System Shock 2023
Discussion
I bought it on release day but haven't had chance to play it yet and not looking likely to until Friday evening or the weekend. Loved the original and sequel so really looking forward to this. By all accounts it has kept all of the atmosphere of the original but brought it up-to-date for modern machines. It's one of those games that I didn't want to just spend an hour on, I want my first play to be a good few hours to immerse myself back into what it's all about.
I got it for £25 via cdkeys.com (Steam activation).
I was 9 years old when the OG version came out and the Enhanced edition released few years ago didn't take my fancy as it looked pap visually
This however, this is something amazing. The difficulty is very strong, you need to be on the ball, the hand holding is non-existent just like old school shooters and the level design is old school too.
Visually it's pretty stunning in a retro-modern way and the pixellated textures up close are by design to give that authentic 90s game vibe which it does perfectly.
One of the cool things about System Shock remake is that the Citadel station is constantly rotating for the artificial gravity, so the lighting in any area with windows is constantly changing. If this had ray raced global illumination then we'd see the realtime effects this has on all surfaces, maybe someone will RTX Remix it soon enough...
And the Cyberspace areas are really cool on OLED in ultrawide
Also it's the only Unreal Engine 4 game to come out probably in the last few years to have zero issues with performance. I only noticed some loading stutter when entering and existing Cyberspace which is perfectly fine as it's not an active transition state and would normally be a loading screen in other games.
I was 9 years old when the OG version came out and the Enhanced edition released few years ago didn't take my fancy as it looked pap visually
This however, this is something amazing. The difficulty is very strong, you need to be on the ball, the hand holding is non-existent just like old school shooters and the level design is old school too.
Visually it's pretty stunning in a retro-modern way and the pixellated textures up close are by design to give that authentic 90s game vibe which it does perfectly.
One of the cool things about System Shock remake is that the Citadel station is constantly rotating for the artificial gravity, so the lighting in any area with windows is constantly changing. If this had ray raced global illumination then we'd see the realtime effects this has on all surfaces, maybe someone will RTX Remix it soon enough...
And the Cyberspace areas are really cool on OLED in ultrawide
Also it's the only Unreal Engine 4 game to come out probably in the last few years to have zero issues with performance. I only noticed some loading stutter when entering and existing Cyberspace which is perfectly fine as it's not an active transition state and would normally be a loading screen in other games.
Tried to buy the CDKeys deal .. first attempt with credit card just left me stuck at the checkout screen, clicking on the button to confirm the purchase did nothing. Then two further attempts using Paypal failed both times with an unspecified error on the paypal side (never seen that happen before). Never mind, I've got plenty of unplayed games and I'm sure that at some stage down the line this will be available somewhere for less.
Enjoying it so far, but just spent the last hour running around trying to find a room that I'd been to where I'd generated a code, but couldn't remember the code nor where the room was. The memories of the original came flooding back as I recalled having the same lack of memory on what I was meant to be doing and aimlessly running around. Eventually found it, had actually put a marker at the place it was needed, but then thirty minutes running around trying to find what it had unlocked.
Frustrating as all that is, I kind of like that it's not hand holding, but without mission markers and the ability to make actual notes on the map other than just placing markers, it could be handy to be making notes whilst playing it. If you [i[are[/i] able to label markers and it's just me being an idiot, please put me out of my misery.
I'd definitely recommend so far, I've only cleared out around three levels so far, but be prepared for some possible aimless wandering.
Frustrating as all that is, I kind of like that it's not hand holding, but without mission markers and the ability to make actual notes on the map other than just placing markers, it could be handy to be making notes whilst playing it. If you [i[are[/i] able to label markers and it's just me being an idiot, please put me out of my misery.
I'd definitely recommend so far, I've only cleared out around three levels so far, but be prepared for some possible aimless wandering.
dapprman said:
For those, who like me, are waiting for this game to be reduced, it is now 20% off in the Steam sale. Sure in 6 months time it'll probably be 50% off for periods, but I've now jumped.
I'm super-tempted but with the advent of the latest Steam sale, I'm trying to resist adding 'expensive' new games that I'm not guaranteed to jump into right away as I have a massive PC games backlog and chances are it could end up in there for a year or more. I've got multiple big name games from previous Steam sales as yet not even installed ...I did buy the original DOS version on CD back in the day and picked up the 'Enhanced Edition' on GOG at some stage (basically, a version of the original that can be run on a modern PC) .. so not too guilty at passing it up for the time being.
Lucas Ayde said:
dapprman said:
For those, who like me, are waiting for this game to be reduced, it is now 20% off in the Steam sale. Sure in 6 months time it'll probably be 50% off for periods, but I've now jumped.
