Retro Review: System Shock 1 

Hey George, listened to an interview with Greg LoPiccolo, and he's seen your review. He confirms the similarity between reactor music and NIN wasn't a coincedence.

I'd argue that System Shock 1 absolutely IS an RPG, but not in the typical sense: SHODAN never stopped feeling like a sadistic DM to me.

it's finally on GoG, and with mouse look by default

Ah, looking glass. They came, created history with a handful of games and disappeared.

Playing System Shock without mouselook made me have to plan out things and take the game much more slowly, because in a bad situation, I would die instantly. So, as a result, if I saw an enemy, I immediately double-backed and reconsidered the situation before continuing. It's a fantastic horror game without mouselook, and a great Metroid Prime-esque game with mouselook. It's pretty much whatever you want it to be.

"Until GOG or someone picks this up [...]"; Super Bunnyhop is a confirmed psychic.

Blade Runner has aged in a way totally different than the other clips you selected. Yeah, it didn't accurately predict the future, but it was a compelling vision that is still powerful today.

the level design of this game is impressive.

PC games back in the day had a tun of personality and creative love put into them, didn't they.

A note for anyone browsing old SBH vids: the Enhanced Edition of SS1 is now a full source port with mouselook and other fine features built in so if you want to give it a try, now's your chance. Just, uh, feel free to stop playing once you reach the bridge, like all Shock games it falls apart right at the end.

God, thank you for doing this game justice (and not just stopping at "uh, guys, it has, like, bad controls and stuff"), probably the most underrated video game in video game history.

Gog has picked this game up. NightDive is making a remake. System Shock 3 is being made by Otherside with Warren Specter consulting. 2016. THE YEAR OF SHODAN'S REBIRTH.

You're one of my favorite guys and it never fails to put a smile on my face whenever you show up on my subscriptions

This was wonderful. Not only is this 10 minutes of fawning praise from one of the toughest reviewers on RU-vid, but you add the insight that this is an FPS Metroidvania. I love this game, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

I don't know why, but I love looking up reviews of the System Shock games every now and then. I am happy I found this particular review, because I had not heard about Tribe. It seems like they were an awesome band. The songs Joyride and Rescue Me are fantastic!

9:23 - The music (as you mention) was written by Greg LoPiccolo, the bass player of seminal Boston alternative band Tribe. The guy knew what he was doing. The Executive level music is my favourite - the bassline alone is a genuine work of art.

System shock is a masterpiece, even with those overcomplicated slow controls. I finished the game when I was 15, running it on Pentium 100 machine, without audio and with limited English vocabulary. Still one of my biggest gaming achievements until today.

Head like a hole, Black as your soul, I'd rather die, Than give SHODAN control!

Started playing the enhanced edition... it's so fucking gooood

I have played and completed this game so many times.... That got me a win the System Shock 2 competition, that's why I'm a dead guy down one of the cargo bays. System Shock 1 was a superior game to System Shock 2 in nearly every way. Better story, better music, better and more grandeur level design - the first time I made it to the security level blew my mind... One of the best things about it is the way one can travel between the levels using different elevators. With a little imagination, you can do some really sweet things here. In addition, unlike System Shock 2, there are no visible loading screens. These were all hidden behind the lift travel mechanic. The computer hacking always got flak for it's weirdness, but you can do some really cool things from within the computer, many of which affect the outside world... In comparison, I always found System Shock 2 to be a disjointed experience thanks to its thousands of loading screens.... For me System Shock was the best game ever made - that is until very recently..... Yes, Horizon Zero Dawn I'm looking at you...

If you haven't watched Max Headroom; you should. It's a surprisingly good series and has aged relatively okay.

Soooo...shouldn't the correct definition be MetroidShockVania?

Thank you for pointing out the obvious NIN connection with the soundtrack. Yet another great piece of (pseudo) journalistic content from one of my two favorite youtube content creators. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GEORGE!!!

I found System Shock 1 when I first discovered abandonware and the plethora of great games that existed on DOS and it blew my mind. It's just so ahead of it's time. I'm glad you made this video because now I don't have to, and you did a great job! Subscribed.

