System Shock

aka: Alien Commander
Moby ID: 681
DOS Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/28 3:02 AM )
Conversion (official) Included in See Also

Description official descriptions

The year is 2072. A hacker from a Saturn colony breaks into computer system of TriOptimum Corporation and gets arrested. He is taken to the Citadel Station, where Edward Diego, a TriOptimum executive, offers to drop all charges against the hacker, as well as grant him a valuable neural implant, if he agrees to hack into SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) , the artificial intelligence that controls the station. The hacker removes the AI's ethical constraints and undergoes the promised implant surgery, after which he is put into a six-month healing coma.

The hacker awakens into a horrifying reality: with her ethical restrictions removed, SHODAN took control over the station, reprogrammed all robots and machines to suit her needs, and disposed of the crew members by either transforming them into mutants and cyborgs, or killing them outright. Rebecca Lansing, a TriOptimum counter-terrorism consultant, contacts the hacker and informs him of an even more terrifying possible future: SHODAN's plan involves using the station's mining lasers to annihilate all life on Earth. The hacker must explore and traverse the desolate corridors and rooms of the large space station, fighting SHODAN's minions on his way to thwart her maniacal design.

System Shock is a first-person shooter with puzzle-solving and light role-playing elements. The gameplay incorporates gradual exploration of the Citadel's ten levels, interaction with the environment, problem-solving, fulfilling objectives, and combat.

On his way the hacker encounters 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 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. The player can also find items in crates, cabinets, corpses or just lying around on the ground.

Apart from weapons and ammo, the player can find patches (such as medical patches, which replenish the hero's health; berserk patches, which temporarily increase his strength but cause hallucinations; detox patches, which remove the harmful effects of radiation and biohazard; etc.), grenades of various kinds (EMP grenades are effective against 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 the hacker's implant he is able to install various pieces of hardware into his body, such as a booster which makes him go faster, or a head lantern to bright up dark areas. As the player progresses in the game, higher versions of existing hardware are found, which are more effective and useful. However, most hardware uses up electric energy while it is active.

At some places in the game, the player has to find a wall-mounted "cyberjack" to go into cyberspace in order to find helpful data, remotely open doors or unlock sealed areas, or give himself clearance to access off-limits areas. Cyberspace is represented as a 3-D wireframe place, where the protagonist floats around freely in three dimensions, shoots hostile cyber-guards with phasers, and collects files represented as colorful cubes.

The story of System Shock is mostly told through e-mail messages the protagonist received, and electronic diaries (logs) left by various characters (as well as SHODAN herself), which are scattered around the space station. The game features separate adjustable difficulty settings for combat, mission objectives and puzzles. The CD version of the game includes full speech for e-mails and logs, as well as higher-resolution, more detailed graphics.

Spellings

  • システムショック - Japanese spelling
  • 시스텡쇼크 - Korean spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (DOS version)

65 People · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 89% (based on 23 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 194 ratings with 22 reviews)

Brilliant does not even begin to describe this game.

The Good
Warren Spector came to be known primarily because of Deus-Ex, an incredible game in its own right. However, Spector's been around for much longer than that, and has been involved in some of the greatest games ever created - System Shock being one of them.
System shock is a game alright, but stands in the spot light alone. No other hybrid has brought such perfection to the table, no other hybrid has brought gameplay to a level that even pales by comparison. System Shock is incredible right from the get-go: even the introduction sequence, with its great graphics and excellent soundtrack, gives me goosebumps every time I see it. An amazing presentation of an excellent story, which is implemented very well indeed.

By far the most spectacular thing about System Shock is its atmosphere. It doesn't take sudden Half-lifeesque explosions to creep you out; a simple e-mail by Shodan would suffice. The game induces severe claustrophobia, particularly when played late at night with high volume levels; exploring an empty space station, constantly wary of any cyborg ambushes... and Shodan's face taunting you on every monitor!

System Shock is probably the only cyberpunk adventure I've ever enjoyed (that includes books as well). The simple but effective story, the way it unfolds through e-mail messages you collect while exploring the station... the detailed surrounding: empty beverage cans and candy wrappers thrown about the place, blown lamps and panels... and of course, cyberspace itself, with all of the concepts contained therein. System Shock is magnificent.

The engine is quite good for it's time - not as crisp as Doom or as fast as Descent, but the highly detailed textures and gouraud shading all around make for an extremely convincing game world. The CD version supports high resolutions, and with a fast enough computer (a typical P166 can't handle even 640x400 well, be warned) the game looks simply beautiful. The game has a steep learning curve, but the controls are so good it's a matter of a couple of hours before one becomes fully fluent with them.

