Info about System Shock:

Official game description:
  
System Shock is the fully fledged remake of the ground breaking original from 1994, combining cult gameplay with all-new HD visuals, updated controls, an overhauled interface and all-new sounds & music; it even has the original voice actor of SHODAN, one of gaming’s most iconic villains. Witness the rebirth of one of the greatest and most influential games ever created.  
SHE IS SELF-AWARE AND AWARE OF YOU
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Meet SHODAN. The psychotic AI has taken control of Citadel Station and turned the crew into an army of cyborgs and mutants; She now plans to do the same to Earth. You must explore and battle your way through the depths of a space station gone to hell. Stop SHODAN and avert humanity’s destruction.
HER TERMINATION IS OUR SALVATION
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FEATURES
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\- Fight to death in the depths of space  
\- Face off against the forces of a rogue AI gone mad  
\- Improve your skills and adapt to take on your foes  
\- Discover a non-linear story unfolding at your own pace  
\- Jack into cyberspace to hack the system and open other routes  
\- Innovative art style combines retro future design with modern technology  
Become fully immersed: shoot, brawl, crawl, climb, leap and think your way through Citadel Station.

Release date: 30 May, 2023

Categories: First-Person Shooter, Immersive Sim, Exploration, Puzzle Solving, Survival Horror, Resource Management, Hacking Gameplay, Metroidvania


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Faithful & Improved Remake (weight 0.99): The remake is highly praised for its faithful recreation of the original game, preserving its core essence, story, and level design while significantly improving controls, UI, and overall accessibility for modern players. It's considered a gold standard for how classic games should be updated.
- Exceptional Atmosphere & Art (weight 0.37): Players consistently highlight the game's exceptional atmosphere, immersive world-building, and stunning visual and audio design. The unique retro-futuristic art style, detailed environments, and effective soundscapes contribute significantly to the overall experience.
- Rewarding Exploration & Puzzles (weight 0.25): The game is lauded for its immersive sim design, which encourages deep exploration, critical thinking, and problem-solving without hand-holding. Players appreciate the rewarding sense of discovery and accomplishment derived from navigating complex levels and figuring things out independently.
- Deep Immersive Sim Gameplay (weight 0.19): The game is recognized as a pioneering and excellent immersive sim, blending FPS, RPG, and survival horror elements. Its varied enemy types, satisfying combat, and diverse weapon arsenal offer tactical depth and replayability, drawing comparisons to titles like Bioshock and Prey.
- SHODAN: Iconic Antagonist (weight 0.15): SHODAN, the main antagonist, is consistently praised as a charismatic, terrifying, and memorable villain. Her unsettling voice acting and omnipresent taunts significantly enhance the game's atmosphere and drive the narrative.
- Improved Cyberspace Sections (weight 0.07): The Cyberspace sections, a notable feature of the original, are significantly improved in the remake. They are now generally considered fun, visually stylish, and a welcome break from the main gameplay, addressing previous frustrations.
- Effective Audio Log Storytelling (weight 0.07): The game's narrative delivery through audio and text logs is highly effective, providing crucial information for objectives and deepening the lore. Players enjoy piecing together the story and finding clues through careful listening and reading.

