System Shock

The Good
Atmosphere... or should I say, atmos-fear... Running around alone in Citadel Station with your only contact with people being the occasional email from Earth and logs of the former inhabitants of the station, you start to feel really paranoid. I don't really like first-person shooters, but this game has everything that I like about gaming in it. It's also customizable so that you can easily get through the aspects of the game that you dislike. I think you must have the CD-Rom version of this game if you want to enjoy it. The graphics are good on the CD-Rom version, instead of fuzzy, and the sound is amazing. SHODAN's voice still echoes in my memory... The gameplay is good, with the ability to lean, jump, crouch, and run. I'm generally not a big fan of first-person shooters, but this one really gets you into the game.

The Bad
Cyberspace. It's uninspired. Luckily for me, I can turn the rating down on this. If there was a better cyberspace interface, I'd have enjoyed it, as it allows you to solve puzzles in some new ways.

The Bottom Line
When I bought this game, it was a used three-pack of games called the Origin pack, which included Wing Commander 3, Bioforge, and System Shock. I didn't know anything about System Shock and just considered it a bonus. I put the game on my computer and tried it (the non CD-enhanced version). I played for about 5 minutes and didn't even get out of the first section... I wasn't impressed. A few months later I tried the CD-Enhanced version, and after about 5 minutes with this version I was hooked. I don't know of any game that's ever gotten me so engrossed within its game world. One of the best games I've ever played.

The Good
What did I like...? I learnt English practically for this game! A subject hated and vilified suddenly had reason to be learnt for, to read the logs and understand what happened on this doomed station! The atmosphere is simply breathtaking. It is difficult to really hook me up, but this one does it. I recently acquired GTA San Andreas and the Doom 3 expansion, but simultaneously I managed to get System Shock (more than 11 years old) working on my Windows XP. Guess which one have I played whole last week?

The Bad
SPOILER Even if I played through the game for 3 times, then skipped two years without it for technical reasons, continuously thirsting for it, then replaying it once again, I am hoping that the escape pod will blast off this time. It doesn't, and I fear going back onto the station shaking violently from the reactor set on destruct. And I still cry out loud when a security robot is around the corner firing on me totally unexpectedly. Then have nightmares about SHODAN taking over the real Internet or jettisoning me through an airlock. I wrote two games of my own totally in honor of System Shock.

This is the only game that causes me to feel real world emotions, and I don't like to be manipulated.

The Bottom Line
A RPG with a decent bit of action, with an absolutely addictive and realistic-feeling horror plot. Go over to www.the-underdogs.org to fetch it, and see www.ttlg.com forums on how to run it in a P4 box. Then prepare to experience a true masterpiece.

The Good
I still find myself wishing I could play this game from my (misspent) youth. Immersive, tremendous storyline, controls, intelligent, and often truly creepy game. I've never played a better single-player game 17 years later.

The introduction to the game was incredible, the logs of (soon-to-be-dead) crew members was so well done. Atmospheric and central to the game. The sense of space and isolation was a core draw for the game as well. The sound, for the time, and music were also unprecedented and COOL. I recall the graphics being great, but I remember the sounds and music more.

And SHODAN, come on, what a super villain. That voice is STILL creepy and just evil.

The Bad
I never got all that much into the cyberspace aspects, which seemed somewhat dated even back then. Very minor complaint.

The Bottom Line
I WISH this game could somehow be re-made or something similar and as equally immersive come out on the market. In fact, I keep looking for the "next System Shock" but have yet to find it.