EZ-52 on 27/8/2007 at 18:43

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Possible Spoilers ahead?

Wow. I was amazed at System Shock 2. I have played Thief since it was released and never really looked at System Shock 2 (didn't think i'd like it), but after all the hype i've read about it I thought i'd give it a try. I managed to pick up an original boxed version on ebay for a "resonable" price, and with the summer holidays had a whole 6 weeks to enjoy and managed to get it running on my older ME system without any problems. Not only did I enjoy every moment of that game, I would put it as one of the best (if not the best) games I have ever played.

When I first installed (and patched) the game I honestly didn't know what to expect. I know that it was a LGS game so it would be a good game, but I had doubts it would appeal to me. However as soon as I started in the streets at the training level, a weird sense of nostalga occured, and i felt as if i was playing Thief for the first time all those years ago. One thing I liked was, although it had a different hud and interaction with the game world, it still retained the dark engine feel I enjoyed in the Thief series.

Once I completed the training and enlisted in the Navy and went through the various training stages and ended up in the main campaign of the game, I was utterly blown away. Hooked and didn't stop playing (in fact, i appear to have damaged my monitor through excessive playing (no idea how), the little part of the hud which gives a description of what your looking at (ie "An unbreakable window"), seems to have burnt-on to the display! (I have a tft? Is that possible? I thought that could only occur on tv's playing games consoles?)).

The Von Braun was amazing. It was fantastic being able to explore the *huge* ship (with the minor distraction of a few cyborg midwifes and turrets), indeed, I really like the way you can hack, modify and interact with so many objects in the game world. The VB, in my opinion, was fantastically designed, really loved the way it had areas i didnt really notice till my second run through such as the mall, and just loved the massiveness of exploring the ship. It geneuinly felt as if you were actually in a real life VB navagating your way through the ship - very immersive gameplay. The Rickenbacker was mabey a bit short, but i liked the twist of the upside down level, and the "body of the many" and "where am I?" parts continued the fantastic gaming experience. The ending was left a bit open, but that didn't really bother me.

When I first completed the game, I replayed a few times with a different military branch and although you still play through the same levels it certainly wasn't replaying the same game. I never bothered with PSI the first time round and replaying focusing primary on that made the game, to me at least, feel entirly different.

Perhaps I didn't get the whole plot entirly as I haven't played the first SS, so here come a few questions, which I want to ask because Search isn't really giving me all that great results (so don't flame me if they have already been asked):

1. Is SYSYEMSHOCK-Portable the full original game? Is it legal to download and play even if you don't own the original?

2. Do you play as the same character in SS1?

3. Is the gameplay in SS1 smooth? What I mean by that is, a lot of older DOS FPS games seem to have jerky movement.

Anyway, just really a person opinion on my first run. I have to say *again* that the game was one of the best designed games i've played ever. Fantastic work by the development teams. It's a pity i didn't buy this back in 1999!

Anyway, i'm going to try Ponterbee Station when I've got the time, I'll make a seperate install so it doesn't interfere with the main game. From what i've heard/read it's really worth a shot. I might even give BioShock a try, after I buy at totally new pc.

pnK on 27/8/2007 at 20:06

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The movement is kind of jerky at first. It's not the standard Half-Life like Shootermovement you got nowadays. There isn't even mouselook ;)

But let me tell you this - it is well worth playing it anyway. IF you get to overlook the clumsy controls and the outdated (but still original) graphics. The music in my opinion is great. From my experience, there are alot of people who played SS2 first then later discovered and tried SS1 and well - most of them seem to favor SS2. Well, i'd suggest you just try it yourself and don't stop playing right on medical station because the controls bother you or anything because there are alot of people also who think that SS1 is superior to SS2. Has also alot to do with which game you experienced first i guess. Also, from your post, i would think you wouldn't get the same "nostalgia" effect out of SS1 because of the different engine. Anyway, try it and have some fun. Keep me updated on your opinion of the game :>

ZylonBane on 27/8/2007 at 20:46

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We really need to add a "System Shock IS abandonware!" section to the FAQ.

Nameless Voice on 27/8/2007 at 21:36

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You don't need a separate install if you use the mod manager.

Bjossi on 28/8/2007 at 00:39

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Isn't abandonware in the grey zone? It is not legal, but there is no publisher or developer gonna care if people download it for free.