System Shock 2
Description official descriptions
In the year 2114, forty-two years after the events described in System Shock, a soldier joins the military organization Unified National Nominate (UNN), receiving the number G65434-2, and is shortly thereafter assigned to the military space ship Rickenbacker. This ship's duty is to escort the Von Braun, an experimental faster-than-light starship, on its maiden voyage. However, the next thing the soldier can remember is waking up in a cryo-tube on the Von Braun. It appears that both ships were infected with something so horrifying that nearly the entire crew was either killed or mutated into monsters. The soldier is contacted by a woman who identifies herself as the only human survivor. His first task is a rendezvous with this woman, for which he will have to traverse the monster-infested corridors of the ghost ship.
System Shock 2 is a hybrid of first-person shooter and role-playing game. In the beginning of the game the player chooses a career for the protagonist in the UNN. This choice grants bonuses to the protagonist's initial skills. Marines specialize in combat, navy officers can repair weapons and hack computer terminals, and OSA agents may begin the game with psionic powers. Notwithstanding this initial choice, the player may choose to learn any of these skills as the game progresses, spending acquired cybermodules to develop the main character in a RPG fashion.
As the hero traverses the corridors of Von Braun, he will have to avoid death at the hands of hostile creatures and robots on the way, acquire a variety of items, and complete missions to unlock new areas and advance the story. The game emphasizes survival rather than elimination of enemies; in many situations the protagonist is underpowered, and new enemies may appear in already explored areas.
Combat is done in FPS style, with both ranged and melee weapons. The ranged weapons can accept a few different types of ammo, each of them efficient against different foes, and can shoot in two firing modes. However, ranged weapons deteriorate quickly as the player character uses them, and will eventually break down after prolonged use.
Healing items, such as medical hypos and medikits, will save the hero's life, while other items will shield him from radiation, cure him from poisoning, or temporarily boost his attributes. The soldier can find armor to wear and implants which will amplify his skills, as long as their battery doesn't run out. There are also some alien items that the player has to research (which usually requires finding specific chemicals in the ship's chemical stores); researching weapons and items allows the player to use them, and researching enemies' organs makes it possible to deal more damage to them.
Apart from finding them lying around, items can be bought from "matter replicators" for nanites, the game's currency. Nanites are also used for cybernetic activities (hacking electronic systems), repairing broken weapons and improving them, healing the protagonist on surgery tables, and, after death, resurrecting him in special chambers found on most levels.
Cybermodules are received for successfully completing objectives or found during exploration. They are used to enhance the main character's attributes: the player can improve his strength, agility, endurance, as well as his cybernetics and weapon skills; psionic powers are also acquired in this way. Psi powers allow the protagonist to move objects from a distance, paralyze enemies, become invisible, etc. A special "psi amplifier" must be found in order to use them, and the hero spends "psi points" each time he uses a psi power.
Like in the first System Shock, much of the background story in the game is revealed by finding messages left by crew members before they fell victims to the mysterious infestation.
Spellings
- 网络奇兵2 - Simplified Chinese spelling
Groups +
- 3D Engine: Dark Engine
- EA Classics releases
- Gameplay feature: Armor / weapon deterioration
- Gameplay feature: Character development - Skill distribution
- Gameplay feature: Gambling
- Gameplay feature: Grid Inventory
- Gameplay feature: Radiation / radioactive poisoning
- Games with 451
- Games with officially implemented community changes
- Protagonist: Cyborg
- Setting: Space station / Spaceship
- System Shock series
- Theme: Hacking / Pseudohacking
- Theme: Psychic powers / Psionics
Screenshots
Promos
Videos
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Credits (Windows version)
146 People (144 developers, 2 thanks) · View all
| Project Manager | |
| Lead Programming | |
| AI Programming | |
| Lead Design | |
| Writing / Dialogue / Story | |
| Lead Artist | |
| 2D Artist | |
| Level Design | |
| 3D Artist | |
| Additional Design | |
| Additional Graphics / Artwork | |
| Lead Engine Programming | |
| Lead Level / Scenario Design | |
| Executive Producer | |
| Producer | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 91% (based on 61 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 282 ratings with 24 reviews)
The scariest game ever made - not for the weak of heart
The Good
Atmosphere:
you will fear the lonelyness, you will become paranoid as hell, and get really, really engaged in the game.
