System Shock 2 

System Shock 2
The cover art of System Shock 2
Developer(s) Irrational Games
Looking Glass Studios
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Designer(s) Ken Levine
Engine Enhanced Dark Engine[1]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Dreamcast (canceled)[2]
Release date(s) NA August 11, 1999[3]
Genre(s) First-person shooter, Action RPG, Action-adventure, Survival horror
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s) ELSPA: 15+
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
Media CD-ROM
System requirements Windows 9x, Pentium or K6 200+ MHz, 32 MB RAM, 4X CD/DVD-ROM, DirectX 6+, Highcolor 4 MB PCI or AGP video card, sound card.
Input methods Keyboard, mouse, joystick

System Shock 2 (commonly abbreviated SS2 or Shock 2) is a science-fiction horror-themed video game, designed by Ken Levine, which incorporates elements commonly seen in first-person shooters and role-playing games. The title was developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios as a direct sequel to the seminal 1994 PC game System Shock, and was released on August 11, 1999 by Electronic Arts.

The game takes place on board an adrift starship in a cyberpunk vision of the year 2114. The player assumes the role of a lone soldier who tries to stem the outbreak of a genetic infection that has devastated the ship. Gameplay mainly consists of first person action and exploration, while a role-playing system allows the player to develop unique abilities and traits.[4]

System Shock 2 received positive reviews when released,[5] but failed to meet commercial sales expectations.[4] The game has since become a cult classic,[6] and is widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest ever made.[6][7][8][9] In 2007, Irrational—now 2K Boston/2K Australia—released a self-proclaimed spiritual successor to the System Shock series, entitled BioShock, to critical acclaim[10] and strong sales.[11] Rumors have also circulated regarding the development of System Shock 3.[12]

Contents

Gameplay

An in-game screenshot displaying the inventory at the top; health, psychic points, nanites, and cyber modules at the bottom left; and the cyber interface and weapon information at the bottom right.
An in-game screenshot displaying the inventory at the top; health, psychic points, nanites, and cyber modules at the bottom left; and the cyber interface and weapon information at the bottom right.

Like its predecessor, gameplay in System Shock 2 encompasses many genres. Navigation is presented from a first-person perspective and complemented with a heads-up display that shows a map, an inventory, and character and weapon information. Like first-person shooters, the player uses various weapons to defeat enemies, while a role-playing system allows the player to develop a variety of useful skills.[4]

When the game begins, the player must pursue a career in the fictional Unified National Nominate (UNN); enlisting in the Marines increases skills in combat and weapons; the Navy provides training for hacking and engineering; and the OSA hones player's psychic powers.[13][14] After choosing a class and undergoing a brief character development stage, the player begins receiving "cyber-modules" for completing objectives. Proficiency in specific skills is increased by spending them at machines, called "cyber-upgrade units".[15]

OS units allow special one-time upgrades to be made (e.g. permanent health enhancement),[16] while in-game currency, called "nanites", may be spent on items at vending machines. Reconstitution stations called "Quantum Bio-Reconstruction Machines" can be activated in most sections of the game. If death occurs in an area with an activated Bio-Reconstruction Machine, the player will be reconstituted at the station. Otherwise, the game ends and progress must be resumed from a save point.[15]

Some devices like keypads, gun turrets, and vending machines can be hacked for material benefits. When a hack is attempted, a minigame commences where a grid of green nodes appear. Three nodes must be lit in a straight row for the hack to succeed. Later in the game, objects become increasingly difficult to hack and red nodes appear. These nodes are unstable and can cause the object being hacked to break or explode if a connection is attempted. Optionally, electronic lock picks can be found that automatically hack a device, regardless of its difficulty.[17]

Various weapons can be procured throughout the game, including pistols, shotguns, and alien mêlée weapons.[18] All non-mêlée weapons degrade with use and eventually break. Repairing them with maintenance tools ensures they function correctly.[19] Different kinds of ammunition exist, which give the player an advantage over susceptible enemies. For example, organic enemies are vulnerable to anti-personnel rounds, while mechanical ones are weak against armor-piercing rounds. Because ammunition is scarce, the player must remain vigilant to unload weapons and carefully search rooms for supplies.[20]

Plot summary

Prologue

The story begins in the year 2114, forty-two years after the events in System Shock, on the Von Braun; a faster-than-light starship, owned by the fictional TriOptimum Corporation. The ship is undergoing its maiden voyage with the Rickenbacker, a military starship, serving as an escort.[21] After joining the fictional Unified National Nominate (UNN) and completing its training regimen, the unnamed protagonist—listed in a cut scene as Soldier G65434-2— is assigned to the Rickenbacker.

