Game News System Shock 2 released on GOG

[Infinitron]

Tags: Irrational Games; Looking Glass Studios; Nightdive Studios; System Shock 2

I'm pleased to inform you that the cult classic FPS/RPG System Shock 2 has been released for digital distribution for the first time, over at GOG.com. Originally co-developed by Irrational Games of Bioshock fame and the dearly departed Looking Glass Studios, and published by EA, this game and its predecessor (which is still not available for purchase but can be downloaded here) have both been stuck in legal purgatory for many years.

It was finally cleared for release due to the efforts of a mysterious outfit known as "Night Dive Studios". More information about this can be found in a dual interview with Stephen Kick of Night Dive and Guillaume Rambourg of GOG, published yesterday at Rock Paper Shotgun. It's not clear yet whether Night Dive Studios are the same folks who quietly released the amazing System Shock 2 and Thief patches last year.

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You can buy System Shock 2 here, for the low price of 10 dollars. I don't know yet what mods or fixes have been integrated into this GOG version, but you can be sure that Kolya of systemshock.org will be on top of things. Oh, have I mentioned that the game is an MCA favorite?

 

[Infinitron]

Shameless plug:

System Shock 2 mod guide: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/system-shock-2-mod-guide.79965/
Thief series mod guide: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/infinitrons-thief-series-fan-patch-guide.74267/

 

[Kirtai]

It seems to be version 2.4 which is the unofficial patch version. I'm currently running it in 1920x1200 straight from GOG.

 

[Infinitron]

It seems to be version 2.4 which is the unofficial patch version. I'm currently running it in 1920x1200 straight from GOG.

There should be no harm in installing Kolya's SS2Tool on top of it, then. It integrates some more fixes than just the 2.4 patch alone.

Of course, if these are the same guys, it's possible they've actually updated the patch.

 

[CappenVarra]

 

[sea]

The unofficial SS2 patch has progressed to the point where now SS2 is playable on any Windows 7 x32 or x64 computer, and it runs excellently with high framerates, updated visuals, and so on. Mods are just as good as ever too.

As someone who owns a DRM-free CD version of the game that still works just fine, is there any benefit at all to buying the GOG version, other than the extras and the "support GOG!" party line?

 

[Metro]

Yes, your money will also go to funding Witcher 3.

 

[Infinitron]

The unofficial SS2 patch has progressed to the point where now SS2 is playable on any Windows 7 x32 or x64 computer, and it runs excellently with high framerates, updated visuals, and so on. Mods are just as good as ever too.

Yep. Some of the guys at TTLG are actually kind of pissed at this - they think these Night Dive guys and GOG are stealing the work of whoever made the NewDark patches, without giving credit. They aren't considering that maybe Night Dive and the NewDark developers are one and the same (maybe they know something I don't)

As someone who owns a DRM-free CD version of the game that still works just fine, is there any benefit at all to buying the GOG version, other than the extras and the "support GOG!" party line?

For now, it seems not. We should wait for the experts to give this version a full examination, though.

 

[Metro]

Waiting for Steam version -- I'd rather give my money to GabeN than Geralt.

 

[evdk]

Waiting for Steam version -- I'd rather give my money to GabeN than Geralt.

Yeah, well, $9.99 < €9.99. Such is the lot of an Europoor.

 

[Metro]

No acheesements for you!

 

[rpgcodexusername]

enemies are made up of polygons unlike the first game where they were sprites

:decline

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Perfect Valentine's gift!

The Many is red
Xerxes is blue
The Polito form is dead, insect
Rhyming is for meat creatures.

 

[Gord]

By the way, the newly patched demo that was released a few month ago had some updated videos that used the high-poly models and improved textures.
Is there anything similar for the complete game?

 

[Infinitron]

enemies are made up of polygons unlike the first game where they were sprites

:decline

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=1438.0

 

[Oesophagus]

Welp, time for another playthrough

 

[Lautreamont]

I'm a loser without a girlfriend on Valentine's, but it doesn't feel so bad since I can play SS2 tonight.

 

[rpgcodexusername]

enemies are made up of polygons unlike the first game where they were sprites

:decline

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=1438.0

not sure if incline

 

[Oesophagus]

I'm a loser without a girlfriend on Valentine's, but it doesn't feel so bad since I can play SS2 tonight.

Don't worry, you don't have a girlfriend the rest of the year either

 

[Andyman Messiah]

As someone who owns a DRM-free CD version of the game that still works just fine, is there any benefit at all to buying the GOG version, other than the extras and the "support GOG!" party line?

I'm wondering about this as well. Will follow Infinitron's suggestion to wait and see.

But honestly, are any of the GOG releases "superior" to the original releases? I mean, for example the Fallout versions are the censored versions (no kids) IIRC.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I know GOG dropped the good in their acronym, but after they decided to put out Daikatana and Worms Forts: Under Siege I wondered if they would be putting out nothing but horrible games for awhile. Nice to see that is not the case.

 

[DalekFlay]

But honestly, are any of the GOG releases "superior" to the original releases? I mean, for example the Fallout versions are the censored versions (no kids) IIRC.

They're not. They might have been at one time, I don't know, but today they are not.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

But honestly, are any of the GOG releases "superior" to the original releases? I mean, for example the Fallout versions are the censored versions (no kids) IIRC.

They're not. They might have been at one time, I don't know, but today they are not.

I guess if you don't want to (or maybe rather 'can't') deal with setting them up to play on modern systems, like fiddling with the DOSBox config or applying patches and such, it's cool that GOG does it for you in one easy setup. But yeah, no, that's what I thought.

But eh. So far I've only bought one game. NWN2. Because I never got around to Mysteries of Westgate. If Vincent D. Wellington ever gets his huge thumb out of his dickhole maybe I can buy his game too.

 

[Trojan_generic]

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=1438.0

"Only registered members are allowed to access this section.
Please login below with SMA."

Where is SMA when you need him/her?

 

[Kem0sabe]

I prefer having the GOG releases of the old classics, the fact that they come pre-patched, are guaranteed to work with windows 7, and have no DRM, pure bliss.