Just beat System Shock (2023) for the first time! My thoughts.
Hey all!
I'm a big ImSim fan, but never got around to playing System Shock 1 or 2, given their age. Since ND came out with the 2023 remake of SS1, I've been keeping an eye on it. Recently it was $14 and fully patched up at this point - so now seemed like as good a time as any.
I played on 2/2/2/2 difficulty, and it took ~21 hours end to end.
Note: I tend to be nitpicky with all games. I loved SS (2023), so keep that in mind :p
So, here are my thoughts:
**The good (and great):**
* **SHODAN**. I love hearing that voice! It is absolutely delicious getting to hear an insane AI rant and ramble about being a god and destroying all humanity. I could listen to this all day. * There's a lot of satisfaction to learning the layout of the levels, secrets, enemy weaknesses, quirks of various weapons, etc. I love that feeling of learning and mastering the game. * A LOT of audio logs. They're not all winners, but a lot of time they added some character and background to what was going on in the station. Very, very few text logs - which a lot of games struggle to make interesting. Good choice. * Elevator music while watching the station blow up. Whoever decided that, you made a good call. * Enemy variety was solid. Lots of different ones that you engage in unique ways. * Seems ripe for multiple playthroughs or speedrunning. Once you know how enemies work and the level layouts, it feels like it would open up a lot easier on a second playthrough. * Enemies stay dead. I was fearful this game had infinitely respawning enemies, but luckily it's just a few 'waves' and then it settles down. * Gunplay/shooting is overall solid, especially considering the source material. Weapons are sufficiently thunky and do good damage. * Consumable balance. This is hard to get right because some players will never quicksave, will not recognize enemy weaknesses, and will not explore. Making the game work OK for them and not drowning the rest in items is hard to get right. I think they did a good job all considered.
The bad:
* Inventory is a bit cramped, considering how some weapons are only ideal for certain enemies. And how upgrades make the guns bigger. Even with 1 inv upgrade. I think making inventory upgrades harder to get but more rewarding would be nice. I wouldn't have minded dropping 75 credits on a juicy one, or putting it behind an optional boss. * Low-velocity projectiles in cyberspace are painful. It also lacks any of the depth of the main game. No real upgrades, no progression, no real skill needed. It's just a bit bland and boring. * Gathering up garbage, smelting it down and exchanging it for coins was a bit tedious. Multiple hours spent on it. You end up with a lot more coins and not a lot to spend them on. I think Prey did this a lot better. (admittedly, with a ~20 year head start) * Shooting radioactive barrels to make radiation go away is....not intuitive. At all. Lmao. I eventually looked it up, but it just makes no sense. Why would sealed barrels cause radiation damage, and exploded ones clear the area completely? Wat? It's also not 100% consistent, there are one or two spots where even after shooting all the barrels, the area remains radioactive, which is confusing. I'm not sure how you'd change this to make it more intuitive.
Nitpicks:
* Some minimap icons like recording and ammo look too similar * Some doors are ambiguous as if you can *ever* open them. The ones that have the broken symbol are clear, some aren't. (Like in Executive) * Visual busy, hard to tell what's interactable and not. I missed things a few times. * Bodies and items can clutter up the map a bit. I wouldn't have minded an 'incinerate' option to remove some of them. * No shift-click to send items to recycler? Really!? * It would be good if ammo and mod vendors disappeared from the map once fully bought/emptied. Or just greyed out. Otherwise you need to leave notes on what you have and haven't exhausted. * I didn't even know you *could* hack enemies. Doesn't seem all that strong?
Minor missed opportunities:
* SHODAN is...remarkably incompetent. You'd think they'd leave more traps. Lock you in the elevator. Lock you in a detention cell if you're dumb enough to walk in. Electrify panels to zap you. Drop the floor out from under you. Disable the life support systems. Minions are fine, but I would have liked to see more back and forth! The only one I saw was one vending machine grenade, which was admittedly hilarious. * It also would have been cool to see Shodan get dumber and more confused as you destroy CPU nodes....(my logic is undeniable!)
The ugly:
* Sorting inventory basically randomizes the hotbar. **No. Don't do that.** >:( * Throwing grenades feels really bad. Not sure why. Just does. GL is fine. Damage is fine. But throws feel nasty. I avoided it like the plague, despite their clear effectiveness. * **Beta grove** (especially because the game does not communicate that situation well at all. They keep talking about environmental suits, suits, suits, suits. You can't find one. Nor can you find a higher level pack before entering, but you don't KNOW either of those things because the game is vague about it. aaaaaaa)
**Final thoughts:**
Would play again. Would buy SS2 Remake. Would get yelled at by an AI again/10.