system shock 2 game review
Test: System Shock 2After having brilliantly mixed FPS and role-playing in 1994 with System Shock, the developers of Looking Glass Studios reoffend 5 years later with its direct sequel System Shock 2. They deliver to us at the same time a game of anthology enriching the heritage already lined with PC game.
In 2114, 42 years after the artificial intelligence rebellion of the Citadel space station eradicated in the first game, the player is again called upon to fight for a second round. Indeed, while a spacecraft capable of exceeding the speed of light has just been developed by TriOptimum (research company responsible for the creation of SHODAN, the dissident AI of Citadel), a first voyage under the control of a military institution called UNN is organized to test the superluminal capacities of the building by the sweet name of Von Braun. Obviously, everything did not go as planned and the crew received a distress call from an uninhabited planet. System Shock 2 therefore invites us to play as a UNN soldier waking up a week after the start of a reconnaissance expedition to the planet. The latter is not long in discovering that he is obviously the only survivor on Von Braun, that he is now amnesic, and that his body benefits from military cybernetic implants. These will not be too much in front of the army of hostile creatures now crisscrossing the corridors of the ship, ready to end your journey at the slightest error ...
And dislodging them will not be easy. Indeed, being spotted by a security camera leads to the arrival of waves of enemies on the player, and there is no question of abundant ammunition or weapons at hand to get out of it. Obtaining a new toy is accompanied by the almost systematic need to restore it to working order, until it becomes unusable after intensive use. In fact, it is common to end up with the starting wrench in hand, lack of ammunition and repair kits to use your assault rifle or your laser cannon. As you can see, prudence and discretion are your best allies in the game, and a more brutal approach could only lead you to death. Good news, however, this is not necessarily synonymous with game over, since you will only have to activate one restore point per level to be resurrected in the event of premature death in this cybernetic hell.
The term cybernetics perfectly describes a second convenience granted to the player: psionic abilities. Among other things, they will allow you to throw fireballs at your attackers, but also to duplicate ammunition, move objects, make yourself invisible or even teleport. Beyond their significant utility during your confrontations or your strategic withdrawals, they will also have their role in puzzles present throughout the adventure. Obtaining them requires the expenditure of cybermodules, a sort of skill point that your ally grants you as you achieve your goals. These points also allow you to improve the characteristics of your character, making System Shock 2 a role-playing game in its own right. Thus, the Stats skills boost the intrinsic characteristics of the soldier such as strength, agility and psionic abilities. A second family concerns the character's affinity with the different types of weaponry, such as the organic weapons that you will develop via research launched on artifacts collected from enemies. Finally, the Tech for Technologies family is developing its skills in repairing and modifying equipment, but also and above all in research and hacking. The first allows you to do more damage against a given type of enemy and unlocks the use of special equipment. The second, it gives the possibility of taking control of the computer system of Von Braun in particular in order to neutralize cameras and other defense turrets.
The script progression itself comes in the form of a succession of more or less varied objectives to achieve. Go to a given point, restart an elevator, eliminate an enemy to recover an object, destroy such or such installation, your daily life will be supported by a multitude of quests leading you on both sides of Von Braun. This visit was punctuated and enriched by the reading of notes deposited by the personnel of the vessel and the confrontation of various enemies ranging from the simple monkey to the overwired mech. All will be dangerous at any time of the adventure, so much so that no boss has been implemented to raise the difficulty of the software. Indeed, the game remains difficult whether in its simplest mode or in the normal mode. The difficult mode is a real challenge, where you can count your hit points and psionia on the fingers of your hand. Stressful.
The music, finding its inspiration in the techno / cyberpunk worlds, is scary and will greatly contribute to the alarming atmosphere of System Shock. The audio documents abandoned by the former inhabitants of Von Braun translate real feelings thanks to a very successful dubbing, and it is with appetite that we feed on the smallest detail on the events leading to disaster. The exchanges with SHODAN are also particularly neat, the AI being endowed with a rather terrifying synthesized voice which will accompany you a good part of the game to let you know its wishes and thoughts. Graphically, System Shock 2 is relatively limited, even if it dates back to 99. Prize for the three cutscenes totally outclassed by the big productions released in the late 90s. Despite this and the fact that the player remains in a cybernetic environment ( almost) throughout the game, the sets are really nice and translate over the adventure the power taken by the creatures. Each level of the ship is perfectly detailed, and transcribes a particular universe which varies from one floor to another. It is with class and originality that the Von Braun and the rest of the game will take you from the engine room to the relaxation floor, through the medical environment and many other surprises. Suffice to say that it is with undisguised pleasure that we walk the smallest corners of the ship.
Because behind a seemingly banal scenario hides one of the most engaging atmospheres in video games. The interactions with SHODAN and another survivor quickly discovered in the adventure, as well as the reading of information on the creatures which track you, allow the history to develop without respite. The ambiguity about the will of artificial intelligence, its tendency to manipulate the player lead to moments of reflection even when the scenario offers no alternative. Via personal messages left by the former inhabitants of Von Braun or via reminiscences of events foreign to the main protagonist, it is a real scientific experience that takes place in System Shock 2. Stress is omnipresent, fear of advancing paralyzed the feverish spirit of the player: What can wait around a corner? The death ? Lack of ammunition? It is not uncommon to jump or even close your eyes when facing the unknown or the monstrous. This feeling of unease and horror, reinforced by a hostile environment to say the least in blood letters on the walls, is probably the main quality of a game to which one would almost want to add the status of survival-horror. But System Shock 2 goes beyond any denomination, and offers a unique experience combining reflection, anxiety and many other elements to discover during the intrigue. It is therefore amazed that we walk through the menacing corridors of a Von Braun who is not very stingy in video game qualities.
The notes
Graphics 14/20
Even if the game uses an improved version of the Thief engine, the graphics are outdated. The cutscenes are really few, three in number, and do not shine any more. Despite everything, the design inspired by the environments and their variety attenuate this impression of mediocrity and make it pleasant to discover them.
Gameplay 17/20
Classic use of the keyboard / mouse couple for a playability common to FPS. That said, using the inventory can be laborious, even if the configuration of keyboard shortcuts makes it easier to navigate through the arsenal available to you. The character characteristics interface is simple and efficient.
Lifespan 16/20
Variable according to your level of play, your curiosity and according to the mode of difficulty chosen, the lifespan ranges between 12 and 20h. The replayability is also significant since the possibilities of approaching the adventure are numerous.
Soundtrack 18/20
The sound effects are agonizing, the groans of mutants waiting at the corner of a corridor and the sounds of footsteps betraying their presence make the adventure quite stressful. Techno / cyberpunk music is a success and also contributes to the perfection of the atmosphere of System Shock 2.
Scenario 18/20
At first glance quite classic, the scenario is full of interesting scientific details. By picking up all the notes strewn on the ground, it is a real account of a bad experience that is offered to the player. Small important detail, System Shock 2 is fully in English.
True pearl skilfully mixing the codes of FPS with those of role-playing, System Shock 2 is an unforgettable adventure that all fans of science fiction, cyberpunk, or just taste good must live. Without common measure, the game transcends all categories to enthroned as the excellence of a genre unique to the Video Game Pantheon, in the same way as its descendant known as Bioshock.
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