Part of me is still in love with SHODAN. I worry it will never stop this madness... and yet, another part of me hopes it doesn't.

After getting this on Steam today as something to do before LoZ Breath of the Wild comes out all I can say is I felt so triumphant when I finally destroyed the mainframe on LV1 only for my fear to come rushing back as a small army of cyborgs attacked me and finally felt realeved to reach the elevator and that calming music made me let my guard down as I was then attacked by a swarm of mutants basically you are never safe in this game I have learned by the time I reached the 2nd floor

My, how times have changed since this video was released. Thank you, Nightdive Studios! Great review - so excited about the remake.

The vent transition from System Shock to Half-Life was a nice cinematic touch. Your videos are getting better in general, not just the writing but the production too!

I for one love the original control scheme.

I hope the next retro review is System Shock 2!

One of my all-time favorites. Haven't gotten this year's remaster yet, but I hear good things.

Hey George, since System Shock 1 is on steam and gog now, it could be a good ideia to put an anotation or a link in the description for someone that may discover these games through this video (since I've already reccomended this channel to a few people it might help)

I just finished this game for the first time last night, and it's absolutely stellar. I agree with everything in this review, and I feel like the new control scheme in the enhanced edition tremendously help the game. Mouselook and WASD movement is definitely a huge improvement, but I also appreciate that the rest is mostly unchanged. Frantically clicking around in the UI to toggle your shield and tab over to the weapon screen on your MFD to switch your ammo feels really suitable in this type of cyberpunk story, because I can imagine the hacker feeling the same stress trying to interact with his brand new neural interface system while being stalked by murderous cyborgs. It's just one of the many immersive aspects the game gets so right, both in terms of gameplay and how it adds to the story/setting. Another example would be the berserk patch, which is both a great video game power-up (making you pretty much unstoppable when combined with the laser rapier) that fits with the whole "thinking man's shooter" gameplay, and at the same time a great piece of lore+immersion enhancer the way it messes with the viewport of your neural interface. I could go on, but TLDR; I'm really glad this game is now more accessible than ever, because more people need to experience this masterpiece.

Man, you're commentary is a joy to listen to regardless of what game or genre you talk about. You're one of the best video game reviewers/analysts/whatevers on RU-vid.

OH MY GOD SYSTEM SHOCK REVIEW! IS MY BODY READY FOR THIS!?!?! DAMN STRAIGHT!

Man I remember back when this came out, most people I know didn't even have Windows at the time, including me. We all had DOS based machines back then, and we were pretty used to playing WOLF3D and DOOM just fine with keyboard controls. Which could possibly explain why the devs chose not to go with mouse controls. I think.

George, please come back and do a video on the remake. I think you would like it and I would love to hear your opinion on it. We miss you man

System Shock is honestly Miles better than 2. While some games age badly, System Shock actually gets BETTER over time. Until I can play another game where I hack together a game of Pong and play it while simultaneously beating robots out of commission with a Lead Pipe, my opinion will not be swayed.

Hm, I would argue that System Shock has at least as much RPG in it as Bioshocks do. Choosing which implants to spend your limited energy on and having actual inventory management allows for roughly the same degree of variation in playstyle as equipping and upgrading superpowers in Bioshocks.

You really should do one of these for STALKER. Now that is a fanbase... :D

I've been doing two things this week - listening to a bunch of Nine Inch Nails, and binging your channel. Then this episode started playing Head Like A Hole. Life is strange sometimes man. Hope that third EP drops soon...

I like the transition between the hovercar flying towards the camera in Blade Runner almost syncing with another one flying away in the game intro.

System Shock 1 is now available on GOG.com! www.gog.com/game/system_shock_enhanced_edition

Night Dive Studios released the enhanced version in 2015. Now , they are making another enhanced version in 2020. The 2015 release; System Shock: Enhanced Edition features: Higher resolution support up to 4K widescreen mode Mouselook support Rebindable keyboard/mouse/joystick commands Adapted to Nightdive's KEX engine Support for both Direct3D and OpenGL Option to switch between hi-resolution Mac assets and the original DOS assets Official support for fan missions and fan mods New unified options menu that allows changing preferences before gameplay Adjustable FOV (Field of View) Smoother camera rotation and translation Improved control scheme which allows faster and streamlined experience Brand new achievements Remappable keys with three profiles to choose from: original controls, custom controls, and lefthanded controls. Many original game bugs fixed.

