BioShock 2 was a watered down System Shock 2. SS2 was the same developers, but it was a much, MUCH more diverse game with a lot of actual open-endedness and exploration. It was claustrophobic and scary in some places, but I think it's very much worth a look from anybody.
Hmm might give this a go at some point then but I know I generally don't like that style of setting in games. Even in RPGs that I love like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights etc I find that the dungeons that go underground and are massive just bore me to tears eventually. I guess I just like seeing big open skies in games, whether its in forests, cities, mountains etc.
If you play Deus Ex and don't get blown away, there's something wrong with you. It's absolutely incredible and has one of the longest running times ever. They don't make 'em like this anymore and you would do well to simply buy it and play it. Do not question it!
I've fancied Planscape: Torment for quite a while but just never really bothered trying to get it. okenobi, I have played Deus Ex quite extensively and loved it. Its System Shock 2 that doesn't appeal to me, might just need to try it and see if it does float my boat.
I remember it, and I had friends that were addicted back in the day. I played it a bit, but never owned it. However, you can be fairly sure, it'll be awesome! I'll let someone else explain specifics, if that's what you're after.
You need not look further than to the game's Wikipedia page. Yes, OF COURSE there's a page for System Shock...
I want to say "shame on you", but I'd say "what a shame" covers it better. Graphics aside it's even better than SS2. And I only ever played through the floppy version of the game (but bought the CD version as soon as I could get my sweaty hands on it).
Aye, I've not played the first game either. Shock! Horror! I saw the interface and was put off, as that type of UI tends to make me feel very sick Also, I'd put Thief 1 and 2 on that list.
It's awesome if you like RPGs that do things a little differently without being too different. It's essentially BG2 in feel and graphics, but it's the little things that make it so great. Such as not choosing a class at the start of the game because you're amnesiac - instead you can find a trainer to switch classes as you wish. I also admire it for taking the brave and subtly game-changing step of only having three swords in the entire game and making the rest of the weapons much more original - clubs, stilettos and teeth for starters. It all helps to make a game which feels deeply unique. And jesus christ, in a time when everyone talks about evolving story and deep and meaningful characters it's impossible to overlook PS:T. Some of the allies you get, Dakkon and Morte especially, are so well developed it's unreal. I challenge anyone to follow the Morte and Dakkon character progression quests through to the end (which is further than you might think) without having their perceptions of the characters changed. Seriously, if you liked Baldur's Gate, you will love PS:T.
I'm using the Tutu engine to carry all three games together in BG2 engine and a dialog pack or two for BG1 that adds BG2 style convos to BG1 and a small romance with some of the characters. I'm also using both official expansions. To be honest, while the playthrough is still on-going, I haven't played it in a few weeks because I was away over Christmas and so on. I need to get back into it. I'm near the end of BG1 and have done all the quests outside of the city, including the Sword Coast ones, and I know that once I get into BG2 I'll be able to hurtle through. On the other hand, I did just buy both Freedom Force games...
Agreed. It pains me to see people relate BioShock to System Shock 1/2 at all, it's a pathetic imitation of its 'spiritual predecessors' and more of a brainless shooter than an FPS/RPG hybrid. Totally agreed on all points. PS:T is extremely wordy. It's a novel condensed into a game, but it's a masterfully written one at that. One dialogue that stands out in my memory is if you go to the tavern with the burning man and speak to the aged adventurer who has travelled all of the different planes of alignment. Considering there's a different plane for each of Lawful, Chaotic, Neutral, Good, Evil and every permutation of those combinations... and the character has a good page of dialogue on each one, all of it well-written and worth reading.. I remember saving my game after speaking to him, just because there was so much conversation from that one NPC it had to be important and affect things elsewhere. As it turned out, he was just another NPC there to fill out the game world and one of many with a wealth of incredible script to follow. The whole concept of the Nameless One is possibly the only time an amnesiac protagonist has been a deep, fascinating character and not a walking cliché. Along with that, I think the only other time in gaming where protagonist-death has been handled as well as in PS:T is by the Legacy of Kain series. You can't die... yet the game isn't any easier for it, unlike BioShit and its silly vita-chambers. Genius! The brothel for slaking intellectual lusts (and a Succubus who doesn't do sex), the grimy city that makes Athkatla look like a utopia, the absolutely alien world/setting (despite arguably tying into the planar travelling of the Forgotten Realms games), the terrifying Lady, the quirky and fascinating NPCs.. There were so many original and brilliantly-executed ideas in PS:T that it's a shame that it's almost forgotten about in comparison to the more accessible games like BG & IWD. Oh and let's not forget the beautiful, eery soundtrack by Mark Morgan that instantly makes me think of the creepy, quirky city; the planes and the characters by its atmosphere alone.. TL;DR: PS:T is an incredible game. Go get it and play it. 5 times. I could nerdgasm about PS:T for pages and pages, but I need to get back to my own playthrough of the Baldur's Gate games. I spent a day setting up Tutu, mods & patches and I've just reached Beregost.
Hmmm sounds like I need to give PS: T a whirl then, it available on Steam or do I need to seek it out on eBay or something? I only seem to have access to a few site from work so wikipedia is my only source of information for most things unless I'm looking at stuff I SHOULD actually be doing lol. I have to admit, I never managed to complete the first Baldurs Gate. The final battle was just so monstorously hard that i wasn't good enough to get past Sarevok. It was my first time playing that style of game though so it wasn't surprising. I really need to have another go through that too. So many games, so little time *Sigh*.
By the way, did anyone else ever have the problem of explaining this game to people that have never heard of it? I ended up calling it Doos Ex as I was sick of people thinking I was talking about a game called Day of Sex. I got it for my Christmas, glad my folks got me the right one and not some dirty game.
Planescape Torment is hard to get a hold of these days. Your best bet is eBay... if you want to stay strictly legal, that is. If you do manage to get it, I recommend checking out some of the interface mods and such from http://www.spellholdstudios.net/ to bring the engine and UI up to date a bit. GOG.com were showing the box-art of PS:T in their catalog & promo imagery back during the limited beta, but any sign of it seems to have disappeared from the site. The game has known incompatibilities with modern OSes and graphics cards, but it's still possible to make it work smoothly with some tweaking. I'd imagine those glitches are the reason it's been delayed on GOG.com, if not postponed indefinitely. Hopefully it's only the former. When the game first came out and people called it Juice-Ex or Dooz-Ex I never knew what they were talking about. I make a point of pronouncing Deus properly, but I've encountered Juice-Ex so many times that I don't even hear it as anything other than Deus these days.
It's probably something you need to track down on eBay, tbh, though I think Amazon may be selling a re-released version. Personally, I picked it up in a double-pack with a game called Soulbringer for £1 when I was at Uni.
