Look at all of you gamers, pathetic creatures of money and bone, panting and sweating as you ponder buying this game. How can you refuse a perfect, immortal game?
Look at all of you gamers, pathetic creatures of money and bone, panting and sweating as you ponder buying this game. How can you refuse a perfect, immortal game?
Having recently played the classic version of System Shock 2 with minimal alterations (patched with SS2Tool, Community Patch, and English Subtitles), I feel like I now have the right perspective to judge the remaster.
The remaster is almost exclusively a visual overhaul. Okay, that's not technically true, but from a practical standpoint the visuals and online co-op are what stand out. The game retains a lot of its old jank - melee combat is wonky, gun recoil is visually jarring (it just moves your camera to point at a different angle in like a single frame), the map is fuzzy and hard to read at higher resolutions (2560x1440 here), to name a few things. I haven't played co-op, so I can't judge how that compares to the original.
Along with co-op, the visuals are the main attraction of the remaster and I'm not really sold on them. Honestly, I prefer the original textures and models. The new stuff is a mixed bag of decent to good textures and middling improvements to models. Additionally, the cutscenese are included in higher res, which is a marked improvement over the classic version. I'm not sure if the audio got remastered but to my ear it sounds the same, which is to say it's fairly low quality. This is mostly noticeable on the soundtrack, because the dialogue all has heavy effects applied.
On top of this, there are some technical issues which I wouldn't have expected from a remaster. The most game stopping of which is a tendency for the game to run at what feels like less than 30 FPS, despite my computer well exceeding the recommended specs. This seems to happen randomly and requires a game restart to fix. A more minor problem is that some hotkeys are unable to be rebound and aren't listed in the keybinds menu. Because of this, some keys aren't able to be used, one example is that I was unable to rebind quicksave to F5.
The game itself is great, but I don't think this remaster brings enough to the table to earn its price tag. There are few meaningful improvements to the game outside of co-op play via Steam. It could be worth it for those who are itching for that. Thankfully, the classic version is still available. I'd recommend getting that and patching it with SS2Tool for an almost identical experience.
Absolutely no reason to get this for co-op, game bugged out hard enough to wreck 5 hours of progress with me and my friend. Game randomly decided in the middle of the playthrough to decide the multiplayer session was now for one single person, deleting all save data for my friend and rendering it unable to work at all.
Absolutely wild this was released in this state with co-op as a main feature, since there's plenty of other people having similar issues.
This is an awesome game but I can't tell much difference from the original game with a few mods. The earlier builds were more vibrant and looked cleaner..... this looks very close to the original game. I'll play a little under 2 hours because I think i'm returning this to buy other stuff, but it took them THIS long to do this?
To start i will say I never played the original System Shock or System Shock 2 back in the day. My first time playing the series was when the System Shock remake was released back in 2023. Because this is a remaster rather than a remake, I gotta say, I'm not a fan. System Shock remake was fantastic because it improved not only the look of the game but updated the mechanics to a more modern format. SS2 being a remaster, all it got was shiny new paint slapped on and feels like a step back from SS Remake. Yes it's probably an upgrade from the og System Shock but I'm not coming from og System Shock so I don't think this game is for me.
My most liked Steam review was for the original System Shock 2 release, directing people towards a mod pack that did a great job of providing high-res textures that remained faithful to the original art, for the best Shock 2 experience on modern high-res displays.
I'm extremely happy that as of today, that review is officially obsolete.
I really wanted to like this game. I never played it before till now. It was the inspiration for many of my favorite games like deus ex and bioshock. But i'm just not having fun at all. weapons break after a few shots constantly. The melee weapons don't connect with enemies half the time. the levels are an endless maze of boring space corridors. The Ai is incredibly dated. I'm really disappointed and feel like i just wasted money and time.
I take my words back - it is GREAT Remaster! Even has native MOD support, wonderful, thank you! Now please make a full blown remake like you did with System Shock 1, so you can focus on remaking/remastering the Thief Series, please?!
Thanks for the great nostalgic feelings!
Verdict:
8/10 Remaster
10/10 Masterpiece game itself.
Hail SHODAN!
System Shock 2 Remastered is an amazing game that brings the classic System Shock 2 up to the modern era. The graphics have been completely updated with beautiful and vivid textures, making the aging classic feel new and exciting. The gameplay remains largely unchanged, but some of the mechanics have been improved for smoother and more intuitive play. The remaster also includes several quality of life enhancements and bug fixes, making the game run better than it ever has before.
