Bioshock, Prey, and so many others utilize this method of storytelling, but don’t view this as a tired device because System Shock may have been the first. Most of System Shock’s storytelling takes place through retrievable audio logs typically found in hidden areas off the beaten path, except for the few that outright explain what the next task is. Yeeeeah…I’m not sure my inventory ever looked this clean. This game is absolutely brutal, and if the visuals don’t tell the story, the logs littered about sure do. With games today, it’s easy to idly waltz by a corridor full of dismembered bodies and congealing blood, sifting through wreckage for ammo or medpacks, but don’t forget to stop and smell the roses. The script, voice acting, and environment convey a sense of terror if one slows down enough to take in what exactly is going on. SHODAN is a historically terrifying villain because (as AI is often portrayed in sci-fi) she’s brilliant, drunk with power, and hates humans. Shortly thereafter, we awaken in a medical bay on a space station, quickly realizing that the fate of humanity is contingent on our gunplay. Out of the gate, we are kidnapped by some corporate douchebag so that we can release an AI from its ethical restraints. We are hacker, interloper, insect, or whatever other moniker SHODAN decides to give us. Anyway, aside from System Shock‘s monumental contributions to current gaming, how does it hold up? Looking Glass Studios may be one of the most underrated, undeservedly forgotten companies in gaming, full stop. Several of today’s games allegedly owe their creation to the impact System Shock made on current developers. Part of the reason I wanted to review this game is because it’s absolutely historic.
Make no mistake: this is a remaster in almost every respect except for a few quality-of-life touch-ups, at least based on what I’ve seen of the first game. These geology metaphors doing it for you? Well, they shouldn’t because the System Shock remaster takes place entirely on a space station. For those of us who’ve played System Shock, the Richter scale may be a digit or two higher. If you’re anything like Stephen Hawking, artificial intelligence quakes you.
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