With letters written in blood on the walls, alarms sounding, things exploding and falling appart without warning, dead bodies piled up everywhere, ghostly aperances forever re-experiencing their last moments of life, and distant screams and zombies mumbling in undead voices for you to come to them; either to kill them, or join them, or both.
Even today, this game is has to be the scariest game ever made!
Story: At the heart of all the terror lies an engaging and evolving plot; something goes horribly wrong aboard mankinds first FTL inter-stellar starship, and the joruney of your dreams, has become your worst nightmare from hell.
Voice-acting: Will at times send chills down your spine.
Graphics: Similar to that Thief - not good, not bad, just in between; graphics is not really important in a game like this.
Gameplay:
With sci-fi RPG-elements, a bit advanced but mostly easy interface, and several ways to complete different tasks: System Shock 2 is one of the better First Person Shooter / adventure games out there.
The Bad
At times TOO scary; but maybe that's a good thing?
The Bottom Line
This game is not for the weak of heart, but if you are looking for a good scare; look no further. This is quite possibly one of the best FPS-games ever made: better then Half-Life, better than doom, and unique even today.
Windows · by Stargazer (99) · 2003
The Good
Scared the pants out of me. . . and scared the pants out of friends next to me (and they were just watching me play!!!) Basically any game that has zombies literally apoligizing for crushing your skull gets a "best of" vote from me!
The Bad
How dare you ask if theres anything to hate about this game. . . okay compared to other games the graphics are a wee bit less. . . though thats nitpicking since its surpasses Quake 2 in graphics, comparable to Half Life graphics. . .
The Bottom Line
The scariest game in the world!!! Play it with 3d sound, a full thermos of coffee, at 2am and with all the lights off! BEAT THAT!!!
Windows · by Mark Cuarto (4) · 2001
As engrossing as the original, at the minor expense of some originality.
The Good
When I completed System Shock 1, many years ago, I knew I wanted more; more of the same highly detailed game world, wonderful plot, and clever game devices (the minigames and cyberspace, to name two).
Shock 2 was worth the wait.
The environment was wonderfully done - at times, there was a feeling of anxiety and terror that I had not felt since playing the Thief series. It's rare for a game to have that effect - I approve. The email messages, voice logs, and other communications you would receive only added to the haunting atmosphere. The attention to detail the designers paid to their product was exceptional.
Shock2 had three career paths you could undertake, and as the game progressed, you could begin to blur the boundaries between character types. There was (usually) more than one solution to any given problem, and any given character type can successfully complete the game using his native skill set.
The two villians (Shodan, and The Many) fighting against each other, with you in the middle, was an excellent plot setting. Especially so on a derelict starship; there is a sense of lonliness, and at times helplessness in this environment, just as in shock1.
The Bad
There are only a few things things that I didn't really like:
While a nice touch, and a nod to the original, the minigames weren't as innovative as they were in the previous game (I mean, it's the same concept, reused). The game was sadly lacking in the large number of innovations that shock1 had, but that is only a minor gripe. I mean, one can only stretch limits so far.
My major gripe was with the endgame - it quickly turns into a Quake-like fragfest, completely ruining the stealthy, Thief-like feel to all of the previous areas of the game.
Oh, and one more minor point - while there are numerous plot twists, they are, alas, easily predictable and no longer surprises by the time they happen.
The Bottom Line
Well worth the price of admission, for such a detailed, haunting experience.
Windows · by Dave Schenet (134) · 2001
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Which SS2 am I playing? o__O | Slug Camargo (583) | May 20, 2008 |
| Damn the Many... | Unicorn Lynx (181769) | Apr 3, 2008 |
| No spawn and no degradation? | Unicorn Lynx (181769) | Mar 18, 2008 |
| Just Finished, ITS AMAZING!! | ricardoe | Oct 7, 2007 |
| System Shock 2 Expansion Pack on WinXP | dave solin | Sep 12, 2007 |
Trivia
Animations
In addition to using the Dark Engine, the game also uses some animations from Thief, most notably the zombified crewmen with the shotguns and pipes. They use portions of animation from the guardsmen in Thief, specifically when they walk around searching for your character, and when they run over to attack you.
