Atmosphere.

It's

Awesome

Not what you're breathing.

Puzzles to 1 (if new) or you'll be sorry!

God I wish SHODAN was real.

System Shock is a remake of the game of the same name released back in 1994, and is widely renowned as an important immersive sim and the inspiration behind games such as BioShock and Prey. It's a futuristic horror shooter with puzzle elements, where you play as a hacker aboard a space station controlled by SHODAN, a murderous AI and her army of robots, cyborgs, and mutants. You can play as either male or female hacker, but aside from grunts, viewmodel, and cutscene model, there isn't any difference.

As a remake, it's incredibly faithful to the original, to the point that I can still somewhat navigate the maps from my original playthrough. Of course, there are some new improvements, aside from the obviously better graphics and lighting, creating a stronger horror atmosphere, and improved modern, smoother gameplay. Examples include the hacker's gender, a currency system to buy food/ammo/weapon upgrades, and an extended final battle, fought on foot in cyberspace and not the usual flying combat.

Even though many of these changes are great, there are some that I think could be done better. The Groves for example, I think they look nicer in the originals, and the final level gets rid of the fleshy pulsating aesthetic in favor of a more normal-looking level. And of course, having the horror atmosphere means the colors of the levels are dulled and darkened. I'm surprised they didn't add a journal feature, since having one would make keeping track of objectives and codes easier. At least you can still make notes on the map.

If you never played the original System Shock, I would recommend trying that one first, because it will make you appreciate this remake better. But if you don't want or can't handle the oudated graphics and gameplay, this game is a good modern way to experience the classic title. If you like the later titles the original version of this game inspired, why not try and see where it all started, in a modernized way?