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Overrated

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: August 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Which is too bad, because I really wanted to like this.

Every other review has summarized the situation, so I'll skip that. Things that aren't often mentioned about this game:

-- It's very difficult in the early stages. If you're not already good with fps games this isn't the place to start.

-- Various contrivances make the game harder than it needs to be, most notably the weapons that degrade with each shot.

-- It's quite possible to acquire various skills that are absolutely pointless: ie, this isn't a very balanced rpg experience. (Research, hacking, etc.)

-- The plot has it's moments, but the central "twist" makes nonsense of the first section, and the ending is absolutely awful. There are better story-driven fps out there.

Still sort of fun, oddly enough...just not as fun as it should've been.

Good game but cost unrealistic

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: April 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

SS2 is a good quality game. Like others, I find the atmosphere creepy and the elements of gameplay innovative, but the same elements of gameplay are just too difficult to adjust to. I made the first mistake of assuming that if I brought up the items screen, the game would pause (thanks to conditioning from Deus Ex and Morrowind). It didn't, and I got the snot slapped out of me by a hybrid. Lesson learned: I made damn sure to clear an area out first before I did anything with inventory. That quip aside, this is a fairly decent game. The only other problem is that as you progress, the ability to travel between areas perviously explored becomes less and less, and you have less freedom to explore whole areas since many places are closed off (it feels like being herded down a ramp to the ending, like when on the Rickenbauker). As a note, I borrowed this game from a friend, since I refuse to purchase a game that is older than Deus Ex, but cost more than Deus Ex. If the graphics were stellar and on par with Half-Life, I could understand. But seriously, charging 30 plus dollars for an older game such as this, when I got the GOTY edition of Deus Ex for 9.99 just sort of kills the initiative to buy it; not to mention it is a gross rip-off of customers. I would consider purchasing it if the price went down to say...8.99 at the least, 12 flat at the most. Again, great game (when a few flaws) but not worth the cost when all you get is a jewel case and a cd. Do you really think someone is going to fork out 35.00 for just a cd case and no manual? Didn't think so.

Good stuff

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is the first I have played that attempts to combine the fast-paced 1st person shooter with the character building and inventory control of an RPG. I like.

I hope this game is a forerunner of more games melding the exileration of putting the bad guy in your crosshairs and squeezing off a few rounds with the cerebral mind candy of skill allocation and inventory control.

A few things that shocked me when I played this game: I couldn't carry every weapon in the game. The inventory system is set up beautifully, no longer can a player (unrealisticly) carry every new weapon they come across. The shear bulk of weapons and ammunition force decisions of what to keep and what to throw away. Also stuff breaks, just like in the real world.

I would have liked to have seen a little more creativity go into level design (many of the levels felt like every Doom, Quake, Unreal, and Half-Life level ever made) and NPC development lags to the point of predictability but all in all System Shock 2 is well worth the relative pocket change it is being sold for.

Riveting Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

System Shock 2 is the most riveting game that I have played in a long time. The plot design and mechanics remind me strongly of Half-life. Like Half-life; the visuals, the sounds and the plotting all emotionally attach the player to the game.

But where underneath Half-life sat a simple first person shooting game, underneath System Shock 2 is a complex character development system. As the game progresses, players must choose how to evolve their game persona. And how that persona is evolved directly affects the tactics and strategies that the player uses to make their way through the game.

System shock 2 is a compelling title. Engrossing and engaging, I recommend it strongly. (And I am disappointed that Looking Glass -- the developers -- have closed shop.)

Possibly the greatest PC game of all time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

There are games that make their mark most recently Half Life but SS2 steals its crown for me. For any FPS or adventure fan/real time strategy this is a cut above the rest. The plot is amazing and left me half way through the game gasping (yes you know the bit). The progression of your character with various traits is a steop above half life. It may not have the shoot em up feel to it as HL but the thinking and realism is compelling. It took me about a week to complete but this was solid every evening - it did take over my social time wondering what will happen next - its THAT good. The Dark Engine is looking well but will probably look dated soon and the atmosphere created is untrue. The ability to build on certain strengths should be built into future games of thie genre. Its a new thing which works brilliantly. You could go back and complete it using a differnt trait and uncover skills you never before. The interface is cool as is the sounds. I cannot fault this game, every gamer should own this - If your reading this stop and buy it NOW. Looking Glass - You've given us an all time classic

The Most Scared I've Ever Been

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Never has this happened before! In the boots of the System Shock 2 hero, fighting for my life in the shadowy corridors of the starship Von Braun, I found myself trembling, hiding in a dark corner, whimpering as I listened to the evils surrounding me.

After one hour of this game, I get intensely involved. In two hours I'm jumpy and hyperventilating. Three hours, I go into cardiac arrest.

Meanwhile, the detailed story had me captivated--awed at the surprises I should have foreseen (given the excellent use of foreshadowing) but didn't. The role-playing elements are well done, and greatly enhance the intrigue. And the AI (borrowed from Thief) is the absolute best I've ever seen in a first-person shooter.

The settings are so realistic, its scary. No generic Quake corridors here. The kinds of environments you will visit are bathrooms, living quarters, sick bays, recreation rooms, shopping malls, kitchens, cafeterias, meat lockers, chapels, gardens and other types of everyday living spaces you would expect to find on a real starship. All this just adds to the sensation that you're really there.

I don't think I've ever played more than 2 or 3 games of this calibre in my lifetime, and certainly none so terrifying!

