I've just finished it.

Mad Mike · 31-08-2003 11:11pm #1

I know I'm probably the only person left in the country playing single player games but I've just finished system Shock 2 (4 year old PC game) on hard setting and I have to tell someone.

It is absolutely awesome - extremely atmospheric, genuninely scarey and very challenging. The graphics are a bit dated but I got my hands on a mod which tarts them up a bit.

It uses a couple of unusual techniques to really pile on the pressure. One of these is that the amount of ammo for weapons is severely limited - You never have enough. The second is that even if you have ammo all of the weapons have a habit of breaking down just when you need them.

Picture the scene: You are hiding in a dark corner while a horde of grotesquely transformed zombie mutants are seraching you out - speaking inside your head (telepathically) in voices that come straight out of the Exorcist. You are down to your last three bullets and then ... your stupid gun jams.

Anyway 2 weeks and 30 odd hours of gaming time later I better switch off the PC and see if it's not to late to save my marriage.

Sarky · 31-08-2003 11:20pm

I still play single players, and it's not just because I have a rubbish internet connection.

Never got my hands on anything but a demo of System shock 2, but I liked what I saw. Must buy it some time.

I enjoy the stories, watching them unfold, and that sort of thing. That's not to say running around in a maze with other folks and a lot of guns isn't fun.

I recently finished Hitman and Jedi Knight 2 myself. Damn enjoyable (JK2's story was a bit iffy, but there were LOTS of sabre fights. Yum.)

I regularly play through some levels of Thief 1 and 2, just because they never play the same way twice (and those undead levels can be really freaky late at night with the lights off...)

So hurrah for single player games!

Creamy Goodness · 31-08-2003 11:21pm

i've seen the game being cleared it looks amazing even after four years

tman · 31-08-2003 11:30pm

i've just 100% cleared vice city for the 2nd time, i'm going to have to start looking for something new to grab my attention now.
might grab myself a copy of ss2...

Creamy Goodness · 31-08-2003 11:35pm

ss2 is extremely hard to find in game shops u'll have to ebay it or something

me now just has to find something to play until sept. 30th

Retr0gamer · 01-09-2003 7:50am

I've been looking for system shock 2 now for a year and still can't find it. Ggggrrr....

Quigs Snr · 01-09-2003 8:59am

Glad you enjoyed it Mike, seems you agree with the preview I gave you of it. The ammo thing worked well I thought, even at the end of the game I found myself hiding in a room trying to lock the door with thingys out looking for me, trying to pysche myself up to do a runner for it. The tension was horrible.

Who Knows ? Maybe Warren Spector will go back to it once Deus Ex 2 and Thief 3 are finished.

Now I take it you have played Deus Ex ? If not, it uses pretty much an identical interface (being another Warren Spector game), and is every bit as good, if not better. Best of all its only 7 Euro on the sold out range.

It is very hard to find tho', I was lucky to stumble upon my original huge cardboard box version on amazon about a year back.

Mad Mike · 01-09-2003 9:48am

Hi Quigs Snr

Yes I have played Deus Ex and I definitely see the connections.

Deus Ex struck me as a more polished and sophisticated game. SS2's weapons system is key to maintaining the difficulty and tension but it is contrived to the point of absurdity - there are at least four skills you have to master just to be able to keep your weapons in good shape. Deus Ex's skills and abilities are more realistic and less frustrating. Of course Deus ex also has many different ways of completing its objectives and remains a masterpiece of game storytelling.

That said however - System Shock 2 is the first game in a long time that actually scared the sh*t out of me. Deus Ex certainly didn't manage that. I guess it's not since original Doom played in a dark room with my trusty soundblaster 16 sound card pumping out satanic growls that a game frightened me so much.

Creamy Goodness · 01-09-2003 3:43pm

you can still buy system shock 2 but at a price

amazon.co.uk have it and it ships within 1-2 working days

here the link Here

Mr E · 01-09-2003 3:59pm

I actually prefered SS1 to SS2. I know the graphics are sh*ttier, but the atmosphere was brilliant, and it scared the sh*t out of me at times. There was one part about level 7 or 8 where you're walking towards a door - the door opens and there is a big scary robot there making alot of noise and moving towards me. Scared the bejeepers out of me.

- Dave.

Retr0gamer · 03-09-2003 9:07am

Actually Amazon don't have it. They will keep you in mind until you SS2 comes in. Thanks for trying. I think ebay is my only answer.

I got SS1 for $2 in America. Just have to set up my windows 98 partition before I can play it.

Praetorian · 03-09-2003 10:15am

That can't be legal, but thanks for the link

Retr0gamer · 03-09-2003 10:18am

I'd rather have it with all the movies.

Shinji · 03-09-2003 10:19am

Dino is banned for a week for posting warez links.

m0o|Dino · 03-09-2003 10:22am

oops soz about that but its 4 years old hardly worth a ban

Lyconix · 03-09-2003 9:13pm

Ah, System Shock 2. Tension unrivalled, and a futuristic setting that sucks you in...

Excellent game, and still well worth a play, particularly if you find your typical single player game too easy...

Mad Mike · 03-09-2003 10:28pm

And for anyone who is interested here is a link to the mod which tarts up the graphics.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/etienne.aubert/sshock/sshock_rebirth.htm

So far it only does a few of the main characters but imho the new characters are great - it does improve the game.

I've just finished it.

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