The story of System Shock 2 has also been considerably enhanced by the remaster. SHODAN, the villainous AI of the original game, is now far more menacing and powerful, making the game more difficult yet rewarding. The other characters in the game, as well as the environments and plot, have also been heavily revised and expanded.
Overall, System Shock 2 Remastered is a fantastic game. It's a great entry point for those who missed out on the original classic, and a must-have for veterans of System Shock 2.
Hail SHODAN!
I mean... It's System Shock 2 but prettier and with better controls, It's like saying 'It's ice cream but with chocolate shavings and chantilly cream'.
Buy it, insect.
It's basically just a very slight improvement with a brand new big price tag over the original. I really hate when people say that kind of thing personally, but after trying it myself, I really have to say it here because that's what it is.
Can't rebind F5 or F8/F9 (any function key for that matter) so I just lost an hour of progress because I accidentally saved just as I was dying by hitting the keys that I assigned to quick save and quick load and that's it.
Auto save and quick save are saved to the same slot.
The fact that nobody thought to patch that problem from the original is awful. I'm a game developer myself. The death animation takes at least about 4 to 5 seconds. In fact, sometimes it's not even obvious when you're dying because all you do is slightly lean to one side like you do as if you press q or e. You guys really didn't think that it could happen where somebody saves just as they die? Are you kidding me? Remember guys, this is a AAA company that is deeming this worthy of release.
Terribly clunky just like the original. Not recommended.
Thanks for the steam points!
Got my refund.
9/10
It would have been 10/10 if there was an option to make SHODAN your wife.
Well Nightdive is back at it again. Bringing back a masterpiece.
System Shock 2 finally gets that QOL update it deserved.
System Shock 2 originally came out in 1999. Its a game about exploring a space station infected with alien life forms.
You need to be very careful how you upgrade your skills. You need to be careful how you use your resources. Its a punishing game but also rewarding.
SHODAN is one of the greatest villains ever,
If there is any franchise that needs to be revived it's this one. The story, the setting, the atmosphere - everything was amazing. This game will always hold a special place in my heart.
Now it's time to get Deus Ex and Thief: The Dark Project remastered, Nightdive!
Look at all of you gamers, pathetic creatures of money and bone, panting and sweating as you ponder buying this game. How can you refuse a perfect, immortal game?
Look at all of you gamers, pathetic creatures of money and bone, panting and sweating as you ponder buying this game. How can you refuse a perfect, immortal game?
Having recently played the classic version of System Shock 2 with minimal alterations (patched with SS2Tool, Community Patch, and English Subtitles), I feel like I now have the right perspective to judge the remaster.
The remaster is almost exclusively a visual overhaul. Okay, that's not technically true, but from a practical standpoint the visuals and online co-op are what stand out. The game retains a lot of its old jank - melee combat is wonky, gun recoil is visually jarring (it just moves your camera to point at a different angle in like a single frame), the map is fuzzy and hard to read at higher resolutions (2560x1440 here), to name a few things. I haven't played co-op, so I can't judge how that compares to the original.
Along with co-op, the visuals are the main attraction of the remaster and I'm not really sold on them. Honestly, I prefer the original textures and models. The new stuff is a mixed bag of decent to good textures and middling improvements to models. Additionally, the cutscenese are included in higher res, which is a marked improvement over the classic version. I'm not sure if the audio got remastered but to my ear it sounds the same, which is to say it's fairly low quality. This is mostly noticeable on the soundtrack, because the dialogue all has heavy effects applied.
On top of this, there are some technical issues which I wouldn't have expected from a remaster. The most game stopping of which is a tendency for the game to run at what feels like less than 30 FPS, despite my computer well exceeding the recommended specs. This seems to happen randomly and requires a game restart to fix. A more minor problem is that some hotkeys are unable to be rebound and aren't listed in the keybinds menu. Because of this, some keys aren't able to be used, one example is that I was unable to rebind quicksave to F5.
The game itself is great, but I don't think this remaster brings enough to the table to earn its price tag. There are few meaningful improvements to the game outside of co-op play via Steam. It could be worth it for those who are itching for that. Thankfully, the classic version is still available. I'd recommend getting that and patching it with SS2Tool for an almost identical experience.
Absolutely no reason to get this for co-op, game bugged out hard enough to wreck 5 hours of progress with me and my friend. Game randomly decided in the middle of the playthrough to decide the multiplayer session was now for one single person, deleting all save data for my friend and rendering it unable to work at all.