Common complaints:
- High difficulty and lack of guidance (weight 0.34): Many players found the game's difficulty, lack of guidance, and frequent backtracking to be extremely frustrating and tedious. This often led to getting lost, not knowing how to progress, and needing to consult external guides.
- Frustrating cyberspace sections (weight 0.26): The cyberspace sections, especially the final boss fight, were overwhelmingly criticized for being tedious, disorienting, poorly designed, and frustrating. Issues included clunky combat, lack of save points, and forced restarts.
- Dated design and QoL issues (weight 0.25): The remake's strict adherence to the original's design, while aiming for faithfulness, resulted in many outdated mechanics and quality-of-life issues. This made the game feel archaic and less enjoyable for modern players, with some finding the visual style unappealing.
- Outdated and clunky combat (weight 0.2): Combat mechanics were frequently described as clunky, repetitive, and outdated. Players found enemy AI to be basic, enemies too accurate or spongy, and ammo scarcity combined with respawns led to frustrating encounters.
- Poor objective tracking (weight 0.15): The game's reliance on audio logs and text documents for objectives, without a quest log or clear markers, made it difficult for players to track progress, remember goals, and often required extensive note-taking or external guides.
- Confusing, maze-like level design (weight 0.13): Level design was consistently described as maze-like, confusing, and monotonous, leading to excessive and tedious backtracking. Players often got lost due to similar-looking environments and a difficult-to-read map.
- Tedious inventory management (weight 0.11): Inventory management was a significant source of frustration due to extremely limited space, forcing players to constantly juggle items, make difficult choices, and engage in tedious recycling mechanics.
- Problematic save system (weight 0.05): Players reported issues with saving, including restricted save points, corrupted files, and the necessity of 'save scumming' due to unforgiving difficulty spikes and unskippable death animations, particularly in boss fights.

Gameplay feedback:
- Metroidvania-style FPS exploration (weight 0.18): The game is primarily a first-person shooter with strong Metroidvania and dungeon crawler elements. It emphasizes exploration, puzzle-solving, and navigating complex, labyrinthine levels within a space station setting, rather than being a straightforward run-and-gun experience. It is often compared to classic titles like Doom, Metroid, and early Resident Evil games.
- No hand-holding or guidance (weight 0.18): The game adopts an old-school design philosophy, offering minimal hand-holding, no objective markers, or clear guidance. Players are expected to figure out objectives, paths, and mechanics independently, which can be challenging for those accustomed to modern game conventions.
- Progression via audio/text logs (weight 0.16): Progression and understanding the narrative heavily rely on players actively listening to audio logs, reading text documents, and paying close attention to environmental cues. Missing crucial information from these sources can lead to getting stuck or lost, requiring careful deduction and note-taking.
- Challenging with customizable difficulty (weight 0.13): The game is generally considered challenging, even on lower difficulties, but offers highly customizable difficulty settings. Players can adjust combat, puzzle, cyberspace, and mission direction difficulties independently, allowing for a tailored experience, though some settings cannot be changed mid-game.
- Crucial resource management (weight 0.12): Resource and inventory management are critical for survival. Players must carefully conserve ammunition, health, and other supplies due to their scarcity, and manage limited inventory space, often requiring strategic decisions about what to carry and what to leave behind.
- Integrated puzzles and note-taking (weight 0.11): Puzzle-solving is a core gameplay element, often integrated with exploration and requiring players to think critically and take notes. These puzzles range from environmental challenges to mini-games, and their solutions are frequently found within the game's logs or environment, demanding player attention and memory.
- Mandatory cyberspace hacking (weight 0.1): Cyberspace sections serve as mandatory hacking mini-games, often involving 6-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) flying shooter combat. While improved from the original, these segments can be divisive, with some players finding them clunky or disruptive to the game's pace.
- Tactical and varied combat (weight 0.04): Combat is tactical and varied, featuring diverse enemy types (mutants, robots, cyborgs) that require different weapon and ammo strategies. Players must conserve resources and plan encounters, as enemies can be lethal, especially on higher difficulties.
- Disappointing final act and boss (weight 0.04): The game's final act and boss fight are often criticized for feeling drawn out, lacking a satisfying conclusion, or introducing frustrating mechanics. Players report issues like unskippable intros, lack of healing, and a sudden change in gameplay style for the final encounter.
- Persistent items and corpses (weight 0.04): The game features persistent item drops and enemy corpses, meaning items left on the ground or in storage crates will remain throughout the playthrough. This allows for strategic item management and retrieval, and respawns generally occur without loss of loot.