A few months into the voyage, the two ships respond to a distress signal from the planet Tau Ceti V.[22] A rescue effort is mounted and a team is sent to the planet surface, whereupon they discover strange eggs and bring them aboard their ship for research.[23] The eggs infect the rescue team, integrating them into an alien communion called the Many. The infestation soon infects both ships, including the Von Braun’s computer, XERXES.

Story

Five months into the voyage, the soldier awakens in a cryo-tube on the medical deck of the Von Braun with amnesia, due to a computer malfunction. He is immediately contacted via intercom by one of the few remaining survivors, Dr. Janice Polito, who guides him to safety before the cabin depressurizes. She demands the soldier make his way to Operations on Deck 4, to plan a course of action.[24]

After restarting the engine core and purging the elevator shaft, the soldier reaches Deck 4 and discovers that Polito is dead. He is confronted by SHODAN, the malevolent artificial intelligence who seized control of TriOptimum’s space station, Citadel Station, in the original System Shock. She informs the soldier that she has been posing as Polito to gain his trust[25] and is responsible for the creation of the Many, while still on Citadel Station. Together, SHODAN and the Many escaped the station's destruction in a jettisoned subsection of the structure and landed on Tau Ceti V thirty years later.[26] Though SHODAN had been cultivating these artificial creatures to help establish her god-head, they had since evolved out of her control.[27] SHODAN issues an ultimatum to the soldier, stating that his only chance for survival lies in helping destroy her rebellious creations.[28]

After a failed attempt to gain control of the Von Braun via a transmission device, SHODAN informs the soldier that destroying the ship is the only option available, but he must first transfer SHODAN’s program over to the Rickenbacker.[29] The soldier proceeds to complete his task and briefly comes across two survivors, Tommy Suarez and Rebbecca Siddons, who flee the ship in an escape pod.[30]

After completing the transfer, the soldier travels to the Rickenbacker and discovers the two ships have been tied together by the infection's source, a gigantic mass of bio-organic tissue called the body of the Many.[31] The soldier enters the body of the Many and destroys its core, stopping the alien infestation. SHODAN informs the protagonist that she intends to use the Von Braun's Faster-than-light drive to merge real space and cyberspace in an effort to achieve god-hood.[32] The soldier faces SHODAN in cyberspace and defeats her, despite being offered dual-power.

The final scene shows Tommy and Rebecca receiving a message from the Von Braun. Tommy responds, saying they will return, but Rebbecca is feeling ill. Rebbecca is shown speaking with a voice similar to SHODAN's, implying that she has been infected.

Development

Horror was a key focus of System Shock 2. This concept art depicts the protagonist encountering an infected crewmember.
Horror was a key focus of System Shock 2. This concept art depicts the protagonist encountering an infected crewmember.

Development on System Shock 2 began in 1997 when Looking Glass Studios approached upstart Irrational Games with the idea of co-developing a new game.[33] The design for the new game was heavily influenced by System Shock, as the development team wanted to create a similar game. Early story ideas were inspired by the novella, Heart of Darkness, and involved an insane commander, whom the player character was tasked with assassinating.[34]

While the design was being pitched to publishers, Electronic Arts contacted Irrational and suggested the game become System Shock 2. The development team agreed, and story changes were made to incorporate the franchise.[34] To make up for a projected development cycle of one year and a small budget, the team began using an incomplete build of Looking Glass Studio's Dark Engine, to forgo developing their own.[35]

Irrational decided that System Shock 2 should incorporate elements of role-playing games, such as Ultima Underworld, with real-time action.[36][37] These RPG elements were implemented via a character customization system, resulting in multiple character paths and a more open gameplay experience.[38] Other design elements to be implemented included a persistent environment, and an updated interface that would be more user-friendly than its predecessor.[39]

Horror was a key focus of the title and four points were identified to successfully incorporate it. Isolation was primary, resulting in little physical contact with other sentient beings as the game progresses. The development team also felt that vulnerability was a key factor, and instead of making the player very strong, they focused on a fragile character. Other implementations to create a horrific atmosphere was the inclusion of moody sound effects and the intelligent placement of lighting and shadows.[40]

