LGR - System Shock - DOS PC Game Review
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- Опубликовано: 28 фев 2013
- Not only a cult classic cyberpunk adventure, but System Shock by Looking Glass is one of the finest MS-DOS games period. Hope you have a pleasant stay on Citadel Station.
Buy the Enhanced Edition on GOG!
www.gog.com/game/system_shock_... 
Развлечения
Yup, the second one seems to get the majority of the nostalgic acclaim, but the first one really is a true achievement that shouldn't be ignored.
Probably about time you review SS2.
Simon Rose Having beaten it for the first time today, I agree.
@@lewatoaofair2522 Just completed my 7th playthrough today,
still somehow extremely entertaining.
@BigLBA1 SS1 might have not been as optimised
the greatest thing that could've happened happened to this classic, Nightdive, the saviour of classic retro games
BioShock is a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, and was developed by people who worked on the games, most notably System Shock 2 :)
Prey is as well.
Clint, we already knew that, lol
@@yulikitten comments this old are from the early era of youtube comments in which they weren't connected in chains.
@@thomasjenkins7506 yes youtube's early era of 2013
@@thomasjenkins7506 RUclips was already 7 years old in 2013.
A lot of ppl hates EA because of Seasons Pases and DLC, I hate them for ruining Origin Systems.
+Victor Kruger I hate them because they killed Westwood
I hate them because they kill every good company that they get their dirty hands on or turn them into shit like dice and bioware.
imagine if they were still around to make a new eye of the beholder game or lands of lore (like the original) but yeah they ruined a lot of great game companies
Gord Lord I just want another Wing Commander Privateer. good God, that game gave you more freedom than No Mans Sky, and it was released more than 20 years ago!
Jaja... Westwood games. One of best studio.
It's not just nostalgia.
I played this game for the first time last year and absolutely loved it.
Same, I beat it just yesterday after only having vague knowledge about it as "that one game with the clunky UI that supposedly inspired pretty much every first person immersive sim after it", and I've gotta say, it might just be the best game ever made.
Same. I would attempt to play it all those years ago on and off and always ended putting it off, and last year occurred to me to finish it with the aid of a guide on steam. Went head over heels for it so badly I replayed it 2 more times in one sitting. Phenomenal game.
What an immersive game this was. I used cower in the shadows, afraid to move, IN A GAME. There were times when I could only play 30 mins in one go, then I had to go downstairs to mingle with my family and let my nerves unwind. Then you slowly grow. You learn to fight better, you get upgrades, you find better weapons, you start putting the pieces together, you find places that are actually beautiful or even relaxing, your confidence and sense of purpose grows, as does your familiarity and sense of ownership of your surroundings.
It might be hard to get a sense of all that, playing the game now, 23 years later. But at the time this game was utterly revolutionary and sadly also very esoteric and underrated. In my 30+ years of gaming there have only been 1 or 2 other games that had such an impact on my person and life experience.
what others games ?
The game is honestly a gauntlent for the first 2 or so levels on your first ever playthrough. I had no idea about the health station or revive stations on level 1, and didn't figure out the revive station until I completely finished level 2. Up until then I was constantly low HP with almost no medpacks or stims. Had to save scum to oblivion before every single battle since I was literally 1-2 shots away from dying lol
I fucking live on citadel station
Same. I bought Nightdive's enhanced edition a year or so ago thinking "time to finally see what this cult classic is all about". I got up to L3 multiple times and then stopped playing because I was just too tensed up, but I finally sat down and played through all of it this month, and I just might consider it the best game ever made. It takes immersion to a whole new level compared to any other game I've played. Outer Wilds is the only one that comes close, but the tension of combat and the thrilling cyberpunk story that ties into every single aspect of gameplay in System Shock elevates it even higher.
For me the other game would be Ultima Underworld 2.
Closest we have so far is System Shock Portable, which tweaks and adds some really useful stuff. Not an entire UI overhaul, but does add more traditional FPS controls.
The Enhanced Edition on GOG adds mouse lock support which helps greatly alleviate the control issues.
Don't forget Steam!
But DRM free... plus its free right now (from when I write this comment)
@@virgobro2025 damn, I'm 5 years too late
@@virgobro2025 di you hsve the old CD rom edtionnof system shock
Hell, this game is even ahead of this period of gaming.
