Windows

System Shock 2

Trivia

In the German gaming magazine PC Player (issue 01/2000) System Shock 2 was named as "Best Action-Adventure in 1999" and "Best Game in 1999".

There was going to be a Dreamcast version of System Shock 2, but it was canceled

While this game boasts multiplayer, it did not ship with the first retail version. The reason was the Dark Engine was not built for multiplayer games and the functionality could not be implemented in time for the general release. A patch is required for early disks to enable it.

System Shock 2 was ranked # 39 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list published by PC Gamer Magazine in its April 2005 issue.

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Mar 19, 2005.

In addition to using the same engine as Thief and Thief 2, the game also uses some animations from Thief, most notably the zombified crewmen with the shotguns and pipes. They use portions of animation from the guardsmen in Thief, specifically when they walk around searching for your character, and when they run over to attack you.

SS2 was developed with the dark engine. Looking Glass used the same engine to develop Thief and Thief II.

Contributed by Santa (847) on Apr 27, 2004.

The graphics for character models in the game was considered by many to be the low-point in the 3D Design. So some fans took it upon themselves to create unofficial high-res models which are known as System Shock: Rebirth and can be found at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/sshock/sshock_rebirth.htm

Try opening the .crf files in the cd's Shock directory files with any zip file manager and you'll find every sfx along with those kickass logs and e-mails as .wav files, as well as every piece of art for the game. There's even some stuff that didn't even make it to the game!

System Shock 2 was voted #22 overall in PCGamer Magazine's Readers All-Time Top 50 Games Poll (April 2000 issue).

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Jan 22, 2001.

System Shock 2 was published by Electronic Arts instead of Eidos, which was Looking Glass‘ world-wide publisher at the time. This is due to the simple fact that EA held the copyright for the System Shock franchise -- the firm had acquired it with the purchase of Origin Systems.

Although System Shock 2 was rated a masterpiece by all major magazines, sales were only mediocre. Ironically, the game shared the same fate as its predecessor: Both games never reached a mass audience, partly because of bad marketing efforts.

The voice of Shodan was done, as in System Shock 1, by Terri Brosius. She is the wife of Looking Glass Audio Director Eric Brosius.

There is a patch available for System Shock 2 which does not only allow adjustments of the respawning and weapon wear and tear, but adds a cooperative multiplayer mode.

The localized German version of the game was slightly modified for fear of banning. Some corpses were removed (e.g. a hanged man), and all blood was colored green. Needless to say, this looked ridiculous.

In Thief, the game engine used in SS2, part of the training mission included a little basketball court at the beginning of the game. In SS2, this basketball is carried over and is found up on a ledge on the 'street' level of the very first training mission. Go around the 'pillar' to the right of where you arrive on the street. You can mantle up to a sloped surface, and on the flat part of the ledge will be the basketball. Bounces very appropriately, too!

On the Recreation deck will be a basketball court, towards the last part to explore in the level. You have to be on the upper running deck to shoot, but if you make a basket with the basketball or even just clip the rim, you'll get a very funny email. Be sure to bring it up in your PDA, as it reads differently than it sounds.

Little easter egg - During your 'training', you go through a large room with a large window on your left, just before you enter the 'choose your path' room. Before your third (and last) year of training, look through the window on the other side of the room. A protocol droid will be performing the Macarena! During the motion-capture segment of development, the people working got a little bored, and recorded it. This is the only spot I can find it, don't miss it.

On Deck 4, when you finally "meet" your "benefactor", the walls will drop away and a cut-scene will begin. However, you can still move around and if you fall off the platform that the room has become, you CANNOT get back up, short of killing yourself or loading your game! A neat little bug.