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Enhanced new re-release of System Shock will make you appreciate the classics

The legacy games site GOG.COM adds an important title to its catalog.

 

Dennis Scimeca

Internet Culture

Posted on Sep 22, 2015   Updated on May 27, 2021, 10:35 pm CDT

System Shock, the influential first-person shooter that pioneered mash-ups with role playing games, has been re-released as a new, enhanced edition on GOG.COM.

Long before first-person shooter mash-ups like Battleborn, Borderlands, and Destiny were common in the video game industry, there was System Shock. Released in 1994 for DOS, it introduced the idea of mixing FPS action with role-playing game systems, like donning equipment that changed the player’s abilities or altered weapon performance.

System Shock was released only one year after Doom, when first-person shooters were defined by straightforward action and simple plots. System Shock, on the other hand included puzzles, a genuine story told within a cyberpunk future, and introduced the villainous artificial intelligence named SHODAN, a legendary character in video game history.

The enhanced edition of System Shock offers higher resolution than the original release, the ability to look around with the mouse (standard in modern FPS games), custom keyboard controls, and fixes some of the bugs from the initial 1994 release.

System Shock led to System Shock 2, and that in turn inspired the mechanics and storytelling style of the BioShock series. The re-release of System Shock is part history lesson, part fresh access to an awesome game.

Screengrab via GOG.com – DRM-Free Games/YouTube

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*First Published: Sep 22, 2015, 7:04 pm CDT