Performance notes:
- Strong Performance & Optimization (weight 0.06): Many players report excellent overall performance, high frame rates, and good optimization, even on older or mid-range hardware. The game is generally not considered demanding.
- Occasional Game Crashes (weight 0.05): While generally stable, some players experienced occasional crashes to desktop, sometimes linked to specific hardware (AMD/Windows 11) or actions like alt-tabbing. UE4 fatal errors were also reported.
- Minor Stuttering & Lag (weight 0.04): A number of players noted occasional stuttering or brief lag spikes, particularly during loading screens, level transitions, or in specific areas like the Groves. However, it often doesn't significantly impact gameplay.
- Graphics & Resolution Issues (weight 0.02): Some users reported issues with blurry or pixelated graphics, difficulty seeing interactable objects, and resolution problems. There were also mentions of jittery movement and incorrect ultra-widescreen scaling.
- Excellent Steam Deck Performance (weight 0.02): The game runs exceptionally well on the Steam Deck, often achieving stable 60 FPS on various settings. It is also fully functional under Linux via Proton.
- Minor Visual Bugs (weight 0.01): Minor visual bugs were reported, including glitching ragdoll physics, disappearing enemy textures, and, rarely, invisible bosses during fights.
- Specific FPS Drops (weight 0.01): Some players experienced noticeable FPS drops in specific scenarios, such as loading saves or entering certain 'grove' areas, though overall performance remained good.
- Configurable Performance Settings (weight 0.01): Players found ways to manage performance, such as disabling TAA via config files or manually capping FPS in settings for smoother gameplay on lower-end systems.
- Steam Integration Issues (weight 0): Some users reported issues with Steam Cloud saves not transferring correctly between devices and certain achievements not unlocking.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Experience (weight 0.29): The game is highly recommended by a large number of players, often described as a masterpiece and a must-play. Many consider it a strong contender for their top games list, praising its overall quality and unique experience.
- Essential for Immersive Sim Fans (weight 0.26): The game is strongly recommended for fans of classic immersive sims and those interested in the genre's origins, particularly if they enjoyed games like Deus Ex, BioShock, or Prey. It's seen as a faithful and well-executed remake that modernizes the classic experience.
- Challenging, Unforgiving Design (weight 0.24): The game is challenging and does not hold the player's hand, requiring patience, exploration, and problem-solving. It's not suitable for casual players or those expecting modern guidance, but rewarding for those who embrace its old-school design.
- Worth Purchase, Consider Sale (weight 0.22): While many believe the game is worth its full price, a significant number of players recommend purchasing it during a sale. This suggests that while the quality is high, some find the full price a barrier or prefer a discount.
- Adjust Difficulty for Enjoyment (weight 0.22): Players frequently recommend adjusting difficulty settings, especially for cyberspace, to enhance enjoyment. Many suggest playing on easier combat or mission difficulties for a first playthrough to avoid frustration.
- Demand for System Shock 2 Remake (weight 0.12): There is strong community desire and anticipation for a remake of System Shock 2, often citing the quality of this remake as the reason. Many hope the developers will apply the same care and attention to the sequel.
- Strong Survival Horror Elements (weight 0.02): The game is highly recommended for fans of the survival horror genre, particularly those who enjoy cyberpunk themes, exploration, and a sense of dread. It delivers a compelling dystopian atmosphere.

