About an hour in to System Shock 2, so far, not impressed

[Roguey]

Now, the progression and customization are probably the only part mentioned that is actually weak, but that's mainly due to nonsensical hard stat thresholds, which I don't think are something a gamist could possibly notice ( are you turning simulationist, Roguey? embrace the dark side), and balance issues.

Josh Sawyer is a proponent of soft requirements over hard. As far as I'm aware, hard stat requirements really only work in the context of preventing abuse/exploits in a multiplayer game, otherwise they're bad. Of course those cargo cultists at Larian love them.

 

[DraQ]

Hate to disagree regarding atmosphere, DraQ, despite System Shock 2 benefiting from better tech and writing, I believe the first one did it better by (mostly) making you explore in order to know what to do next, no silly radio calls telling you to get some stuff in order to open a door, just you alone finding clues and going against a SHODAN that actually tries to kill you many times during your ordeal and feels like a tangible opponent.

How about:
SS1 didn't have as much imagination fodder in the form of audio logs, not to mention new stuff introduced in 2, like 'ghosts' and so on.
1 also had pretty clear picture of what's happening from the beginning - despite your character not knowing what the fuck was happening, you did.
Finally 1, despite superior mechanics, and, I'd even say, superior presentation just wasn't very good at being subtle about anything.
Throw in some elements of mechanics 2 introduced and succeeded at that were very important for atmosphere (like weapon degradation and overall resource management) and the difference was that 1 rarely really creeped you out.
It was too cyberpunk, too little survival horror.

Of course those cargo cultists at Larian love them.

I never claimed Larian was any good at mechanics/systems design. Their strength - which you sadly overlook - lies elsewhere.

 

[Elthosian]

System Shock 2 did resource management much better (though far from perfectly) but I tend to judge SS1 as an adventure, it does not help that I hold exploration and level design much higher than survival, still you are quite right in many of the points you make, as a survival and narrative experience SS2 trumps SS1 in almost every aspect.

 

[CyberP]

I prefer SS2 in most respects, but SS1 was highly innovative and still has absolutely solid design.
It needs a passion-driven remake by Immersive Sim enthusiasts.

 

[Roguey]

Now that's it's all said and done, I have to say my favorite thing about the responses to my post is how I'm the only poster on the Codex who can make people upset by writing overall-positive impressions of an old favorite.

 

[TripJack]

NOT OVERALL POSITIVE ENOUGH

 

[Baron Dupek]

When looking for FM for Thief games I've found that Cheap Thief Missions got some FM for System Shock 2. Anyone tried them? Any opinion?
http://thiefmissions.com/search.cgi?search=+game=shock&sort=release#m

 

[Lord Azlan]

Growing up in this world - one of the most difficult things to experience is when you see your once infallible person turns out to be human after all. For some people it would be seeing a parent crying for the first time, for me it was when PC Gamer dropped System Shock 2 from their all-time top 100 games one year.

I played the orignal SS1 and quite liked it - there was lots of potential. I just think it came too early for my young mind to deal with. I have vague memories of it. I have very good memories of SS2 and even played and completed it for the first time a few years ago.

The very first bit of the game where you choose your path and class. It seems unfinished or added to at the end of the game. A bit pointless actually but does no real damage. Once you are in the game proper I really loved this game. Not a shooter, not a RPG, some sort of hybrid first person thing where you could develop your character according to your own choices, manage an inventory, hear audiologs about the story etc. Within a few minutes of the start you see some of zombie guy dragging a woman away and your mind says 'Oh hello - do you really want to play?"

What I liked about the game was that there was no point did I actually feel safe. Your character was quite weak and even towards the end game you had to be careful about travelling around. One of the first things I did is find those medical bays where you can heal up - they were essential to find. I really liked the research options. In most other games the chemicals you find lying around would not have much use apart from trying to make the game world more realistic, but in this game I would try in vain to remember where certain chemicals were and then hope I could find them. The resulting research would then give you additional damage to various enemies. Oh, and the research happened real time - did I crap my pants - yes I did.

Oh how I loved to get my next fix of Cybernetic Modules - they were addictive as hell and the only way to learn new skills. Get more inventory slots, melee damage, more HP, ability to use two implants, one skills fills in the whole level's auto-map for goodness sake. The thing is you choose how you want to develop your character and you try quite very hard not to cheat and get unlimited modules.

The game was quite linear and there is a lot of running around. The NPC enemies are quite diverse and I think not matched in many other games. Let's list some of them, monkeys, cyborg midwives and assassins, arachnids, Psi Reaver, human hybrids and various robots. The best thing is when you meet these for the first time and you are not sure whether to run, hit them with a wrench to see what happens or a blast in the face with a shotgun. Most of the time it is best to run actually - or try and run.

Truly one of the greatest ever games, a bit scary, lots of things to fiddle with, nice story for those that like that stuff. The ending section was a bit naff though. It deserves another run through as apparently graphics have been modded to a higher standard. If you can remember this game came out in 1999 - well -

Future Shock games heavily relied on the standards and gameplay set here but focussed a lot more on graphics and action, they became more of FPS and less of a hybrid.

Deadspace 1 and 2 are pretty good and I enjoyed and completed them both. Occasionally reminiscing and asking why some of the other elements that were in SS2 have been taken out. (Blame console gamers).

