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System
Shock 2 ©
Electronic Arts/Looking Glass
If
you played System Shock 1, or are a First Person Shooter (FPS)
player then you can stop here. Log off, turn off your computer, and
go buy System Shock 2 (SS2). If you are a science fiction fan or like
being creeped out, you can stop here too. For the rest of you, read
on, but you'll eventually be making the trip to you local software
store anyway.
I
won't spoil any of the plot surprises, but here is the story. After a
little training as a guise to introduce you to the interface a la
Half-Life, you'll pick one of three services to join, AKA character
classes. You can pick from the navy, marines, and the psionically
proficient OSA.
Navy
characters are hackers basically, with a little weapons skills.
Hacking, you ask? Yes, through out your tour of duty on the Von Braun
you'll have plenty of opportunity to hack into computers and vending
machines. Take it from me, this is a necessary skill.
Marines
are your basic grunt with which I'm sure you're familiar. They are
stronger therefore can carry more goodies. They start off with more
weapons skills and more hit points. OSA are the more interesting of
the bunch. They get bonuses in psionics.
After
picking your service, you'll pick three tours of duty out of nine
that will give you your starting skills and bonuses. For example, you
can pick a one-year tour on Io, the third moon of Jupiter to gain a
bonus of +2 to agility, due to the low gravity. You don't actually
see Io. It's just assumed that you spent a year there and therefore
got that experience and the bonus to your starting stats. Sound
confusing? Once you get started, I promise, you'll see how intuitive
the character creation system is.
The
actual story starts with the proverbial "you awake not knowing
who you are or where you are." Minutes after waking, you hear a
familiar female voice filling you in on what you need to do and where
to go. This guiding voice (and others) is present through out the
game and is very helpful, but not too obnoxious.
After
accomplishing certain objectives, you receive a number of
"cybernetic modules" which, at certain points in the game,
you use to "pay" for your upgrades. You can also find them
lying around or when you search the numerous dead bodies that litter
your ship. You can upgrade your stats, weapons, psionics, and skills
such as hacking or research. Any character type can advance in any
area, so your marine isn't destine to be sans psionics. You just have
to pay for it later.
Your
weapons selection includes some standards such as a pistol, shotgun
and assault rifle, but contain some interesting selections that I
wouldn't dare to spoil for you. You can bet you'll get a few powerful
toys to play with thanks to SHODAN. My only complaint in that
department is that some of them seemed a little on the weak side. And
one particular gun was so large, it covered too much real estate on
the screen, limiting your view.
Most
FPS's are full of massive and confusing key/switch hunts that can
drive you batty! SS2 is the exception. While there are keys to be
found, there is quite a bit more to do. I actually felt like I was
accomplishing these tasks and advancing the story. I was IN the
story, not watching it. In the course of doing all these feats, the
story is propelled by finding CD's lying around. You use these CD's
in your Personal Data Assistant, essentially your interface. They
tell the story in the voice of the now mostly dead, previous
inhabitants of the UNN Von Braun. The voice acting ranges from Evelyn
Woodhead Speed Reading Course rejects to slightly sub-Oscar
performances. Yes, it makes the full gambit. From bad French accents
to making me lose sleep from being too creeped out. There are a few
other vehicles that propel the story, but I'd be spoiling it for you.
I'll let System Shock, itself scare the Bejeezes out of you.
As far
as the technical aspects of the game go, the AI isn't anything to
jump up and down about. Most creatures you'll face aren't that smart,
but then again, they ARE zombies and robots. The graphics are good,
but suffer when compared to Half-Life. There were some problems with
the sound drivers, but these were few and far between. Other than the
rare sound bugs, the effects are authentic and help promote the
atmosphere of creepiness. Trust me, when I say the background
"music" and echoing hallways WILL creep you out, and who's
to say what the multiplayer patch will be like.
Although
with no multiplayer out of the box, there will be plenty of replay
value. There are the three different classes, each with it's own
approach to the game. And there are more skills to explore than there
are "cybernetic modules" to advance you through. I know I
didn't find everything there was to find. There were goodies all over
the place. I promise this FPS\ RPG lite will have a long life on your
hard drive.
This
sequel lives up to that pedigree. Your old pal Shodan is back, and
she's pissed! I'll take attendance for you: engaging story? Here.
Great graphics? Present. Addictive gameplay? Yo! Multiplayer support
right out of the box? &ldots;.Absent. (Looking Glass says there will
be a patch to remedy this. ETA? Unknown.)
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GAME
TYPE
FPS/RPG
REQUIREMENTS
P233,
280M HD, 32M RAM, 4X CDROM, Sound Card, Windows 95 / 98
PRICE
$49.99
REVIEWER
Mark
Acquaviva
INFORMATION
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Published |
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Demo? |
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Release
date |
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92% |
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Quick
Summary:
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Great FPS\RPG with depth and replay value. Very creepy. Play it with
the lights and TV off for maximun creepitude. |
SCREENSHOTS
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