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In case anyone else is nostalgic about System Shock 2, I can highly recommend checking out Prey [0]. It's a much more recent game designed by a different studio

In case anyone else is nostalgic about System Shock 2, I can highly recommend checking out Prey [0]. It's a much more recent game designed by a different studio, but it's very much inspired by the old Looking Glass Studios' games and managed to re-create the atmosphere and gameplay of System Shock 2 very well. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_(2017_video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_(2017_video_game)

nine_k 6y ago
Do they have Shodan? Without her, it's entirety different. Shodan is the best sci-fi villain of all time. (See also the inverted gravity scene closer to the end of System Shock II.)
- throwanem 6y ago
  They don't, and it is. Prey is a good game, with some really neat techniques I've never seen anywhere else. I enjoyed it and I think it's worth playing. But there's nothing remotely resembling SHODAN, and in that way it's very much not the same. Closer to Bioshock, really.
  - PicassoCTs 6y ago
    "Look at you, hacker: a pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?"
- rob74 6y ago
  ...only rivaled (in a slightly parodical manner) by GLaDOS from the Portal series :)
- ajxs 6y ago
  Truly that entire section of the game with inverted gravity is some of the best game design ever. The palpable frustration when you come across the inverted medbay really left an impression on me.
simlevesque 6y ago
By the way, Prey was the subject of a next generation revamp by Microsoft, they used a new technology allowing them to boost FPS from 30 to 60 without any programmer input with no clock errors. It is like magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSivSvHQWI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSivSvHQWI
- p1necone 6y ago
  I don't think there's any magic going on here, the series x/s is just more powerful than the one x/s, so the game can run at a higher framerate. The game already ran fine at 60fps (and above) on PC at launch, so the engine can handle it fine already. "FPS Boost" is just marketing speak for "we've decided to prioritize framerate on the next gen consoles rather than improving visuals and keeping things locked at 30fps"
  - WalterGR 6y ago
    That doesn’t seem to be the case. See e.g. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/02/17/making-backward-compatible-games-even-better-with-fps-boost/ https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/02/17/making-backward-compa...
    - sbierwagen 6y ago
      Forgive me for thinking that the marketing blog of a video game console might not be a paragon of journalistic integrity. There is nothing in the post that invalidates the "just run the game faster" null hypothesis.
      - WalterGR 6y ago
        From the link: As we detailed in October, with the increased CPU, GPU and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better. With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed by the gamer. To that end, the backward compatibility team has developed FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles. ... And while not applicable to all games, these new techniques can push game engines to render more quickly for a buttery smooth experience beyond what the original game might have delivered due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time. It clearly distinguishes "with the increased CPU, GPU and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better" from "FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles". Further, FPS Boost has to be manually IANAL but it seems like offering a feature and blatantly lying about it is fraud and that everyone who participated at Microsoft is guilty of both fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Do you have evidence of this? Here's more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89L-3U2egKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89L-3U2egKw
shin_lao 6y ago
Prey is a great spiritual successor to System Shock 2, but let's not forget Bioshock!
- jonny_eh 6y ago
  Right! I always thought the title of Bioshock was a direct reference to the System Shock series.
  - moron4hire 6y ago
    It literally is
  - pseudalopex 6y ago
    They wanted to make System Shock 3 but couldn't get the rights.
    - rob74 6y ago
      If that forced them to go into a different direction with BioShock, I guess it was for the best! Not saying I didn't enjoy System Shock 1/2 (I did), but BioShock with its underwater retro-futuristic art deco style is also a very compelling world...
- freeflight 6y ago
  I never understood how/why Bioshock got that reputation besides for marketing. It's not a bad game, but putting it next to System Shock as a "spiritual successor" only sets people up for wrong expectations which can ultimately lead to a lot of disappointment. Imho the immersive sim and RPG elements in Bioshock are very minor parts of the game compared to System Shock, Bioshock doesn't even have an inventory. Personally that really soured my experience with Bioshock, I was expecting something like System Shock, yet ended up getting a FPS game that was rather "of it's time" mechanics wise, which I was a bit tired off at that point.
  - 1000101 6y ago
smoldesu 6y ago
Prey works awesome through Proton, so if you're a Linux user I can definitely recommend it.
markus_zhang 6y ago
I really think that Prey misses something from SS, but I don't know what it is...
- minusf 6y ago
  Prey is a valiant effort but it never manages to fully recreate the loneliness, isolation and claustrophobia of system shock. Having said that, for me Prey comes closest to SS as the true successor. I always thought that SS2 was a huge step down from SS...

