System Shock 2

Rating:
Summary: time well wasted!
Review: I bought this game two years ago but was unable to play it due to my laptop's weak graphics capability. Two years later, new job, new laptop, and this game has me blown away. I won't go into story-line which is documented in above letters, but rather will focus on the game-playing. The game starts slowly, as you define your character, but soon grabs all your attention as you find yourself on a derelict ship in the middle of space. Being alone, save for random communication from someone somewhere on the ship, you must solve the puzzles put there before you, while trying to avoid the unfriendly beasties trying to kill you. What is so exhilarating about this game is finding those safe spots where you examine where you are, and where you need to go, and what you need to get to be able better yourself or learn how to kill the bad guys more efficiently, only to hear a door slide open and something telling you "I sense your flesh, there is no hiding." This game should scare you as the use of sounds, background music, and bodily remains create an amazing environment. None too easy, but really fun, buy this game and play it...

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Game I Have Ever Played
Review: Quite simply, System Shock 2 is the greatest PC game ever, at least in my opinion. There are many similarities to Half-Life in terms of gameplay, but Half-Life, as good as it is, pales in comparison to this masterpiece from the now defunct Looking Glass Studios. The atmosphere of this game is nothing short of incredible. The experience is as immersive as its two-dimensional constraints allow. You don't just run and shoot your way through this one. You have to examine everything, from the ceiling to the floor, and there is a wealth of items to examine, pick up, gain information from, and use. Controlling your character takes a little getting used to, given the spatial elements of the game. I use the old Magic Carpet method--right hand on the mouse and left hand on the arrow keys. Some folks have said the game is able to generate real scares; I can't say it really scared me, but there were a few times that it made me jump. When one of those hybrids sneaks up on you from behind and moans in your ear, it can indeed be rather startling. The AI is just superb--these creatures don't just stumble around haphazardly; things come at you from directions you don't expect. If you allow security to be alerted to your presence and can't get to a security station, you better find yourself a corner and try to look in every direction all at the same time until the alert ends.

This game could not be as great as it is without a great storyline. While players of the initial System Shock may immerse themselves a little easier in the gameplay, new gamers will quickly be pulled into the world of the Von Braun. It's classic sci-fi, in my opinion. If you are worried about getting through the game quickly and relegating it to your "games I will probably never play again" stack, dispense with your fears. The System Shock 2 universe is huge, and it will take you untold hours to see the game to its very end. On several occasion, I thought the game was about to end, but it just kept going and going. If you do finish it, you may very well want to start all over; you can choose any of three different types of characters, so you can get three different experiences guaranteed. I hate to think how many hours of sleep I have missed playing this game; you just can't pull yourself away from it without an effort.

As some reviewers point out, this game can be pretty difficult. The first two-thirds are not really too bad but may well take you a long time to complete; the final one-third of the game does get downright arduous, though. I'm the kind of wuss that can only play on the easiest level, and I can't see how anyone can finish this game without cheating--I can't even imagine how impossible a task it must be to play at the highest difficulty level. I don't endorse cheating, but I was so anxious to see more of the game that I had to resort to dastardly measures. Toward the very end, I sadly had to resort to God mode; had I not, I would be spending a number of years trying to finish this game.

Play System Shock 2. (...)This may well be the best value in all of gaming. Don't worry about the fact this game was produced way back in 1999; it stands up to and surpasses any other game I have seen on the market today. I really cannot understand why this game was not one of the biggest sellers in history. I read nothing but rare praise from critics in the business (unheard of ratings like 97 out of 100), and the game actually lives up to its promise. The sales figures of the original System Shock were disappointing, but the lack of popular acclaim for this sequel is tragic. The fact that Looking Glass Studios is now no longer in existence is heartbreaking because it means there will probably be no System Shock 3.

Rating:
Summary: Great game, great price
Review: This is a great sci-fi action/roleplaying game. The amtmoshere is scary and the feel of this game is great. I actully jumped a few times when "The Many" surprised me. For this price you can't go wrong. This game was fun to play and created a unique gaming experience.

Rating:
Summary: Definately a classic
Review: a classic game.a lot of fun.it is seriously frightening.its a role playing game.you build up your skills as the story progresses.

Rating:
Summary: Fan-bloody-tastic
Review: Where has this game been all my life! Just superb. Amazing that most people have never even heard of this gem. It saddens me that Looking Glass Studios have folded and God knows if we'll ever see it's like again. Shows what a cut-throat business the video game industry is - that a Studio capable of producing a game of this calibre should go down the pan. Please Lord, let the Dark Engine be in safe hands.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: Which is too bad, because I really wanted to like this.

Every other review has summarized the situation, so I'll skip that. Things that aren't often mentioned about this game:

-- It's very difficult in the early stages. If you're not already good with fps games this isn't the place to start.

-- Various contrivances make the game harder than it needs to be, most notably the weapons that degrade with each shot.

-- It's quite possible to acquire various skills that are absolutely pointless: ie, this isn't a very balanced rpg experience. (Research, hacking, etc.)

-- The plot has it's moments, but the central "twist" makes nonsense of the first section, and the ending is absolutely awful. There are better story-driven fps out there.

Still sort of fun, oddly enough...just not as fun as it should've been.

Rating:
Summary: It's toooooooo hard....
Review: I can't get through it. The bad guys constantly respawn. There is an extrememly meager supply of weapons. When you happen to luck upon a weapon laying around, count on it being shoddy. The medical supply is almost as bad. Going back and forth between your inventory is cumbersome.

I think the only way I could ever get through this game is to play it through by cheating in god mode several times and then trying to play it without cheats. The makers didn't allow for an effective god mode cheat though. It something to have to go into the game files and text edit, which didn't work for me at all.

This has all the makings of a great game, but it's way too frustrating for me.

Rating:
Summary: Ambient, creepy, BIG... this game's up there with the best
Review: I wasn't going to write a review for this game (considering my terrible writing skills) but when I browsed through the Amazon.com reviews and started seeing 1 out of 5 stars, I couldn't walk away without setting things straight...System Shock 2 is for people who like the beautiful ambience of Alien and the heart pounding intensity of Aliens. I have dubbed this game one of my VERY favorites not because of it's graphics or it's sound, but because of the feeling it gives me when I'm playing it and, sometimes even more importantly, after I'm through playing it. This game's atmosphere and sense-suckers stick with you for some time after it's completion.

In conclusion: If you take a moment to realise that the cut scene graphics aren't top notch maybe because the developers wished to put more towards this game's overall feeling, and have the patience to drink in all of the subtle wonders this game has to offer, System Shock will surely not disappoint.

Rating:
Summary: The best game I've ever played
Review: An eerie atmosphere, coopertive support and challenging but not tedious level design all fit in perfectly with the cinematic quality plot to produce the best video game ever made. It provokes a range of emotions as you go through the game, from fear to pity to elation.

If you only like shooting, stay away from it - but if you're one of those gamers looking for a little bit more, an RPG of true greatness, try System Shock II - you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: A little dated, but still a great game
Review: I'm fairly new to playing System Shock 2. I somehow overlooked it when it first arrived on the gaming scene years ago. I have really been getting into this game over the last few weeks. This game has a great creepy atmosphere, excellent audio effects and sounds, and decent graphics...and it can be very challenging at times. I like the options to play the game as various characters (i.e. Navy with technical skills, Marines with weapons skills, Intelligence Ops with mind control skills, etc.). This is a game that every FPS and role playing game fan should try. Hours of creepy fun to be had here. Highly recommended!