System Shock Remake Arrives with Reviews Calling It a Delightful Surprise That Has Brought the Classic Back to Life

Peter_Brosdahl

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As Nightdive Studios System Shock Remake arrives on PC it is receiving overall positive reviews for its faithfulness to the original and fresh coat of paint. It has become so commonplace these days with news of remakes, remasters, reimagined, and "enhanced" editions of older games that many fans are as likely to roll their eyes at an announcement, or worse, watch in sadness a beloved classic is dismantled beyond recognition. However, according to numerous reviews, the System Shock Remake does not fall into one of those former categories, and fans of the classic may want to check it out.

Praise has been given to an updated combat system that has turned tedious battles with bosses and other enemies into fights that must be thought out. Other praise goes toward the updates to the visual stylings of the original game while staying true to its design. One downside note is its inventory system, which can inspire cluttering, but then a recycling system which can allow players to destroy items they may actually need or want. The aged 1994 game, while looking fresh, is somewhat of a niche in the current gaming landscape but its concepts can be found in many that have since followed it.

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Nice. I may have to put this on my list.

I never played the original. I was very much in the hobby at the time in launched, but somehow it just never popped up on my radar.

By the time I heard of it, it was very dated. I added it to my list of "retro games I might get to some day" but never did.

This will give me an opportunity to play a franchise I originally missed!

I don't usually care for remakes, but this one works out for me!

I'm not sure if I'll wind up liking it (I generally get bored easily with shooters from the early 90's as they just wind up being dumb run and gun gibfests like Quake and Doom, but this one gets enough favorable reviews that I have to check it out.
 
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I like it so far. I wouldn't have minded if they'd retextured the walls - I'm finding it a bit visually monotonous, which doesn't help me navigate Citadel Station. The minimap compensates.
 
hubaduba said:
I like it so far. I wouldn't have minded if they'd retextured the walls - I'm finding it a bit visually monotonous, which doesn't help me navigate Citadel Station. The minimap compensates.
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Man having worked in a high security Data Center... that's the most accurate description ever of the start white, blank hallways with tiny signs next to doors or on them to say what that room is. It's like being taken to be interviewed by Mr White.
 
Zarathustra said:
Nice. I may have to put this on my list.

I never played the original. I was very much in the hobby at the time in launched, but somehow it just never popped up on my radar.

By the time I heard of it, it was very dated. I added it to my list of "retro games I might get to some day" but never did.

This will give me an opportunity to play a franchise I originally missed!

I don't usually care for remakes, but this one works out for me!

I'm not sure if I'll wind up liking it (I generally get bored easily with shooters from the early 90's as they just wind up being dumb run and gun gibfests like Quake and Doom, but this one gets enough favorable reviews that I have to check it out.
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I bought it the other day, and it's not bad.

It does feel rather dated, but still much better than most titles of that era.

I've enjoyed the couple of hours I've played it thus far.
 
Zarathustra said:
I bought it the other day, and it's not bad.

It does feel rather dated, but still much better than most titles of that era.

I've enjoyed the couple of hours I've played it thus far.
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I just finished the Dead Space remake which shares some similarities to this except that this is so old the developers would have to create new assets. I don't for one moment believe that the DS devs didn't use AI to "enhance" or assist in making new assets but our current tech couldn't really do that for System Shock in proper fashion. I do, however, value, your opinion over those of other reviewers on this game.
 
So, I am going to have to start System Shock over again after about 5 hours in.

In my first start I selected a difficulty of 2 on everything, and it was way too easy, so I upped it to 3 on everything.

They don't tell you that there is a 10 hour countdown on Mission Difficulty 3.

I only noticed that there was a countdown after about 4 hours on the Medical level, and another hour the next level up.

Keep this in mind when you play it. Unless this is your umpteenth playthrough, you k now every level and are ready for a speed run, don't select Mission Difficulty 3.
 
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Zarathustra said:
So, I am going to have to start System Shock over again after about 5 hours in.

In my first start I selected a difficulty of 2 on everything, and it was way too easy, so I upped it to 3 on everything.

They don't tell you that there is a 10 hour countdown on Mission Difficulty 3.

I only noticed that there was a countdown after about 4 hours on the Medical level, and another hour the next level up.

Keep this in mind when you play it. Unless this is your umpteenth playthrough, you k now every level and are ready for a speed run, don't select Mission Difficulty 3.
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Thanks for the heads up. This'll likely be one of my fall/winter games. Finished W3 about a month ago and then Dead Space Remake last week. Now I'm playing Hogwarts which I expect to take most of the summer.
 
Peter_Brosdahl said:
Thanks for the heads up. This'll likely be one of my fall/winter games. Finished W3 about a month ago and then Dead Space Remake last week. Now I'm playing Hogwarts which I expect to take most of the summer.
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I loved Hogwarts. Would love to know what you think.
 
Grimlakin said:
I loved Hogwarts. Would love to know what you think.
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So far loving it. I'm taking my time with it (just got back from Hogsmeade, 1st visit). I'll post a little more on it in its thread so I don't derail this one but I am enjoying it.
 
Peter_Brosdahl said:
Thanks for the heads up. This'll likely be one of my fall/winter games. Finished W3 about a month ago and then Dead Space Remake last week. Now I'm playing Hogwarts which I expect to take most of the summer.
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When I started it over, I noticed that they do indeed notrify you that it is a 10hr countdown for difficulty 3 for mission, but it didn't exactly jump out at me the first time, so I missed it. Whoops.
 
I've tried the demo, but sadly the remake feels as dated and old fashioned now as the original was when I first tried it. This feels like a 2003 game in 2023.
 
