I haven't seen a System Shock 1 thread on here, which surprised me considering how much System Shock 2 is loved. So I thought I'd start one and share my impressions as I beat the game yesterday.
I thought there were going to be more RPG elements than there were, even though System Shock 1 (published in 1994) is not considered an RPG in itself. The reason I thought this going in was because some of the technology from Ultima Underworld 1 (1992) and Ultima Underworld 2 (1993) were used here, and System Shock 2 is considered an RPG by the community.
I almost quit the game a few hours into play, not because it is not a good game, but because I quickly came to realize that it was mostly an action shooter, coming out a year after the famous corridor shooter Doom (1993). I just wasn't in the mood for a shooter. I wanted to play an RPG, so I came very near to quitting this game and moving on to System Shock 2.
Still, I made myself stick with it once I learned the interface better. First, even though it came out a year after Doom, this is definitely not a Doom clone. Hell, it's hard to recognize its roots in Ultima Underworld. You have the options to duck down and lean left or right. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is quite important. In Doom, you use speed and straffing to your advantage in order to take out goons. In Ultima Underworld you can go toe to toe and hack at the enemy. In System Shock, most of the enemies after the first humanoid mutants are quite deadly and alert, and you have to lean past the edges of walls or duck down before shooting in order to create a smaller target while you pick your opponents off one by one. Trying to rush headlong into danger will quickly get you cut down.
You have a lot of tools at your disposal, though. There are a ton of weapons, most of which have multiple types of ammunition. Different weapons are more or less effective against certain enemy types. You also have augments that can power your attacks and make you a more effective fighter. One slows time, effectively creating Bullet Time before Max Payne and before special effects that would have shown bullets in slow motion.
The game also provides multiple solutions to levels. I sucked at Cyberspace, and so did not interface into this portion of the game too often, instead electing to explore each level room by room in order to find weapons and access cards. Had I stuck with cyberspace, however, I could have opened some locked areas sooner, or received more information on the game's backstory.
There is also an enemy AI called SHODAN that you have to face. This AI becomes the one 'person' that you have the most contact with and its personality is the most developed of all the NPCs. The AI shifts from threats to backhanded compliments ("Nice Jump") to raging proclamations depending on your actions. Since you really don't have deeper conversations with other NPCs, the dialogue with SHODAN adds to the feeling of loneliness and ever present danger in game. But that is also a source of criticism. SHODAN should come across as more alien to the player since the AI is not human and has a logic of its own. Instead SHODAN seems petty, sadistic, and vindictive; traits I would attach more to an over-the-top villain than an AI.
Another criticism is that I felt the graphics were poor even for its time. The creatures in Ultima Underworld 1 and 2, and Doom all seemed better animated than the opponents in System Shock 1, and those games preceded this. And although I generally thought the level design was quite good, there are also some stupidly frustrating parts in game, such as a maze filled with little bombers on wheels. No matter how many of those things I killed, more would pop back into the game. I wouldn't have minded that if they all came into the game at a logical location, such as a handful of chutes, but the game would teleport some in at times in front of me or behind me, as if from some transporter beam. There are actually transporters in the game, but only a handful since they are considered experimental technology, and are also supposed to be set to fixed locations with receiver pads, not set to random ground tiles wherever the player happens to be.
Those quibbles aside, I am glad I decided to stick with the game. It has a steep learning curve, but it was well worth taking the time to learn the controls. I would very much recommend the game. Now off to System Shock 2. Think I'll make a Navy tech...
I thought there were going to be more RPG elements than there were, even though System Shock 1 (published in 1994) is not considered an RPG in itself. The reason I thought this going in was because some of the technology from Ultima Underworld 1 (1992) and Ultima Underworld 2 (1993) were used here, and System Shock 2 is considered an RPG by the community.
I almost quit the game a few hours into play, not because it is not a good game, but because I quickly came to realize that it was mostly an action shooter, coming out a year after the famous corridor shooter Doom (1993). I just wasn't in the mood for a shooter. I wanted to play an RPG, so I came very near to quitting this game and moving on to System Shock 2.
Still, I made myself stick with it once I learned the interface better. First, even though it came out a year after Doom, this is definitely not a Doom clone. Hell, it's hard to recognize its roots in Ultima Underworld. You have the options to duck down and lean left or right. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is quite important. In Doom, you use speed and straffing to your advantage in order to take out goons. In Ultima Underworld you can go toe to toe and hack at the enemy. In System Shock, most of the enemies after the first humanoid mutants are quite deadly and alert, and you have to lean past the edges of walls or duck down before shooting in order to create a smaller target while you pick your opponents off one by one. Trying to rush headlong into danger will quickly get you cut down.
You have a lot of tools at your disposal, though. There are a ton of weapons, most of which have multiple types of ammunition. Different weapons are more or less effective against certain enemy types. You also have augments that can power your attacks and make you a more effective fighter. One slows time, effectively creating Bullet Time before Max Payne and before special effects that would have shown bullets in slow motion.
The game also provides multiple solutions to levels. I sucked at Cyberspace, and so did not interface into this portion of the game too often, instead electing to explore each level room by room in order to find weapons and access cards. Had I stuck with cyberspace, however, I could have opened some locked areas sooner, or received more information on the game's backstory.
There is also an enemy AI called SHODAN that you have to face. This AI becomes the one 'person' that you have the most contact with and its personality is the most developed of all the NPCs. The AI shifts from threats to backhanded compliments ("Nice Jump") to raging proclamations depending on your actions. Since you really don't have deeper conversations with other NPCs, the dialogue with SHODAN adds to the feeling of loneliness and ever present danger in game. But that is also a source of criticism. SHODAN should come across as more alien to the player since the AI is not human and has a logic of its own. Instead SHODAN seems petty, sadistic, and vindictive; traits I would attach more to an over-the-top villain than an AI.
Another criticism is that I felt the graphics were poor even for its time. The creatures in Ultima Underworld 1 and 2, and Doom all seemed better animated than the opponents in System Shock 1, and those games preceded this. And although I generally thought the level design was quite good, there are also some stupidly frustrating parts in game, such as a maze filled with little bombers on wheels. No matter how many of those things I killed, more would pop back into the game. I wouldn't have minded that if they all came into the game at a logical location, such as a handful of chutes, but the game would teleport some in at times in front of me or behind me, as if from some transporter beam. There are actually transporters in the game, but only a handful since they are considered experimental technology, and are also supposed to be set to fixed locations with receiver pads, not set to random ground tiles wherever the player happens to be.
Those quibbles aside, I am glad I decided to stick with the game. It has a steep learning curve, but it was well worth taking the time to learn the controls. I would very much recommend the game. Now off to System Shock 2. Think I'll make a Navy tech...
). Also disagree on SHODAN being a 'petty villain' - imo she acts just as she should for an AI with godhood aspirations going rogue, laughing at the pathetic attempts of one insect trying to bust her deck of machinations (that she has stacked to hell and back and keeps taking new rabbits out of the hat after every supposed 'victory').
