SS2 Mod links and successor--BioShock--news

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For those that don't know, there likely will be no System Shock 3. More on that can be found here.

 

Fear not, though, SS2 will have a "spiritual successor" made by the same creators as SS2 (Irrational Games) called "BioShock". More on that here.

 

The rest of this post is a summary of the big SS2 related stuff, all wrapped up below so you don't have to do multiple searches to find the stuff.

 

System Shock 2 is one of the best games of all time (30 somethingth according to PC Gamer). It's a hybrid Single Player First Person Shooter / RPG / Sci-Fi Horror Survival game.

 

SS2 is NOT abandonware.

 

System Shock 2 averages a rating of 9.3 out of 10. SHODAN, (Sentient Hyper Optimized Data Access Network) has even been rated one of the best game villians, and I agree.

 

The demo can be found here (Warning: rated mature). AFAIK (and I've tried), you cannot mod the demo to try out how the game would look modded (see below).

 

AFAIK, SS2 can be only be found new (excluding EBay) here, for $10 AUS or about $7.50 USD. Shipping will likely stay the same for 1 or 2 copies, so splitting the shipping with a friend getting a copy is a good way to make it affordable.

 

You can beef up the graphics with some mods, the two biggies being Rebirth and SHTUP. These are excellent remedies to the 2 major things that date the game: low res textures and low poly enemies.

 

The Rebirth Mod replaces most of the most common enemy 3D meshes with much higher polycount equivalents and can be downloaded here (Beta 1--several enemies), the Rebirth Rumbler mesh (not in Beta 1) here, and the modified Rebirth Monkey meshes (not in Beta 1) here. Be sure to read the FAQ page for information on getting the mod to work right. Note that this mod has the dead bodies with scared faces (which I don't care for--unrealistic) and has a controversial CyberMidwife (which I don't mind, but others might--but hey, the games rated mature in the first place!) Other than that, it's an excellent "upgrade" and surely the best mod SS2 has ever had.

 

The SHTUP mod replaces many of the games textures with higher resolution equivalents. Screenshots and download on the same page liked to above. Read the Readme to be sure to get the install right.

 

The game's patch can be found here. This enables cooperative multiplayer for up to 4 people (and should be done anyways for the fixes).

 

To install the game in XP or 2000, you'll probably have to click start and run and enter:

 

X:\SETUP.EXE -LGNTFORCE

(where X is the drive of the CD-ROM your SS2 CD is in)

 

To run the game in XP or 2000 (especially with the Rebirth mod) you'll need to patch the game, then right click on the SS2 shortcut or the SHOCK2.EXE file, click properties, then click Compatability (tab), then check only the "disable visual themes" box.

 

As for the games quality, it is still my favorite single player first person shooter I've played. This ranks it above Deus Ex, Half-Life, and Unreal. Granted, I haven't yet played Half-Life 2. I'm hoping that will best the game IMHO. It is fun in multiplayer, but to truly experience the game's atmosphere, you should play it solo (at least, the first time through). As for Scariness, PC Gamer can add some credibility as it ranked it the Scarriest PC game ever made, and yes, that was above Doom, Silent Hill, Resident Evil blah blah blah. (though admittedly before Doom 3, but as it's been rated an average shooter with phenominal graphics, I'm not sure it'll have the atmosphere to best SS2)

 

In game, spend your CyberModules wisely, your OS/2 upgrades even more wisely, conserve your ammo, and keep enough agility to effectively dodge the hybrids pipe. It's one hell of a game, especially for those that like FPS/RPG games, and especially those who'd like to need to think a little more than most FPSs require.

 

For more System Shock 2 information, try TTLG.com or SShock2.com.