This game spooked the *%#@ out of me!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a fabulous game. If it were at all possible to give a game a ten star rating, I would. It never sold well for unclear reasons (no multiplayer?, to difficult to grasp a FPS/RPG hybrid?) but that does not mean it wasn't good. Anybody who wants to play a game where they feel absolutely immersed, this is it.

I've played plenty of creepy games in the past including the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill, etc. This is one of only two games (besides Clive Barker's Undying) that I absolutely hated opening doors in, dreading what was on the other side. The ever present SHODAN also added an extra eerie dimension to the game.

Do yourself a huge favor and buy this game. It will go down in gaming history as one of the best and original games of all time.

Enjoy!!!

There are games you play...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

...and games you EXPIRIENCE. System Shock 2 is an expirience. There are plenty of great reviews here so I don't want to be redundant. But I will say you can't spend a better 10-to-15 bucks. SS2 will totally transport you into its world - where it's cold, claustrophobic, and no one can hear you scream. Never have I felt so alone, uncomfortable, sometimes just plain freaked out... it was difficult, seemingly impossible at times... and I loved every minute of it!

The only downside is the load times on this game are soooo long. Even on a P4 1.4 GeForce 3 system, it took awhile (there are 'regeneration' booths on every level where you can be instantly respawned, but it costs you each time and in this game, every resource matters!), but that's a small price to pay for such an incredible gaming experience.

If being transported into another realm where you must struggle, use your brains, and have the spit scared out of you is your idea of fun, buy this game!

Frightening, disturbing, and thrilling

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: June 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Why can't there be more games like this? System Shock 2 is a one-of-a-kind Sci-Fi/Horror game that is a mix between a stealth action game and an RPG. It defies conventional definitions for games, and that is why I doubt I will ever play another one like it. I have played some creepy games before (e.g. "Thief", "Arx Fatalis"), but I have never played one before that hit me this hard with a combination of atmosphere and storyline. You can have nightmares about this game, thanks to its disturbing imagery, dark storyline, and eerie sounds.

The entire game takes place on a huge spaceship 67 trillion miles from Earth. When I say huge, I mean huge. The ship has gigantic areas for engineering, medical treatment, crew quarters, a command center, and an athletic facility. There is even a virtual sex booth in a shopping mall. You really get the feeling that you are walking around a ship that was once inhabited by thousands of busy crew members. I say "once", because something has gone terribly wrong, and it is up to you to find out what has happened, and escape with your life.

As you play, you uncover pieces of the storyline in voice messages that have been left behind by the ship's crew members. With a few exceptions, the voice acting for the game is terrific. They start off somewhat chilling, and by the end, they get downright scary. You follow storylines for individual crew members many times to their grim demise. I found myself hoping that a character would survive the game, only to find her dead later. Also, an surviving ally guides you through the game with e-mail messages. By listening to the messages, you also get clues for the game's puzzles, which are generally very easy to solve. All the while, you are alone, defending yourself against the hideous force that has hijacked the ship.

"Terrifying" is an appropriate word to use here. "System Shock 2" does not rely on scripted events and cheap tricks to scare you. Instead, it is scary in an Alfred Hitchcock way. You are frightened by what you don't know is there, and by what you can't see. You find the corpses of the ship's crew scattered about, and you never get used to them. Even when there are no enemies in the room, you feel like you are only a split-second from demise. The brilliant use of sound in this game is one reason why the game is so successful at this. When you stand still, you can hear enemies moaning or chattering around the corner, or, perhaps, approaching you from behind.

This game is not just a simple alien bug hunt. Stealth is key, and survival is very hard. The game has an extensive (and sometimes confusing) role-playing system that gives you a variety of ways to develop and equip your character. In addition, there are about a hundred gadgets and goodies to pick up and use for survival. The role-playing system has some faults though. One is that certain skills, like hacking, are too overpowered compared to others, like psionics. You can't survive the game without a good hacking skill. Also, there are contrivances in the game that seem to be there to force you to buy certain skills. For example, weapons are absurdly fragile, so you have to learn the "repair" and "maintain" skills to use them. I like the role-playing aspects, but "Deus Ex" is better in that department.

The graphics for the game have aged very well, with one exception - faces on the characters. They basically look blocky, and polygon counts for enemies are generally low. Other than that, the environments in the game are very convincing and immersive. Rooms are usually dark, but filled with computer consoles and gizmos that flash and beep.

The first half of the game is incredibly hard and frustrating and requires continuous use of the "Quick save" and "Quick reload" keys. This, in fact, is why I didn't finish the game until two years after I bought it. The storyline is what keeps you going during the frustrating times. My recommendation is to buy the game, play it, and stick with it. "System Shock 2" is definitely an acquired taste. Once you get to like it, I think that you will consider it to be one of the best Sci-Fi/horror games ever made.

I thought I was prepared

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I bought System Shock 2 just before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving 2001. I still haven't gotten one-third through the game. I've played Doom, and plenty of other *scare the crap out of you* games, but this one is the real deal. By immersing you in a horrific world, and letting you figure out how to survive, this game has done damage to my psyche. Once you hear "your song is not ours," you'll never let anyone say that phrase without a quick punch to the mouth.

I'm attempting to beat the game, after all these years. Yes, YEARS of fearing this game. It's tantamount to an alcoholic trying to kick booze. Go to [. . .] for more upgrades, mods, and patches for System Shock 2. Look into the High Texture Detail mod, if you want to see how pretty System Shock 2 can be.

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