nine_k 6y ago

Do they have Shodan? Without her, it's entirety different. Shodan is the best sci-fi villain of all time. (See also the inverted gravity scene closer to the end of System Shock II.)

throwanem 6y ago
They don't, and it is. Prey is a good game, with some really neat techniques I've never seen anywhere else. I enjoyed it and I think it's worth playing. But there's nothing remotely resembling SHODAN, and in that way it's very much not the same. Closer to Bioshock, really.
- PicassoCTs 6y ago
  "Look at you, hacker: a pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?"
rob74 6y ago
...only rivaled (in a slightly parodical manner) by GLaDOS from the Portal series :)
ajxs 6y ago
Truly that entire section of the game with inverted gravity is some of the best game design ever. The palpable frustration when you come across the inverted medbay really left an impression on me.

simlevesque 6y ago

By the way, Prey was the subject of a next generation revamp by Microsoft, they used a new technology allowing them to boost FPS from 30 to 60 without any programmer input with no clock errors. It is like magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSivSvHQWI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShSivSvHQWI

p1necone 6y ago
I don't think there's any magic going on here, the series x/s is just more powerful than the one x/s, so the game can run at a higher framerate. The game already ran fine at 60fps (and above) on PC at launch, so the engine can handle it fine already. "FPS Boost" is just marketing speak for "we've decided to prioritize framerate on the next gen consoles rather than improving visuals and keeping things locked at 30fps"
- WalterGR 6y ago
  That doesn’t seem to be the case. See e.g. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/02/17/making-backward-compatible-games-even-better-with-fps-boost/ https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/02/17/making-backward-compa...
  - sbierwagen 6y ago
    Forgive me for thinking that the marketing blog of a video game console might not be a paragon of journalistic integrity. There is nothing in the post that invalidates the "just run the game faster" null hypothesis.
    - WalterGR 6y ago
      From the link: As we detailed in October, with the increased CPU, GPU and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better. With certain titles, we can make the experience even better, all with no work required by the developer, and no update needed by the gamer. To that end, the backward compatibility team has developed FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles. ... And while not applicable to all games, these new techniques can push game engines to render more quickly for a buttery smooth experience beyond what the original game might have delivered due to the capabilities of the hardware at the time. It clearly distinguishes "with the increased CPU, GPU and memory from our new consoles, all of your existing games look and play better" from "FPS Boost, which employs a variety of new methods for nearly doubling (and in a few instances, quadrupling) the original framerate on select titles". Further, FPS Boost has to be manually IANAL but it seems like offering a feature and blatantly lying about it is fraud and that everyone who participated at Microsoft is guilty of both fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. Do you have evidence of this? Here's more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89L-3U2egKw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89L-3U2egKw

shin_lao 6y ago

Prey is a great spiritual successor to System Shock 2, but let's not forget Bioshock!

jonny_eh 6y ago
Right! I always thought the title of Bioshock was a direct reference to the System Shock series.
- moron4hire 6y ago
  It literally is
- pseudalopex 6y ago
  They wanted to make System Shock 3 but couldn't get the rights.
  - rob74 6y ago
    If that forced them to go into a different direction with BioShock, I guess it was for the best! Not saying I didn't enjoy System Shock 1/2 (I did), but BioShock with its underwater retro-futuristic art deco style is also a very compelling world...
freeflight 6y ago
I never understood how/why Bioshock got that reputation besides for marketing. It's not a bad game, but putting it next to System Shock as a "spiritual successor" only sets people up for wrong expectations which can ultimately lead to a lot of disappointment. Imho the immersive sim and RPG elements in Bioshock are very minor parts of the game compared to System Shock, Bioshock doesn't even have an inventory. Personally that really soured my experience with Bioshock, I was expecting something like System Shock, yet ended up getting a FPS game that was rather "of it's time" mechanics wise, which I was a bit tired off at that point.
- 1000101 6y ago

smoldesu 6y ago

Prey works awesome through Proton, so if you're a Linux user I can definitely recommend it.

markus_zhang 6y ago

I really think that Prey misses something from SS, but I don't know what it is...

minusf 6y ago
Prey is a valiant effort but it never manages to fully recreate the loneliness, isolation and claustrophobia of system shock. Having said that, for me Prey comes closest to SS as the true successor. I always thought that SS2 was a huge step down from SS...