And finally, the soundtrack is one of the most important elements of the game. Though it's MIDI (which means you guys without wavetable cards are really missing out), it complements the level design so absolutely perfectly the game would be so... lesser without it.

The Bad
System Shock is impressively close to perfection: only two things bother me.

First, the ending sequence is a little disappointing. I was expecting a major cyberspace combat or chase with Shodan, but that didn't happen; neither was there a particularly impressive end animation (unlike the intro), the only impressive thing being the "neural net" System Shock logo.

The second is the game engine. It is beautiful, but it is by no means fast. In 1994, Doom was already a year old and 486s were becoming prevalent. But even at 320x200, the game does not run very well on a 486! At over 320x200, the game grinds even on a Pentium-class machine. I wish it was easier to make newer machines play older games, I bet this game would rock at 640x480 on an Athlon...

The Bottom Line
A game that beats Deus-Ex in some respects, kicked Half Life in the nads some five years before it was conceived, and gave most adventure games a serious run for their money in the storyline department. It still amazes me how little System Shock is known. Get it! Play it! I assure you, it's an experience of a lifetime.

DOS · by Tomer Gabel (4539) · 2002

Words cannot begin to describe how great this game really is!

The Good
IMO, System Shock is the best game ever made (Well, apart from UFO: Enemy Unknown, perhaps, but it's a really close thing). Where do I start? Shock has it all: A stunningly detailed and believable environment with awesome graphics, lovingly crafted and dripping with atmosphere ... An amazing story that unfolds with plenty of neat twists and interesting characters ... Memorable, evocative, driving music ... Horrifically scary moments lurking round any corner, helped by really frightening sound effects ... Two distinct game worlds - The real-world of a dark, terror-filled space station and the virtual world of cyberspace, with its colourful, abstract rooms and tunnels ... A vast array of weaponary and equipment to find and use ... Huge, varied levels, each with its own particular atmosphere and goals.

Basically, you're alone. You've got a vast gameworld to sneak, climb and crawl through. Equipment is scattered around, if you can find it; Search through dead bodies, desks and cupboards and break into storerooms. There are hideous mutants and twistedly reprogrammed robots lurking in the shadows, waiting to chew your face off or pulverise you or blast you. There's the whole realm of cyberspace to explore, when you can find a cyberjack and a danger-free moment to plug in. In there, you can grab information and software (including the collection of entertainment softs, each one a miniature Xmas :) and take an all-too brief respite from the hell outside. You have to stay alive, conserve ammo, upgrade your weaponary and keep a supply of medical and bio-enhancement patches handy. You'll travel through many different levels of the station, including medical, executive and leisure decks. And all the way you'll be taunted and frightened by Shodan, your nemesis and delighted tormentor.

To play System Shock is to envelop yourself in another world, another life. Terrifying, yes, but awe-inspiring and addictive, too. This is a place so detailed, so well designed, that you can almost touch it.

On another note, this game is so much better than the very overrated Half-Life. After hearing so much about HL I had to play it. At the same time, by coincidence, I was playing System Shock through, for the second time (the first time was in 1994, when I bought it). I enjoyed HL at first, but as time went on, I found that there was a lot that annoyed me, and bored me, about it and I couldn't help thinking, "System Shock is so much better than this, and so much more fun." Basically, when I played HL, I wished I was playing System Shock, and when I played System Shock, I had a genuinely amazing time, and realised how dull HL was in comparison. If you loved Half-Life, then my apologies, but this is how I feel. System Shock is 7 years old now, but still totally kicks the rear-end of so many games that have been released since.

The Bad
There's hardly anything I can criticise about this game. I don't love the door-lock puzzles, but there's nothing wrong with them, either. Hmm, can I think of anything wrong with this game? Um...No. It's damn near perfect.

The Bottom Line
System Shock is an all-time classic, a game in a million. Yeah, plenty of 1st person shooters and 1st person RPG/adventure/shooters have come out since it was released, but System Shock is just in a class of its own. Maybe better games will arrive (I've just bought Deus Ex and it's the next game I'm going to be playing) - I'm sure they will sometime - but System Shock is an individual character and a really unique, stylish game. It has so many elements and they all fit together so well that it will always stand out from the crowd. Congratulations and infinite thanks to the team who worked at Looking Glass - This game is beautiful.

