91
MobyRank
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
4.0
MobyScore
5 point score based on user ratings.

Description

2072; orbiting Saturn aboard TriOptimum Corporation's Citadel space station. You awaken from a six-month healing coma with a broken memory and a newly-installed cybernetic interface to discover that most of the other occupants of the station are dead... or worse. The station's self-sufficient AI, SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) has assumed total control and seems hell-bent on destroying all human life. TriOptimum believes you are Citadel's last hope. Can you save yourself and smash SHODAN's evil plans?

System Shock incorporates first-person shooter and adventure gameplay styles, with role-playing elements thrown in. To complete the game, you'll have to explore the ten levels of Citadel, solving puzzles, fighting enemies and fulfilling objectives.

On your way, you'll encounter numerous enemies - robots, cyborgs and mutants, all of which can be fought back with a variety of weapons. Some of the weapons use ammo, while other have infinite ammo and instead draw on your electric energy. Some weapons are more effective on certain foes - e.g. the dart gun only works on organic enemies, while the magpulse is best used against robots. Once killed, the enemies can be searched for ammo and other items. You can also find items in crates, cabinets, corpses or just lying around on the ground.

Apart from weapons and ammo, you'll find patches (such as medical patches, which replenish your health; berserk patches, which temporarily increase your strength but cause hallucinations; detox patches, which remove the harmful effects of radiation and biohazard; etc.), grenades of various kinds (EMP grenades work great on robots, gas grenades are good for mutants, land mines can be used to set traps, etc.), battery packs for replenishing electricity, first aid kits for restoring health, and others.

Thanks to your implant, you can install various pieces of hardware into your body, such as a booster which makes you go faster, or a head lantern to bright up dark areas. As you progress in the game, you'll find higher versions of existing hardware, which are more effective and useful. However, most hardware uses up your electric energy while it's active.

At some places in the game, you have to find a wall-mounted "cyberjack" to go into cyberspace in order to find data that will help you, remotely open doors or unlock sealed areas, or give yourself clearance to access off-limits areas. Cyberspace is represented as a 3-D wireframe place, where you fly around freely in three dimensions, shoot hostile cyber-guards with phasers, and collect files represented as colorful cubes.

The story of the game is mostly told through e-mail messages you receive, and electronic diaries (logs) left by various characters (as well as SHODAN herself), which are scattered around the space station.

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User Reviews

Atmosphere, story-telling and gameplay in an amazing union Unicorn Lynx Bronze Star Contributing Member (84228) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
Your system has been shocked. Remember to Salt The Fries Black Wolf (37237) 4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars4.14 Stars
An FPS with a Plot!?! DOOM seems insignificant by comparison! Great Hierophant (70) 4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars
Brilliant does not even begin to describe this game. Tomer Gabel Bronze Star Contributing Member (4436) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
The Finest First-Person Shooter Ever Designed. Doug Peterson (6) 4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars
Words cannot begin to describe how great this game really is! Sam Jeffreys Bronze Star Contributing Member (3788) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
Massive potential that is now only recognised in hindsight RussS (478) 3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars
This game creeped me out! Shiek of Geek (27) 4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars
A Classic Game in league with Ultima Underworld I and II Chris Martin Bronze Star Contributing Member (1115) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
Certainly one of the best games ever created Bazilisek (25) 5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars

The Press Says

Just Adventure Feb 07, 2002 A 100
Abandonia Mar 06, 2009 5 out of 5 100
High Score Jan, 1995 5 out of 5 100
Just Games Retro Jul 24, 2004 98 out of 100 98
Pelit Jul, 1994 97 out of 100 97
PC Gamer Jan, 1995 96 out of 100 96
PC Player (Germany) Oct, 1994 89 out of 100 89
Power Play Nov, 1994 87 out of 100 87
Adventure Classic Gaming Sep 25, 1998 4 out of 5 80
GameCola.net Nov, 2008 7 out of 10 70

Forums

Topic # Posts Last Post
Finally completed 25 St. Martyne Bronze Star Contributing Member (3563)
Oct 18, 2008
Voices? 12 Unicorn Lynx Bronze Star Contributing Member (84228)
Apr 03, 2008

Trivia

System Shock was named #98 overall among the “150 Best Games of All Time” by Computer Gaming World Magazine (15th Anniversary Issue--November 1996).


This entry was contributed by Sam Jeffreys Bronze Star Contributing Member (3788) and Terok Nor (11932)
 

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