This is one of the happy rare occasions where I can say a video aged like fine wine, specially that last part bout GOG and whatnot :-) Still consider this the first rainbow six game... even if the book hadn't been written yet.

I've had to like this video three times... I have no complaints about that fact! Bloody brilliant review

Holy shit, I used to play this game retroactively after dad bought 2, and just now realised the hacker ia wearing a watchman T-shirt... That's an AWESOME small detail

I just wanna say thanks for making this channel. It's what I've been wanting for a while.

Hey George, I know it's not an RPG-esque game like both System Shocks, but I would advise trying Marathon (if you haven't already). Marathon 2 is a lot better than the original, but both stack up sort-of well. It also follows in the tradition of rogue ai's, it's a Bungie game what do you expect, but with a different twist. Instead of being your antagonists, the AI's in Marathon pretty much become gods, but benevolent gods. The story itself is well written, especially for its time. The lighting for the time period is also pretty impressive. Just look up "Aleph One", which is a free release of all the Marathon games by Bungie, and have fun!

Great video, thanks. Especially appreciate the length - many people try to condense under 10 mins and it leaves less room for content.

NIN was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the music!

Another solid review. I really look forward to every new video on this channel. Keep up the great work

Bought System Shock: EE off of GOG because of this review. Am not disappointed. Thanks for the pointing me towards a classic. :)

Hey! Just found you channel after watching a Rainbow Six Siege videos and wanted to say your commentary style is one I truly enjoy.

I DO remember the floppy version of System Shock (I didn't play the CD version till years later). I did get frustrated with it and put it down for a few weeks. Fortunately I gave it another try and slowly mastered the cumbersome controls. There have only been 1 or 2 other games in my life that left such an impression on me. Exploring Citadel Station, finding out everything that happened, completing the various goals, being hunted by SHODAN and eventually beating it, was almost like a real life experience. The emotions this game was able to evoke back then with the story, the music, the level design, an actual rudimentary physics engine and the other groundbreaking features in this game (some of which were not seen together in other games until 10 years later) were without equal. Even though this is a Cyberpunk Sci-Fi game (unlike SS2 which had more horror elements), there were times when I could only play this game 30 minutes a time, before I had to walk away and be among people because I felt so tense. Eventually you become stronger, more capable, better informed, more experienced. You become a force to be reckoned with. You make parts of Citadel Station your own and find certain areas are actually nice to relax in or to stage raids from. Your character grows and you feel like you're growing with it. Btw, the Intro music on the Floppy version was actually better than on the CD Version. For some reason the CD Intro Music was a lot softer.

"In my talons, I shape clay, crafting life forms as I please. If I wish, I can smash it all." - Shodan

This was all in all a very well written and well rounded review. For that, I say, congratulations. But you forgot to mention a few, that are to me, very important aspects of the game. First, this game had customizable difficulty settings, in which you could choose a easier or more challenging combat, easier or harder mission objectives and even easier or harder hacking segments. Hacking has always been a significant part of the Shock series, it was always a fairly challenging, yet feeling a bit like chores sometimes, activity throughout the whole series. You also forgot to mention the energy management system, which was very innovative for its time, introducing multiple augmentations (like in Deus Ex) for the character in a FPS in 1994! The game allowed to player to set the character's enhancements energy consumptions, for example, you had to be very careful to not let you flashlights on for very long (and some parts you can't see a damn thing without your flashlights on), otherwise you would run out of energy that could be used to active your shileds (which greatily reduce the damage taken), or the rocket boots (which allowed you to reach higher positions), or the hazard suit (which protected you against radiation), speed modules, etc. All those enhancements are vital for both surviving and advancing in the game.

