Aug. 13 - Because I Know More About Video Games Than You
System Shock 2 is one of the more effecting games I have ever played. It will genuinely scare you. Not just the monsters-jumping-out-from-behind-pile-of-dead-walruses kind of scare, but will actually create fear. The setting (a damaged space ship on the edge of nowhere) is well-crafted and highly interactive, especially for 1999, when the game was released.
Your enemies represent an interesting dichotomy of the natural and the artificial, with your character in between. Not only does this provide for a satisfyingly large array of baddies to fight, but emphasizes your struggle to survive and triumph. It's quite up to you to do so because you see a total of about three other living humans during the entire game. The story is largely unfolded by finding audio logs on the dead bodies of the ship's crew. This is done well enough that you get a sense of knowing these secondary and tertiary characters even though they are already dead.
There are three character types you can develop: a gun-toting marine, a Navy officer specializing in hacking and computer manipulation, and a psionically-empowered OSI operative. You choose one path to begin the game, which determines your starting abilities, but the only thing keeping you from developing any ability you want is your current number of cybernetic modules that serve as the game's form of EXP.
The game is quite lengthy and is enjoyable to play through several times even if you don't drastically change your play style or choose to develop a different character. This is a first-person game and those who get turned off by shooters my not be as gung-ho about it because it does have a shooter interface. That alone should not deter you from checking out this game, though. Despite its age, System Shock 2 is a great game for anyone interested in shooters, RPG's, or horror. So, if you can find it, I would encourage you to pick it up.
Recommended for: anyone interested
Posted by Nathan