 

[DraQ]

System Shock 2 did resource management much better (though far from perfectly) but I tend to judge SS1 as an adventure, it does not help that I hold exploration and level design much higher than survival, still you are quite right in many of the points you make, as a survival and narrative experience SS2 trumps SS1 in almost every aspect.

Well, the thing is SS pretty much relies on survival to build atmosphere and it relies on atmosphere to make the whole experience work.

Different games may rely on different things regardless of one's personal preferences.

Growing up in this world - one of the most difficult things to experience is when you see your once infallible person turns out to be human after all.

It's called adulthood.

The ending section was a bit naff though.

Especially the 'stinger' at the end.

Deadspace 1 and 2 are pretty good and I enjoyed and completed them both.

Don't know about 2 but 1 could have been a better SS2 *if* it was actually scary (and preferably first person).

 

[baturinsky]

Deadspace 2 gameplay is way better than 1. And it's way scarier.

 

[zerotol]

Deadspace is utter shit, tried it, POV sucks, uninstalled.

Keep the consoletrash out of the topic.

 

[Roguey]

Wait, people actually think SS2 is scary?

I'm not one of those edgy unemotional "nothing fictional can possibly ever be frightening" types but a horror game it wasn't.

 

[Jasede]

That's it, I am finally ignoring Roguey.

 

[DraQ]

Wait, people actually think SS2 is scary?

I'm not one of those edgy unemotional "nothing fictional can possibly ever be frightening" types but a horror game it wasn't.

Any horror games you would recommend, sweetie?

 

[Excidium]

It's not scary at all, you just might get startled

 

[DraQ]

It's not scary at all, you just might get startled

Startled? In SS2?

 

[Excidium]

It's not scary at all, you just might get startled

Startled? In SS2?

Yes, just like any FPS

 

[xemous]

dead space 1 and 3 are phenomenal games and highly recommended to anyone who enjoyed system shock 2.

dead space 2 is an okay game but is not on par with 1 and 3.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Ok, I understand the praise of first 2 Dead Space game, but... this?
I enjoyed Dead Space series up until DS3 which was mostly irritating as fuck.

 

[Roguey]

Any horror games you would recommend, sweetie?

Clock Tower. Silent Hill 2. Horror is at its best in the form of an adventure game with the lightest action elements.

Hell, Resident Evil 4 had a creepier vibe and more jump-scares than SS2. But so did Quake.

 

[dnf]

Any horror games you would recommend, sweetie?

Clock Tower. Silent Hill 2. Horror is at its best in the form of an adventure game with the lightest action elements.

Hell, Resident Evil 4 had a creepier vibe and more jump-scares than SS2. But so did Quake.

Egalitarianism is sooo creepy

 

[potatojohn]

Wait, people actually think SS2 is scary?

I'm not one of those edgy unemotional "nothing fictional can possibly ever be frightening" types but a horror game it wasn't.

Welcome to the wonderful world of PC video games, Roguey. Please sit down and take notes.

SS2 is generally considered to be one of the scariest games of all time. Not only does it have an extremely oppressive audio-visual atmosphere, it has horror built into the gameplay itself. The enemies are infinite, resources are very limited, weapons keep breaking down, and even the lowliest enemies like worms can easily kill you if you're not careful. Compounding that, on the first playthrough, you never know if you have enough supplies for the rest of the game, and all those anti-robot weapons you've been saving and upgrading and levelling for the late game? Fuck you, the last 1/4 only has organic enemies :trollgame:

 

[baturinsky]

Yes, SS2 and RE series is a resource starvation kind of horror. Deadspace(2) is more of a jumpscare/bodyhorror.

 

[toro]

dead space 3 keeps intact the core-gameplay of the first 2 games and there is no need for micro-transactions, in fact i believe the game was designed and balanced without micro-transactions in mind.

except that is linear as fuck therefore boring.

 

[zerotol]

Deadspace is utter shit, tried it, POV sucks, uninstalled.

Keep the consoletrash out of the topic.

you're a fool.

dead space 1 and 3 are phenomenal games and highly recommended to anyone who enjoyed system shock 2.

dead space 2 is an okay game but is not on par with 1 and 3.

i'll be replaying all three games sometime in 2015-2016 when i get a new computer along with one of those super-high resolution ultra-wide monitors which all 3 dead space games natively support.

i just cant stress how good dead space 3 is. i too was put off by the PR campaign and ended up playing the game years later when i bought it during a charity event for a dollar. wow.. was i pleasantly surprised at just how great the game was. it's the only game that truly captured the feel of the hit motion picture "the thing"

you go from dystopian cities to abandoned industrial ships to secret research facilities buried in ice and more. it's absolutely amazing and not only that - there are optional objectives, that means entirely new areas with their own artwork, monsters, weapons and upgrades and story elements that are completely optional to explore.

this is the hidden gem of the dead space series that no one on these boards (including me until the 1 dollar sale) played. if you enjoyed dead space 1 dont miss out on this fantastic installment to the series.

such a wonderful game and it's a shame we'll never see a dead space 4 because of the treasonous and disgusting acts of the marketing dept. whose advertising campaign was so off base it scuttled the game in the eyes of loyal fans before it hit shelves. naturally the developers were blamed.

dead space 3 keeps intact the core-gameplay of the first 2 games and there is no need for micro-transactions, in fact i believe the game was designed and balanced without micro-transactions in mind.

No, i tried Deathspace one, it's a stupid consoleport. Uninstall was its best feature.