Classic Game of the Week - System Shock 2

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Damn monkeys.

If you've ever wanted proof that my psychological underbelly was soft as warm meringue then you need only have watched me encounter cybernetically enhanced monkeys in a combat situation for the first time. Few games have triggered the fight or flight response in me quite as powerfully as SS2 did, and while I have a deep and abiding love for this game I must be honest that I've never had the fortitude to actually man-up and finish. Every few months, I get the impulse to pull out this game and try to not lose my nerve. I feel such an impulse coming soon.

IMAGE(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Systemshock2_ingame_final.jpg/200px-Systemshock2_ingame_final.jpg)

With incredible atmosphere, fantastic story and engaging role-playing elements, System Shock 2 is an easy addition to CGOTW.

Comments

Just don't give them spears!

I still have yet to complete this game as it scares the poop out of me at every turn. I think the furthest I got was to the second (third?) ship. Then I had to shut it down.

I had to stop playing this because I would literally scream several times a play session and it would wake up my wife.

Great pick.

Is the guy playing in that screen shot wandering around with three different sets of armor?

This is a good one all the way through. The last level is especially memorable and well worth the frights necessary to get there.

I really enjoyed this one even though I only played it last year.

Danjo Olivaw wrote:

Is the guy playing in that screen shot wandering around with three different sets of armor?

Looks to me like two sets of armor and a Hazard Suit.

I remember playing this game for the first time. It was quite scary, but I think that I found Undying to be generally creepier, at least until the end.

Those damn nurses, though. Talk about hiding-under-the-furniture.

I cannot WAIT for Bioshock.

Oh yeah, the Hazard Suit. I forgot about that one as I generally just ran through toxic waste and such really fast. That's how it works in real life.

scrub wrote:

I still have yet to complete this game as it scares the poop out of me at every turn. I think the furthest I got was to the second (third?) ship. Then I had to shut it down.

booty wrote:

I had to stop playing this because I would literally scream several times a play session and it would wake up my wife.

Buncha babies!

What the hell are you people going to do when Bioshock comes out? Hide under your beds while you use your wireless 360 controllers?

Underwater is never as scary as space. Evidence: The Abyss versus Alien.

Danjo Olivaw wrote:

Underwater is never as scary as space. Evidence: The Abyss versus Alien.

Yeah, but the Abyss didn't have giant Big Brothers threatening to beat the living sh*t out of you if got too close. Plus, Alien didn't have monkies and giant spiders.

This game is so amazingly great. I tried to co-op it with a friend over New Year's Eve 2000 and we got to where you first meet the Cyber Assassins (that creeped the hell out of both of us.) A few days later, his hard disk failed and he lost his saved games (the patch in co-op required a separate set of saved games on each system so if you lost one, you couldn't resume your session.) We never picked it up again until about 3 months ago when we realized it ran under XP. We beat it in about two nights but had to cheat when fighting The Many because a bug was triggered that made several very difficult monsters constantly respawn that aren't supposed to respawn at all. It was still a blast though and despite having an eight year-old engine, it still creeps me out with one of the best sound designs of all time. If anyone wants to co-op it again at some point, let me know and I'm there. There's also a couple of neat resources for the game:

System Shock Rebirth - An awesome package that replaces a lot of the models and textures with new high-res versions. My friend and I played with this and it was great.
ShockEd Central - Offers both the game's level editor and more importantly, a bunch of fan-made missions and campaigns, many of which are large and very well made. My friend and I hope to try a few of these soon.

If you haven't played this, do it.

I played this game through to just about the same point twice (approximately 3/4 the way through), and quit in frustration both times. I loved the game, but I must be king of "level up guy the best way to make a weak-ass character." Both times, I got to a point where my guy sucked so bad compared to those I was fighting, that I gave up.

When I play this type of game, I need a guide to make the most powerful guy from the choices available.

Rat Boy wrote:

What the hell are you people going to do when Bioshock comes out? Hide under your beds while you use your wireless 360 controllers?

Yes?

I never have played System Shock 2. It goes for fairly a lot on Ebay too so if a Goodjer wants to part ways with it without breaking my wallet then PM me.

However, even though the game is dated will it still be able to give me the jibblies?

What a shame so many of you didn't finish this masterpiece. There's a voice recording near the end of the game that ranks as my favorite voice-acting bit ever. It's was also nice to see a satisfying conclusion in the game in a day and age when most games leave you hanging at the end for a sequel. As I sit here fondly remembering this game the game, I may have to reinstall it soon and try to finish it as a psi power expert.

However, even though the game is dated will it still be able to give me the jibblies?

You have no idea.

Great game. I love all the voice acting, but I've never had the courage to finish it

I tried going through as a Psi-Ops character a few months back. If I recall correctly, some of the psi skills are of questionable utility. I found it very difficult to use any of the "buff" skills to much effect. Just juggling three or four at a time was quite a challenge in and of itself. I ended up sticking mostly to the fireball attacks.

