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System Shock That would be the remake that just came out. The original System Shock is one of those games that I've always been meaning to play but never got around to. And now I don't need to because I feel like I just played a better version of it. Not a re-imagining but the exact same game with some modern QoL improvements. Even visually, it looks great while still using an art style that evokes the feeling of playing a retro game. Digital Foundry called it the greatest remake ever made and I can kinda see where they're coming from. And it's not just the visuals that feel retro. You can see the immersive sim DNA with a story told through audio logs, weapons and mods, even metroidvania-like upgrades that let you access new areas. But you can tell this is the grand-father of the genre because there's not that much variety in how you tackle things and the game really doesn't hold your hand: no explicit objectives or quest markers and there's no one talking in your ear the entire time telling you what to do. You get some "live" calls here and there but they're usually mostly for story purposes and often get cut off by SHODAN before they can actually give you any useful info. You better be paying attention to those audio logs because that's where all the info is. You need to figure out for yourself what to do next and I found myself googling for help a few times because I would often reach a new floor of the station only to explore basically all of it with seemingly no meaningful progress to show for it. There's a locked door here with a keypad but do I already have the code or... ? Sometimes I'd google for help and find out the thing I assumed I needed to do next was actually for much later in the game and I was supposed to do this other thing instead. It made for some aimless wandering around at times, but when I wasn't stuck I had a blast exploring Citadel Station. Until things kinda fell apart at the end... Not completely. The last few levels are alright, just smaller because it's the climax of the game. But that final boss is some complete nonsense. For half of it, I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to be doing. I think they knew it was hot trash, though, because you literally can't fail lol. If you die, you just respawn with no progress lost. I still kinda want to play System Shock Enhanced Edition to contrast with this one but man, those Doom graphics are gonna be tough to go back to now. Also, now that I have a better understanding of the critical path through the game, I'm curious to replay the remake and try paying super close attention to the audio logs to see if I can pick up on all the little details that are meant to guide you along. I'm also looking forward to System Shock 2 Enhanced Edition more than ever now. I actually did start SS2 several times years ago but never got very far into it. Hell, I honestly kinda hope Nightdive tries their hand at remaking that one as well. It has definitely aged way better than the original but it's still from that era where 3D graphics still weren't quite there yet.