A lot of Looking Glass' stuff was...
Wouldn't agree on that, but alright
Just the fact that you have to wonder through a labyrinthy world, figuring out what to do next, often backtracking to find upgrades or objectives, was pretty one-of-a-kind for its time. (Unless you count Super Metroid which came out the same year.)
Like Joz, I wouldn't agree with that either. Some games of this period are pretty simple by design (don't over-design, or, "keep it simple, stupid"), but games that rival and surpass this game's complexity are abundant these days.
Err no. It has its place from a historical perspective but this game is old and outdated as shit even 20 years ago. SS2 barely hold up now. It's serviceable but you can tell it came out in that uncertain time where mouses were still kinda an optional interface device.
"System Shock is more like an advanced adventure game." Yeah, that's an important point which is rather difficult to explain to people accustomed to traditional FPSes. I put System Shock in a very under-represented genre I titled 'exploration FPS', along with Metroid Prime, Azrael's Tear and Realm of the Haunting. And, hopefully, the upcoming Routine.
IMHO the enemies are much to tough to not consider it an FPS first.
Remindes me of Morrowind
Did routine pan out or nah? I've never heard of it.
@@noaha6185 Whoa, 8 years already. Lots of things have happened in the world of immersive sims and genre-blending FPS games in that time. Anyway, Routine was vaporware for a while and has been reannounced just last year ruclips.net/video/6HDYMaUUnUQ/видео.html. Very curious to see what will come out of it.
@@faelnor 8+ months later, it's sadly looking rather bleak for Routine -_-
You sound like Duke Nukem sometimes.
O'brien or the barbarian?
he did the Duke Nukem voice in Gas Guzzlers combat carnage
hahahahahahahahah XD
Holy fuck tought i was the only one
This has to be one of your first LGR videos. Lol. He legitimately got paid for doing some Duke Nukem voice work. Off the top of my head I can’t remember which title it was for.
Got mine from eBay. Took a long time to find one though, for a decent price.
It is, I only got the boxed copy recently and I'd been looking for years. Best way to run it is DOSBox.
"Look at you, INSECT."
I knew Shodan before Glados. As someone who enjoyed but didnt understand the computer, I grew up being terrified and yet fascinated by her.
HAL 9000
Who dan is a good character. And likewise I always saw glados as a parody of shodan which made her that much funnier to me
System Shock really is the Alien to Portal's Dark Star.
Incredible. Will have a review eventually!
Nope, I'm playing the original version of the game here. System Shock Portable is a mod though, so you may have to configure it a little better it sounds like.
System Shock doesn't age. It just moved along with us gracefully. It's a pinnacle. Be grateful gamers, yes half life players I'm looking at you....
yes, i agree, once you get over the jank its amazing how, gracefull it is
System Shock 3 is gonna be a thing. Otherside Entertainment is doing it and they have warren specter consulting.
MY BODY IS READY.
+Andrew Singleton I thought Bioshock was supposed to the new System Shock.. I guess nobody agreed.
S'fine by me as long as it's fun and reflects what made SS2 awesome.
+Tom White But dumbed down for console gamers.
+Hayden Onion More like streamlined so you didn't have to go through several menus to get to everything. The user interface was quite dated.
PrimevalTimes No, it was simplistic. Like, bad. System shock 2 allows for multiple playthroughs, with near-endless variety, while Bioshock offers the opposite,
+Tom White Bioshock and SS2 scratch two different kind of itches. I don't think they're similar enough for people to compare them so critically to each other.
Also, dat Psygnosis logo. RIP Colony Wars/WipEout. :(
"Screw you, Life!"
Clever. Clever, clever, clever.
I concur, the wit here was considerable.
*Adjusts monocle, sips tea*
easily impressed?
@@BenState you're the kind of person who needs a laugh track, aren't you?
Rewatching this classic LGR because of the new System Shock remake trailer. It's seriously shaping up to be one of the best and most faithful remakes I've ever seen. What all remakes should strive to be. I hope they don't make me regret saying this.
Awesome, thanks, glad you enjoyed!
