Making System Shock 2 Shine

It was revealed this week that System Shock 2 would finally be coming to GoG and Steam! For those of you who don’t know System Shock 2, it is one of the most highly-revered PC FPS games of all time. Taking place on a spacecraft in the year 2114, you play the role of a soldier trying to stem the outbreak of a deadly genetic infection. While a FPS at heart, the game incorporates a role-playing system, where the player can develop skills such as hacking and psionics.

The game should now already be released on GoG, and should be on Steam in the near future. But, perhaps, we should take this time to look at what tools there are out there to make this old gem shine.





To say the game needs enhancements, is to undervalue what System Shock 2 is. But perhaps, just perhaps, you want a little more out of it. Maybe you’ve already somehow beaten your way through the re-released game, or own an old copy which you want to enhance. Either way, here’s a list of tools and mods you can use to get some extra mileage out of this classic.I should also note, that the developers have stated that these tools/mods will work with the re-release!

ShockEd

The first thing I should mention is ShockEd. Released by the fan community, this level editor will allow you to create additional missions within the world of System Shock. A number of tutorials and sample missions are available, to ease you into creation. As an added bonus, the level editor is, in actuality, a repackaged version of the editor used by Looking Glass Studio in the development of System Shock 2.



System Shock Rebirth

Rebirth is a high polygon pack for System Shock 2. It replaces many of the original models in the game with high-detailed characters, and results are, pardon the pun, shocking. Pick it up now.



System Shock Texture Upgrade Project

The System Shock Texture Upgrade Project, or SHTUP for short, is a mod which replaces many of the in-game texture with hi-res versions, which makes the game a bit more palatable for the eyes. As an added bonus, this is fully compatible with the aforementioned Rebirth high polygon pack.



Windows 2000/XP Fix

I add this last one with a bit of trepidation. This fix will allow you to play the original release of game on Windows XP, as opposed to 95/98. Are any of you still using XP? Will this allow you to run it on a more modern operating system? I don’t know, but you can download it here.



So there we go, four tools/mods that will breathe some life into System Shock 2. I know I’ll be playing through the game for the first time when it releases on Steam, how about you?