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Single-player, story-driven action gaming at its best!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 33 / 33
Date: December 11, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Ever since the original System Shock appeared in 1994, I have wanted a sequel. Despite how antiquated the old game is, I still go back and play it over again to this day. And now, at last, we have System Shock 2 -- about as close to playing the lead role in a sci-fi thriller movie as most people can get.

First off, you'll need a pretty powerful system to play this game at its fullest -- I have a Pentium II 300 MHz with 128 megs of RAM, and a 16 MB Riva TNT video board...SS2 runs fine for me at 640x480, with a little choppiness here and there. My only complaint is that it seems to take a long time (20-30 seconds I guess?) to load a saved game.

But that aside, you'll never notice any choppiness. You'll forget it's even a computer game. You'll be too busy gritting your teeth in terror as you hear the footsteps of someone -- or something -- approaching you, wondering if that one last slug in your shotgun will be enough -- and praying that your badly-damaged weapon won't jam when you pull the trigger. These types of scenarios are common in SS2 -- weapons degrade and misfire, ammunition is at a premium, and the approaching footsteps of the nearby mutated monsters or security robots are ultra-realistic. The only way to play this game is with the lights off, in a quiet room, through a good surround speaker system or headphones. You will come to appreciate the suspense, the atmosphere, and the downright creepiness of the thing that much quicker.

Previous reviewers were right when they said this is a thinking person's 3D shooter. And indeed, it is almost more of an RPG than a pure action game like Quake, et al. There's a wonderful character development system, which is neither too simple nor too complex...you must build your skills and abilities, ranging from what weapons you are best with, how easily you can repair things or hack computers, etc. You CANNOT max-out everything -- so you will have to choose which skills to concentrate on. Throughout the game, there are numerous tasks you must perform, apart from killing things, to get to the bottom of the mysterious forces at work on the Von Braun, the starship you awake on at the beginning of the game. Those of you who have played the original System Shock are in for lots of wonderful tie-ins and surprises. There is one particularly horrifying revelation near the middle of the game -- during which you are reintroduced to an old friend -- that had my jaw hanging open for about half an hour. There is more atmosphere, suspense, and pure terror here than in any game I've ever played before...including the Resident Evil series.

If you or someone you know is a fan of single-player action/adventure games and likes the first-person shooter role, System Shock 2 is an absolute MUST HAVE, no doubt about it. Get this game immediately. I am certain that you will not regret it.

It had me jumping!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 29 / 31
Date: September 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

System Shock II was a sequel that came out of nowhere and hit the gaming community like a bolt of lightning. It was one of the first 1st person shooter games that combined the usual tactics and traits of a shooter game with roleplay elements. Your goal isn't just to kill every monster in sight, but also to solve a mystery on the ship.

Another interesting aspect is that you can set up your own skills and traits, either as a fighter, a computer wiz, or a psychic. Each skill will get your through the obstacles in different ways and as you progress your prowess grows in whatever areas you choose.

The atmosphere is wonderful. As you sneak thorugh the darkened corridors there are sounds and bits of ambiance all around you. Zombies gibber as they hunt you down, monkeys chatter as they prowl through the ships, cyborgs politely ask you to come out (so they can explode in your face), steam hisses from vents, computers humm softly. This game has the hairs on my neck standing up half the time or threw me into wild fits as I tried to get myself out of a suprise attack.

The only downsides to the game were the monster re-spawning after you had cleared out a level and the rapid degredation of guns while you used them, but there is a game patch that very nicely handles this problem and also allows you to play cooperative multiplayer if you desire.

All in all this game is very much worth the price. If you want a nice shooter game with enough atmosphere and history to make it seem real then this is the perfect game for you.

A genuine FRIGHTENING challenge

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 20
Date: September 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

After reading the reviews on this game and ordering it online, I eagerly awaited it's arrival. That wait was not in vain.

First I must say that this is not any ordinary shooter. Nor is it any ordinary RPG. It's better than both and much much more. Although the graphics are now slightly dated (running SS2 on a 720mhz machine and GeForce2 GTS is overkill for sure) the gameplay is state-of-the-art. Nothing else out there offers the melding of Shooter excitement, RPG skill and customization, and Sci-Fi Horror madness that this masterpeice sports!

I can't rave on about it enough. It is honeslty frightening! It's addictive and challenging and just a touch psychotic. The first time a baddie dashes around the corner from nowhere mumbling incoherently about "The Many," you'll be changing your shorts! And if that isn't enough, wait until you walk up on the wrong computer terminal...

This is a thinking-person's shooter. You must be very wise with your supplies and limited inventory as you sneak (and I mean sneak) your way around the remains of the ruined intersteller craft. You will need to be very sparing and particular about the upgrades you choose. You will have to be one sneaky cyber-enhanced mother with eyes and ears open wider than than a cheap hooker's legs if you want to survive this little intersteller outing.

