Many people know that one of my all-time favorite games is a little-known gem known as System Shock 2 (SS2. WARNING! This link has plot spoilers, so be warned!). It was released in 1999 and continues the story of "the Hacker" (you) from the original System Shock game (1993). SS2 won many Game of the Year titles in 1999, and it almost always shows up on "Greatest Games of All Time" lists (PC Gamer had it as number #5). It's mixture of atmosphere, plot, unique challenges and character-driven storytelling, plus some mind-bending plot twists, make it one of the most original and breathtaking games ever pressed to a CD. In fact, 7 years later, there is still an active (even rabid) fan base that is still creating new maps, missions, and even upgrading the graphics and gameplay models.
I first played SS2 around 2002 I think. My roommates at the time said "Ok, you HAVE to play this game. You have to play it in the dark, alone, with either surround sound or some serious headphones. And you have to play it loud." So I did. And boy, once I got about half-an-hour into the game, I began to become afraid. I was literally TERRIFIED at times. Never has a game made me so paranoid or edgy in my entire life. There were times that I felt that my own life was in mortal danger; that the game was trying to kill ME. I kid you not. I think these quotes from Gamespot's "Greatest Games of All Time" write up about SS2 really sums up what made SS2 so great:
The game was scary. Damn scary. And this isn't schlocky-horror-movie-style monster-closet scary, where the bogeyman jumps out at you when you least expect it. Shock 2 projected real psychological terror through the tragic grotesquery of the formerly human enemies, the urgency and grim portent of the crew members' audio logs, and the unparalleled sound design that brought the menace and forebodingness of the Von Braun to horrible life.
... Sometimes characters are betrayed, but the player never is. I wanted to violate that trust and make the player feel that they, and not [only] the character, were led on and deceived." - Ken Lavine, General Manager, Irrational Games
System Shock introduced what is, in my opinion, the most incredible villain in gaming history: The female AI
SHODAN (WARNING! This link has spoilers, though they aren't too bad. You have been warned). Most villains in video games are simply trying to kill you, and so you try and kill them back. SHODAN was much more insidious than that. She was manipulative, scheming, and unquestioningly evil. I remember one part where you have an uneasy alliance as you're both trying not to die, and she provides you with some supplies to help you with your mission (essentially enhancements to your cybernetic implants). During this particular chapter, you find an empty storage compartment with the door stuck half open. Since your weapons are constantly deteriorating and you have very limited ammo, you tend to explore everything you can (you will never be as excited over finding 5 bullets as you are in SS2, trust me). As you approach the room, SHODAN pipes up to warn you (rather menacingly) that you are running out of time and need to get on with your mission. You now have a choice. Do you enter the compartment and explore, or do you obey SHODAN and continue?
Well if you make the choice to explore, you will come across something that tells you that SHODAN is more involved with what is going on than she wants you to believe, and that something is horribly, horribly wrong. Once you exit the room, SHODAN promptly removes your upgrades and says, ominously,
I hope you enjoyed your little rebellion, irritant. But remember, what SHODAN gives she is more than able to take away.
Damn, when creepy computer AIs start paraphrasing scripture, you know you've got problems. When she said that to me the first time, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Though by far the best quote that really epitomizes all that makes SHODAN at once a wonderful and terrifying villain can be summed up in this
audio clip. (It's in the Ogg Vorbis format, so you'll need
this codec to play it). There's also this
collection of quotes from both SS and SS2. There are spoilers here, so be careful if you want to be completely surprised.
So why am I posting all this you ask yourself? Maybe it's pure sentiment for my past, like my post about Babylon 5. Maybe it's my revitalized interest in video games thanks to my Xbox 360. I think in truth it is closer to something in between. The main reason I am posting this is because Irrational Games (makers of the System Shock series), are making what they call a "spiritual successor" to SS2 called
BioShock. Gamespot has a great
retrospective on SS2 that really ties in with this concept.
Needless to say, I can't wait. It's supposed to come out in 2007 for PC and 360. It's set in the late 1960s, in an "intellectual utopia" community known as Rapture that just so happens to reside at the bottom of the ocean. You awaken floating in the ocean with survival the only goal in mind, and you soon find yourself trapped in this bizarre world (much like how you find yourself on the Von Braun, the spaceship you wakeup on in SS2) Game Informer had a feature on this game in the latest issue and am positively giddy with excitement. This is one of my gaming dreams come true (with the other being Freespace 3, but that's another story). While it's not System Shock 3, it is at least the same team that made SS2 and they are going to take the same concepts and game mechanics and mold them into a new game.
2007 can't get here fast enough.