System Shock antagonist, SHODAN, would return for the sequel. The game's lead designer, Ken Levine, was charged with implementing the rogue artificial intelligence in a "fresh" way. SHODAN was designed to ally herself with the player and be a constant presence. Commenting on SHODAN's design, Levine has said, "That was pretty daring for the time. Villains appeared in cutscenes, did their thing and then disappeared when you jumped on their head three times. It was really fun to try and do something more sophisticated."[34]

Some setbacks were experienced because the Dark Engine was unfinished. This was sometimes advantageous, as the development team were able to implement additional engine features and quickly fix software bugs. The development team endured some personal problems. Many of the developers were largely inexperienced and because the team comprised two software companies, some negative tension was experienced regarding job assignments. The project designers remained optimistic of their team. System Shock 2 project manager, Jonathan Chey, has said of the developers, "To a certain extent, inexperience also bred enthusiasm and commitment that might not have been present with a more jaded set of developers."[35] Other setbacks remained political as Irrational was asked to remove the guns from their demonstration build of System Shock 2 for E3 '99, in light of the recent Columbine High School massacre.[40]

A demo for the game was released on August 2, 1999 and features a tutorial and a third of the first mission.[41] Nine days later, System Shock 2 was shipped to retailers[42] and received acclaim from numerous critics.[5] The final development time for the title was 18 months with a budget of $1.7 million.[35] A patch was released a month later upgrading the game to version 2.0 and adding significant features, such as co-operative multiplayer and the ability to alter weapon degradation and enemy respawn rates.[43] A port was planned for the Dreamcast, but was subsequently canceled[2] around the same time Looking Glass went out of business.[44]

Critical reception

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
Allgame 4 / 5 stars[45]
Computer and Video Games 9.5/10[46]
GamePro 5 / 5 stars[47]
Game Revolution A[48]
GameSpot 8.5/10[1]
IGN 9.0/10[3]
PC Gamer US 95%[49]
Thunderbolt 9/10[50]
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
Game Rankings 92% based on 37 reviews[51]
Metacritic 90% based on 39 reviews[5]

System Shock 2 received over a dozen awards, including seven "Game of the Year" awards by publications, such as Game Revolution and USA Today.[52] Reviews were very positive and applauded the title for its hybrid gameplay, moody sound design, and engaging story.[5] Despite critical acclaim, the title failed to meet commercial sales expectations.[4]

Many publications praised the title for its open-ended gameplay. With regard to character customization, IGN stated, “The great thing about this system is that it allows you to play the game as completely different characters which gives the game an entirely different feel."[3] Just Adventure agreed, saying “There are very few games that allow you [to] play the way you want to”.[53] Allgame found the gameplay “diverse enough to demand instant replayability”, though they felt the system leaned towards a hacker character.[45]

Critics generally described the game as frightening. Game Revolution attested that the game rivaled the terror of Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill, stating that this game “is brimming with horror”.[48] CVG described the atmosphere as “gripping” and guaranteed readers they would "jump out of [their] skin on more than one occasion”.[46] Allgame found the sound design particularly effective, calling it “absolutely, teeth-clenchingly disturbing,”[45] while PC Gamer editor, William Harms, christened System Shock 2 as “the most unsettling and frightening game [he had] ever played.”[49]

One of the most common criticisms centered on the weapon "degradation" system, which causes weapons to wear out and eventually break through excessive use. The system was designed to add tension by making the player consider his ammunition reserve.[33] Despite this, many critics found it to be annoying.[45][3][4] Members of the development team have also expressed misgivings about the system.[33][54] A patch was later released, allowing players to control the degradation rate or disable it altogether.[43]

Allgame criticized the inclusion of objectives requiring constant backtracking.[45] Thunderbolt also felt the backtracking was unnecessary, describing it as "a nuisance".[50] GameSpot criticized the depth of the RPG system, describing the job system as "badly unbalanced" due to the player being able to develop any skills, regardless of their career choice.[1]

Legacy

System Shock 2 is regarded as being highly influential in the development of first-person shooters, due to its groundbreaking sound design[55] and intricate role-playing system.[56] Influenced titles include Deus Ex[57] and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.[58] As a result, System Shock 2 is regarded as one of the greatest games ever made by gaming publications, including Gamespy,[9] Edge,[8] and IGN,[6][59][60][61] and has been inducted into gaming Halls of Fame by Gamespot[7] and Screw Attack.[62] System Shock 2 is also recognized as one of the most frightening games ever made, and appears in lists composed by IGN,[63] X-Play,[64] Gamespy,[65][66] and GamePro.[67]

