System Shock is an first-person shooter/action-adventure developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems in 1994.
Plot[]
The year is 2072. A hacker has been caught trying to obtain secret corporate documents. A crooked executive offers to drop all charges, if the hacker agrees to hack their space station's AI so that he can steal a biological weapon. Big mistake: he wakes up six months later to find that all the crew members are dead, mutated, or roboticized.
Reception[]
The game had only modest sales, but the complex gameplay and elaborate worldbuilding made it a cult classic and critical darling. It is regarded as an influence to later games such as Thief, Deus Ex, Bioshock, and Dishonored.
Sequel and remake[]
System Shock 2 was released in 1999, again to great critical acclaim but disappointing sales. Looking Glass closed doors the following year.
Night Dive Studios acquired the rights to both games and re-released them on GOG and Steam, including an upgraded "Enhanced Edition" that improved performance and compatibility with modern systems. A fully modern remake on Unreal Engine 4 was released in 2023.
See Also[]
- Corporation - Spiritual Predecessor
- Strife
- Thief - Spiritual Successor
Screenshots[]