It's not hard to find it on eBay. It's finding it boxed, in good condition, AND at an reasonable price that's the problem :)
7 years later, Clint still has one of the greatest pc collections ive ever seen
Please review System Shock 2
LucasGodzilla I actually liked the original a bit more in terms of Setting and the more Mazelike layout of the first but the second is enjoyable and interesting and I did enjoy the module system it could use quite a few improvements
+LucasGodzilla I meant to suggest that too. +LGR Please do.
Easy: Not as good as the first
@@Carewolf The second is better by a mile. Turn of your nostalgia glasses implants.
@@Carewolf Uh... what?
Sorry.
Fucking WHAT?!
Sorry again, I just haven't seen a statement this stupid in awhile.
Haha, the Life cereal bit, I love the subtle humor interjected throughout your videos. It's a nice counter to all the grating RUclips "personalities".
shodans voice is so timeless
I was like 9 when I first played this game...and I had NO idea a game could look like that. It was dark, crazy paced, and super fun. I hadn't ever played an FPS besides DOOM back then, and the gameplay in System Shock was much better with the puzzles.
Great review of a brilliant game. I also recommend playing System Shock 2 with a buddy in coop mode. It's a blast!
Been looking for a boxed copy for years now, but have had no success yet. It will definitely be on the agenda if I ever come to own it.
The System Shock Enhanced Edition is great and they recently updated it with the source code.
That means native 4K resolutions, stable running, and other improvements. I’ve never played it or its sequel before and I’m about halfway through but it’s a great game with amazing atmosphere.
GOG version with mouse looks is amazing and makes it fully playable today. From historical context, this is probably the best game ever. 10/10 game. So innovative, atmospheric, great story, great music, you can be RAMBO/thief kind of... re-play factor very high. Great memories.
Great review, i found out your channel recently, you are doing a great job. No nonsense talking, great and dense narration. Greets from Greece !
Professional reviews with tons of humor, I love it, thank you for making my night!
I love System Shock, including the mazelike structure. It's actually by design, in order to increase immersion: Citadel Station was explicitly designed as an actual functional structure rather than easily remembered game levels. Places like research centres and offices do have a repetitive structure that can get you lost. Early Doom games have the opposite approach, again by design: id designed Doom to be easy to navigate, meaning that every section of a level is different, which also leads to completely abstract environments that would not function as anything. Play through Doom or Doom II and ignore the level names. Ask yourself: what is this room that I'm in supposed to be for?
They way you ended it LGR, just adds and shows the creepy style this game has.
Goes perfect with *Black Sun Empire* music.
I like your production value. The jokes in the beginning made me smile.
I love to see these videos about games I wanted to play back then and never got the chance.
I watched this review many years ago. It caused me to play System Shock, which I completely loved.
A year later I got into doing audio mods for XCOM2. I wanted to port the SS soundtrack, but not just the "static" versions...I wanted proper interactive music. So I wrote a whole new, very powerful, music modding system.
I was able to put that, and its full documentation, on my resume as a technical writer in the software industry. In fact, I brought a snippet of that documentation to my interview.
Now I'm at the same company working as a C++ developer. Again, having a fully released software project was a key element on my resume.
So, in an indirect way, I owe my career to this review.
Wow. Hell yeah man!
My earliest memory of System Shock is when dad went down to the computer store for the midnight release (because those were a thing back in '94).
He came home around 0100hrs and started playing it on speakers... with his study right next to my bedroom.
First, the spooky noises scared me awake, and then I went in there wanting to play, once I realized it was only one of Dad's spooky games.
Man i don't know how to thank you, its soo good to see the history of gaming, and you do it very well... its amazing. Thank you for your hard work.
Great review, as allways. Cant wait for your next video!
this game is from 1994?? holy balls!!
69 likes.... im sorry internet gods
Darn you put me into another system shock depression. I want SS3 more than HL3
That's what i'm hoping for.
It was ok, but it strayed to close to bioshock.
+Flyingfish Yes if only some company would remake system shock
www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-11-12-system-shock-remake-is-in-development
+Flyingfish So, uh, othersidetease.com/sss.php
Flyingfish BioShock?