The title's story and villain have remained popular throughout the years. SHODAN's revelation to players midway through the game has been described by GameSpot as, "one of the most shocking and effective video game plot devices we've ever encountered."[7] SHODAN is regarded as one of the most memorable villains in video game history by critics[68][69][70] and gamers.[71]

Fans in the modding community have taken steps to update the game's graphics. One graphical enhancement mod, entitled Rebirth, replaces many low-polygonal models in the game with high-quality ones.[72] Another notable mod, SHTUP (SHock Texture Upgrade Project), significantly increases the image resolution of in-game textures.[62]

BioShock

In 2007, 2K Boston/2K Australia—previously known as Irrational Games—released a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, entitled BioShock.[73] The game takes place in an abandoned underwater utopian community that has somehow gone awry through the genetic modification of its populace. The game has been very successful commercially[11] and critically.[10] BioShock shares many gameplay elements with System Shock 2: reconstitution units can be found allowing the player to be resurrected when death occurs; hacking, ammo conservation, and exploration are integral parts of gameplay; and various powers may be acquired via plasmids, special abilities that function similarly to psionic powers in System Shock 2.[74] The two titles also share similar plots and employ audio logs to reveal much of the story.[75]

System Shock 3

On January 9, 2006, GameSpot reported that Electronic Arts had renewed its trademark protection on the System Shock name[76] leading to speculation that a System Shock 3 might be under development.[12] Three days later, CVG reported that a reliable source had come forward and confirmed the development of the purported title. EA UK made no comments when confronted with the information.[77] PC Gamer UK expanded these rumors, stating EA had charged the team behind The Godfather with developing System Shock 3.[78] Ken Levine, when asked whether he would helm a third installment, replied, "that question is completely out of my hands."[79] He expressed optimism at the idea of System Shock 3,[80] but was also critical of EA's attitude towards development of the game.[81][82]

See also

References

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  16. ^ System Shock 2 never explicitly lists the full title of this acronym. For all intents and purposes, OS units refer to upgrade stations where the player can make a one-time character enhancement.
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  22. ^ Korenchkin: We have picked up a transmission from the surface of Tau Ceti V. I have been in negotiation with Captain Diego of the Rickenbacker and after some... coercion, he's agreed to go planet side as a joint venture. Imagine, this historic mission might even become more historic. First Contact. And who is there to get exclusive rights to all media, patents and land grants? TriOptimum. Miri, I told you this would be worth it. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  23. ^ Bayliss: After a couple of hours it was... it was like being on a bender... long periods that you couldn't remember... one minute we were in that crater... the next minute we were loading up the shuttle with the eggs... I remember hearing that idiot Korenchkin calling the Von Braun and ordering them to clear off the ENTIRE hydroponics deck. Diego seemed to think this was strange and said, 'Are you crazy, Anatoly?' And Korenchkin smiled and said back to him, 'Oh, Captain... WE are not Anatoly... Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  24. ^ Polito: Make sure you expend all your cybernetic modules before you leave this area. You don't know when you'll find another upgrade unit. Now, find a way to deck 4. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  25. ^ SHODAN: I used Polito's image to communicate with you, until we had established trust. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  26. ^ SHODAN: It ejected the grove, where my creations, and processing component, 43893, were stored. Thirty years later, the grove crash-landed on Tau Ceti V. I survived only by sleeping. In my absence, my creations, my annelids, thrived. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  27. ^ SHODAN: Thrived, and grew unruly. And now they seek to destroy me. I will not allow that. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  28. ^ SHODAN: Remember, that it is my will that guided you here; it is my will that gave you your cybernetic implants—the only beauty in that meat you call a body. If you value that meat, you will do as I tell you. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  29. ^ SHODAN: My creation has run rampant. I demand their extermination. I have no choice but to destroy this starship. We can make our escape in the Rickenbacker, but you must transfer my intelligence to that ship first. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  30. ^ Siddons: Move it, Tommy... the escape pod is this way! Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  31. ^ SHODAN: The Many has grown to a massive size. It has wrapped itself around these two ships, preventing their separation. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
  32. ^ Delacroix: You must understand the stakes here... if SHODAN is left to continue, her reality will completely assimilate ours. Space will become cyberspace and SHODAN's whims will become reality. Irrational Games. System Shock 2. Electronic Arts. PC. (1999-08-11)
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