While its lush successor BioShock strived to evoke individual people and places, System Shock 2’s blocky sameness gives it a theatrical quality that fits its larger-than-life characters. Voice actors read through lines like they’re giving a PowerPoint presentation, and you’re frequently bombarded with identical enemies marching in lockstep. Even with community mods, the graphics are ugly in that peculiarly ‘90s gun-metal way. System Shock 2 is undeniably crude in a way we haven’t yet learned to identify as retro. It’s a first-person shooter set on a massive spaceship, trillions of miles from Earth, about godlike beings - but it’s also an evocative, rewarding, and personal piece of survival horror that feels more like myth than fiction. Though the game follows 1994 Warren Spector title System Shock, it stands solidly on its own. You should check them out.ĭespite the recent push for more nuanced and realistic narratives, some of my favorite story-driven games earned their place with grand gestures, and the recently re-released System Shock 2 is right at the top. They offer glimpses of the future, glimpses of humanity, and a glimpse of our very souls. The Classics are must-see, must-read, must-play works revered by The Verge staff.
