System Shock 2

The Good
Ok, so I can do what most people did and pick out the individual aspects of the game. Which of course, is perfectly acceptable. Except this game transcends it's parts. The pure game experience is what it's about, the quality of the graphics and whatever just affect this and make the experience better or worse. I'll just mention some of these anyway: -The graphics have aged well generally. The lighting is still quite advanced and the look is very smooth. -The sound is the best in any game yet. I can't stress this one enough. Everything about the way this is structured audibly is peerless. The use of total silence, the haunting voice of The Many that drifts between speakers, SHODAN's bioelectrical crackle that accompanies hers, the squealing sound of many of the enemies...I could go on. Also the voice acting is really terrific. Dead serious, and cleverly changed when you know The Many has a hold on them. -The ship design is great. It looks the business, and the atmosphere created through the lighting and sound makes it believable. -It's an RPG. You can develop your character's stats. Albeit, not in a big way. -The AI is pretty intelligent.

So far, this game wouldn't be anything very special(ish). But it has a feeling and a magic that is impossible to describe. It's the genius of Looking Glass. The emotions that it brings out in you; fear, isolation, depravity, loss, paranoia...Ok, they may be the easiest of emotions to play with at this stage in computer gaming. We certainly can't do love yet. But they're so extreme it's incredible. It's a shattering experience, and there is no game like it. Plus; the immersion is SO great, you FORGET yourself whilst playing. You forget you're playing a game, you forget life. You are placed into this world and that is all that exists. If you ever feel really angry, play this game. It turns everything you feel into fear and survival. No game can do this except System Shock 2. Fact.

The Bad
Nothing is perfect. The stats system is not balanced well, some missions seem seperate and pointless in regards to the plot. The monsters are a bit cartoony. Rickenbacker was a little annoying to play and I wasn't to keen on the level design. And it doesn't build up to a huge crescendo at the end. There are tiny things that could annoy you but who cares? Given the quality of the gaming experience, any bad point seems like nit-picking.

The Bottom Line
It really IS genius because it has something that no other game has. Don't ask me to describe it. You can't ask a poet to explain every metaphor. Just play it. You won't forget it.

The Good
This game is a brilliant RPG/FPS hybrid and the very best survival horror I have ever played. This game is actually scary. You constantly walk around with less than enough ammo while the supply of enemies is infinite, since they respawn. The story is splendid and the way the story is told is good as well. The final boss is <3 :) Just a quick explanation of my scores: My AI score was given on the basis of the AI being INTERESTING; not smart and challenging. It was fun to look at the robots walk around and stuff. I enjoyed it to the max, thus, a 5.

The Bad
The menu system could've been more smooth, I think. Other than that... I don't have anything to complain about, really. Oh, and the main character is really ugly, but you only see him, like, once.

The Bottom Line
A game you must've played sometime during your life, or your life hasn't been worth living. Nah, not really, but this game is a brilliant piece of art and a solid part of gaming history. Doesn't seem to have gotten the attention it deserved, though, which is a shame. Don't be disencouraged by the outdated graphics (Not that it bothers me, but I'm still amazed by the graphics of Pong, so...), focus on getting into the mood of the game instead. This game isn't just a good game - it's a good experience as well.

The Good
System Shock 2 is similar in gameplay to the Thief series and Deus Ex. Like Thief, it behooves you to remain unseen and unheard. Otherwise, beasties will come a-runnin'. Especially if a security camera spots you. Like Deus Ex, it plays as a first person shooter with an integrated role playing system. So why is this game overlooked? Bad marketing I guess.

You play as the sole survivor of a horrific accident in deep space. From the beginning you have the option of being a gun-toting marine, mechanically minded naval officer, or a psi-enhanced black op. Using these skills, you will uncover the mystery of what happened to the ship's crew, fight apologetic human hybrids, and explore a huge spaceship.

This game is genuinely scary, in a Resident Evil meets Aliens sort of way. The class options do offer some variation in gameplay even though the game doesn't branch. Also, while the major "quests" are straight-forward, there are various ways of accomplishing them.

The level design is terrific. I really felt like I was in a working spaceship. The different monsters were interesting and scary. I liked how you could upgrade your character.

Finally, the inventory interface is very clunky at first, but soon becomes manageable. Really. No really, it does.

The Bad
In the future we can build ships to travel the stars, AI's to run them, etc, but it is impossible to get good lighting. This ship is a feng shui nightmare! It wouldn't be bad if you had a flashlight or flares, but gamma correction seems to be the only option.

Also, the weapons system is funky. You cannot use certain weapons until you have advanced your character's knowledge and physical ability to some extent. This makes sense for alien artifacts, but any drunken 15-year old can use a shotgun without first studying. AND (a big and) weapons break down left and right. You can barely squeeze off a magazine without having to do major repairs to your weapon. Luckily you can make it through most of the game with an all-purpose crowbar.

Finally, while the psi-dude character class differs from the navy and marine, the navy and marine guy ends up very similar at the end.

The Bottom Line
This game is a must for fans of the Thief series and those who enjoyed Deus Ex. It is a well-thought out action adventure game, that pits you against a fantastic sci-fi baddie!