"IG stays on top of things as always =D"

The moment i booted up System Shock 2 i knew i had a new favorite developer. With the death of Looking glass (RIP), i had all but lost hope in innovative gaming, but IG brought it all back for me.

A lot has been said about the game's superlative storytelling and presentation, and i dont think theres anything i can add beyond ''yes, its fricken great'', so i'll just get right into the technical side of things.

Graphically, FF shines. The engine handles massive amounts of onscreen action with very little slowdown, and zooming in and out and rotating around the map is quick and easy and makes for fast and smoth gameplay, which is absolutely integral to a title like this. The game characters and animations look superb and *reek* of personality, and the explosions and effects are also entirely appropriate, and some of them are quite astonishing. Surprisingly, with the amount of onscreen stuff going on, the loading times are absolutely miniscule.

The sound, as with Shock 2, is absolutely superb. The musical score is beyond fantastic, with supervillain themes and 60s rocknroll mingling superbly. The whomps and bangs and general FX are also top notch. The voice overs however fluctuate between superior and slightly daft. For instance, Minuteman is a little too over the top for my liking. Everyones over the top, but minuteman sets about building a home there, actually expanding on the top. The narrator also varies between great and sounding a little bored.

The game interface, basically consisting of the mouse, number keys and the alt-key as well as a small number of other keys is extremely elegant. The default setup is entirely workable, and i had no problem whatsoever coming to grips with it after the first mission. The game plays basically like a simpler version of baldurs gate, where you pause occationally to issue complex orders and then sit back and watch the battle ensue before stopping it again to take control. There is also the option of slow motion instead of pause for those that like their action hectic, because it does get quite hectic at times. I for one enjoy that though. This is an action packed game after all. Missions are objective based, with objectives ranging from simple things like ''kick his ass, bring back the purse he stole'' to complex boss battles requiring the use of several characters powers in tandem.
The game's lifespan is tremendously extended by the roleplaying elements introduced, such as your characters levelling up and gaining more powers and proficiencies, not to mention the ability to create your own characters out of an IMMENSE number of attributes. I made a hero thats essentially worthless in his normal form, but when attacked and angered turns into a veritable manifestation of violence, tearing down everything shouting ''I've had ENOUGH!''. The game absolutely shines in this regard.

Overall, i havent had a single crash, but ive found a couple of bugs. For instance the Ant character has some issues with his burrowing skill, sometimes meaning youll be trapped underground without the ability to resurface.

Overall, ill give this a strong 9 out of 10. I cant wait to play The Lost now.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/02, Updated 05/27/02