System Shock Remake is now completely funded on Kickstarter!!!!

Bunnyhop, do you have any plans to do another critical close-up in the future? I love your large-format videos where you really flesh out all of your points. I think this video was great and enjoyed watching it but it would have been a great introduction to a critical close-up of all the shock titles.

Bunnyhop, I have to tell you just how great this video is. I've watched it four times now and I'm still not tired about you going on about this old game. I really should give it a shot, but I find these kinds of games really hard to wrap my head around. I've always been more comfortable with visceral styles of gameplay rather than slow and abstract.

Looking Glass Studios may not last long as developers but left us some pc gems such as SShocks, Ultima Underworlds & Thieves.

George's recent reveal that TOTAL RECALL is his favourite movie makes that opening statement ring all the more true.

woah... i was starting to miss your reviews guys thanks for your reviews!

Once I learned the keyboard control system I was really good at this game... crouching around corners & taking out my enemies... the control system I learned to go with it...

What was the soundtrack in the beginning?

Such a great review.- Just read that System Shock 3 is announced and i kinda struggled to understand the hype, since it missed me and i never heard of it. After watching your 14 minutes i feel like i know every detail, the kids back then knew who made the hype real. Must say thanks for your great and anticipated way to make a video, judging by this one. I will follow you, lets see what you got there. Good job!

This has to be at least the fifth time I've watched this video, and I definitely think it's one of your best videos. That custom opening with the pounding music, the extensive coverage of pretty much everything about the game- the writing flows very well.

The System Shock games were so damn good.

To update the control debacle for 2018: That "mouse mod" is entirely part of the "Enhanced Edition" on Steam. Also, the version with the original convoluted controls, it's no longer on Steam. So yeah, the Enhanced Edition (and a Kickstarted remake) is all there is now.

Hey George, I know this video is about 6 years old, but there is something I think you might find interesting. There was a dude talking on youtube about the history of immersive sims in gaming, and there is actually an interconnected web of the devs on Deus Ex, Theif, SS1, Ultima Underworld, and the dude (Strat-Edgy Productions) also talks about how SS1 itself is an immersive sim. Just something I thought you might find interesting, especially after your remark on more than half of the keyboard being used for controls was "sim length"/style controls. anyway, that's it. hope you are staying well during the pandemic, and i hope you are staying safe at any events/protests you might be attending (god why am I writing this like an email?)

About the music: SS2 continued the tradition of mixing intense, "dancey" electronic tunes and creeping dark ambient but I see so many people bitching about the music in that game, saying it ruins the atmosphere and even turning the music off! To those people: YOU SUCK. SS2's soundtrack is amazing, the dead silence until Med/Sci comes on and the Hybrids come out is one of the best sequences in gaming I've played. This game does have some pretty good music though I do say. I like the 6th Floor (the floor with the garden pods, right?) and its "foresty" sounding theme. As for creepier music, there wasn't much of it compared to the second game, but I like the third floor's music, though mostly due to it being the third floor in general, with the lack of light sources and those goddamn invisible mutants that take forever to kill but can take you down in a few hits (I seriously could not find the lantern and rapier that were on that floor even after reading guides - I had to get lantern v.2 on another floor and then fumble around/look at other guides to find that ladder that was so well-hidden in the dark leading to the rapier). And then there's this weird music that's like some malfunctioning machinery, that's how I'd best describe it, it's at a couple points in the game, but most noteworthy is the second floor. It's the area with all the robots and cyborgs clumped together. I don't know what it is, something about that music made me really nervous in that particular area, and when I ended up there I was trying my damnedest to get the hell out (somehow it was worse long after it was cleared of all the robots)

The remaster looks great, I love that it went more towards the space horror while keeping the small boxy rooms that now provide claustrophobic feeling instead if being just what the technology allows.

Damn you, George! Damn you to hell... You just made me want to revisit S.Shock1 again. Maybe I'll even finish it this time (I always get lost at some point and I'm too proud to look at walkthroughs)

So I tried the music you put in the credits, but I still can't find the track you used in the intro. I've spent one year trying to find the song. Please, Super Bunnyhop, what is the song from the intro called?

