System Shock 2
Description official descriptions
In the year 2114, forty-two years after the events described in System Shock, a soldier joins the military organization Unified National Nominate (UNN), receiving the number G65434-2, and is shortly thereafter assigned to the military space ship Rickenbacker. This ship's duty is to escort the Von Braun, an experimental faster-than-light starship, on its maiden voyage. However, the next thing the soldier can remember is waking up in a cryo-tube on the Von Braun. It appears that both ships were infected with something so horrifying that nearly the entire crew was either killed or mutated into monsters. The soldier is contacted by a woman who identifies herself as the only human survivor. His first task is a rendezvous with this woman, for which he will have to traverse the monster-infested corridors of the ghost ship.
System Shock 2 is a hybrid of first-person shooter and role-playing game. In the beginning of the game the player chooses a career for the protagonist in the UNN. This choice grants bonuses to the protagonist's initial skills. Marines specialize in combat, navy officers can repair weapons and hack computer terminals, and OSA agents may begin the game with psionic powers. Notwithstanding this initial choice, the player may choose to learn any of these skills as the game progresses, spending acquired cybermodules to develop the main character in a RPG fashion.
As the hero traverses the corridors of Von Braun, he will have to avoid death at the hands of hostile creatures and robots on the way, acquire a variety of items, and complete missions to unlock new areas and advance the story. The game emphasizes survival rather than elimination of enemies; in many situations the protagonist is underpowered, and new enemies may appear in already explored areas.
Combat is done in FPS style, with both ranged and melee weapons. The ranged weapons can accept a few different types of ammo, each of them efficient against different foes, and can shoot in two firing modes. However, ranged weapons deteriorate quickly as the player character uses them, and will eventually break down after prolonged use.
Healing items, such as medical hypos and medikits, will save the hero's life, while other items will shield him from radiation, cure him from poisoning, or temporarily boost his attributes. The soldier can find armor to wear and implants which will amplify his skills, as long as their battery doesn't run out. There are also some alien items that the player has to research (which usually requires finding specific chemicals in the ship's chemical stores); researching weapons and items allows the player to use them, and researching enemies' organs makes it possible to deal more damage to them.
Apart from finding them lying around, items can be bought from "matter replicators" for nanites, the game's currency. Nanites are also used for cybernetic activities (hacking electronic systems), repairing broken weapons and improving them, healing the protagonist on surgery tables, and, after death, resurrecting him in special chambers found on most levels.
Cybermodules are received for successfully completing objectives or found during exploration. They are used to enhance the main character's attributes: the player can improve his strength, agility, endurance, as well as his cybernetics and weapon skills; psionic powers are also acquired in this way. Psi powers allow the protagonist to move objects from a distance, paralyze enemies, become invisible, etc. A special "psi amplifier" must be found in order to use them, and the hero spends "psi points" each time he uses a psi power.
Like in the first System Shock, much of the background story in the game is revealed by finding messages left by crew members before they fell victims to the mysterious infestation.
Spellings
- 网络奇兵2 - Simplified Chinese spelling
Groups +
- 3D Engine: Dark Engine
- EA Classics releases
- Gameplay feature: Armor / weapon deterioration
- Gameplay feature: Character development - Skill distribution
- Gameplay feature: Grid Inventory
- Gameplay feature: Radiation / radioactive poisoning
- Games with 451
- Games with officially implemented community changes
- Protagonist: Cyborg
- Setting: Space station / Spaceship
- System Shock series
- Theme: Hacking / Pseudohacking
- Theme: Psychic powers / Psionics
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Credits (Windows version)
146 People (144 developers, 2 thanks) · View all
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Lead Programming | |
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Lead Design | |
Writing / Dialogue / Story | |
Lead Artist | |
2D Artist | |
Level Design | |
3D Artist | |
Additional Design | |
Additional Graphics / Artwork | |
Lead Engine Programming | |
Lead Level / Scenario Design | |
Executive Producer | |
Producer | |
[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 91% (based on 61 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 282 ratings with 24 reviews)
Nearly as good as System Shock 1!
The Good
The Atmosphere is just incredible: There is no game that is as scary as this one!
Nice Storyline, some unpredictable events and Irrational Games reanimation of Shodan is performed quite nice!
