System Shock

Description

The year 2072 has arrived. After breaking into the computer system of TriOptimum Corporation, a hacker from a Saturn colony is caught and taken into custody. He is taken to the Citadel Station, where an executive from TriOptimum named Edward Diego makes an offer to the hacker. If he agrees to hack into SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network), the artificial intelligence that controls the station, Diego will drop all charges against the hacker and give him a valuable neural implant. He also promises to drop all charges against the hacker. The hacker is able to eliminate the AI's ethical restraints and follows through with the promised implant procedure. Following the surgery, he is placed into a healing coma for a period of six months.

The hacker awakens to a horrifying reality: SHODAN has taken control of the station, reprogrammed all of the robots and machines to suit her needs, and disposed of the crew members by either transforming them into mutants and cyborgs or killing them outright. With her ethical restrictions removed, SHODAN was able to take control of the station. A counter-terrorism consultant working for TriOptimum named Rebecca Lansing makes contact with the hacker and warns him of a potentially far more horrific future: The goal of SHODAN's plot is to eradicate all forms of life on Earth by employing the mining lasers aboard the station. In order to foil SHODAN's demented plan, the hacker needs to investigate and navigate the barren halls and rooms of the massive space station. Along the way, he will have to engage in combat with SHODAN's henchmen.

The first-person shooter game System Shock also features modest role-playing and puzzle-solving components in its gameplay. The gameplay includes activities such as gradual exploration of the Citadel's ten levels, interacting with the environment, problem-solving, and accomplishing objectives, as well as engaging in combat.

The hacker faces a wide array of foes along his journey, including robots, cyborgs, and mutants. Each of these foes can be defended against with a different set of weaponry. Some of the guns require ammunition, while others have an infinite supply of ammunition but require electric power instead. The dart rifle, for example, can only be used against organic rivals, whereas the magpulse is most powerful when used against mechanical adversaries. Similarly, some weapons are more effective against certain types of adversaries. When an enemy has been defeated, it is possible to loot them for ammunition and other stuff. The player may also locate objects in chests, cabinets, on dead bodies, or simply strewn about on the ground.

In addition to weapons and ammunition, the player can find grenades of varying types (EMP grenades are useful against robots, gas grenades are effective against mutants, land mines can be used to set traps, etc.), battery packs for replenishing electricity, and other items.

Because of the hacker's implant, he is able to install various pieces of hardware into his body. These pieces of hardware include a booster that enables him to move at a higher speed and a head lantern that allows him to see better in dimly lit regions. As the player advances through the game, higher versions of previously discovered hardware are discovered. These higher versions are more powerful and helpful than their predecessors. Yet, while it is functioning, the vast majority of hardware consumes electric energy.

The player needs to locate a wall-mounted "cyberjack" at certain locations throughout the game in order to enter cyberspace and retrieve useful data, remotely open doors or unlock sealed regions, or grant himself permission to reach off-limits areas. The protagonist is able to freely move around in three dimensions while in cyberspace, using phasers to take out hostile cyber-guards and collecting colorful cubes that symbolize files. Cyberspace is depicted as a three-dimensional wireframe environment.

The majority of the plot of System Shock is conveyed through e-mail messages that were sent to the protagonist and electronic diaries (logs) that were left behind by a variety of characters (including SHODAN herself) that may be found strewn about the space station. The game has distinct difficulty settings that may be adjusted for each of the following: combat, mission objectives, and puzzles. The game's e-mails and logs are fully voiced in the CD version of the game, which also features graphics with a higher resolution and greater level of detail.