I like the idea of a Psi-Ops character on paper, but playing as one seems a little more difficult. Plus, I was constantly running out of psi-hypos.

I think next time I'll just go through with the standard shoot-everything-that-moves approach. Probably not as fun overall, but I imagine it's a little less frightening that way.

I'll be honest: I never finished it. When I got to the end boss (or the penultimate end boss), a bug in my game prevented me from being able to harm it. I went online and checked with walkthroughs, I made sure I was patched; nothing worked. It's on my retro list though, so someday I hope to revisit it.

mtl4ever wrote:

What a shame so many of you didn't finish this masterpiece. There's a voice recording near the end of the game that ranks as my favorite voice-acting bit ever. It's was also nice to see a satisfying conclusion in the game in a day and age when most games leave you hanging at the end for a sequel. As I sit here fondly remembering this game the game, I may have to reinstall it soon and try to finish it as a psi power expert.

Wasn't there a thread left hanging for a sequel?

I love this article that really gets into what makes the SS2' villain shine.

The only reason I was able finally to beat SS2 a couple of years ago in a marathon co-op LAN session with DrunkenSleipnir is that he held my hand the whole time so I wouldn't swoon. What a pal!

It remains my favorite first-person game. Play it with the Rebirth patch linked by Parallax Abstraction above, as well as the SHTUP texture upgrade package located here. For help, see here and accompanying forums.

I played the game for the first time a year ago. Terrifying at times but probably the best time I've ever had in a first person perspective. Amazing atmosphere, gameplay, etc. I still have to beat it. I'm very far but every time I go back to the computer it's at I choose not to. The sense of dread for my avatar is extreme.

Vrikk wrote:

I never have played System Shock 2. It goes for fairly a lot on Ebay too so if a Goodjer wants to part ways with it without breaking my wallet then PM me.

However, even though the game is dated will it still be able to give me the jibblies?

The graphics may be dated, but thet sound... the sound will unnerve you.

The best part wasn't even the environmental effects, but the voice logs (one of the best, most effective methods of storytelling in-game yet seen). Hearing people's last words, especially as the last voice log of a trail of them, will never leave you. It's powerful and resonant, the way the same kind of moments in a psychological movie or book can be. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not heavy-handed or overt like it may sound, but that's what makes it believable.

I was never able to finish since I chose my skills badly, had low ammunition and armor for the last fight. I crawled/walked/ran up through the last hallway and always died.

For some reason, this thread gave me the urge to install and try again

After some tweaking and internet searching, I got the game going. Man, why didn't I pursue the last 2 times? What an atmosphere!

Eezy_Bordone wrote:

I was never able to finish since I chose my skills badly, had low ammunition and armor for the last fight. I crawled/walked/ran up through the last hallway and always died.

I fear ending up the same way. Any soft tips on how to avoid the same trap?

sheared wrote:

I played this game through to just about the same point twice (approximately 3/4 the way through), and quit in frustration both times. I loved the game, but I must be king of "level up guy the best way to make a weak-ass character." Both times, I got to a point where my guy sucked so bad compared to those I was fighting, that I gave up.

When I play this type of game, I need a guide to make the most powerful guy from the choices available.

Now, is that bad character design on your part, or bad game design on theirs?

Infinite monster respawn: almost always a game-killer for me. SS2 and Undying had it.

Maybe that co-op patch is the way to go. Vrikk? What you say?

H.P. Lovesauce wrote:

Infinite monster respawn: almost always a game-killer for me. SS2 and Undying had it.

Note that you can disable respawning in SS2 completely with the patch. The same goes for weapon degradation, which a large number of players found very frustrating.

Also, great pick for CGOTW! I loves me some Many and Shodan.

L-look at you hacker..

Damn you all, now I want to find my copy and play through it again.

Or spend some time modding Doom3/HL2 for some shock-y goodness. Mmmmmm. HDR Shock..

dejanzie wrote:

After some tweaking and internet searching, I got the game going. Man, why didn't I pursue the last 2 times? What an atmosphere!

Any tips on what "tweaks" people should know about?

"Rachel, kids, im sorry."
That was the saddest one. and in engineering no less. the hardest part in the whole game to me.
"she was changed... in the most unnatural way. ...That son of a Female Doggo. That son of a Female Doggo. He will not get away with it."
Hope i got it right, its been a while. most games dont make me make care (Halo and UnreaL2, I am looking at you!) but SS2 did bigtime. hearing that womans log about nurse bloom got me angry, not scared anymore. those chimps at hydroponics had no effing chance. fireballs or pointed sticks. And the midwives too.
This was the best game i played (not like i played so many, but still).

tips, well stick to one upgrade path. psi is the most powerful if used correctly, for me. speed is of the essence.