I'm super-tempted but with the advent of the latest Steam sale, I'm trying to resist adding 'expensive' new games that I'm not guaranteed to jump into right away as I have a massive PC games backlog and chances are it could end up in there for a year or more. I've got multiple big name games from previous Steam sales as yet not even installed ...I did buy the original DOS version on CD back in the day and picked up the 'Enhanced Edition' on GOG at some stage (basically, a version of the original that can be run on a modern PC) .. so not too guilty at passing it up for the time being.
A lot of the original gameplay was kept, so it can seem a bit confusing and overwhelming for those who never grew up with old school shooters but it's got a great deal of charm and it's a game you can easily lose a few hours in. However the controls have been completely modernised so it plays more or less like a modern shooter. In 1994, System Shock was the first fully 3D shooter with to integrate inventory management, non-linear gameplay and immersive in-game storytelling into a single game, which was pretty damn impressive for the time. Back then, the kind of standard UI/control scheme we take for granted hadn't even been invented.
Unlike the 90's, there are a load of easy to read maps on the interwebs so you're not spending hours looking for cameras
Aside from that it's a great blast from the past. I don't regret buying it on release day (10% "pre-order" bonus, had to wait a grand total of 2 hours to play it) but I don't mind paying full price (a whole £32, some games are retailing at near £50) as I've been following what Nightdive have been doing for years, also there's talk of a remake of 1999's System Shock 2. However this is the first game in at least 5 years I've bought at release, usually I wait until they're 1/3 or 1/2 off as well.
BTW, for those who haven't played it, Prey is very much like a modern System Shock.
I've just finished this and I must say, it's absolutely fantastic. One of the best gaming experiences you can have these days, I'd say. The fact that it's effectively a modern coat of paint on a game from 1994 is mind-boggling when you think about it, such is the level of depth and complexity to what LookingGlass were doing back then.
Certainly, game design has evolved and we can see in modern games where environments are designed to be easier to navigate by way of more landmarks and distinct features (even SS2 from 1999 was a big step in this direction) and the maze-like design of the maps does tell to the age of the game somewhat, but I'd argue that it doesn't detract at all from the experience of what is a masterful sci-fi space station crawl. The claustrophobic nature of Citadel, Shodan's constant surveillance, the occasional window with a stunning view of the exterior, space or nearby planets etc, it's just a fantastically atmospheric experience.
I'd argue that SS2 is still the better game, purely because of the more in-depth RPG mechanics and the much stronger horror vibe (though I had played SS2 with the music set to 0, to ambient noise and sound of the creatures is brilliant and the music was not particularly fitting for some areas of the game, I found), but SS1 is definitely worth a look.
It's very much a far cry from modern mainstream game design now, as it will not tell you where to go or what to do, aside from maybe one two direct radio messages where you'll get an instruction, most of the game is about scouring the environment for clues and trying to find the path forward. Admittedly, this can be tough at times!
Also, it's hoarder's nightmare, I spent so much time stockpiling kit in safe locations, saving all my weapons for a rainy day. I Probably did 95% of the game with nothing but the Sparqshot, only occasionally dipping into other weapons as I needed to. I finished the game with 30 frags, 28 EMP grenades, 500+ assault rifle rounds, 200+ magnum rounds, 12 medkits and 30 healing patches in my inventory
Certainly, game design has evolved and we can see in modern games where environments are designed to be easier to navigate by way of more landmarks and distinct features (even SS2 from 1999 was a big step in this direction) and the maze-like design of the maps does tell to the age of the game somewhat, but I'd argue that it doesn't detract at all from the experience of what is a masterful sci-fi space station crawl. The claustrophobic nature of Citadel, Shodan's constant surveillance, the occasional window with a stunning view of the exterior, space or nearby planets etc, it's just a fantastically atmospheric experience.
I'd argue that SS2 is still the better game, purely because of the more in-depth RPG mechanics and the much stronger horror vibe (though I had played SS2 with the music set to 0, to ambient noise and sound of the creatures is brilliant and the music was not particularly fitting for some areas of the game, I found), but SS1 is definitely worth a look.
It's very much a far cry from modern mainstream game design now, as it will not tell you where to go or what to do, aside from maybe one two direct radio messages where you'll get an instruction, most of the game is about scouring the environment for clues and trying to find the path forward. Admittedly, this can be tough at times!
Also, it's hoarder's nightmare, I spent so much time stockpiling kit in safe locations, saving all my weapons for a rainy day. I Probably did 95% of the game with nothing but the Sparqshot, only occasionally dipping into other weapons as I needed to. I finished the game with 30 frags, 28 EMP grenades, 500+ assault rifle rounds, 200+ magnum rounds, 12 medkits and 30 healing patches in my inventory
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