crave a proper next-gen remake, or maybe even a full-blown System Shock 3!

Last bit... the cyberspace segments are really cool and if built out could be a game concept all on its own.

So, who else out there has been diving into Citadel Station on the new consoles? I've been transitioning to primarily PS5 now, anyone rocking it on the XSX?

Let's hear your thoughts on the remake!
 
H

HL3.exe

Member
Yep, loved it when it released on PC. Grew up with the original and kinda hoped for a more reinterpretation with modern ImmSim sensibilities (like Prey 2017), but modernizing the controls and mechanics with a new coat of paint already proved to be different enough to develop.
 
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FinalBossWithTheMostPower

FinalBossWithTheMostPower

Member
adamsapple said:
Playing through it these days, the lack of a toggle for sprint is a mind boggling omission on Night Dive's part.
Click to expand...
Quite a few questionable design choices throughout.

I can't count the number of times I've died from the stupid plant and lean mechanism. I guess it's for corners, but it's completely unnecessary.

I reconfigured my binds but when I need it to not happen most, it still happens.
 
ScHlAuChi

ScHlAuChi

Member
adamsapple said:
Playing through it these days, the lack of a toggle for sprint is a mind boggling omission on Night Dive's part.
Click to expand...
They had a PS5 demo playable on the Gamescom showfloor in 2022. I played it and noticed the missing sprint toggle right away.
So I went to the Deep Silver business booth (I have a contact there) and asked If I could talk to someone from Nightdive for feedback.
They pointed me to some older guy and I introduced myself (Note: I´m a designer in the industry for over 22 years) and said the demo was nice but the controls were suboptimal for console with the missing sprint toggle.
The guy was all very dismissive and basically told me he wasnt interested. When I was perplexed and said "I´m just trying to help here", he was all "I hear you, thank you" and that was it.
To give you some perspective, I never ever had seen such a reaction from an industry person before - I was pretty disappointed and not surprised at all when the game released with it still missing.
 
Guilty_AI

Guilty_AI

Gold Member
I finished it the other day on PC and i would've indeed put it up as a goty contender if it weren't a remake.

FinalBossWithTheMostPower said:
The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag though (UE4). They can go from absolutely stunning to looking a bit pixelated and muddy in some areas. I'm not sure if it's just a case of Nightdive Studios being lazy or if it's some kind of stylistic choice, but it's definitely noticeable.
Click to expand...
Yes, those graphics were intentional, probably intending to give it some retro/80s vibes. I've seen people complaining but i personally liked it.

FinalBossWithTheMostPower said:
Last bit... the cyberspace segments are really cool and if built out could be a game concept all on its own.
Click to expand...
Look into Descent games, or if you want something more modern, Overload.

FinalBossWithTheMostPower said:
Regardless, it hasn't taken away from the overall experience. Honestly, it just makes me crave a proper next-gen remake, or maybe even a full-blown System Shock 3!
Click to expand...
I don't think you'll be seeing this kind of game with next-gen graphics unfortunately. A dungeon crawler with the level of visual fidelity you see here is rare enough as is.
 
FinalBossWithTheMostPower

FinalBossWithTheMostPower

Member
Guilty_AI said:
I finished it the other day on PC and i would've indeed put it up as a goty contender if it weren't a remake.


Yes, those graphics were intentional, probably intending to give it some retro/80s vibes. I've seen people complaining but i personally liked it.


Look into Descent games, or if you want something more modern, Overload.


I don't think you'll be seeing this kind of game with next-gen graphics unfortunately. A dungeon crawler with the level of visual fidelity you see here is rare enough as is.
Click to expand...
For my first time through it's been a memorable experience, and one of the best things I've played all year.

Also, appreciate the suggestions, last Descent I played was for PS1 (back when they had the rectangular boxes), I could barely get past the first couple of levels, back then.

But, yes, Descent is indeed an accurate comparison of the gameplay that didn't immediately come to mind.

Will take a look at Overload. Thanks!
 
Guilty_AI

Guilty_AI

Gold Member
FinalBossWithTheMostPower said:
For my first time through it's been a memorable experience, and one of the best things I've played all year.
Click to expand...
It was my first too, i just don't want to give GOTY to a remake of whats essentially one of the most influential games of its era. Like, of course it would be that good,

Not to say Nightdive didn't do a great job translating the original into more modern elements.
 
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FinalBossWithTheMostPower

FinalBossWithTheMostPower

Member
Guilty_AI said:
It was my first too, i just don't want to give GOTY to a remake of whats essentially one of the most influential games of its era. Like, of course it would be that good,

Not to say Nightdive didn't do a great job translating the original into more modern elements.
Click to expand...

