System Shock: games with similar mood and atmosphere

[General Maxson]

Maybe you'd like The Suffering.

 

[Infinitron]

The Ocean Lab level of Deus Ex.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Bro, you must play E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy if you haven't already. I'm surprised no one mentioned it.

- many RPG elements
- dark, mysterious, depressive atmosphere
- incredible ambient soundtrack
- great shooting mechanics

I'm pretty sure you'll love this game.

This bro deserves a beer.

 

[LivingOne]

Dark Souls would definitely quality, were it not sword and sorcery. It couldn't get any darker, more hostile, lonely, or slow-paced.

If that fits how about Shadow Tower and King's Field?The former is darker and quasi-horror,the latter is more melanconic(in case you want to go with a KF the Ancient City is the one in the series you spend more time in-doors).They have some engine limitations(AIs can't follow you too far) but they are quite atmospheric and more low key than DaS with their fiction(meeting a skeleton is kind of a big deal here).

Or if you can't emulate them Diadem of Maunstraut is a fan made game in the same engine and free.

 

[vitamin]

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay

 

[DraQ]

Dead Space is excellent. It isn't scary at all, but it's action horror rather than survival horror, so that's to be expected by people who aren't idiots.

Pretty much this.
Apart from pretty bad port (controls mostly, optimization seems ok), and atrocious DRM (get a version without *akhem*) it's a good game and clearly influenced by SS games.

Unfortunately it isn't really scary because it relies on fairly repetitive jump scares rather than continuously dripping mindfuck and fear into your system.
Still, gameplay is fun enough and both microgravity, and vacuum mechanics are stellar.

I also second the Penumbra recommendation. Although Black Plague, the second half, is probably closer to SS2 and Overture. The settings of the two episodes are pretty distinct, and a lot of Overture focuses on folklore about the bad guys whereas Black Plague is much more to do with science fiction horror.

Penumbra is good, so is Amnesia, although the latter relies on scripting too much, making it too predictable and reducing tension.

You may want to try Azrael's Tear.
Not that much of a horror but there lovecraftian undertones consistently present in the background making for some pretty oppressive atmosphere.
Technically it's a marriage of conventional (albeit non-linear and with multiple alternative solutions) point and click adventure with FPS, System Shock - style interface and presentation, although actual shooter elements are minimal compared to other FPS/Adventure hybrids.

Hmmm...
I'm also reminded of Project Firestart on c64, which was pretty much *the* original survival horror game and similar to System Shock, but it's pretty old.
Like 1989 old.

 

[skacky]

Vampire Bloodlines, perhaps? It has a lot of rather enclosed areas and the mood can get quite creepy at times. Also seconding Thief, System Shock 1, Arx and Dead Space. I've tried Azrael's Tear but it lags horribly on my computer for some reason. Oh yes and Call of Cthulhu of course. It has a couple of really annoying sequences but other than that it's one of the most atmospheric games ever.
And thanks for recommending E.Y.E you guys. :D

 

[DraQ]

I've tried Azrael's Tear but it lags horribly on my computer for some reason.

Try switching between high, low and dynamic resolution modes.

 

[Azrael the cat]

While I love both VtM:B and Deux Ex, they won't give you what you're looking for. They're more your typical 'special one becomes powerful enough to pwn everything' level of difficulty, and that's not a bad thing - the 1st Deus Ex in particular really ramps up the superhero genre feel in late missions (enemies clearly scared of you...but not as scared as they are of Simons, 'watch out - this one is some kind of mech', badass-off vs Simons 'As you know, Agent Denton, I have the same nanoaugmentation as you' 'Well then, this should be a pretty good fight' 'Yes...except I have an upgraded version of the firmware').

I'll back a lot of the games others have mentioned, but for an adventure game I'll definitely 2nd Azrael's Tear. Has an approach to adventure-game combat that should be used more often (you have about 20 bullets and no new ammo to be found) - sure, you CAN shoot creatures and characters, but you're only going to be able to fall back on that a handful olf times. It's what makes me lean towards putting it in the SS2 'mood' genre - is an adventure game, no't an action game, but there's plenty of things that can kill you and only enough bullets for a handful (and more than a few characters/creatures that your puny pistol won't even stun). Multiple endings as well - though it's quite possible to lock yourself out of the optimal ending and just have a choice amongst levels of 'you fucked up' earlier than you might expect (once you get a certain central object - you'll know it when you get there - start thinking about endgame plans, even though there's a fair bit of gameplay yet).

 

[Bitcher1]

The Creed?

Hey, never heard of this before, kinda reminds me of Syndicate Wars, is it any good?

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

The Creed?

Hey, never heard of this before, kinda reminds me of Syndicate Wars, is it any good?

It's good once you get used to controls and learn to act carefully.

 

[theSavant]

Another vote here for Dead Space 1. It reminded me a lot of System Shock 2. Great game (and I'm very picky), despite the console controls. Everything fit together in this game, visually and gameplay-wise (okay it could have done with less monsters), and it gives you the SS2 nostalgia.

 

[Cosmo]

Playing Dead Space reminded me strongly of SS2 too, but only as a failed opportunity i'm afraid...

 

[potatojohn]

The three Penumbra games, Pathologic, STALKER 1, hmm

Dead Space is mediocre.

 

[Suchy]

Routine ?

How the hell didn't I hear about this game before? Looks great, looking forward to it.

As for the OP's question... I just finished Outlast. It's something between Penumbra/Amnesia and Condemned. Great atmosphere, claustrophobic as fuck, but suffers from linearity and a bunch of scripted scares. Oh, and you don't shoot, just run and hide when it gets dangerous. Worth giving it a try. And finally it's a first person done right - full body awarness with fluid movement and proper peeking. No more flying blobs.

Also, features dicks and gay necro fucking.

 

[DraQ]

Routine ?

How the hell didn't I hear about this game before? Looks great, looking forward to it.

Same.

It seems that the devs understand what tends to scare shit out of you, plus the style is appealing.

 

[octavius]

Legacy - Realm of Terror