System Shock 2

I'll be real here: I like RPGs with FPS elements, but I'm really not wild about survival elements, and I'm super duper not wild about respawning enemies. Also, the FPS gameplay isn't all that good. The character systems and the "immersive sim" design are laudable, but all the negative elements drag the game down for me.

almost all points are for the audio design on shodan's voice. the interlocking rpg systems are pretty interesting but i prefer almost everything else about bioshock, even the moment-to-moment gunplay, and especially the atmosphere, which here is hampered partly by age and partly by fairly typical sci-fi art direction. except shodan's voice. she was atmospheric as shit.

Dropped. Old grafix. Installed HD mods w/ it's own issues: black doorway & missing buttons. Combat isn't satisfying. Combat music is too actiony, destroying the atmosphere. The game goes too far w/ immersive sim concept: Guns/stats/tech/psi are level gated (can't use shot guns unless lv 3 on *standard* guns). All categories req high amt of modules to lv up. Getting caught by camera is annoying, 1 min enemy spawn (best to reload save file). Very indepth RPG system, but not design for player fun.

I need to revisit this someday because I liked it but didn't love it, but feel like I should. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood because I like FPS-RPGs a lot.

There were things about this I loved, but the going back and forth through endless crowds of respawns got to be exhausting after hours and hours, and quite a few of the quests are designed to take you through the same areas again and again. If they took the respawns out, it would probably be the perfect game. Some parts of it were genius. It's the best game that I really, really hate.

[played with Newbie Modding Guide] I guess the remake of the first game must've spoiled me because this game just felt like more of the same. Yet, it was almost as enjoyable.