One of the best games I've ever played. And this despite the fact that I went through it a couple of years ago. Just a head spinning from the realization of how many innovative ideas put into the 1994 game !!! Indeed, only graphics are outdated in the game, but the gameplay is as interesting as many new products.
Thanks for the video and hello from 2019!
This is the first review I've seen from you and I really like the way you review. Keep doing what you do. System Shock does seem pretty cool. :)
I remember this game first coming out. It was amazing game for its time, and it is still a really fun game.
"she had so many implants I couldn't be sure" LOL XD
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, loved this game when it came out!
In time, yes.
1:38 "Now this isn't a guide I'd kick out of bed for eating crackers..." (Looks down at the half-empty bowl of cheezits I'm eating in bed)
I can’t believe I just now saw this. Going to have to find a copy.
I really enjoy your style of narration and your voice!
PS: I'd love to see you review the original Unreal from Epic Megagames (as they called themselves back then).
I've been really curious about this game, so thanks for making a review of it Clint. :)
You had me at Warren Spector. I REALLY LOVED his work with Disney.
This game looks incredible for the time, wow!
wow, i've been waiting for this review , thank you, LGR :3
Great review. I played through the original floppy disk version without a sound card and still thought it was great.
It is 2019 and this game still is great:)
Do a Crusader:no regret/remorse review!!
Yeah, great game!
Wow I missed out on this one! Intriguing story.
Good review man
this is really good talent to be able to narrate so well
Are you planning on talking about the System Shock remake that's being done? I know it's only in Pre-Alpha now. But I mean more as it progresses.
Once it's done, sure!
Dude, check the demo! It's super short and crazy linear, but it's so good! It's not just any old remake, as far as I can tell, it's 1:1 to the starter area!
The remake and SShock 3 are pretty much on the top of my list of most anticipated games. The demo is just sweet. Can't wait!
I was just about to mention the kickstarter. They've raised 1.3 million, so looks like LGR isn't the only huge fan.
Never heard of system shock till LGR. gotta say, it's intriguing.
Oneupgamer I've never played this or it's sequel but I'm considering picking up the remake
Bio forge and System Shock had a baby ; BioShock.
Dear LGR , Loving your MS-DOS and Homecomputer Reviews at all!!! Great awesome stuff here! once again with system shock... ! Germany say thanks a lot to you!!!! P.S: a Strike Commander,
Terminal Velocity or a Screamer Review wouldt be nice too :D
Glad you mentioned that as I just downloaded the game to play on DOSbox, goddam I can't wait to play this thing
One of my greatest Video Game achievements was beating that game.
What I always found awesome about the story was that the system shocks, also took place in the same universe as the Crusader games, and Wing Commander!
wait what? they did?
Actually sorry, my bad. It looks like it was confirmed by the creators, of at least crusader, that most things were just easter eggs. Such as the newspaper in crusader mentioning shodan and citidal station, and the guards that arrest the hacker in system shock looking suspiciously like the silencers.
If that's the case then they are all tied into Ultima then as you can find a Kilrathi fighter in Ultima VII
One of my friends was instrumental in introducing me to awesome computer games and fantasy RPGs and I can't hear the words Ultima Underworld without thinking of her. We grew apart at high school but her dad always had the latest machines so I always at least tried to stay on her good side. Every time I play a first person RPG like Skyrim I raise a glass (of Pepsi Max) to her.
But this looks awesome in itself and IIRC there's a remake out there right now (2023).
I love this game! Great review!
I've never heard a bad review of this game.
Its cuz it is not
Overally this game is great. Enough said. If you found a bad review, well that are their opinion
The only negative criticism I've ever heard from this game is the graphics(subjective) and the controls(understandable) but the latter issue has been greatly improved with the enhanced edition.
Hope you have a chance to play and talk about the enhanced version on GOG.com, which apparently enables easier controls. Haven't tried it yet myself.
Don't forget Steam!
But the sequel is free on GOG right now. with mods
Great review. One of the games I missed back in the day. I did read about the scary, immersive nature of it based on the AI talking to you. Some games really scare you when you play them in a dark room...
