god like classic. stands the test of time. cons: sega 32x graphics...

that rlly shocked my system bra

Know horror. The original haunted house in space.

Once upon a time, the developers of Through The Looking Glass finished making Ultima Underworld and looked for a new challenge. Instead of a nightmare of man's fall to demons and black magic, they forged a nightmare of man's folly in crafting his own doom with AI and super-science... the original System Shock. They built a game which holds up to this day. System Shock has:
- minigames
- sniping
- easy mantling
- physics models so realistic, they just feel natural
- gravity puzzles
- a clash with an AI antagonist who gets very very personal, and who sounds more mechanical as time passes and she takes damage
- an out of the way observation deck where you can look out at Saturn. must see.
- enemies which react to sounds you make
- music which adjusts to your current situation
- early and mid-career work by big names in the video game industry
- a dystopian post genocide sci-fi setting presented via set decoration and audio logs
- mods and FMs spread across sysstemshockdotorg, nexusmodsdotcom, and moddbdotcom

System Shock is game crack for mentally healthy people who wonder where DeusEx, BioShock, Dead Space, or Prey (2017) got their influences.

System Shock is game crack for FPS players over 18 who play immersive horror games with backstories revealed through the environment.

System Shock is game crack for gamers who love gameplay over graphics and who wonder how good can a 30 year old game possibly be?

System Shock is game crack for any gamer that wants to clear a game using only a lead pipe

System Shock is game crack for any gamer that wants to play a character whose employee id is the prisoner number of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.


At original release in 1994, System Shock Enhanced Edition had no level editor. In 2008, a community based level editor called InkyBlackness/HackEd was created. This then gave rise to several detailed Fan Missions. Nightdive's Source Port Update breaks all fan missions created with HackEd, so to play them you either have to purchase a second copy via GOG or rollback the Source Port Update, as described at https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1086279994
There does not appear to be a mod manager, so all mods are manual installs.

- nexus/sso - Gawain's "Derelict".
- moddb/sso - Katrina/Kelis98's "Gamma Grove". What happened in Gamma Grove after ejection?
- moddb/sso - Joey 3RDPlayer Lansing's "Rewired". Events on the hospital ship Bismarck, featuring Bethany from NightDive Studios as SHODAN. This mod has a 7 hour countdown.
- moddb/sso - Sophia Sinclair's "Lazarus Decλy". In 2167, an experiment in nanobots and life extension went horribly wrong. Fortunately, the experiment happened in a sealed underground facility. Unfortunately, you wake up there...


Dos and Donts of System Shock 1&2:
- DO play while the sun is in the sky.
- DO take plenty of breaks.
- DO stay hydrated and eat some protein.
- DON'T play while drinking energy drinks/caffeine and/or eating a lot of sugar. You don't need anything to make you twitchy. SS2 will activate your adrenaline without any help.
- DON'T play when depressed, or while treated for emotional or psychological issues. If you are already on a struggle bus, this is not the time to play SS, SS2 or their fan missions.

Where did everyone go?
- Many of the original System Shock team also worked on Terra Nova and Flight Unlimited before TTLG closed its doors. Some worked on System Shock 2 and Thief - the Dark Project.
- Lead Programmer Doug Church goes on to do programming work on Terra Nova, Thief: The Dark Project, System Shock 2, Thief II and Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition. He did Audio work for the Harmonix PS2 game, Frequency.
- Programmer Sean T. Barrett went on to create the STB libraries, which are re-used in games to this day, continuing to earn him video game credits. His libraries appear in TopSpin 2K25, Helldivers II, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Legacy.
- Physics Programmer Seamus Blackley went on to collect Special Thanks credits for a number of PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360 games, including Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, Guitar Hero II, and Midway Arcade Legends.
- Programmer Marc LeBlanc returned as a Programmer in System Shock 2, Thief, and Thief II. He went on to do Engineering/Programming work on NBA2K2, Oasis, and Arrr!
- Programmer John Miles created the Miles Design, a MIDI-based sound driver library for games. He designed the Audio Interface Library 3.0 used in Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1997). His programming work can be found in Ascendancy(1995), Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (1993), and Wing Commander (1990 DOS, 1992 Amiga, and 1994 SEGA CD). The Miles Design sound system earned him Audio credits in the 7th Guest(1993 DOS and 2010 iPhone) and the 11th Hour (1999).
- Artist James Dollar also has his Art/Graphics in LOOM, X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter, and The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.
- Artist Michael Marsicano has worked on Art for Elder Scrolls Online and its expansions from 2014-2020.
- After concept arting the look for baddies of System Shock, artist Robb Waters ended up working on Art for the Bioshock trilogy.
- Musician Greg LoPiccolo was Project lead for Thief - The Dark Project. Then, he went to Harmonix and led the project for Frequency(2001) and Amplitude(2003). He became VP Product Managment for Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero I&II, then several releases of Rock Band.
- Producer Warren Spector has producer credits which include Wing Commander (1990 DOS, 1992 Amiga, and 1994 SEGACD), The Complete Ultima VII (1994), Ultima Underworld (1997), and Deus Ex (2000, and GOTY Edition 2001)
- Terri Brosius (SHODAN) continued to do voice work in Terra Nova, Thief - The Dark Project, and Dishonored II, and the incomplete Interstellar Marines. She also has writer credits and level design credits.
- Translator Frank Dietz continued to work as a German translator for video games, and returned for System Shock 2.