DOS · by xroox (3895) · 2009

Certainly one of the best games ever created

The Good
The feeling of loneliness. "System Shock" captured this feeling like no other game I know of. You, as player, really get to feel the desperate situation of the Hacker, all alone in a gigantic space station, facing an omnipresent and omniscient enemy he can't even hope to defeat; feeling small, insignificant, powerless, scared. This is helped tremendously by the audio logs you keep finding, recordings of people who died on the station, and by e-mails from Shodan, the crazed computer who is easily the best-written adversary I have ever seen in a game (get the CD version with perfect full voice-acting, if you can). What is also brilliant is the way the game motivates your progress by frustrating you repeatedly. The feeling after you finish a particularly difficult task, flip the long-sought lever just to see that nothing happened and receive a mocking e-mail from Shodan is priceless. Add a huge arsenal of weapons with different ammunition against different kinds of opponents, bio-modifications, innovative and fun cyberspace, quite advanced in-game physics engine and a true 3D environment (unlike Doom from the same year that's actually cleverly masked 2D) - and you're looking at a true classic, a game that was way ahead of its time and hasn't lost any of its charm.

The Bad
From today's perspective, the interface is very clumsy, the graphics, while state-of-the-art back then (the CD version supports 640x480 resolution, even though no commercially available computer of the time could actually run the game on it!), are dated, and the sound is quite unpleasant. But the overall atmosphere is so powerful and gripping you won't really mind any of that.

The Bottom Line
A unique game back then and still unique today, "System Shock" is a perfect blend of action, exploration and puzzle-solving with an extraordinarily powerful atmosphere. The game will absorb you in a way you are not likely to forget. An absolute masterpiece.

DOS · by plumifrons (95) · 2006

[ View all 22 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Video review DJP Mom (11333) Oct 21, 2010
Finally completed Unicorn Lynx (181780) Oct 18, 2008
Voices? Unicorn Lynx (181780) Apr 3, 2008

Trivia

CD version

The CD-ROM version adds SVGA modes, full speech for e-mails and logs, slightly improved intro/end sequences and a few other adjustments and additions.

Ending (Spoiler!)

If you engage the mining laser BEFORE activating the station's shields, then you'll destroy earth! And guess what? Shodan sends you an e-mail thanking you and inviting you to a celebration! The e-mail also includes a nice picture of a city being incinerated, but unfortunately the game restarts afterwards, so no robo-party.

Engine

System Shock's engine was derived from that of Ultima Underworld, from 1992. Nonetheless it was more advanced that that of Doom or Duke Nukem 3D, featuring sloped surfaces, variable gravity, realistic physics, '2.75d' environments (with limited 'sector-on-sector', but otherwise 3D), functional camera viewscreens, weapon recoil, leaning and several other clever things.

References to the game

  • During the end-game sequence, you hack into another corporate computer to grab some data. The data is info on some powered battle armor, which made its way into Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri..
  • In the end sequence, the hacker breaks in the corporate network of a corp. called 'Tetracorp'. In System Shock 2, the name tetracorp is printed on a generic two-state switch. Kinda rough change of business..
  • It is hinted in the Wing Commander and Crusader games that they are set in the same universe as System Shock. For example, an article in a "newspaper" from the Crusader: No Remorse box mentions an artificial intelligence and the Citadel station.

References

  • The Hacker's employee number, 2-4601, is a reference to the inmate number of Jean Valjean, the protagonist in the novel Les Misérables.
  • There is a reference to the movie Soylent Green in the game (although it's spelled slightly different). In level 3, Maintenance, there is a relay panel in the northern section called "Soylant Green Filtration".

Sequel

There were rumours of a possible sequel, soon after System Shock's release, but fans had to wait five years for System Shock 2.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • November 1996 (15th anniversary issue) - #98 on the “150 Best Games of All Time” list
  • GameSpy
    • 2001 – #24 Top Game of All Time
  • GameStar (Germany)
    • Issue 12/1999 - #15 in the "100 Most Important PC Games of the Nineties" ranking
  • PC Gamer
    • April 2000 - #43 in the "All-Time Top 50 Games Poll"
  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1995 – Best Action-Adventure in 1994

Information also contributed by Adam Baratz, Ashley Pomeroy, dasfatso, DreamWeaver, PCGamer77, Stefan Pieratzki and Zovni

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

System Shock 2
Released 1999 on Windows, 2013 on Macintosh, 2014 on Linux
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
Released 2015 on Windows
Pinball FX: System Shock Pinball
Released 2024 on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4...
Pinball M: System Shock Pinball
Released 2024 on Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4...
Slayer Shock
Released 2016 on Macintosh, Windows, Linux
Divine Shock
Released 2023 on Windows
Shock Trooper
Released 1985 on TRS-80 CoCo, 1986 on Dragon 32/64
Shell Shock
Released 1985 on Apple II
Shock Tactics
Released 2017 on Windows

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 681
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by xroox.

PC-98, Macintosh added by Terok Nor.

Additional contributors: Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, MrFlibble, firefang9212, somato.

Game added January 6, 2000. Last modified February 19, 2024.