MadMummy76 said:
I've tried the demo, but sadly the remake feels as dated and old fashioned now as the original was when I first tried it. This feels like a 2003 game in 2023.
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Afaik this was the intention
 
So, I thought I was close to being done, but I am still fighting my way through this game. It is longer than I expected (and that's a good thing! I like that!)

A good chunk of it is my mistake.

For the last 15 years or so I have been instinctively selecting "hard" or "extreme" difficulty levels when I start a new game, because modern games are usually too easy.

I forgot that in the 90's, when they said hard, they meant it.

So, I have fought my way to the bridge, and I am battling one of the last (I think) bosses. It is a repeat of the big cybernetic spider looking thing from the Flight Deck, but this time it is MUCH tougher.

One hit from a the main missile barrage is enough to kill you, even with full shields and health. You have to keep moving very rapidly and sneaking in a shot when you can. There is not enough time to heal at all during the battle, as if you get distracted by using a health kit or health patch, it takes too long to apply and you die.

EMP grenades are supposed to help by stunning the opponent, but they take so long to throw that you are guaranteed to be hit by something while throwing it, which almost negates their purpose.

Last time I beat the weaker version of this monster on the Flight Deck, I just spammed it with grenades from the grenade launcher. It took a few retries, but eventually it was successful. This time I don't have the grenade launcher. I removed it from inventory to make space for other weapons, and I can't go back and find it, as now the rest of the station doesn't exist.

I've probably replayed this battle 40-50 times by now. At least it doesn't take long for me to be killed, so it's rather quick :p

One way people apparently defeat hard bosses in this game is with the laswer rapier and a berzerk patch, but I don't have any berzerk patches.

I'm going to try several more times, but if it doesn't work, I might load a previous save from before getting to the bridge, so I can go back and find either the grenade launcher or some berzerk patches.

I've liked the game thus far, but the last few hours have started to get frustrating. I'm at the point where I just want to finish it and move on :p
 
Zarathustra said:
So, I thought I was close to being done, but I am still fighting my way through this game. It is longer than I expected (and that's a good thing! I like that!)

A good chunk of it is my mistake.

For the last 15 years or so I have been instinctively selecting "hard" or "extreme" difficulty levels when I start a new game, because modern games are usually too easy.

I forgot that in the 90's, when they said hard, they meant it.

So, I have fought my way to the bridge, and I am battling one of the last (I think) bosses. It is a repeat of the big cybernetic spider looking thing from the Flight Deck, but this time it is MUCH tougher.

One hit from a the main missile barrage is enough to kill you, even with full shields and health. You have to keep moving very rapidly and sneaking in a shot when you can. There is not enough time to heal at all during the battle, as if you get distracted by using a health kit or health patch, it takes too long to apply and you die.

EMP grenades are supposed to help by stunning the opponent, but they take so long to throw that you are guaranteed to be hit by something while throwing it, which almost negates their purpose.

Last time I beat the weaker version of this monster on the Flight Deck, I just spammed it with grenades from the grenade launcher. It took a few retries, but eventually it was successful. This time I don't have the grenade launcher. I removed it from inventory to make space for other weapons, and I can't go back and find it, as now the rest of the station doesn't exist.

I've probably replayed this battle 40-50 times by now. At least it doesn't take long for me to be killed, so it's rather quick :p

One way people apparently defeat hard bosses in this game is with the laswer rapier and a berzerk patch, but I don't have any berzerk patches.

I'm going to try several more times, but if it doesn't work, I might load a previous save from before getting to the bridge, so I can go back and find either the grenade launcher or some berzerk patches.

I've liked the game thus far, but the last few hours have started to get frustrating. I'm at the point where I just want to finish it and move on :p
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Finally finished it. 39 hours on the clock, after I restarted after the first 5 hours.

It's a good game, and it is still enjoyable in 2023, despite being a bit dated. In the hard difficulty setting, some boss fights are a bit overwhelming though.

Edit:

It's interesting the data I can collect from this thread.

It looks like I re-started playing the game on Jun 18th, and then finished it yesterday on August 29th, so I was playing this game for 72 days.

During those 72 days, I put 39 hours of play into it, meaning in my old age, with work, and household chores I am able to squeeze in 3 hours and 48 minutes of games in an average week. :p

This reminds me of that time in college when I looked at the Counter-Strike server stats and realized I had been on the server for 80 hours that week (while somehow simultaneously pulling off maintaining an A average in engineering school AND partying like a college student.

How times change us.
 
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Zarathustra said:
During those 72 days, I put 39 hours of play into it, meaning in my old age, with work, and household chores I am able to squeeze in 3 hours and 48 minutes of games in an average week. :p
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I remember when I was in my 20s and I would come home from work and game for 4-6 hours almost every day. And then on the weekends I put in even more time. These days even if I have the free time to do that, I can't sit there and play for 4-6 hours straight. After a couple hours I need to get up, move around, rest my eyes, etc. If I game too long in one session I start to get a headache. Man, getting old sucks. I used to be able to survive 3 or 4 days at a LANParty with very little sleep, eating and drinking all kinds of unhealthy crap, then sleep for 16 hours after the whole thing was over, and bounce right back. The last LANParty I went to was in 2016, and that was waaaay too tough on my body.

Zarathustra said:
This reminds me of that time in college when I looked at the Counter-Strike server stats and realized I had been on the server for 80 hours that week (while somehow simultaneously pulling off maintaining an A average in engineering school AND partying like a college student.
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Good gawd dude, you were rollin' hard!
 
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