I love the music at the end :)
I remember growing up with System Shock 2 and it still to this day beeing my favorite game of all time. Yet my father kept pestering me to play System Shock 1, and so I did. The sad yet amazing part is that in my opinion like Bioshock is a simplified version of System Shock 2, so is System Shock 2 to System Shock 1. When I played it I had the feeling of Duke Nukem 3D which I liked but I didnt expect much of the Game. Boy oh boy after i finished it, it almost saddened me that it had to end. It is by far the very best game of all fucking time in my books at least and its sad to see that todays games dont even fucking try to be remotely as good or deep, the closest try beeing Mass Effect in that compartment. Both Games keep up so damn well on beeing Masterpieces but the first one just does it all even better in ever aspect.
And for anyone wanting to try it, there is a System Shock Portable version findable, its small in size and it comes with a few mods mainly for the controls that can be turned on or off, for example enabling controls with the mouse for looking around and so on.
I used to repair industrial machinery. Everytime i bypassed some casual securitysystem to do some troubelshooting or diagnostics, The System Shock theme playd in the back of my head. Playing this game on my 486 is some of the more memorable time of my youth. Escapeism i guess...
awesome game. BTW. the mp3 of the themesong is still on my playlist.
remember to salt the fries...
DUDE YOU ARE AWESOME!!! so i am one of many subscriber,....
Great review! I really do enjoy how in depth you go with the reviews, plus you're voice is just really awesome to listen to. I do love your laid back style, but a great deal of depth as well. Also, do you plan on reviewing System Shock 2?
LGR, are you going to review System Shock 2 too?
Eventually!
+Lazy Game Reviews a year and still waiting
+Cruzador It's Lazy Game Reviews, you must expect laziness
Tutu
Still waiting buddy :)
Now the remake is out!
Sure is, I’m looking forward to trying it out!
Trying it out already. I think it's good, but I'm a total newcomer so I can't really compare. It reminds me of a first person Resident Evil 4, with the inventory and stuff, and Arkane's Prey. It doesn't strike me as very "immersive sim" though. Not much physics stuff like Bioshock and Prey had.
Wow I was about to request or ask you if you are going to talk about this game. But I guess I don't need to. Thanks for making this video. I can finally share this with others.
One of the best games ever, and I'm still in love with it after all these years.
I would love an HD remake of this game, mostly because I think the controls are wonky and with the atmosphere and amazing scifi architecture it would be amazing when paired up with some dynamic shadows.
XΣRXΣS You are in for some good news if you haven't seen it already. Check out the System Shock remake Kickstarter and its demo. They give out monthly updates on the project if you are interested.
*System Shock 2* is *free* on GOG. I have it with all the mods in their MODS spotlight. Dank.
I absolutely love System Shock. I saw my step-dad's copy growing up and found the artwork inspiring, but didn't install and play until my 20's.
Picked up a Thinkpad 380XD to replay it, and I'm still amazed at how modern it feels.
I did recently find that it's possible to proceed to Reactor without getting the SCI key, which then prevents you from activating the laser, after setting up the shields.
Fortunately, Debug Mode works like a charm and I find myself once again in the Darkened East Corridor.
great, if you get the enchanced edition (which is amazing) you can smash your head into a door, so hard that you phase through it, since the game wasn't designed for mouse look if you Lean and flick your head will go through the door, then you have to jump and walking and just generally be a dumbdumb, untill you phase through
great review!
i'm always curious what great classic game will you "do" next :)
omf 2097 & tyrian would be awesome ;D
I tried many times to play this game but each time the inteface put me off, so I tried System Shock 2 instead. That was three years ago, and now it's one of my favorite games ever. Probably going to try this one out this summer.
Iɴғɪɴɪᴛᴇ8 _ get system shock 1 portable, it allows mouse-look and high resolution.
Stressballs.
One of the most memorable games I remember playing. I also remember how it was used to try and sell the 486 DX 40 say it was the best PC for playing it. Way ahead of its time.
ive seen all of these and now im rewatching
System Shock 2 review. NOAW! D:
I still can't play System Shock 2 because the game scares me so damn much with it's creepy ambience and sounds. Even with it's original blocky 3d graphics, it scares the shit out of me unlike any other game.
I know right? I recently bought it on steam and the part where you first encounter the hybrids scared the shit out of me. You just open the door and they come running full pelt and screaming at you. And I screamed back, let me tell you.