Other player notes:
- Faithful and Accessible Remake (weight 0.17): The remake is highly praised for its faithful adaptation of the original 1994 classic, making it accessible to new players while preserving its core identity. Many reviewers, including those who never played the original, appreciate its historical significance and influence on the immersive sim genre.
- Genre-Defining Immersive Sim (weight 0.06): The game is recognized as the foundational title for the 'immersive sim' genre, influencing many subsequent games like BioShock and Prey. Reviewers appreciate its historical importance and how it laid the groundwork for complex, player-driven experiences.
- Compelling Hacker Narrative (weight 0.02): The narrative centers on a nameless hacker who, after being caught, is coerced into removing SHODAN's ethical constraints, leading to the AI's rogue takeover of Citadel Station and the hacker's mission to stop her.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.29): Players felt satisfied by the remake's high quality, faithfulness to the original, and successful modernization of classic gameplay elements. Overcoming challenges, exploring the immersive world, and appreciating the detailed graphics, sound design, and engaging story also contributed to a rewarding experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration stemmed primarily from the game's lack of guidance, confusing level design, and tedious backtracking. Difficult cyberspace sections, resource scarcity, and various bugs or crashes also significantly contributed to player annoyance and a feeling of being stuck.
- Disappointment (weight 0.1): Disappointment arose from the game's perceived failure to fully modernize outdated mechanics, particularly in cyberspace sections and boss fights. Players also expressed dissatisfaction with repetitive level design, lack of engaging content in the latter half, and technical issues that hindered the overall experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.06): Admiration was strongly driven by the remake's high quality, faithful adaptation of the original, and its innovative design. SHODAN's character, the game's historical significance as an immersive sim pioneer, and the developers' dedication to the project were also major causes of admiration.
- Excitement (weight 0.05): Excitement was generated by the remake exceeding expectations, offering a high-quality and immersive experience. The challenging gameplay, the anticipation for a potential System Shock 2 remake, and the thrill of unguided exploration also contributed to a sense of exhilaration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players enjoyed the overall experience, particularly the challenging gameplay, exploration, and sense of discovery within Citadel Station. The game's atmosphere, puzzles, and the updated visuals and controls of the remake also contributed to a fun and engaging playthrough.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Appreciation was expressed for the remake's faithfulness to the original, its successful modernization, and the developers' efforts to make the classic accessible to new audiences. The game's challenging old-school design, immersive atmosphere, and SHODAN's voice acting were also highly valued.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy was primarily derived from the overall high quality of the game, its immersive atmosphere, and the satisfaction of mastering challenging areas. Nostalgia for the original game and the pleasure of exploring the station also contributed to a delightful experience.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger was caused by specific frustrating mechanics, such as cyberspace levels and poor note management, as well as perceived outdated design choices. Lack of developer support, keybinding issues, and game-breaking bugs also fueled player frustration and anger.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia was a strong emotion, driven by the remake's faithful preservation of the original game's spirit, atmosphere, and old-school design. Players relived childhood memories and appreciated the opportunity to re-experience a classic in a modernized form.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players felt engaged by the game's immersive difficulty, gripping narrative, and challenging puzzles and exploration. The captivating atmosphere, the character of SHODAN, and the need for strategic resource management also contributed to a deeply involving experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stemmed from tedious mechanics like inventory management, constant enemy respawns, and unskippable animations. Frustrating cyberspace sections, confusing maps, and the need to consult walkthroughs also contributed to player irritation.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from the game's lack of clear objectives, confusing level design, and disorienting cyberspace sections. Players often felt lost and struggled to understand how to progress, especially due to the absence of tutorials and hand-holding.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): The game's unforgiving difficulty, resource scarcity, and complex puzzles were the primary causes of the challenge emotion. Players appreciated the intellectual demand and the lack of hand-holding, which required them to think critically and manage resources effectively.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom was caused by repetitive level design, aimless wandering, and tedious cyberspace sections. Some players found the gameplay loop unengaging and felt the game's outdated mechanics made it feel like a chore.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation was primarily driven by the desire to play the game, especially for a potential System Shock 2 remake. High expectations for the game's quality and the excitement for future releases from the developers also contributed to this emotion.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players were pleasantly surprised by the game's overall quality, its smooth performance, and the successful blend of old-school and modern design. Initial skepticism was often dispelled by the engaging gameplay and unexpected depth of the experience.
- Immersion (weight 0.01): Immersion was fostered by the game's captivating atmosphere, detailed world-building, and effective sound design. The immersive sim elements and the need to figure out objectives through environmental clues also contributed to a deep sense of being within the game world.
- Awe (weight 0.01): Awe was inspired by the game's complex and rich world, its stunning visual fidelity, and the overall high quality of the remake. SHODAN's character, the game's historical impact, and its ability to create memorable and chilling moments also evoked a sense of awe.
- Amusement (weight 0): Amusement stemmed from the difficulty of certain puzzles, the humorous negative reviews from players misunderstanding the genre, and SHODAN's unique verbal abuse of the player. Unexpected gameplay events and the game's overall quirky design also contributed to this emotion.}