The player uses melee and projectile weapons to defeat enemies, while a role-playing system allows the development of useful abilities. The developers achieved this gameplay design by rendering the experience as a standard first-person shooter and adding a character customization and development system, which are considered as signature role-play elements. Like in its predecessor, System Shock, gameplay in System Shock 2 is an amalgamation of the action role-playing game and survival horror genres. OtherSide Entertainment announced in December 2015 that they have been licensed the rights from Night Dive Studios to produce a sequel, System Shock 3.Īn in-game screenshot displaying the inventory at the top health, psionic points, nanites, and cyber modules are at the bottom left, and the cyber interface and weapon information are at the bottom right. System Shock 2 had been in intellectual property limbo following closure of Looking Glass Studios, but Night Dive Studios were able to secure the rights to the property in 2013 to produce an updated version for modern personal computers. In 2007, Irrational Games released a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, titled BioShock, to critical acclaim and strong sales.
It has been included in several "greatest games of all time" lists. Many critics later determined that the game was highly influential in subsequent game design, particularly on first-person shooters, and considered it far ahead of its time. System Shock 2 received positive reviews, but failed to meet commercial sales expectations. It incorporates role-playing system elements, in which the player can develop skills and traits, such as hacking and psionic abilities. Like System Shock, gameplay consists of combat and exploration. The player assumes the role of a soldier trying to stem the outbreak of a genetic infection that has devastated the ship. The game takes place on board a starship in a cyberpunk depiction of 2114. System Shock 2 was released on August 11, 1999, in North America. Originally intended to be a standalone title, its story was changed during production into a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock the alterations were made when Electronic Arts-who owned the System Shock franchise rights-signed on as publisher.
System Shock 2 is a first-person shooter action role-playing survival horror video game for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux, designed by Ken Levine and co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. The cover art of System Shock 2, depicting the Von Braun and main antagonist SHODAN.įirst-person shooter, action role-playing, survival horror