System Shock (1994)

I will never forget the first time I saw System Shock in action. I did not own a computer capable of running demanding games at the time. I had briefly tried Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds, but performance limitations and my age made it inaccessible. Then I watched a friend play System Shock, and it felt revolutionary. The movement through a fully realized 3D space, the sense of inhabiting a seemingly photorealistic environment—at the time, it was astonishing. It is difficult today to convey how groundbreaking that presentation was.

When the remake was released decades later, I intended to play that version, but circumstances led me instead to revisit the original through GOG. I wanted to understand it firsthand. As an important piece of video game history, it felt necessary to experience it properly.

After an adjustment period with the controls and visuals, it held up better than expected. The atmosphere remains strong, and the narrative—especially the presence of SHODAN—is still remarkable. She remains one of the most compelling antagonists in gaming.

However, the constant enemy respawning undermined the experience. Navigating the intricate corridors is demanding enough, but being forced to fight through fully repopulated areas repeatedly becomes exhausting rather than engaging. Backtracking through complex levels only to find every enemy restored felt punitive. Around the midpoint, I stopped.

It still frustrates me that I did not complete it. Yet after also trying System Shock 2 and encountering similar design frustrations—even in its remastered form—I have accepted that I understand its significance without needing to finish it. It remains a landmark. It looks impressive for its era, tells a strong story, and occupies an important place in gaming history.

But as a contemporary player, I no longer feel compelled to push through mechanics that only generate frustration. I tried it. I experienced enough to contextualize it. That is sufficient.

I've been doing first time playthroughs of a lot of shooter classics these past few months. I've had an incredible time discovering and falling in love with gaming must-plays such as DOOM, Rainbow Six 3, and Halo 2, but none of those games have amazed and captured my attention quite like SYSTEM SHOCK.

I've not yet beaten the game but I just can't wait to talk about it. The atmosphere is unlike anything I've ever seen. Bright and colorful, but also moody and scarier than 90% of today's "horror" games. SHODAN is a complete powerhouse of a villain. Malevolent and conniving down to her last circuit, elevated by some absolutely breathtaking voice work and sound design even by today's standards. Speaking of sound design HOLY SHIT. Each and every sound effect is perfect. Weapons are full of punch and even the occasional stock sound effect weirdly fits into this game's aesthetic. The Midi Music is catchy and groovy, but also appropriately tone setting where needed. Even the moments of buggy-overlapping serve to further the illusion of Citadel Station's environment collapsing around you, polluting the soundscape as if even the soundtrack wants you dead.

Second-to-second gameplay is hindered by a confusing control scheme that is going to take some getting used to, even with the updated bindings. Mastering these controls and UI is such a satisfying learning curve that it's almost worth the pain, even if certain things never feel quite right. Even in the endgame I'm learning new tricks and discovering new ways to use the UI and environment to my advantage. Exploration is so damn good, with a map that's devoid of objective markers and instead filled with fantastic environmental storytelling and danger around every corner. You never know when SHODAN will appear next, and some of her traps sent chills down my spine. Item placement and enemy variety hits that perfect pacing that only the best of the best like Resident Evil 2 have nailed. You're always working to conserve your resources, and every item found feels like a victory. I will say that some of the combat is a bit unbalanced, and and some of those hitscanners are full of shit, but the clunky poke-around-the-corner-and-hope-you-don't-get-shot style of combat feels appropriate for the desperate situation that SHODAN has put you in.

I love this game. It's far from perfect with quite a few bugs and a rough game feel that never quite goes away, but the atmosphere, storytelling, world design and exploration all serve to create one of the most immersive and unforgettable gaming experiences that I've had in a long time. In many ways, this game is superior to it's spiritual successors and inspirations, and is just as worth your time today as it was back in 1994.

These are the types of games that people talk about when they say "timeless classics".

I quit playing this game twice. First, after the first two minutes, and second, after coming back a week later, after playing for an additional measly twenty minutes. This game is probably one of the hardest to get into, especially as years go on--the controls are just that jank. However, once you learn the confusing controls, you can finally play one of the best classic PC games.

System Shock 1 is a metroidvania--seriously, I highly recommend watching Super Bunnyhop's analysis on the game, it's what got me to actually play this.

I would argue that the best part of the game is the antagonist--Shodan. She has amazing voice acting, and I always got so excited when she'd send me a new message about wanting to stop my face in.

Overall, my favorite Metroidvania. A classic cyberpunk FPS with a perfect antagonist that was a bit ahead of it's time--just good luck with the controls.