Before Ken Levene was mucking around with Bioshock, he was doing something a little more everything, in the form of the 1999 Irrational Games/Looking-Glass Classic, System Shock 2, a game held still in extreme regard and praise, with passionate fans still pumping out mods and texture updates, over 15 years later.

I snagged the game for next to nothing in a Steam sale, and was set. I started a new game, figured everything out and watched a couple of videos to refresh anything I didn't understand and holy ♥♥♥♥. It's 4am, I'm 9 hours deep, completely scared out of my mind, with the mouse and keyboard sweaty as hell at this point, cans of Coke strewn across my computer desk before having to stop just after reaching Deck 5. And I'm saying to myself in my head, "this is the best game I've ever played in my entire life", and I truly believe that. Behind the strange UI interface and mechanics that seem archaic at first, is possibly the scariest and exhilarating games ever created. Get used to the UI and the RPG elements like the upgrade system and the cyber module thingys that seem like collecting cookies or something at first. The game I first thought was a half life tip off was now making half life look like a ♥♥♥♥ing babies toy, with the most basic gameplay and storyline you've ever seen in your life. Not only have I never been gripped by a game quite like System Shock 2 (Ocarina of Time came close), but had story and the gameplay depth that I didn't even think was possible for a game of its age. Now I've sucked enough of the games proverbial...um, laser rapier(?), now onto what makes the game so special.

The Shooting: I'm starting off with the 'weakest' part of the game (which is in closed captions for obvious reasons (none of the game is bad)). Your guns can seem very underpowered, to the point were using your wrench to bludgeon an enemy to death seems more viable, but this is usually only for the first few hours of the game. Keep levelling up your standard weapons points, and your guns feel refined and realistically accurate. This, although annoying to have underpowered guns for the first few hours, makes so much sense. Your memory is completely wiped, you've forgotten almost everything about yourself, so it makes sense that you've forgotten how to use a basic firearm until you've overcome a learning curve. Everything in this game is tightly woven to have a purpose and to seem real, it's truly incredible for a game of its age.

The RPG stuff: The levelling up element of this game makes KOTOR's RPG mechanics look like week old ham, and that's coming from a person who absolutely adores KOTOR. There's no hand holding here, you either figure out what's going to keep you alive and don't be too generous with your levelling up, or upgrade the stuff that's not really needed and have to start again half way through. The psi amp is something that makes the game truly replayable. In one run, you could choose to not use it at all, and in another run could use it solely. Either way, you better figure out the twidly RPG stuff like looting and log reading really quickly, because it pretty much is the game. Luckily it's done exceptionally here.

The Weapons: What's more entertaining that being able to carry a machine gun, rocket launcher and weird alien gun you need to research 300 times before it can be used and a laser sword at the same time? Nothing, that's what. The weapon load out is incredible here and is another place were the game really shines. What doesn't shine (pun intended, as you'll see) is that your weapons degrade over time, which forces you to constantly repair them, which is more of something put in for realism than an actual nuicance. This is 100% believable however as you're literally fighting for your life onboard the Von Braun. Another great element.

The Research thingy: Okay. Here's something that the community collectively hates. The research element. Whilst it is possible to go through the game researching only one item on deck 3 and still beat it, the research mechanic is another thing thrown on top of the chocolate and ice cream-sundae that sweetens up the experience even more. It's extremely diverse too, as some items yield you a damage upgrade on specific enemies, and others allow previously useless items to become healing materials. The thing people hate about this is that often, these items will need chemicals to research, and you'll often find yourself being forced to backtrack several floors before finding the correct chemical. Personally I liked this, as it really drives home that you're only priority is to SURVIVE. Nothing else. And that often times requires doing such things. This mechanic also allows you to explore the game in way more depth and really get to know your way around which is absolutely crucial in this game. Overall I really liked this element, as it's not really needed but offers up limitless replayability and exploration.

The enemies: Suprisingly, for such an old game, all the enemies feel very real. Reprogrammed protocol droids infected by the evil SHODAN/Xerxes, horrible infested messes, brutally mutilated humans, sacrificed to the 'Many'. Truly terrifying stuff that chills you to the core. But, again this all feels real, and the enemies, although lacking in technical design, are absolutely terrifying in visual and sounds design, and over all, the MidWifes and the Hybrids are 2 of the best enemies ever created in video game history. The later enemies that you encounter, particularly the psi projections and the rumblers are brutally unfair at points. In the last few hours of the game especially, but that isn't really a bad thing because, hey, you've made it this far, why would the game relent now? Either way, the enemies may be brutalizing at first, but once you get to deck 5, you pretty much have the most reliable weapons in the game and are able to have a little fun with how you dispatch your hunters.

