First Impressions:

Graphics:

System Shock 2 (SS2) is based on Looking Glass's Dark Project game engine. The engine has been under development for several years and made its debut to the public at E3 '98. It made its first game appearance in the much heralded Thief: The Dark Project earlier this year. The game engine is plenty capable of delivering the game experience required of SS2 and the development team seems to have harnessed it.

System Shock 2's corridors teem with a rich spaceship like atmosphere. Hallways, catwalks, medical bays, storage rooms, and crew quarters are all detailed. The level designer's have taken care to make each area unique unto itself while still making the connections to the overall design of the starship. Some of the game's visual design and stylizing is reminiscent of the work of Syd Mead, a futurist artist who helped design the look of feature films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Aliens. Other elements are uniquely System Shock in design.

An important portion of the game is the interaction with the denizens of the Von Braun. While all of the 'human' crew has seemingly died horrific deaths (rendered in spooky detail), plenty of 'living' beings are around for interaction. Mutated zombies, frightening spider-like crawlers, murderous cyber-moms, and grotesque flesh-hulks are all vividly animated and ready to counter your every move. One creature worthy of note, is the cyber-assassin whose intelligence is smart enough to utilize the darkest of shadows to launch its deadly attacks. By the time you realize you've been hit the assassin has hidden again ready to pick at your flesh.

While most of the graphics are very good, there are a few rough spots like occasional texture misalignments or smoothing problems. Some of the game's special effects like explosions or weapon effects are a little under par for today's standards. I also had trouble getting the game to run under the Xentor MaxiGamer 32 (a TNT2 card), but it ran fine on the TNT and Voodoo2 based boards.

Sound/Music:

Sound is a major gameplay element in SS2 and is handled for the most part very well. Enemy creatures moan and tatter around the starship, forcing the player to inch along and peer around every corner slowly - very slowly. Security cameras whir and doors open and close with jarring thunks. Voices from the A.I. computers are a blend of solid voice acting with vocoder-like processing that can only be described as creepy. Each sound, every noise, causes a reaction and hints at upcoming events.

The game's soundtrack is a mix of light techno with some more ambient pieces that help reinforce specific scenes of the game. The soundtrack is well composed and does not play continuously, but comes on when the certain areas of the ship are accessed.

The only complaint I have with the sound is that some of the immediate foreground effects like shooting of guns, or using an item seemed a bit flat when compared to their environmental cousins.

Gameplay:

System Shock 2 is self-described as being "sci-fi horror role playing with 1st-person gameplay". This description fits the bill, but does not tell the whole story.

The game opens with a news-like animation that establishes the System Shock setting and events that have transpired to make the story line possible. From here, the game goes 1st-person and provides a chance to learn through a tutorial the interface: navigation of the 3D world, using items and weapons, managing inventory, and hacking into computers. After training, you are free to choose 1 of 3 career-types, Navy, Marine, or OSA from which to play the game. Add-on skills for each of the classes can be learned, but in general the Marine relies on combat ability, the Naval more on technical and repair skills, and the OSA on special black-ops physic powers to overcome obstacles in the game. As in all good role playing titles, System Shock 2 allows a great deal of customizing beyond the basic career types to create the character desired.

At this point, SS2 transports the game to the starship Von Braun, where something has gone horribly awry and the action begins. By in large the gameplay is reminiscent of the original System Shock. The player must complete puzzles and overcome enemies to help restore the situation. To complicate matters the system computers on board the Von Braun, XERXES, is on the fritz and will do its best to hem you in. Hacking through or avoiding altogether the computer's security systems can be a game by itself.

The action itself is creepy. Other than one-way interaction through personnel recorders left behind by starship crewmembers, the player is essentially alone. Some of the recorders will provide clues, others will help push the plot along. The storyline itself is twists and turns and remains interesting throughout most of the game. A few sub-plots are also wedged in the main story line, providing opportunities for extra equipment and character upgrades.

System Shock 2 has a 'shooter' element to the gameplay. While 1st-person 'Quake-like' skills are beneficial to fending off enemies, they will only be as good as your player character. If your agility is not high enough, you'll turn slower and take more damage from falling. If your weapon skills are not good enough, your long-range accuracy will suffer and weapons will tend to kick as they shoot. If your hacking skills or repair skills are low, you may find yourself scrounging for ammo, going without that needed upgrade to your cyber-rig, or quite possibly running around with a lot of broken equipment.

I would strongly recommend getting a decent maintenance skill, no matter what character career specialty is chosen. I should also mention that creating a specialized character with some decent secondary skills is a big help to being successful in SS2. Having a generally well-rounded character who is not exceptionally good at one particular thing will make many of the end-game tasks a lot tougher.

One final note on gameplay is that SS2 is a difficult game. Some of the more action-oriented sections of the gameplay will require numerous attempts to complete. Novice gamers will probably find the game more enjoyable playing it on an easier difficulty setting.

Enjoyment:

System Shock 2 is spine-chilling good fun. If your not clinging to your mouse to squeeze off that last round out of your shotgun to whack that crazy hybrid trying to rip your apart, you'll be researching that nasty hunk of flesh you found in the hallway in some cramped chemical storeroom only to realize that compound you need to finish is two hellish decks down. Better yet you could find yourself using your psionic powers to disable that security camera that will alert every vile being on the ship to your whereabouts once it sees you trying to slip past. Whatever you end up doing you'll keep glued to the computer for hours wanting just a little more.

Multiplayer:

Could be interesting, but SS2 doesn't offer any…

Overall Impression:

System Shock 2 is a high-quality title hindered by just a few rough edges. The overall difficulty in the game is a tad too much and the graphics engine feels just a bit dated. There are few places where the game's pacing seems to be too fast and others where it seems to be too slow. However, if you are in the mood for a creepy romp on a starship somewhere in deep space with nightmarish creatures and omnipotent A.I.s you are very much in luck. I would recommend this game to anyone that enjoys a rich role playing or adventure game experience. Action game players who want a little more meat to their game will also likely find SS2 enjoyable. Just don't look behind you…

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

Sadly Looking Glass has probably not done enough to market SS2 to the gaming public, much less to women in particular. On the plus side, the player-character is for the most part gender neutral and many of the key people in the game are also women. And is that face on the front of the box and that cruel voice that keeps taunting me female? I'll leave it for you to discover…

Added Note: "One thing I'd like to add about the marketing of the game, I don't think the box or ads appeals to women when they use the slogan 'She doesn't need to use her body to get what she wants, she already has yours.' Although the game itself doesn't seem to have any sexual connotations, the ads can be a real turnoff." - Atari

Cheats, Hints & URLs:

In the market for a great cheat book? We highly recommend Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Usually ships within 24 hours.