Playability? SS2 has it. It's a quick game to learn and easy to get used to (save for those freakish things lurking in the next corridor). The interface is stunningly high-tech. Plus, if you get bored, you can always play with the "Game Pig" you found on that decapitated engineer back in Cryo...

Bottom line? Buy this game now. At the low price you'll pay, you have no excuse for denying yourself such horrific entertainment. Buy it and play it alone... with the lights off... if you dare!

Freaky, Atmosheric, Ethereal......Just Plain Spooky!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: August 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The game had me dropping my mouse, backing away from the monitor and out the door. The focus here is on how Environmental Audio can go a long way to scare the be-jesus out of you. And it does it well.

Otherwise, an intelligent RPG woven together with a first-person shooter, but with a very clever, puzzle-solving touch.

Basically, you awaken from cryo-sleep on a derelict spacecraft that was sent on a mission to deep space. You awaken to find things have gone horribly, horribly wrong as some form of alien life has taken over. It's all up to you to solve the mystery.

Stop reading this and buy it.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: July 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I can't stress the above statement more. You will never find a better horror game anywhere. A unique blend of sci-fi, first-person shooter action, and pure terror create the world of System Shock 2. You start out simply enough, heading into the Ramnsey Recruitment center on Earth to join the UNN army, getting to choose which branch you want: Marine (weapons), Navy (tech), or OSA (psionic). Then you get to choose 3 missions to take, earning skills that will aid you during the actual game.

Next, you take part in the UNN escort mission of the newly constructed Von Braun faster-than-light space voyage. 5 months into the mission, you wake up to find the ship in chaos: crewmen murdered, some transformed into horrible alien hybrids, and the ship's computer has turned down-right evil. Slowly you realize that the alien force, known as The Many, are somehow connected to the horrific events on Citadel Station and the insane AI, SHODAN. A bloody scrawl on the wall warns you, "Remember Citadel".

I enjoyed this game, but sometimes I was afraid to actually play it; I wasn't sure I wanted to see what horrors awaited me beyond the next door. That isn't to say it isn't fun as well. The audio logs you find scattered around the ship give you a glimpse of what happened here, plus some occasional laughs at what the crew thought of each other.

Have a powerful computer handy for this one, because this thing is a systems hog. Another downside is that the load times are quite tedious; I could make myself a sandwhich while waiting for the next deck of the ship to load. Still, the pros squash the cons. Heavily immersive gameplay, compelling and surprising story, and a fun ride all the way through.

It's like a horror movie... Only scarier...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: December 07, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This is a winner from start to finish. It is just as good as Half-Life, if not better and I could not stop playing it. A wonderful combination of RPG and 3D action comes to together nicely. Plenty of spooky atmoshpere and cool sound effects and great graphics (make sure you have a good video card) adds to it. The storyline is one of the best I've heard, and this is a somewhat realistic game that is a joy to play. It's also very scary at times, so playing it late at night with the lights off and the sound turned up makes a great (and spooky) experience. This is worth the money. Buy it!

System Shock 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: April 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Finished playing SS2 awhile back and though I would provide some quick comments. I really believe this game is highly underrated, although its obvious flaws no doubt resulted in poor counter sales. First off, the graphics are fantastic, especially given there ease on relatively low-medium range systems (the system ran very smooth and had very little glitches or freeze ups). The story is engrossing, highly intelligent (although not original), and massive in scope (this is a huge game in terms of area covered, both story wise and mission wise . . . it never seems to end and just when you think its over, Shoden has plenty more surprises). Two major pluses, the sound effects and the AI are obsolutely astounding and definitely give Half Life a run for the money. Enemies will hunt you down and security systems will track your movements with fine persicion and huanting audio presence. I can't say enought, the AI is very impressive. The major flaw of the game is that it is far too difficult for those of us who have to work for a living. Learning the proper sequence of upgrading your character so as to be super-bionic by the end of the game, and thus finishing the game, is near impossible. The missions are so challenging, that by the time you complete one, the last thing you want to do is go back to the beginning of the game and try to properly upgrade your character in order to finish further missions. However, the challenge of the game makes completing a mission very satisfying. If you save a game before rounding a corner into a shooting gallery, everytime you go back to that scene after being ..., the enemies will not come at you from their previous positions . . . talk about frustrating, but exciting nonetheless. Enemies can be very difficult to... and if you don't happen to have the proper weapons (which frequently break down by the way) forget about it! In fact, if you your not against using cheats, I highly recommend their use for the last several sequences which are, for the most part, impossible without cheats.

Given these mixed attributes however, I highly recommend SS2. For all its flaws, it is a completely submersive and unforgetable FPS/RPG experience. Great graphics, astounding AI, smooth play, and incredible depth of story, make completing the last sequences of SS2, even with cheats, undoubtedly satisfying.