Basketball
In Thief, part of the training mission included a little basketball court at the beginning of the game. In SS2, this basketball is carried over and is found up on a ledge on the 'street' level of the very first training mission. Go around the 'pillar' to the right of where you arrive on the street. You can mantle up to a sloped surface, and on the flat part of the ledge will be the basketball. Bounces very appropriately, too!
On the Recreation deck will be a basketball court, towards the last part to explore in the level. You have to be on the upper running deck to shoot, but if you make a basket with the basketball or even just clip the rim, you'll get a very funny email. Be sure to bring it up in your PDA, as it reads differently than it sounds.
Bugs (Spoiler!)
In a cutscene on Deck 4, the walls will drop away and a cut-scene will begin. However, you can still move around and if you fall off the platform that the room has become, you CANNOT get back up, short of killing yourself or loading your game! A neat little bug.
Cancelled Dreamcast version
There was going to be a Dreamcast version of System Shock 2, but it was cancelled
German version
The localized German version of the game was slightly modified for fear of banning. Some corpses were removed (e.g. a hanged man), and all blood was colored green.
Mods
The graphics for character models in the game was considered by many to be the low-point in the 3D Design. So some fans took it upon themselves to create unofficial high-res models which are known as System Shock: Rebirth and can be found at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/sshock/sshock_rebirth.htm
Multiplayer
There is a patch available for System Shock 2 which does not only allow adjustments of the respawning and weapon wear and tear, but adds a cooperative multiplayer mode.
Release
System Shock 2 was published by Electronic Arts instead of Eidos, which was Looking Glass‘ world-wide publisher at the time. This is due to the simple fact that EA held the copyright for the System Shock franchise -- the firm had acquired it with the purchase of Origin Systems.
Sales
Although System Shock 2 was rated a masterpiece by all major magazines, sales were only mediocre. Ironically, the game shared the same fate as its predecessor: Both games never reached a mass audience, partly because of bad marketing efforts.
Shodan
The voice of Shodan was done, as in System Shock, by Terri Brosius. She is the wife of Looking Glass Audio Director Eric Brosius.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- March 2000 (Issue #188) – Best Sound Design of the Year
- November 2003 (Issue #232) – Introduced into the Hall of Fame
- GameSpy
- 1999 – Role-Playing Game of the Year
- 1999 - Best Genre-Bender (together with Drakan: Order of the Flame)
- 2001 – #12 Top Game of All Time
- PC Gamer
- April 2000 - #22 in the "Readers All-Time Top 50 Games Poll"
- April 2005 - #39 in the "50 Best Games of All Time" list
- PC Player (Germany)
- Issue 01/2000 - Best Game in 1999
- Issue 01/2000 - Best Action-Adventure in 1999
- Power Play
- Issue 02/2000 – Best Game in 1999
- Issue 02/2000 – Best Atmosphere in 1999
Information contributed by -Chris, CaptainCanuck, George Shannon, Great Hierophant, M4R14N0, PCGamer77 and WildKard
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Related Sites +
-
Clan DLAN - Traducción de System Shock 2 - por arkero99
Unofficial Spanish translation patch, hosted at Clan DLAN -
Postmortem: Irrational Games' System Shock 2
Article on Gamasutra -
RPG Classics - System Shock II Shrine
Get full gaming information for game items such as armor, implants, psionic abilities, and skills. Full walkthrough and set of maps available to help you. -
Strange Bedfellows
Forum devoted (mainly) to System Shock 2. Most importantly, this is *the* place to download the latest mods and fan missions, including the famous Rebirth mod. -
TTLG's System Shock 2 Site
Part of Through The Looking Glass fansite network, sshock2.com has loads of news updates, databases of music, images, and stories, both developer and fan-created. Includes chat room and various message boards. -
The making of System Shock 2
Article on Next Generation
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by robotriot.
Macintosh, Linux added by Kabushi.
Additional contributors: xroox, JubalHarshaw, George Shannon, Unicorn Lynx, chirinea, Sciere, jlebel, dorlthed, DarkDante, Patrick Bregger.
Game added December 17, 1999. Last modified June 4, 2024.