System Shock 2

"Very, VERY close to perfect! Absolutely chilling!"

Invariably on the ''Underrated Game Top 10'' lists, ''System Shock 2'' (SS2) never quite became the megahit it should've been. People go on and on about how great it is, but how is it that no one realized this back in the late 1990s? The world may never know. So, to eulogize one of the last great games from Looking Glass Studios, here's a review:

To be quite frank, the game does have flaws: the various skill sets are unbalanced (top-tier energy weapons are so useless compared to normal weapons it's scary), the level design, while good for the most part, is a little repetitive in some areas, and the inventory system could use a little work. The environments are nice, and the bosses are fairly cool, but the models are low-poly (even for their time).

What's good about the game? Glad you asked. SS2 has the best sound design in a game, PC or otherwise. It takes the creepiness of a Resident Evil, the immersion of a Half-Life, and the science-fiction idiosyncrasy of a Starcraft and molds them all into one intensely deadly soundstage. The techno soundtrack fits the game perfectly - at times, it is moody and subdued, but when the lead starts flying, it often turns into a cacaphony of distorted, sampled sounds.

The monsters sound just as good. Every single monster has a unique sound associated with it that WILL scare the bejeezus out of you. From the chattering of irritable, psychotic killer monkeys to the horrific moaning of the hybrids to the whine of hidden gun turrets, the game taps into your primitive consciousness and unlocks the nervous fear of the unknown.

Presentation-wise, the game is fantastic, as well. The various audio PDAs you'll find scattered about are an old, but still effective means of telling a gripping story. The menu, manual, and even box all come together to bring you into the world of SS2. The menu and interface are helpful and responsive, and the controls are fairly intuitive, as well. The in-game tutorial is fairly thorough and quite entertaining. The story is somewhat absent at the beginning of the game, but as you uncover more logs and get more advice from Polito, you'll definitely start to enjoy it.

Gameplay is the meat and core of any game, so I'll just lay it down right here: SS2 rocks. The precursor to games like Deus Ex that let you develop an RPG-like character in a 3D FPS setting, SS2 lets you play the game how YOU want it. Feel like Ramboing through the levels? Take Normal Weapons and grab your assault rifle. Need to hack and tinker and control? The technical skills do all this and more. Want a real challenge? Play as a black ops Psionic and manipulate the world around you with your mind. Again, the skill sets aren't as balanced as they could have been, but it's a small niggle in such a great game.

If you can find this game, you should probably play it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/03/03