System Shock revived
The original System Shock was released back in 1994 and was continued was continued five years later by the iconic System Shock 2. Since then, the System Shock series has been put on hold and in its place was the spiritual successor BioShock. Now in 2016 the System Shock series is making a comeback with a remake of the original and another sequel in the works.
Let us take a closer look at Nightdive Studio’s remake and see what we can learn about their game from everything we know so far and compare it to the earlier entries.
System Shock Remastered Gameplay
Ready your pipe.
The new System Shock is a remake and re-imagining of the 1994 original, built from the ground up using the Unity engine. The gameplay in System Shock Remastered should feel like playing an updated version of the original as the developers are actively trying to preserve the original’s spirit, but designed with today’s technology.
The original System Shock had you playing the role of a hacker exploring a space station above the orbit of Saturn, trying to survive against turned people and collecting audio logs to learn the backstory of the station’s activities. This new iteration of System Shock will feature the same concept, but now expanded with new areas and audio logs and a smoother interface.
Having only played System Shock 2 myself, it would be interesting to see if gameplay mechanics from that game will also featured in this remake, such as the ability to research items to increase damage on enemies and obtain unique weapons or choosing a character class to determine your character’s play style.
The combat system in the remake is expected to be similar to the first two games – in both your character could equip guns, melee weapons, mines, and psionic abilities to defend themselves. Depending on the enemy type, some weapons are more or less effective. Enemies were also tough in the original, even on the Normal difficulty they could still very easily kill you, especially if there’s more than one at a time.
A unique component to the original System Shock was the ability to enter cyberspace. In this virtual world, certain aspects of the main world could be changed to unlock new areas in the space station. It should be interesting to see how the cyberspace world looks like and functions in this new game.
System Shock 2 also featured a multiplayer mode where two to four players could play through the storyline campaign together (the difficulty is always on Hard). The mode wasn’t the most polished or balanced, but it did offer some fun entertainment, especially if the players were intentionally playing around. It’s unlikely the new System Shock will feature multiplayer, but if it does, it could be a pretty interesting experience to add-on with the main single-player campaign, as long as the proper care is given to develop the mode.
System Shock Remastered Release date
Horror can lurk behind any corridor.
With the game still in mid-development, no set release date is yet announced. The best estimate would be sometime in 2017, as stated on their KickStarter campaign. However, as delays can happen at any point in the production, it’s possible the date could be pushed back to 2018 or 2019.
As development moves closer to finishing, we will receive an official date.
System Shock Remastered News
Welcome to your home of tomorrow.
Working with comic publisher, Dynamite, Nightdive Studios is releasing a behind-the-scenes art book called The Art of System Shock. Featuring the work of the game’s main concept artist, Robb Waters. Additional news can be found on the studio’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
All System Shock Remastered Trailers
Hopefully, they died peacefully in their sleep.
This here is a pre-alpha gameplay trailer showcasing a demo of one of the game’s levels. For now, it is the only trailer created for the game.
You too may experience this demo for yourself by downloading it from their official website. The demo is a brief proof-of-concept (about ten minutes long) with the goal of establishing the game’s atmosphere, gameplay mechanics, and interface. As development continues, most of the content is subject to change. Some technical issues might be experienced in the demo, such as slight drops in the frame-rate, but for the most part it is very well polished.
What do we know about the System Shock Remastered so far?
Abort the decks.
System Shock Remastered will be available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Although the KickStarter is over, you may still donate additional funds to their campaign. This extra cash will help cover the remaining stretch goals, which includes a graphic novel tie-in written by various authors (Chris Avellone being one of them), an open source code of the original game, mod support, and VR support for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.
With the stretch goals they were able to reach so far, expect to get a remixed soundtrack of the original System Shock; detailed death sequences; an orchestra score for the ambient music; new characters; and localization in French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
The music of System Shock Remastered also has a distinctive sound from the earlier games. Both the original and the second game featured fast-paced rock-techno music to establish the mood and peace of their games; the remake will seemingly feature a haunting orchestra score, which contributes well to the horror of the setting.
Any info on pricing?
Enjoy your stay on the Saturn station.
No information is known about the pricing as of yet. The best estimate would be today’s average price of $50 to $60.
With the new and improved System Shock, plus the development of System Shock 3 by OtherSide Entertainment, the System Shock franchise is in an exciting time of renewal in the video game industrial. We should eagerly look forward to both of these new installments, while re-experiencing the original two games to look back and hold us over until the next titles arrive.
You may pick up copies of System Shock: Enhanced Edition and System Shock 2 for $10 at both GOG.com and Steam. The Enhanced Edition of System Shock includes updated controls and graphics for the modern audience, as well as a number of extra features.