There are unlimited ways to play the game - you can hack the Cameras, shoot them or just make yourself invisible through your Psi-Skills
The Spaceships look nice because of the Thief-Engine
Incredible Sounds: The voices of your enemies and all audio-logs you find are even more scary than the graphics
Very Complex
A lot of interesting missions
The Bad
For some people the complex mapdesign might not be suitable
The interface is nearly as difficult to handle as in system shock 1
The Enemies look quite poor
The Bottom Line
As Shocking as System Shock 1, this game is one of my all-time-favorites: Play it!
Windows · by Daniel Martin (12) · 2001
If you don't think games have the power to scare you, I dare you to play this one
The Good
The atmosphere, the atmosphere, the atmosphere, baby. I have never been as literally frightened by a computer game as I was by this one. Beyond that, the monster AI is quite good, in a they-really-just-make-a-beeline-for-you kind of way, and of course the graphics and (particularly) the sound are stellar, as one would expect from Looking Glass Studios. Much has been made about the fact that this game uses Thief's Dark Engine, but let me tell you that that all comes to nothing in the end. Making everything photo-realistic wouldn't have added a thing to this game. It's as completely immersive as anything you'll ever play.
The Bad
The story is slightly hackneyed (think Alien with only one person investigating the distress beacon this time--you), and I found some of the dialog on the recorded messages you discover lying around the ship a bit hard to swallow, although the voice acting is competent enough. Also, the weapons wear out far too quickly and there is not nearly enough ammunition to get through some areas unless you already know what to expect and conserve accordingly. Monster respawning takes place far too frequently--sometimes right in front of your face--as well, although that can be adjusted with a patch.
The Bottom Line
Worth its weight in gold to any fan of the Alien movies, RPG's, and/or shooters. Worth a look from everyone else if for no other reason than to see what is probably the greatest character ever invented for a computer game, Shodan.
Windows · by Jim Newland (56) · 2001
The greatest and most harrowing experience in games yet.
The Good
Ok, so I can do what most people did and pick out the individual aspects of the game. Which of course, is perfectly acceptable. Except this game transcends it's parts. The pure game experience is what it's about, the quality of the graphics and whatever just affect this and make the experience better or worse. I'll just mention some of these anyway:
-The graphics have aged well generally. The lighting is still quite advanced and the look is very smooth.
-The sound is the best in any game yet. I can't stress this one enough. Everything about the way this is structured audibly is peerless. The use of total silence, the haunting voice of The Many that drifts between speakers, SHODAN's bioelectrical crackle that accompanies hers, the squealing sound of many of the enemies...I could go on. Also the voice acting is really terrific. Dead serious, and cleverly changed when you know The Many has a hold on them.
-The ship design is great. It looks the business, and the atmosphere created through the lighting and sound makes it believable.
-It's an RPG. You can develop your character's stats. Albeit, not in a big way.
-The AI is pretty intelligent.
So far, this game wouldn't be anything very special(ish). But it has a feeling and a magic that is impossible to describe. It's the genius of Looking Glass. The emotions that it brings out in you; fear, isolation, depravity, loss, paranoia...Ok, they may be the easiest of emotions to play with at this stage in computer gaming. We certainly can't do love yet. But they're so extreme it's incredible. It's a shattering experience, and there is no game like it.
Plus; the immersion is SO great, you FORGET yourself whilst playing. You forget you're playing a game, you forget life. You are placed into this world and that is all that exists. If you ever feel really angry, play this game. It turns everything you feel into fear and survival. No game can do this except System Shock 2. Fact.
The Bad
Nothing is perfect. The stats system is not balanced well, some missions seem seperate and pointless in regards to the plot. The monsters are a bit cartoony. Rickenbacker was a little annoying to play and I wasn't to keen on the level design. And it doesn't build up to a huge crescendo at the end. There are tiny things that could annoy you but who cares? Given the quality of the gaming experience, any bad point seems like nit-picking.
The Bottom Line
It really IS genius because it has something that no other game has. Don't ask me to describe it. You can't ask a poet to explain every metaphor. Just play it. You won't forget it.
Windows · by Shazbut (163) · 2002
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
---|---|---|
Which SS2 am I playing? o__O | Slug Camargo (583) | May 20, 2008 |
Damn the Many... | Unicorn Lynx (181778) | Apr 3, 2008 |
No spawn and no degradation? | Unicorn Lynx (181778) | Mar 18, 2008 |
Just Finished, ITS AMAZING!! | ricardoe | Oct 7, 2007 |
System Shock 2 Expansion Pack on WinXP | dave solin | Sep 12, 2007 |
Trivia
Animations
In addition to using the Dark Engine, the game also uses some animations from Thief, most notably the zombified crewmen with the shotguns and pipes. They use portions of animation from the guardsmen in Thief, specifically when they walk around searching for your character, and when they run over to attack you.
