The classic System Shock has a modernized upgrade that expanded the appeal of the game which combines science fiction, horror, first-person combat, resource gathering, and puzzle solving/hacking.
When a hacker is tasked with solving the problem on an orbiting station, they soon find out that an evil AI known as Shodan is about to unleash epic destruction and as an Army of mutants and other death-dealing allies that players must contend with.
Using weapons ranging from mainly to ranged weapons, players must avoid and eliminate enemies, gather resources, solve puzzles, and survive to save the day.
Naturally, there are loads of deadly obstacles to deal with during your travels amongst the vast station and the constant presence of Shodan makes you very aware that you are being monitored no matter how many cameras you destroy along the way.
With each new area; the dangers grow and the need to alter your strategy changes as you cannot simply blast and smash your way to success as stealth, tactics, and knowing when to fight, hide, and run are essential to survival.
The creepy and atmospheric lighting effects look even better with the modern updates and the smooth and responsive control system definitely is an upgrade over the earlier version of the game.
The locales are well-designed and enemies are challenging so the old mantra of save early, save often, definitely applies. The audio quality of the game has also been enhanced along with the visuals which makes for an upgraded experience that is still as engaging and effective as the original.
It will be interesting to see if attempts are made to bring this kind of treatment to System Shock 2; but for now; it was not only a compelling trip down memory lane, but a challenging gaming experience that is now available for consoles after being released previously on PC.
4 stars out of 5
