Does anyone else find Shock 2 scarier than anything since?

hermanJnr. on 19/7/2010 at 20:14

Hi all, first post! I apologise if it's a bit long :p

I played System Shock 2 as a kid when a relative brought it over to show me, and have been a fan ever since that moment.

The game had pretty decent graphics for the time (somewhat pointy low-quality human models, but everything had a neat futuristic style, and the small details like debris and drinks cups really added immersion) and the story was fantastic.

Even now I find pretty much every year without fail I dig out the old CD, fire it up, wrestle until I get a headache getting it working, and then enjoy the sheer awesomeness.

Everything just feels "right". It's quite bizarre how even playing the latest "AAA" titles I still don't feel as comfortable as I do with Shock 2.

The enemy design is creepy, hacking/repair mini-games are well designed and the combat feels satisfying and isn't over-complicated. That's in sharp contrast with Bioshock, which despite having fancy visuals has such a dizzingly huge number of plasmids and guns I find the fighting less intuitive.

So that brings me onto my main point - I don't think, in my opinion, anything has even come close to Shock 2 (except maybe Shock 1, which I haven't yet played :D ) in terms of creepiness. I'm counting movies there too.

If I watch a horror film or play Dead Space, or Resident Evil, sure there are "frightening" moments, but they never really get me tense or panicky. Usually there is also some "cheesiness", especially in films and with Resi Evil.

Not with Shock 2. The soundtrack in particular I think is great. While some tracks are traditionally scary because they are slow paced and ominous, the game also manages to up the creepiness using pulse-pounding techno, a very unusual but effective choice.

Trying to hack a laser turret on low health as the music pounds away manically and then hearing a quiet growl behind you is just...spot on.

Then there's the droning voice of Xerxes saying very un-computery things and SHODAN's disturbing shuddering and repetition. You know when even listening to the villain's voice makes you uncomfortable that things are being done right :cheeky:

On my most recent playthrough I was sneaking around Engineering and I opened a door in front of me. Suddenly in front of me, completely silent until now, was a pipe wielding Hybrid. He let out a loud bellow as he smashed me in the face, and I actually found myself sliding back in my seat...an effect which Dead Space, despite being a good game, could not achieve with any of its levels.

I could gush on about how the audio logs are still the most atmospheric I've heard in a game and how the ship design (up until the sadly rushed very last levels at least) is also great, but I expect it has all been said before :cool:

So yeah...despite the aging graphics and new gaming titles on offer, Shock 2 remains in my opinion the one truly creepy game of all.

Kolya on 20/7/2010 at 09:19

And we all agree with you obviously (except for the part where you made out Bioshock to be more complicated than SS2).

ZylonBane on 20/7/2010 at 17:17

Bioshock is more complicated than SS2. Just not in the good way. Splitting the UI into different pieces that can only be viewed when using specific vending machines was an unspeakably horrible design decision.

G'len on 20/7/2010 at 18:40

I played Thief 1 after I've played SS2, and the zombies simply didn't scare me. After running into the Hybrids a few times in SS2, undead don't frighten me anymore.

But now, after I've played SS2 about 10 times (not including FMs), I'm not scared by Hybrids, either...

The only thing in a computer game that has ever scared me since are the Bloodsuckers in S.T.A.L.K.E.R, though... :wot:

D'Arcy on 21/7/2010 at 17:20

Chimeras in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Call Of Pripyat scare the hell out of me. And Burers too.

catbarf on 22/7/2010 at 21:08

Bloodsuckers are scarier than in Shadow of Chernobyl, because they do hit-and-run attacks, and are far more common.

On the other hand, Snorks are almost comical, since their animations are pretty bad. They seem to float around, flailing madly as they go.

D'Arcy on 22/7/2010 at 22:37

They are indeed scarier than in SoC, particularly because they can grab you and suck your blood. But CoP has a little toy named 'Eliminator'. Once I got my hands on one, I've lost all fear of Bloodsuckers. Chimeras on the other hand also do hit and run attacks, and they can sustain a lot more damage. And even worse: a Pseudogiant. Ever met one of those in open field? I just got face to face with one right outside the Yanov train station. It's like fighting a panzer with a pea shooter.

(If this keeps up, soon I'll be forced to move this thread to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. forum)

Zygoptera on 23/7/2010 at 00:55

While I didn't find the enemies in Stalker particularly 'scary', the X labs in SoC were beautifully atmospheric and about the only things in any game since above SS2 in that respect, though bits of Bioshock came close.

I still don't have CoP...

blaydes99 on 23/7/2010 at 23:27

I just did the first "Hunt the Chimera" mission, where you try to sneak up on it while it is asleep. I had my trusty Eliminator and shot it directly in the face from the side. It went down hard.

I haven't seen any others yet, so I've yet to fear them, but if bloodsuckers are a step below the chimeras, I'll enjoy the scares.

polytourist97 on 24/7/2010 at 07:34

The haunted hotel level in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines was probably the scariest bit of gaming I've experienced since SS2. It was only one level, but it was pretty brilliant.

I also agree that the STALKER underground labs and similar locations are the best at capturing the same atmosphere of "dread" that SS2 had, though SS2 was able to maintain that dread throughout the ENTIRE game. Man, I just had a moment of REALLY wishing I could be brainwashed and play through it for the first time again...