Thank you for this! It made me find a newer greater appreciation for this game. I also need that mod.

the gone home warning screen made me lol

I've watched this review 2x already, but why the fuck is this the only worthwhile review of System Shock, the game is an absolute classic and in many places genre defining.

I'm playing it as an homage to all the games that it inspired, the roots are clear and the space station is intriguing to navigate if you can see past the old school graphics and complicated UI

the cyberspace theme always reminded me of Sin by NIN

I'd tried to play Shock1 many a time, but could never get my mind around the control scheme, as you mentioned.. I'm gonna go hunt for this mouselook mod and give it another shot.

"Until GOG or someone picks this game up, it's probably safe to assume it's abandonware right now" Funnily enough, in the intervening time, GOG released a digital download System Shock: Enhanced Edition with mouse look natively included.

The theme song to this game is so fucking good. Even the floppy disk DOS version has a certain charm to it. And oh boy does it make you wanna headbang. 

Great review, thanks. SS2 was, at the time (probably still) my favorite FPS. Nice to see what part of it was present in SS1 too. Thanks!

I played this amazing game after Crysis, and palyed it 3 or 4 times lol. Classic that beat even today most games in terms of design, attention to details, and overall quality.

It hit me last month that that shirt was relevant around the time of the game's release. I never really thought about when Watchmen was first published.

The exploration and level design in this game is God tier 😇

Just finished this game. I am pretty sure you influenced the enhanced edition. Best 5$ spent. Now looking forward to SS2.

It's now on Gog.com with mouse look! www.gog.com/game/system_shock_enhanced_edition

Steam Enhanced Edition works great. It also allows to to repap hotkeys. I click with the roller to switch between mouse look and interactive mode. Scroll to change weapons. It works really smooth.

I think I'm one of the only people who own a copy of the floppy version of the game. I paid quite a bit for it off of eBay a few years back. I'm a huge fan of System Shock, and agree with your review 100%. Even though I played SS2 first, the original is still my favorite.

System Shock Remastered by a lot of the OG team baby coming soon baby!

I watched this when it released and im so grateful i did. Bought system shock right after watching. The dynamic soundtrack rrally astounds me.

Augggh, the video System Shock 1 deserves! Great job ser!

I think you hit the spot on why i like system shock 2 a lot more than any of the bioshock games i have played, the level design. The older games are more focused on exploration and give the player a vast place to move around than any other bioshock game.

Cyborg Elite Guard background is the best profile background on steam. Its fun how its price changes from 40$ to 2$ (ofc because of steam sales)

Still got the original cd that i bought when it came out. What i liked about this game was the settings the mood and the atmosphere and most of all those audiologs were really interesting and fun to listen and i could listen them while playing and not be locked to some cutscene like every single game forces itself today.

i never got to play this because of the bad reputation of the control system but now I will defiently go for it. So nice you are doing reto reviews George, and hopefully you can get around doing Divinity OS or some more retro gems

A good thing about the remake is that there'll be more simplified controls, therefore it'll be more accessible to the average player. :D

I thought I knew it all about this game, AND Super Metroid. And my GOSH, my brain is about to explode just about right now, because I realized thanks to the genius author that BOTH GAMES ACTUALLY RELEASED THE SAME YEAR. My perception of time just collapsed, and my childhood consistency with it, space-time vortex will swallow me. Bye, world. Seriously though, a big thanks to the formidable initiative, tenacity and efforts of Stephen Kick and Nightdive studio for the extraordinary revival they're about to offer us this year. An avid fan of the series,I ever only beat SS2 , quite paradoxically. As great as SS1 might have looked in its time in terms of settings, atmosphere and lore, the interface indeed felt too overwhelming to me as a younger player to ever be able to get past a couple sections of MedSci. System Shock 2 came around exactly at the time I might have been contemplating finally giving the first one a longer run when I turned 15, so the bar was reset and I never looked back. That was, until now :-D

Now available on Steam as well, with an Enhanced version that brings the graphics a few years forward.