This is tough...how do I write this?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: December 24, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Hmmm... strange. This has never happened to me before. I'm very eagerly attempting to describe and heartily recommend "System Shock 2" to players who appreciate great immersive games, but am having a hard time trying to figure out how to word this. Does it make any sense to say that I love the game dearly, but don't have fun playing it? Maybe if you are a big fan of well-made horror movies you know off the bat what I mean: I don't believe "having fun" was the response LGS had in mind when designing it. **SPOILERS AHEAD. THIS IS THE SORT OF GAME BEST EXPERIENCED BY JUST PUTTING IT IN THE COMPUTER AND TURNING IT ON, GOING THROUGH TRAINING AND THEN PLAYING THE GAME ITSELF. DO >NOT< LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL OR THE DESCRIPTIONS ON THE BOX. DON'T EVEN READ THIS COMMENT ANY FURTHER! THIS WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST AND FULLEST IMPACT DURING GAMEPLAY, I GUARANTEE IT. IF YOU FEEL YOU SIMPLY MUST KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO, CONTINUE READING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.** As always, LGS has designed a unique and realistic title here--like its cousin, the excellent THIEF title, it's not so much a game as it is an ==experience==. You're a highly-trained individual who is a member of one of three branches of the intergalactic military. You have been stationed aboard the Von Braun, the first faster-than-light ship ever devised. This is her maiden voyage. You've also been cryogenetically frozen for an unspecified period of time, conveniently leaving you with a mild form of anmesia so you are unable to recall the events of the past few weeks or so. When the game begins, you have just woken up with an electronic mail message from a top superior instructing you to meet her on a top deck for briefing on your first duties. However, the moment you step out of the sleep chamber, it's obviously that something is horribly wrong. Debris is scattered everywhere, furniture is shattered and dead bodies are strewn about--the obvious signs of struggle and mayhem. Warning signs flash all over the ship. Monitors have been knocked out, display screens that still work only show static snow. And most disturbing of all, there's no one else in this area of the ship with you. And soon you find out why: the crew members have been infected with an "intelligent alien virus" which has transformed them into hideous mutants that kill anyone left still human. There's no one to help you. You are alone. And with frighteningly few weapons and supplies to be found on board the ship. To tell more would be simply unfair, so I won't go into further detail. The controls, based on the THIEF engine, are just as superb as on that other game and guaranteed to feel natural and easy to you. The game is challenging, exciting and has infinite replay value due to its being so freeform. Now for my personal response. I'm hoping that somehow my following comment will encourage you more than ever to at least check out the demo of this game, and if it doesn't I hope it won't stop you, but here goes: this game frightened me nearly to death. Several times it made me jump, and at least once it almost made me hide under my seat. And at one point when it became too intense to bear, I found my fingers on their own accord automatically stabbing the ESC key because I just wanted to turn the accursed thing OFF. And after the computer was shut down, the experience made me feel strange for an hour or so. As I walked through my empty home doing everyday things, I found myself automatically closing and locking all the doors I went through behind me. I kept glancing over my shoulder and was startled by slight noises. And yet I would play the game again in an instant. By this point of my comment, you're either amazed that a game can cause such a reaction or you are absolutely dying to get your hands on this one. Either way, check the demo out and give it a try, there's at least an 80% chance you'll be hooked. I am also advising you not to play it either at midnight or with the lights turned out.

First Person Shooter RPG Perfection

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 15
Date: May 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It's like they took the best parts of both the FPS and RPG genres, added scifi and horror, and ended up with something splendid. Its only competition for greatest PC game of all time is its predecessor, System Shock. The graphics are astounding, and the dead bodies actually look horrified. Sure in Quake you may see bodies with blood everywhere, but in Quake you have a giant rocket launcher, whereas in SS2 you're lucky to have anything beyond a wrench. The 'residual psychic emanations' (ghosts) are really freaky, and show up whenever you're starting to relax. The voice acting is incredible (they need to use guys like these when they dub anime!) and very convincing. The sound itself shines and it's quite obvious they used the Dark Engine. You can hear enemies in the distance as you creep around, wrench in hand, desperately searching for health and ammo. I couldn't play it for longer than an hour without having to give my nerves a break. It's even scarier than Aliens vs Predator! Buy this ghame now.

Unbelievable. This is the gaming equivalent of crack!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: March 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have played hundreds of games over the years, many of them excellent. But never, never have I had the mix of cinematics and action that this game delivers. If you have a sound system that is decent at all, the 3d stereo alone is enough to make your skin crawl. With a good surround-sound setup you are in for the scare of your life over and over. I have no idea why this isn't the blockbuster that it deserves to be, but that means plenty on the shelves for those in the "know". I'm playing for the third time and I still jump every now and then.

Incredible!

Try it, you will NOT be let down.

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