FOREWORD
This is definitely one of those titles that I can recall playing for the first time ... I can remember exactly how it made me feel getting a feel for the treachery and intellect of my counterpart - Shodan - and ducking it out with her to the final showdown ... even now, some TEN YEARS after the game's original release, it still has me coming back for more. Shodan is one of those worthy adversaries who's appeal as an opponent does NOT dull with time.
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME
System Shock is a combination first-person shooter/interaction game set on board a Space Station orbiting Saturn, named ''Citadel Station''. You are a computer hacker that was trying to hack into the computer network of TriOptimum - the
company that runs Citadel Station, and was apprehended by TriOptimum Security Forces mid-hack. As a way of getting out of the inevitable punishment that you would have faced, high-ranking employee of TriOptimum (Edward Diego) offers you the chance to hack into Shodan - the artificial intelligence that operates Citadel Station - and do a little job for him, in exchange for wiping your criminal record and giving you a military-grade neural cyberspace interface as payment.
Naturally, you accept.
During the period that you are recuperating in a coma-like state after the interface has been installed in your body, EVERYTHING on board Citadel Station goes awry. Shodan goes insane and starts killing employees left, right and centre, whilst mutating others into hideous creatures and doing GOD knows what else...
Your OBJECTIVE (now as Operative Codename: Employee 2-4601, working under the guidance of Rebecca Lancing - a counter-terrorism consultant for TriOptimum) is to find out what has happened, and put an end to Shodan's madness before she fulfils her goal of wiping the Earth clean of human beings !! Simple, non ?? ;)
GRAPHICS - 6/10
Largely functional, the graphics are FAR from the best I've seen. One of the biggest problems is getting this game to run under DOS ... ESPECIALLY with newer operating systems like Windows XP Professional. The end result is that if (or should I say WHEN) you finally get the title working there is a definite trade-off that you have to consider with regard to the resolution that you use to play the game.
At the HIGHEST resolution possible, the graphics are much better, and I would bump them up to a 7, but the DRAWBACK is that the mouse slows down to a point where it's positively DANGEROUS to play the game!! It's NO use seeing a beautifully illustrated cyborg walking towards you with his hand aiming directly at your throat if it takes you 30 minutes to move the mouse onto him to FRAG his @ss with a grenade...
... at LOWER resolutions, the mouse increases which makes the game more playable, but the graphics become decidedly blockier and less professional.
Having said that, opting for one of the middle resolutions will enable you to play the game with a mouse that isn't either greased lightning OR stuck in the mud, with graphics that are plenty clear enough to see what you're doing.
So we know that the graphics aren't wonderful... why do I love this game so much then?? It's simply the LEVEL of interaction that you get with the graphics that I love. Everything that you encounter (practically) you can interact with, from checking out the contents of dead bodies, cupboards, cabinets, drawers, desks and so on, to reprogramming terminals, hacking security devices to gain access to storage lockers, destroying cameras to reduce Shodan's security-level on each floor of the station, and so on.
In terms of the LEVEL of interaction I'm talking about? Think ''Under a Killing Moon'' for those of you that have played it... it's THAT good ;)
The cyborgs, assassin droids and other mutants that you encounter in your travels all have their own peculiar style and habits... from the Assassin Droids that hide in the shadows and strike you mercilessly and with stealth on their side, to the mutants that shamble down corridors screeching at you and trying to nibble on you (and not in that fun, sexy kinda way either).
In addition, the graphic-work on the locations themselves is very atmospheric. There's nothing like turning a corner and seeing that somebody has written ''HERE'' on the wall in red paint... or could it be ... blood?? Who knows!! It's REALLY cool!!
So all in all, whilst the graphics could have been TONNES better, they should be more than adequate to satisfy your enjoyment of the title.
SOUND - 8/10
The digitized-speech is GREAT ... it REALLY adds to the experience. From the interference you get when you listen to Rebecca trying to contact you with new information to the gunfire in the background as some of the remaining humans are calling out for help whilst being pinned down by Shodan's troops ... and Shodan herself manages to deliver her lines with a synthesized and soft yet DECIDEDLY sinister overtone. She makes a GREAT enemy, and the digitized-stutter that comes through in her speech is EXCELLENT!!
The sounds of the weapons you fire are all distinct and reasonably crisp, from the Sparq beam to the Stun Gun, the Flechette Launcher to the Pipe, each has its own distinct style and appeal.
The incidental sounds on the levels themselves are also good, from computer bleeps and blips to cracking from broken power cables - it all adds to what becomes a really immersive atmosphere.
CONTROLS - 7/10
Although they can take a little while to get used to, once you have them down there should be no major problems ... targeting is handled with the mouse to allow for more pin-point accuracy, and most of the commands that you will want to use are accessed through menus that you call up onto your HUD. The majority of the menus can be accessed via the keyboard, which allows for some neat interaction.