Westdraygon YOUR FLESH BETRAYS YOU!
benjamin papp Yeah thanks for reminding me man I hadn't buried it deep within my subconscious or anything.
benjamin papp I wasnt insulting you sorry if it sounded like I was. XD
can we talk about the shield upgrade for a minute? it's probably one of the most epic things i've ever seen in a videogame. early on the actual protection doesn't really do justice to the visual effect, but later when you get the level 4 shield, you turn it on with that badass effect and start killing everything like a goddamn terminator. it's kinda genius how until then you can still switch the tiers when you find better ones for efficiency, very nice and in tone with the modularity and technical/realistic theme of the game.
Love your retro videos! Could we perhaps see an overview of all your games and request a certain review? ;)
"2:36 : On the monitor: "-XP functions"
Hmm....Windows XP?
Damn, theese guys knew something :D
Isn't it set in the year 2072. XP had been around for SO long, they obviously had some serious budget problems on that ship.
*****
Daywalker! Oh shit thats a different film.
hey friend you should do a system shock 2 review. with mods!
I got it for free (on GOG) just a few hours ago, with all the mods from GOG's mod spotlight. its dank
Good old System Shock. It, Bioforge, and Shadowcaster were really underrated Origin Systems games.
this game looks so good, thanks for the review LGR, i enjoyed it a lot
I think this could have been bigger if it was more Doom-ish. Doom was the hottest stuff back in the days and System Shock just didn't catch on. Just like Shenmue was beaten by GTA3.
SS required higher IQ from players, so yes, Doom was more popular.
It just needed better controls.
System Shock 1 had the poor fortune of being developed before, but released after, Doom. Which is why System Shock 2 was more Doom like in its controls.
So much better than sequel.
***** Err. I'm gonna have to oppose. System shock had a pioneeric feel, great idea for its time, and was way ahead of the technology they had in video games...not so much now. It really hasn't aged well, and although the graphics in SS2 made all of the people look like cardboard cutout stickfigures, the gameplay, storyline, and characters made it stand out from the rest still, to this day.
I just tried SS2 with some mods that really improve character and environment textures.
In my eyes sequel was poorly designed, having all these new features crammed together (classes that are not real classes, unbalanced skills, weapon degradation). As for plot, the one in original SS was so much better, because it made player feel like he was accomplishing something on every step - SS2 is pretty much one big fetch quest about finding cards, repairing doors and so on.
I played System Shock just a little while ago and I was SHOCKED at how much better it was than it's sequel, or even it's modern interpretations.. it's just oozing charisma and possibility, and the atmosphere is incredible. Some games age worse than others, SS1 has an aura of not just staying relevant, but actually getting better the older it is.
*****
"RPG system is bad, since you have to level up correctly, otherwise you will get stuck and can not finish the game"
If anything, I found it too lax.
Whatever upgrade you choose will either give you more resources or make some type of resources useful or more efficient. You could try and make some pants on head-retarded build, but playing normally you would be naturally driven to open some options for yourself. The weapon placement suggests ways to branch out, energy pistol and grenade launcher are introduced early on. One has virtually limitless ammo, the other is extremely potent and versatile weapon that will carry you all the way to the end.
Besides, medsec, engineering and even most of hydroponics are beatable with a wrench on impossible and no points in strength or agility, and respawning enemies mean that you could grind some credits and hypos, not that you'd ever need to.
*****
The only thing you must upgrade is research, but you get the modules for it immediately when the need for it becomes apparent. Do explain how other skills are absolutely required for completion.
Why would you be driven to fight with a wrench upon collecting hundreds of modules as a part of the story is beyond me.
"if choose to be pro in exotic weapons - you're screwed"
Pretty sure that's not the case, unless you are talking about upgrading skills before getting the access to the weapons, supported by said skills, at which point making a pants on head-retarded build is exactly what you are doing.
Well, you've certainly sold me. I'm definitely going to try it out now.
Thanks to you I've began to search and play some of the forgotten games of my youth, and I just wanted to ask you to do reviews of what I think are great games: Rise of the triad, Terminal Velocity, Slipstream 5000, and the great Action Supercross.
Saludos!