Basketball
In Thief, part of the training mission included a little basketball court at the beginning of the game. In SS2, this basketball is carried over and is found up on a ledge on the 'street' level of the very first training mission. Go around the 'pillar' to the right of where you arrive on the street. You can mantle up to a sloped surface, and on the flat part of the ledge will be the basketball. Bounces very appropriately, too!
On the Recreation deck will be a basketball court, towards the last part to explore in the level. You have to be on the upper running deck to shoot, but if you make a basket with the basketball or even just clip the rim, you'll get a very funny email. Be sure to bring it up in your PDA, as it reads differently than it sounds.
Bugs (Spoiler!)
In a cutscene on Deck 4, the walls will drop away and a cut-scene will begin. However, you can still move around and if you fall off the platform that the room has become, you CANNOT get back up, short of killing yourself or loading your game! A neat little bug.
Cancelled Dreamcast version
There was going to be a Dreamcast version of System Shock 2, but it was cancelled
German version
The localized German version of the game was slightly modified for fear of banning. Some corpses were removed (e.g. a hanged man), and all blood was colored green.
Mods
The graphics for character models in the game was considered by many to be the low-point in the 3D Design. So some fans took it upon themselves to create unofficial high-res models which are known as System Shock: Rebirth and can be found at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/sshock/sshock_rebirth.htm
Multiplayer
There is a patch available for System Shock 2 which does not only allow adjustments of the respawning and weapon wear and tear, but adds a cooperative multiplayer mode.
Release
System Shock 2 was published by Electronic Arts instead of Eidos, which was Looking Glass‘ world-wide publisher at the time. This is due to the simple fact that EA held the copyright for the System Shock franchise -- the firm had acquired it with the purchase of Origin Systems.
Sales
Although System Shock 2 was rated a masterpiece by all major magazines, sales were only mediocre. Ironically, the game shared the same fate as its predecessor: Both games never reached a mass audience, partly because of bad marketing efforts.
Shodan
The voice of Shodan was done, as in System Shock, by Terri Brosius. She is the wife of Looking Glass Audio Director Eric Brosius.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- March 2000 (Issue #188) – Best Sound Design of the Year
- November 2003 (Issue #232) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
- GameSpy
- 1999 – Role-Playing Game of the Year
- 1999 - Best Genre-Bender (together with Drakan: Order of the Flame)
- 2001 – #12 Top Game of All Time
- PC Gamer
- April 2000 - #22 in the "Readers All-Time Top 50 Games Poll"
- April 2005 - #39 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- PC Player (Germany)
- Issue 01/2000 - Best Game in 1999
- Issue 01/2000 - Best Action-Adventure in 1999
- Power Play
- Issue 02/2000 – Best Game in 1999
- Issue 02/2000 – Best Atmosphere in 1999
Information contributed by -Chris, CaptainCanuck, George Shannon, Great Hierophant, M4R14N0, PCGamer77 and WildKard
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Related Sites +
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Clan DLAN - Traducción de System Shock 2 - por arkero99
Unofficial Spanish translation patch, hosted at Clan DLAN -
Postmortem: Irrational Games' System Shock 2
Article on Gamasutra -
RPG Classics - System Shock II Shrine
Get full gaming information for game items such as armor, implants, psionic abilities, and skills. Full walkthrough and set of maps available to help you. -
Strange Bedfellows
Forum devoted (mainly) to System Shock 2. Most importantly, this is *the* place to download the latest mods and fan missions, including the famous Rebirth mod. -
TTLG's System Shock 2 Site
Part of Through The Looking Glass fansite network, sshock2.com has loads of news updates, databases of music, images, and stories, both developer and fan-created. Includes chat room and various message boards. -
The making of System Shock 2
Article on Next Generation
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by robotriot.
Linux, Macintosh added by Kabushi.
Additional contributors: xroox, JubalHarshaw, George Shannon, Unicorn Lynx, chirinea, Sciere, jlebel, dorlthed, DarkDante, Patrick Bregger.
Game added December 17, 1999. Last modified April 2, 2024.