Zero Punctuation: System Shock 2

[thomaskattus]

I have a feeling that pretty soon the only things PC gamers will have to do is play MMORPGs, MOBAs, and reminisce about the old days. And will be looked upon by the rest of gaming society as akin to the savages from the novel Brave New World.

And with the increased dev costs of AAA titles for the One and PS4, the only things console gamers will have to do is play modern military shooters and Madden, because almost nothing else will be profitable. Meanwhile, I'm pretty happy with the growing PC indie scene.

And you beat me to the reply to this post.

As for System Shock 2, I picked it up on GOG and damn it is a tough game. Actually had to set it aside for a bit and play something a little more user friendly. It's like the game actively hates you as you play it.

 

[tardcore]

I have a feeling that pretty soon the only things PC gamers will have to do is play MMORPGs, MOBAs, and reminisce about the old days. And will be looked upon by the rest of gaming society as akin to the savages from the novel Brave New World.

And with the increased dev costs of AAA titles for the One and PS4, the only things console gamers will have to do is play modern military shooters and Madden, because almost nothing else will be profitable. Meanwhile, I'm pretty happy with the growing PC indie scene.

I have to agree. I do admit the Kickstarter indie generation of gaming is looking promising. But so far that's mostly all we have, promises.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

A typical Yahtzee review for a good game: "It's a bit shit." I love these reviews, but I am worried that the poor guy is getting so used to picking apart games that it's retroactively ruining his entertainment.

 

[Terramax]

I remember buying this game about 3 or 4 years ago and being thoroughly... disappointed.

This game has not aged well. Maybe it's because I knew that shocking twist, but then again that didn't stop Fight Club from being amazing.

Another one of those classics, alongside Half Life, that have not aged that well.

 

[babinro]

Boy am I glad I didn?t buy this game, since it seems to include everything I hate about old school pc gaming, in particularly I hate it when games become unwinnable forcing you to either save every 10 seconds or look up a guide.

Agreed.

I've always been on the fence about trying this classic game out but this critique did a good job of bringing the reality of the experience to life.

 

[FightingFurball]

I finished SS2 several times...

 

[Colt47]

I actually really liked this episode Zero Punctuation. Yahtzee got the game down pretty much 100% how I remembered it: Getting blown up by kamikaze robots and then realizing I put too many points into the tech tree... right before going into the intestines of the underworld.

 

[Mentat_Tir]

This game gave me an irrational fear of chimpanzees.

No, really, it did.

 

[Mentat_Tir]

This game gave me an irrational fear of chimpanzees.

No, really, it did.

 

[Rituro]

This game gave me an IRRATIONAL fear...

I see what you did there.

 

[Something Amyss]

I wonder what they'll write on the Xbone's gravestone.

One satisfied customer?

A typical Yahtzee review for a good game: "It's a bit shit." I love these reviews, but I am worried that the poor guy is getting so used to picking apart games that it's retroactively ruining his entertainment.

I don't know, a lot of people seem to be losing their nostalgia goggles on this one, so maybe it just wasn't all that good retrospectively. I can't see this as a problem with Yahtzee.

 

[Marik Bentusi]

Huh, well that was lukewarm. Don't think I'll be getting this one after all.

After pre-purchasing DXHR I finally pulled myself through DX1, and while it had some nice things going for it, dear lord had the basic gameplay aged poorly and oh my god that story and setting is so incredibly cheesy. I could see the stuff people really liked about it, and would've liked it if some of those elements would be carried over to modern times, but I dunno if that knowledge was worth playing the game.

So after he gave Systemshock 2 an even harder time I'm pretty reluctant about this.

 

[RyQ_TMC]

It's already been mentioned twice, but GOG did all the hard work and had SS2 months before Steam. I was disappointed when I saw that SS2 was now on Steam as well and am disappointed in Yahtzee for crediting Steam.

Yeah, it's the crediting Steam thing that annoyed me a bit. SS2 was one of those legendary games that everyone seems to reminisce about, but is impossible to experience nowadays. Then GOG made it current again by bringing it back, and yet, when a few months down the line Yahtzee takes advantage of the "current" status again, BAM! Steam logo in your face!

 

[franksands]

From now on I will call the Xbox One the X Bone!

 

[PotatoeMan]

I have a feeling that pretty soon the only things PC gamers will have to do is play MMORPGs, MOBAs, and reminisce about the old days. And will be looked upon by the rest of gaming society as akin to the savages from the novel Brave New World.

Half the complaints are probably due to poor ports, delayed release dates and trying to use a controller for fps games the other half is snobbery.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm not sure why Yahtzee chose to review this game. I "get" his other retro reviews like Half-Life, Silent Hill 2 and Shadow of the Colossus, good and bad things alike. This just feels uninspired.

 

[lacktheknack]

Dude, that techno music is some of the best music in gaming!

<youtube=NJ00mMo9w8k>

Sure, it doesn't fit the atmosphere really well, but...

I didn't get much further (I hit the allocation wall really early), but I still enjoyed the hell out of the time I spent playing it.

EDIT: By the way, if you think that the "while playing Minesweeper" remark was just a joke... it wasn't.

 

[Glic2003]

A couple of details the review missed:

- The multiplayer was actually added in an official patch, it was not something that a modder added.
- Yes, the game seems difficult, but the game included a manual with lots of very specific details and hints to alleviate the difficulty. I know, right? How crazy to actually read a manual.
- The Rebirth mod which showed the cyborg midwife's breasts was later updated with a more appropriate (and more scary) version of that model.

 

[lacktheknack]

I really want to watch this, but haven't played SS2 yet. One question:
Has this review any spoilers?

Sort of. None that will surprise you if you've ever watched a sci-fi horror movie.

 

[JemJar]

Co-op was added with an entirely official post-release patch. It's not a mod.

Because, you know, once upon a time games were updated and added to for free.