The last thing to really comment on the level design and the impact the game has left on me and I'm sure countless others. The level design is absolutely impecable and by far the best from any game of it's age and even to this day it is absolutely incredible. The sheer scope and scale of some of the settings and levels are just crazy. Considering this game was made in 1999, by a team of complete amatures, it is remarkable. The 'Body of the Many' is hated by mostly everyone, however I thought it was a nice break from constant grey walls and space-stuff, even if you can get stuck on parts on the environment due to the Dark Engines fairly Lego-Like physics capabilities. Things we take for granted in modern games, like incredible interactivity (i.e, anything not nailed down WILL move/can be fiddled with) and security cameras that, if spotted by, will cause some lovely friends to come running for your flesh. Overall, the impact this game has last can simply not be understated. The amount of things that happen in this game that have triggered my mind to go "Oh yeah, I've seen that in *another aclaimed game*" was astounding and I think just makes you appreciate the game even more. The game is perfect in every sense of the word and I truly believe this is the Citizen Kane of gaming. So diverse and open, terrifying and dripping with atmosphere and all around just amazing. This is by far my favoutite game, as it's just so charming and playable that it's kinda annoying to think that no game since has even touched the ground that System Shock 2 trail-blazed. Once you perfect the keyboard shortcuts and perfect the use of the U.I, it becomes a truly magical experience, doing what other games lack infinitely by allowing you to really sink into the shoes of the protagonist and feel like you're experiencing the terrors of the Von Braun first hand.

System Shock 2 is the best game ever made.

CyberPunk, FPS+RPG(ish), legend...

Its just my heart is not letting me move on after a point.

One of the most complete, most apetizing, most horrifying games ever made by mankind. However Im pretty sure SHODAN could ve done a much better of a job...

Plot, development, gameplay, ui, enemies, weapons, the entire ship, personal Logs, any piece of information that could shed light on the dark,ominous story. Wonder why noone paid any attention to shoot a movie on this stuff, really interesting.

its one of those games whose even no-commentary playthroughs are epic.

If you are ok with horror-filling, chilling games, do not hesitate but its always best to check the gameplay before the purchase.

not fitting for every person but for everyone, certainly...

Hands down one of the best games ever made. 10/10 pants.

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If you're a gamer who needs cutting-edge graphics to make a game worthwhile...take a pass on this one. But to every one else...what are you waiting for?

System Shock 2 was (and IS) a crossroads in gaming history. It's the first true 'hybrid'...combination of horror, survival, RPG, FPS, and story-driven actioner. PLUS it's got the single greatest 'reveal' in gaming history! (NOTE - remember that it's 17 years old...if you've been playing that long, you'll remember that games didn't hold a lot of surprises back then.)

The mechanics and inventory management aspects are a bit clunky, but they're easily doable once you get into the swing of it. And unlike a lot of more recent RPG games, you absolutely CAN NOT max all skills, particularly if you go with the hardest settings. Which means that, on the 'Impossible' rank, you have to be very careful about where you spend your upgrade points. If you're smart, you may be able to max the one skill that saves your life.

First timers may find it a bit of a cliche, but you have to remember...this is the game that created those cliches. Classic games like Bioshock and Deus Ex were spawned from System Shock 2...so if you are a fan of those games, you owe it to yourself to experience the grandfather of them all.

But maybe I'm just an old fart who loves the evolution of games...decide for yourself.

One of the bests.

Much better than Bioshock.

One of the best games I've played in my 20 years experience with PC gaming.
Mother of fps/rpg genre.
Literally couldn't breathe or move after first plot twist (was 15yo back then, my brain exploded).
Only for players with sublime and demanding gaming taste.

... anybody has a spare brain ?

System Shock 2 is an interesting game. A lot of people (like myself) first go into this game after playing the Bioshock series, expecting something similar to it with a lot of shooting action. When I first played this game, I absolutely despised it. I hated the combat, the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥t difficulty, the immersion breaking techno loops, and other minor annoyances that added up to me really disliking the game. However, after replaying the game for the 5th or 6th time (which I did after beating the older Thief games), the whole experience for me kinda clicked. I knew what stats were useless and which ones were needed, so I upgraded them in advance to prepair myself for what was to come. Doing so actually made the experience a lot more enjoyable than it was before, infact, I actually kinda like the game now. It's also worth noting that there are some pretty awesome fan missions out there, most notably being System Shock Infinite, which redisigns the game in certian aspects, and is overall pretty enjoyable, even if most of the game is recycled from stock System Shock 2. But you're probably wondering what I originally didn't like about the game, and that's mostly due to the fact that this game is punishing if you don't know what the hell you are doing. It took me 5-6 playthroughs to even enjoy, let alone finish the game, and while I'm on that subject, the ending (without spoiling anything) is complete garbage, and didn't make me feel accomplished for the journy I went through. It didn't help that the last few levels aren't that great either, I mean, they're not Half Life Zen level of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥t, but they aren't good either. This is also a game with a pretty slow start, which may turn off a lot of newcomers, especially if you hate slow starts. Now massive flaws like these aren't the blessings of a masterpiece, and that was something that has, and still does bother me. This game is NOT a masterpiece, in any form, but it definetelly isn't complete garbage either. System Shock 2 is more akin to a Cult-Classic, than a Magnum-Opis, and if you go into this game expecting a masterpiece, then I'm afraid to say that you may be a bit dissapointed. It's hard for me to reccomend this game, but I can reccomend it overall, so long as you go into it with an open mind, and I wouldn't hesistate that much to look up a walkthrough if you're getting stuck. I would strongly advise playing through the first 2 Theif games first, as they will kinda teach you how The Dark Engine (the game's engine) works, to an extent that even System Shock 2 fails to tell the player. That and they'll help you become much more patient, which you're going to need when playing this game. Once you're done taffing around with those 2 games, then System Shock 2 will give you a really awesome journy to behold, Insect.

great on co op

System Shock 2 is one of the greatest games ever, and it's mind-blowing how much effort was put into it. The numerous ways you can customize your cyber rig gives the game so much replay value.