The Tyranny of the Individual (System Shock 2)

This is Xerxes. Can you not feel the glory of the flesh? Do you not yearn to be free of the tyranny of the individual?

— XERXES, System Shock 2

Hey Josh,

Have you ever played a game that you couldn’t get out of your mind? Every once in awhile it happens to me where a game (or some other medium) grips me in a way that changes my perspective on what I’ve experienced up until that point. It probably sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Sometimes it’s something as complex as a profound truth. Sometimes it’s as simple as seeing a cute dog on a walk. Lately, it’s been stories. There’s something so powerful about a beautifully delivered story that transcends its medium and form. System Shock 2 has been that thing for me lately.

The game came out in 1999 and for one reason or another I’m just getting to it now. I think it’s safe to say, I felt a little regret for not having played this game sooner. It’s like I’ve missed out on a secret for all these years. The last time I felt this sensation was when I hadn’t played Prey for like 8 months and realized it was fantastic. These type of FPS/immersive/RPG-lite games speak to me in an odd way. It’s tough to explain.

I can still recall when I stepped out of the world of Call of Duty and Halo for the first time and jumped into the world of Fallout and Bioshock, Singularity, and Metro. When I picked up Bioshock 2 off the shelf at Gamestop, it was like I had entered an entirely different world. Video games were more than just shooting, online escapades, and screaming at the TV. It was as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes. I didn’t really process what was happening at the time, but I started to realize that video games could carry a lot of weight in their stories, characters, and environments. From that point, I was captivated beyond belief. Like the books I poured through when I was younger, I began to crave stories again because of video games.

Since that time, games like Bioshock have been my comfort food. The games that challenge me and inspire me to create. Recently, in an attempt to curb the boredom I’ve been experiencing with video games, I decided to look into some games that were considered “classics” as per a discussion we had recently in the car on the way back from Iowa.

System Shock 2 was a game that popped up on many lists I found on the internet, and I figured it was time I gave PC gaming a shot. It stuck out to me because it’s actually talked about as being the predecessor to the Bioshock games. In fact, it was designed and written by Ken Levine, the writer and director of Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. I felt I had to try and experience it. I’ll admit I’ve been hesitant to try it because I’ve never been not good at PC games, and the dated graphics and combat mechanics scared me a bit.

As you know, I’m pretty fickle when it comes to difficulty in my games…

That being said, I was immediately sucked into it. In the first moments of the game, you choose your path which decides the skills you’ll specialize in. Then, you’re tossed into the game to find that situation on your ship has gone off the deep end and something has gone terribly wrong. A doctor gets in contact with you and begins to help you discover what’s gone wrong. In some ways, the narrative structure is similar to Bioshock in that there’s something going on beneath the surface and the story and environment draw you towards discovering it.

To be honest though, the story isn’t necessarily what pulled me into the game. The real draw was the environment. The ship you’re on is equal parts creepy and inviting. Despite the obvious ‘90s graphics, you’re drawn to explore every nook and cranny of the place. It became my mission to find all the interesting items and locations available. You are often rewarded for straying from the path and searching everything. And one of the best parts, similar to Bioshock, is listening to the audio tapes to get a little of the back story to what happened on the ship.

You’ll probably laugh at me for this next point, but one of the other draws for me was the difficulty. Now, I don’t mean difficulty in the sense that the enemies were tough, (which they were and it sucked sometimes) rather, how the story and missions don’t hold your hand. Mission clues and directions are often mentioned in audio tapes or emails from your main point of contact, but it doesn’t give you a marker or anything. The hunt to find the next place becomes a thrill while you’re hunted down by The Many - the zombie like creatures in game. This game has shown me the value in reading and listening closely to environmental tips and storytelling and the value of not hand-holding the player. I was forced to use my critical thinking to solve puzzles and the story. In some ways, not showing me where to go next forced me to explore and experience the ship a lot more instead of b-lining my way towards the end which I so often do.

System Shock 2 is a game anyone should try out at least once. It offers the player a taste of what video games can truly offer, and it came way before we had behemoths in video game storytelling like God of War or Red Dead Redemption 2. There are plenty of games that rise to its calibre, but after having experienced it myself, it stands up as one of the greats - despite its age. The immersive world, the unfolding story structure, and the tough, but fair, gameplay mechanics, offer something like very little else.

Before you dive in though, there are probably some things you should know about the game that I didn’t figure out until I was halfway done. Since it really doesn’t hold your hand at any point, it’s easy to not pick up on everything which makes the game a little harder for you than it needs to be.

First, because the game doesn’t hold your hand in any regard, it’s actually possible to choose skills that will simply prevent you from beating the game. I guess that’s what they did back in the ‘90s. Thus, you’re going to want to invest some points in hacking. My suggestion for you first run through the game is to be a general character who specializes in using the wrench and then has a good spread of skills. The wrench will be a godsend since it doesn’t degrade and uses no ammo.

Second, you can actually get ammo from enemy weapons if you pick them up. Once they’re in your inventory, you can right click on them and then in the window that pops up, click unload to get the remaining ammo. It took me way too long to figure this out.

Third, read and listen to everything closely. Some things will just be nice bits of lore but others will actually hint at caches of useful items or story elements to guide you along. It’s a game that requires more focus than we’re used to.

Lastly, have fun with it and take it slow! It’s not a game to be rushed. Rather, take the time to explore everything and have fun experiencing the ship for all it has to offer. It will get annoying at times, but stick with it, and I’m confident you’ll come out enjoying the experience.

Anyways, that’s my long-winded discussion about System Shock 2 and why I think it’s relevant today and should still be played.

Ever the Best,

Phil