Again, the best thing about the controls is the level of DETAIL that they go into. You can change the power settings for energy-based weapons - you can even set the Sparq beam to overload if you like ... you can also toggle between different types of ammunition for many of your other weapons which enables you to tailor your play to the enemies you are facing - e.g. as you would expect, some types of ammunition just don't do you any favours against some types of opponents.
Your ability to control your character is also modified through his use of technology - for example, you can get wares that provide you with shields (personal and anti-toxin), increase your speed, enable you to see behind you, help you solve complex puzzles and so on.
Portions of the game are also based in cyberspace, which you access from designated terminals on the floors of Citadel Station. In cyberspace you float around unlocking doors and taking on computerized security devices (most of which look like demented clown-faces) to make forward progress. The combination of ''real'' moving around the station and ''ethereal'' travel in cyberspace provides you with two VERY different methods of controlling your character, so you should try and get acquainted with using both as early as possible in the game.
So ... whilst the controls CAN be a little fiddly at the outset, once you have learned HOW they work (conceptually), you will settle into them quite quickly and they, AGAIN, serve to add a great deal to the atmosphere created by the game.
PLOT - 10/10
It is VERY, very rare that I give 10/10 for ANYTHING, but the plot of this game is what really sets it so far above any other title I've ever played on the PC. From the get-go you get the feeling that something is TERRIBLY wrong with Citadel Station, and the plot is so excellently put together that you weave from one area to the next desperately trying to get ahead of Shodan, thwarting her schemes as she comes up with them and preserving the lives of the billions of peeps on Earth. But as I said right at the top of this review, Shodan is an EXCEPTIONAL opponent, so you have to keep on your toes!!
Being an artificial intelligence, no sooner have you stopped one of her schemes than she has hatched another even MORE dangerous one to take its place.
The plot is addictive, immersive, extremely well thought out, and makes the game TRULY a joy to play.
GAMEPLAY - 8/10
Whilst the interface is no longer unique to the title, the manner of its implementation (i.e. with so much depth to each action you feel like you're almost there, as opposed to the ''oh, I've died, oh well, never mind'' feeling you get with many of even the most up-to-date titles out there), IS. There is so much going on that you will wind up calling up sub-screens and switching between them quickly as the game unfolds, from changing ammo to take on the next opponent to hacking into a security panel, and then reading an incoming v-mail from Shodan, and this keep the pace of the game varied and challenging.
The levels themselves are huge and varied (there are ten levels to visit, from the Reactor which is the lowest, to the Bridge which is the highest), and so many different things to do to further the plot on each level, you are SURE to be kept on your toes trying to flit about and stop global destruction.
It's also one of those titles where you get the feeling as you are playing that you are understanding more and more of your opponent - Shodan. It's kinda like a game of chess that unfolds between the two of you, this being emphasized by the HORDES of data files that you will pick up on your travels. These will tell the tale of many of the station's regular inhabitants ... how Shodan has been experimenting on them with drugs and chemicals, assassinating others, poisoning the groves, and taking control of the station to use as a weapon against the Earth.
The more information you uncover, the more sinister the plot gets, the better the gameplay becomes. It's a very simple, yet STARTLINGLY workable formula!!
REPLAY VALUE - 7/10
By today's standards the title is one that you are more likely to pick up, play for a few hours and then put down, as opposed to when it was originally released when I can recall going without food, water, or even personal hygiene to see that B!TCH Shodan pay!! However, it is still a VERY playable title that has plenty to offer.
Even now, as I said at the start, some ten YEARS after it was originally released, it has me clamoring to get back into the throes of it, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody who has a window in their busy schedule to get stuck into a really meaty video game.
VALUE FOR MONEY - 10/10
When you had to pay for it, it was 100% worth it. Now that you can download copies off the 'net? It's 10,000% worth your time going to find it. HOWEVER you get your hands on a copy of it, it's well worth it ;)
OVERALL - 10/10 (This is NOT an average)
This may well be the only title I ever give 10/10 to, as it is, and has been since its release, my all-time favourite PC-title of all-time-ever-never-to-be-replaced-ever.
This game is WELL worth investing your time and money into. With its immersive plot and unique style, it holds its own well against titles that are being released even now.
MAIN GOOD POINTS
* Engrossing plot with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.
* One of the best opponents (in Shodan) in any video game ever.
* Sinister atmosphere and highly addictive play.
* Great sound that adds to the ambience.
MAIN BAD POINTS
* Graphics are dated by today's standards, and were the game ever to be RE-released ? This should be addressed.
* Not a quick point-and-click experience - you should be prepared to get heavily involved if you're going to the most out of it (but it IS worth it).
SO SHOULD YOU GET IT?
Hell ... you should already have it ... quit talking to me and go grab yourself a copy NOW!!!!!
