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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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Be afraid

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: December 17, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I've always been a big fan of the suspense/horror genre in books and film. When I purchased System Shock 2, I never expected it would be more frightening than any novel or movie had ever experienced. My 14 year old will only play it if I am in the room with him. The plot is great....I have yet to reach the end of the game and I am dying to see how it all pans out. The only thing better than the graphics is the audio. I have actually jumped back from my computer out of reflex. What a ride! Parents beware, however. Although there is no nudity or sex, the suspense and horror are very realistic and intense. I would not reccommend to anyone under 14.

The best sci-fi RPG ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 25, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This is without any doubt the best sci-fi RPG ever (and I mean ever) made. And it's so scary that the first many hours you play it, cold sweat will run down you neck. It's in 3D, and it's (in my oppinion) the only RPG that gets away with that. And the sound is so great and sooooo scary that some times you wish you never loaded the game. Even if the game costs $100, it was still worth the money.

SS2? Bargain Bin?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: May 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

As a justice to this game, I am now going to try to get you to buy it and experience the wonder ... This game is the result of the genius of the folks behind Thief, and I would have to say that it is the most immersing game ever. To play it is to feel, to be, and to know the horrible fate of the Von Braun. From the exciting action of one floor to the white knuckle desperation of another floor to the vengeful assault of the next, each folding out the story, the history, and most importantly, your situation. Previous reviews are correct; Play with the lights out, alone. You are in the game, in the world, alone, with the unimaginable horror around you and nothing but a dying handgun to stem the tide, while you wrestle with the wracked remnants of the systems. Or maybe the pistol's already dead, and your stuck in the bowels of engineering, being closed in by the dark ... and the many. Or maybe your totally out of psi, huddled in a tunnel below the gardens, on the dead nightmare of the endgame, and you can scream, and the only reply you get is the hollow void of space, the whirr of the dying ship, the ghosts of the horribly fated crew ... And the biomass which grows tired of your sentient form. Or maybe you are one sorry sucker and got trapped IN ... Alright, what more can I say? GO buy the game and play it, for the price it's a fricking crime. This game should not deserve the bargain bin (although I'm not going to complain about the price) It will hopefully and likely be the best gaming experience you have ever had. Then, when you are done, you will have lived the experience, be able to say .. "Yeah, I was on the Vaun Braun" ... It's that deep. And the environment? Jeez, amazing. I so wish things hadn't happened the way they did in that game, because the depth and the history make the crew and the ship intrigung, even though it's a little late for them. The VB/Rickenbacker was the coolest sci fi setting, getting to go around in a fully detailed and 100% traversable interstellar ship (except for the sections you end up getting depressurized in hard vaccum, heck, happens to the best of us). Even if it is somewhat used by the time you reach it ... Now that I have finished the game, I am trying to piece together the sequence of events from the datalogs and evidence I witnessed aboard the ship. Now go buy the game already!

PLAY THIS GAME AT MIDNIGHT WITH THE LIGHTS OFF ALONE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: January 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I reccommend you PLAY THIS GAME AT MIDNIGHT, ALONE, WITH THELIGHTS OFF. From the eerie droning of the ship's engines, to thechilling taunts and calls from the muscle-bound Hybrids and hand maidens, this game will make you think twice about leaving the doors unlocked. I have played so many horror games, and yet this game is the only one where I truly felt *ALONE*. No one can help you. This and the incredible gameplay mixed with roleplay make this one of my top 10 games.

And now the bad stuff. About the only bad thing that I can think of is that towards the end, the programmers seemed to forget that in order to FIRE my weapons, I need AMMO. If you can find a way to hold on to your ammo, this game is just for the roleplayer - FPS player in you!

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