System Shock's trailer was brilliant and showcased a game that players have been expecting for a long time. The classic immersive sim is one of the most important games in this amazing genre, inspiring many games that have come ever since. The combination of horror and sci-fi was handled perfectly in this game and set the building blocks for its brilliant sequel.
The original System Shock has not aged well at all, with players requiring a litany of mods before the experience can even be playable. The modern game is bound to serve as an easier entry into this legendary title, and here are some notable things that long-time fans noticed in the trailer.
6 Reducing The Heavy-Handed Filter From Earlier Iterations
System Shock's remake has seen a fairly positive reception for the most part across the board. However, there was one part of the game's earlier versions that was heavily criticized, and understandably so. The demo was especially infamous for this, with the neon purple filter making every location look like the same area over and over again.
Thankfully, it seems that Nightdive Studios are taking player feedback into account, with this filter being completely absent in the new trailer. In fact, System Shock's remake has never looked as good as it does now, and it seems that fans will be in for a treat when this highly-anticipated game finally sees the light.
5 Faithful Renditions Of Classic Enemies
The classic enemies of System Shock strike fear and terror in the hearts of everyone, especially early on when they're very weak and can barely handle the puniest mutants around. Well, the remake of System Shock showed a modern take on the various classic elements of the series...including its foes.
The Cyborg Elite Guard is one of the toughest foes in the original game who appears on the cover as well. Seeing how this enemy is one of the most recognizable in the entire series, Nightdive brought this enemy over to the remake's new trailer and surprised people with how faithful the model of this enemy really was. Of course, other enemies also got the spotlight...but the Cyborg Elite Guard definitely stole the show with its imposing presence.
4 An Old Villain With New Lines
SHODAN is one of the most iconic video game villains of all time. Most people got into the series with System Shock 2, where SHODAN wasn't even revealed until much later on in the game...and yet, this villain is still the most memorable part of this legendary title.
Terri Brosius, the legendary voice actor behind this chilling cybernetic voice, is set to reprise her role as SHODAN in the System Shock remake. Small things like this show the amount of love and passion that is going into this title, and fans can't wait to see how SHODAN manages to capture the attention of audiences in a game where she's the main threat from the beginning.
3 The Attention To Detail In Its Areas
The original System Shock feels rather confusing with its repetitive texture work and labyrinthian level design making every stage look incredibly confusing at times. However, the level design was actually completely fine, and the issues in navigation are problems that are a product of its time.
So, it's great to see that System Shock is still trying to retain the original look and feel of the game despite having the advantage of modern hardware. They've done a brilliant job of doing justice to the classic's level design without completely going overboard with changes, resulting in an experience that is bound to be pretty authentic indeed.
2 The New (And Divisive) Music
There's one thing that people loved across the board in the original System Shock, and that was its amazing futuristic tunes. The synth soundtrack seemed repetitive but actually did a great job of mounting up the tension in every level.
However, the new trailer is seemingly ditching all the audio and music cues of the original game in favor of a completely new soundtrack. This is one piece of news that fans aren't too stoked about, and these people can only hope that the rest of the game doesn't follow the new rules that were apparently set by this trailer.
1 The Lack Of A Final Release Date
There's no denying that the lack of a concrete release date is one of the major reasons why many people are wary of this trailer. Sure, the gameplay looked astounding...but that was the case in 2016 as well. It's been a long time, and the game has been developing at a snail's pace.
Migrating to a new ending and integrating audience feedback are two of the biggest reasons why this game has been delayed for so long. However, these excuses can only hold up for so long, and fans will inevitably start asking questions if a release date isn't provided sooner rather than later.
System Shock is currently in development.