Game review: System Shock (Xbox Series X)

1994 was a long time ago because I was only five years old, and the first video game I remember playing was the Amiga version of Street Fighter II. My family no longer owns the Amiga computer system, but I have fond memories of playing Street Fighter Ii with my brothers. 

The only reason I’m talking about 1994 is because this is the same year that the original System Shock video game was released 30 years ago. I didn’t play System Shock mainly because it was a PC game, and PCs were (and still are) expensive.

The original System Shock was well received by most reviewers at the time and a remake of the game was released in 2023 for newer PCs. The remake first gained traction a few years ago thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign. It’s now 2024 and the remake is available for PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The Xbox Series X version is what we reviewed the game on. 

Making a remake can be hard, mainly because you want to update the game’s physics without alienating fans of the original. Nearly everyone praised the visuals in Final Fantasy VII Remake, but some original fans did not like the new game replacing the turn-based combat system in favour of more action-style gameplay. 

In terms of the System Shock remake, the visuals are far better and look up-to-date compared to the 1994 original. The original System Shock had ‘90s-style FMV graphics that made it look like a funky-looking SEGA CD video game. The remake features 3D visuals and HD graphics that gamers from 2024 should expect to see. 

That being said, the remake still has an ‘old-school’ look when you observe certain objects really close. This is because some objects and environments still have jagged edges and look pixelated for some reason. This may have been done on purpose for nostalgia purposes, but it sticks out like a sore thumb if you’re playing on a huge 4K TV like I was. 

The story of System Shock starts off in an interesting way because you play as a nameless hacker in the year 2072. Things are going well in your futuristic-looking apartment until you are ambushed by a group of guys and arrested. A man named Edward Diego promises to drop the hacker’s charges if they can hack something called SHODAN. 

The hacker then later learns that SHODAN has taken control of an entire station and has killed most of its human crew. Some of the humans have also been mutated while all of the robots are hostile now. The hacker has to stop SHODAN because it plans to attack Earth, so a lot is on the line if you fail the mission! SHODAN is always watching you much like HAL 9000 was watching the crew in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

While the story is interesting, and the graphics are mostly impressive, the thing that holds this game down is some of its outdated gameplay mechanics. The one thing that annoyed me the most while playing this game is that it does not feature a current quest list. If you forget what you are doing, there’s no way of knowing what you have to do next!

Another thing that might annoy younger gamers is the fact that System Shock also does not have any waypoints or quest markers either. All you have to rely on is a small map on the left-hand corner of the screen. It does not tell you where you need to go, but it does show you areas where you have explored before. 

One thing that might appeal to newer gamers, though, is that the System Shock remake offers many different difficulty settings. You can alter things like making the combat easier or even making puzzles easier for you to solve, too. This is a great new addition for those who might have thought the original game was too hard. 

Combat-wise, System Shock plays much like any other FPS-style game out there. At the start of the game, you are only armed with a cheap baton. This is good for melee attacks, but it’s not really effective all of the time. 
Later on in the game you finally get some real weapons like guns and grenades. There are around 16 main weapons in the entire game and it’s best to experiment with which one you like the best. The gunplay, in general, is very fun, and the combat didn’t feel stiff or too slow. I found the combat to be far better than in Fallout 4. 

System Shock isn’t just about shooting guns because there are puzzles and even sections where you need to hack into to open new areas in the station. These are unique moments in the game that help break the monotony of combat. Some people may need guides for the puzzles and hacking segments mainly because this game rarely gives you any hints!

Overall, System Shock is mostly a good remake with better graphics, an interesting storyline, and multiple difficulty settings. The only thing holding the game down is that it has no waypoints and does not give the player an active mission list to look at. 

Verdict: 7.5/10