System
Shock 2, released in July, 1999 by Looking Glass Studios,
is one third of the troika of games that popularized RPG/FPS
hybrids at the close of the twentieth century. (Thief and
Deus Ex being the other two.) There are similarities among
all
three
games,
but
what sets
System
Shock 2 apart from the others is a clear, unambiguous cyber-dominatrix
of a protagonist: Shodan.
There are certain universal
themes that appeal to fans of science fiction, some obvious
and some not so obvious: spacecraft, artificial life,
zombies, hive minds -- and strong females. From Star
Trek's original "Number One" and Voyager's
Seven of Nine to (the newer) Battlestar Galactica's President
Laura Roslin
and Lt.
Kara Thrace (Starbuck) there's no doubting that nerds
like to be dominated by forceful women. And you'll
find few vixens more domineering than System Shock's
Shodan.
For a sample of Shodan's
appeal, look no further than her typical taunt: "L-L-Look
at you Hacker. A pathetic creature of meat and bone.
Panting
and sweating
as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge
a perfect immortal machine." (Audio
clip courtesy Bart
Klepka.) That kind of confidence is irresistible.
Equally irresistible
is the challenge of beating Shodan. This game
is hard. Enemies respawn and weapons degrade
with use. This is no simple corridor shooter -- the
maps are wide open and there is much backtracking.
Getting lost and not knowing where to go next while
being unable to clear the area of foes can be challenging
or it can be frustrating, and I have to confess I found
the game quite frustrating the first time I played.
Replayability is excellent,
almost required to enjoy this game to its fullest.
The first time through was more education than entertainment
for me. To succeed you'll need to create a character
concept and develop it fully or else you'll struggle
with low ammunition and overwhelming opposition from
the zombie hordes. A safe strategy is to focus on melee
skills so that ammunition can be conserved. A balanced
character will require some ranged abilities because
the mechanized foes explode on death. Computer hacking
assists in accessing locked areas and can turn automated
turrets into allies.
The three class factions
you have to choose from are Marine, Navy and OSA. A
useful oversimplification would describe Marines as
the fighter class, Navy characters as the stealth
class, and OSA as the mage class. There is considerable
overlap (OSA characters have invisibility for instance)
and skills can be chosen across classes for the duration
of the game. You are not locked into an inflexible
path at character creation. I'll be going for a balanced
character in this walkthrough -- OSA with decent melee
and hacking skills.
Graphically, the game
has always needed some help. A calculation error resulted
in lower-than-necessary polygon counts so even at its
release the game looked chunky. The 16-bit textures
are blocky and unconvincing. Fortunately, the mod community
has come to the rescue. The screenshots you'll see
here are showing off two mods, Rebirth
(complemented) and SHTUP.
(I've mirrored both on this server: Rebirth
(complemented), SHTUP.)
Stylistically, however, the game makes up for the technical
shortcomings. Bright, almost Tron-like colors and sleek
futuristic design aid in creating an enjoyable atmosphere.
System Shock 2's ability
to endure is due to many reasons. Sadly, perhaps one
of the greatest is its lack of competition. There just
aren't
that many RPG/FPS hybrids out there. The appeal
is in the combined immersion of a first-person
perspective with the flexibility
and character development of an RPG. Throw in a good
dose of horror, mix with a futuristic setting and cap
it all off with a devilish cyber-vixen and you've got
yourself one heck of a game. -
Last Update 1/14/07
Special Author's Note: Beginning with Hydroponics, this walkthrough was authored by Eric Fortier, the first guest author for VisualWalkthroughs.com.
System
Shock 2 Walkthrough
|
Intro
Ramsey
Center
Von Braun
Deck
2: Science,
Medical, Crew
Quarters
Deck 1: Engineering
Control, Cargo
Bay 1, Cargo
Bay 2, Engine
Core
Deck 3: Hydroponics 1, Hydroponics 2, Hydroponics 3
Deck 4: Operations 1, Operations 2
Deck 5: Recreational 1, Recreational 2
Deck 6: Command 1, Command 2
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker Pod 1
Rickenbacker Pod 2
Body Of The Many
Where Am I? |
|
