System Shock 2

"System Shock 2: The FPS Masterpiece."

Introduction
I was strolling through the local EB when the box of this game caught my eye from the bargain bin, a place I normally stay away from. It was only $10 so I decided to give it a try. I took it home, booted it up and hung on for the ride of my life.

Graphics: 9/10
While the graphics aren't exactly state-of-the-art, they are certainly very good for its time. The only thing that irritated me slightly about this was the Human characters' bodies. The faces were very flat and almost triangular. This just didn't make them seem real. Also, the last level (the body of the many) just didn't seem fleshy enough. It too was a bit too flat, though other than that, good graphics.

Sound: 10/10
The sound in this game is absolutely perfect for the environment. Random explosions, sirens, alarms, moans of ''Hurry, RUN!'' from enemies (formerly comrades), the voices of the various AIs in the game and the voices of your unslaughtered comrades make this game have absolutely gorgeous detail in sound.

Gameplay: 10/10
From the start, the gameplay system intrigues. You go through basic training first, then you pick your branch of the military (which area of skills you'll specialize in) and then the real game kicks in. Immediately after you start, you're contacted by a woman telling you that something is very wrong with the ship. Most of the game is based on figuring out what is wrong with the ship (though you the player will figure it out far faster than the character in game)and then the rest of the game is spent getting rid of the problem. Along the way you'll pick up various other skills -it's not possible to go through the game without firing a weapon, so conserve ammo- such as weapons, psi and even tech. The branch you picked at the beginning has no bearing on what skills you can learn, it just decides which ones you start with. How you develop your character is up to you, but certain skills give benefits throughout the game.

Storyline: 10/10
This game has a very intriguing story. You wake up with no memory of what happened over the past few months and you have to find out. Before you get killed by something wandering the ship. Though people with short attention spans will quickly lose interest, those willing to wait for the good part are well rewarded, though the climax is disappointing.

Buy/Stay away?
I highly recommend that you buy this if you can. It's well worth the $10 you'd pay for it and the story will keep you hooked for days.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/03