Heard.

Really, I was unprepared for how good it is.

I had decided I was gonna pass on it, but since my gaming choices have hit a bit of a lull as of late, I decided to jump in, and so it was a pleasant surprise.

Plus it's like 35 bucks (18 on steam).
 
Buggy Loop

Buggy Loop

Member
hybrid_birth said:
Gamefly users rated it a 5 out of 10 so i didn't even bother trying it.
Click to expand...

Dog What GIF by MOODMAN


First time I have ever seen someone base their game playing on gamefly user ratings
 
Megatron

Megatron

Member
Guilty_AI said:
I finished it the other day on PC and i would've indeed put it up as a goty contender if it weren't a remake.


Yes, those graphics were intentional, probably intending to give it some retro/80s vibes. I've seen people complaining but i personally liked it.


Look into Descent games, or if you want something more modern, Overload.


I don't think you'll be seeing this kind of game with next-gen graphics unfortunately. A dungeon crawler with the level of visual fidelity you see here is rare enough as is.
Click to expand...
It being a remake doesn’t disqualify if from getting goty. The fact that it came out on pc last year and the consoles got a late port, though, I think does disqualify it.
 
digital_ghost

digital_ghost

Member
Buggy Loop said:
Dog What GIF by MOODMAN


First time I have ever seen someone base their game playing on gamefly user ratings
Click to expand...
Plenty of people base their games on metacritic ratings and gamespot / ign or steam reviews. Especially when spending their $60/$70 on a game. For me that is alot of money.


I don't always go by user ratings, but with so many new games coming out i have to prioritze my gaming.

I will check out the game.
 
TheSHEEEP

TheSHEEEP

Gold Member
It is definitely a good standard for how to do remakes:
Keep the vision and quirks of the original alive, but modernize where appropriate (controls, UI, visuals, sound).
 
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Doczu

Doczu

Member
How is the remake on PS4(pro)? Don't have any other way to play.
Also, no physical for that version, right?
 
darrylgorn

darrylgorn

Member
adamsapple said:
Playing through it these days, the lack of a toggle for sprint is a mind boggling omission on Night Dive's part.
Click to expand...

I could have sworn they fixed that but I might have just switched on my own toggle in the steam controller settings.
 
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Megatron

Megatron

Member
Guilty_AI said:
i just fail to see how order of platform release matters here.
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It’s not a new game if it came out a year ago? Is that really that hard to understand? It would be like nominating Metroid zero mission for game of the year because it came out on Switch’s expansion pass this year. Or Sea of Thieves because it came to PlayStation this year.
 
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Guilty_AI

Guilty_AI

Gold Member
Megatron said:
It’s not a new game if it came out a year ago? Is that really that hard to understand? It would be like nominating Metroid zero mission for game of the year because it came out on Switch’s expansion pass this year.
Click to expand...
I was thinking in terms of 2023 goty, but yeah i'm not sure what year OP refered to exactly.
 
Killer8

Killer8

Gold Member
It was in my top 10 list last year when it released on PC. Really good remake that basically invalidates needing to play the original.

It's disappointing to hear about the control and QoL issues on console like lack of aim assistance.
 
Buggy Loop

Buggy Loop

Member
Have to go back to it soon, got to level 2 and it got pushed for Elden ring DLC & Black myth wukong. Now on Everspace 2 but losing interest..

Even level 1 I loved so I can't imagine the rest.

I wish they would take on System shock 2 with that kind of remake quality. Still the GOAT.
 
DragoonKain

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I tried to get into it but couldn't. The mechanics felt really outdated and I got really bad motion sickness from this one for whatever reason. My motion sickness got really bad after COVID so I'm more prone to it now than ever, but this game was one of the worst ones I've played for me. I ended up just bailing because I couldn't get into it and I wasn't going to suffer through intense nausea unless I was having a blast.
 
ZehDon

ZehDon

Gold Member
Buggy Loop said:
Have to go back to it soon, got to level 2 and it got pushed for Elden ring DLC & Black myth wukong. Now on Everspace 2 but losing interest..

Even level 1 I loved so I can't imagine the rest.

I wish they would take on System shock 2 with that kind of remake quality. Still the GOAT.
Click to expand...
Much the same. I was enjoying it, but so many titles kept landing. I will say: game is definitely old school - for better and worse. I respect the hell out of it, even if I find some of the design questionable in 2024.
 
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