Absolutely wild this was released in this state with co-op as a main feature, since there's plenty of other people having similar issues.
This is an awesome game but I can't tell much difference from the original game with a few mods. The earlier builds were more vibrant and looked cleaner..... this looks very close to the original game. I'll play a little under 2 hours because I think i'm returning this to buy other stuff, but it took them THIS long to do this?
To start i will say I never played the original System Shock or System Shock 2 back in the day. My first time playing the series was when the System Shock remake was released back in 2023. Because this is a remaster rather than a remake, I gotta say, I'm not a fan. System Shock remake was fantastic because it improved not only the look of the game but updated the mechanics to a more modern format. SS2 being a remaster, all it got was shiny new paint slapped on and feels like a step back from SS Remake. Yes it's probably an upgrade from the og System Shock but I'm not coming from og System Shock so I don't think this game is for me.
My most liked Steam review was for the original System Shock 2 release, directing people towards a mod pack that did a great job of providing high-res textures that remained faithful to the original art, for the best Shock 2 experience on modern high-res displays.
I'm extremely happy that as of today, that review is officially obsolete.
I really wanted to like this game. I never played it before till now. It was the inspiration for many of my favorite games like deus ex and bioshock. But i'm just not having fun at all. weapons break after a few shots constantly. The melee weapons don't connect with enemies half the time. the levels are an endless maze of boring space corridors. The Ai is incredibly dated. I'm really disappointed and feel like i just wasted money and time.
I take my words back - it is GREAT Remaster! Even has native MOD support, wonderful, thank you! Now please make a full blown remake like you did with System Shock 1, so you can focus on remaking/remastering the Thief Series, please?!
Thanks for the great nostalgic feelings!
Verdict:
8/10 Remaster
10/10 Masterpiece game itself.
Hail SHODAN!
System Shock 2 Remastered is an amazing game that brings the classic System Shock 2 up to the modern era. The graphics have been completely updated with beautiful and vivid textures, making the aging classic feel new and exciting. The gameplay remains largely unchanged, but some of the mechanics have been improved for smoother and more intuitive play. The remaster also includes several quality of life enhancements and bug fixes, making the game run better than it ever has before.
The story of System Shock 2 has also been considerably enhanced by the remaster. SHODAN, the villainous AI of the original game, is now far more menacing and powerful, making the game more difficult yet rewarding. The other characters in the game, as well as the environments and plot, have also been heavily revised and expanded.
Overall, System Shock 2 Remastered is a fantastic game. It's a great entry point for those who missed out on the original classic, and a must-have for veterans of System Shock 2.
Hail SHODAN!
I mean... It's System Shock 2 but prettier and with better controls, It's like saying 'It's ice cream but with chocolate shavings and chantilly cream'.
Buy it, insect.
It's basically just a very slight improvement with a brand new big price tag over the original. I really hate when people say that kind of thing personally, but after trying it myself, I really have to say it here because that's what it is.
Can't rebind F5 or F8/F9 (any function key for that matter) so I just lost an hour of progress because I accidentally saved just as I was dying by hitting the keys that I assigned to quick save and quick load and that's it.
Auto save and quick save are saved to the same slot.
The fact that nobody thought to patch that problem from the original is awful. I'm a game developer myself. The death animation takes at least about 4 to 5 seconds. In fact, sometimes it's not even obvious when you're dying because all you do is slightly lean to one side like you do as if you press q or e. You guys really didn't think that it could happen where somebody saves just as they die? Are you kidding me? Remember guys, this is a AAA company that is deeming this worthy of release.
Terribly clunky just like the original. Not recommended.
Thanks for the steam points!
Got my refund.
9/10
It would have been 10/10 if there was an option to make SHODAN your wife.
Well Nightdive is back at it again. Bringing back a masterpiece.
System Shock 2 finally gets that QOL update it deserved.
System Shock 2 originally came out in 1999. Its a game about exploring a space station infected with alien life forms.
You need to be very careful how you upgrade your skills. You need to be careful how you use your resources. Its a punishing game but also rewarding.
SHODAN is one of the greatest villains ever,
If there is any franchise that needs to be revived it's this one. The story, the setting, the atmosphere - everything was amazing. This game will always hold a special place in my heart.
Now it's time to get Deus Ex and Thief: The Dark Project remastered, Nightdive!
