Kickstarter Spotlight: ‘System Shock’ Remake

We’ve already seen some gameplay action for System Shock, a remake of the ’90s classic of the same name. The game spawned a direct sequel as well as a little game called BioShock, which is considered a spiritual successor.

Now the System Shock remake has taken to Kickstarter to help ensure that it fully gets made and released, while also giving existing fans of the chance to get involved and share their thoughts instead of having a publisher put up the funding and possibly control things.

In addition to launching the Kickstarter campaign, a new trailer has also been released along with a gameplay demo video offering a great peek at how things are looking. You can see those below, as well as their awesome pitch video, which is filled with geeky game goodness and some ’90s nostalgia.

ABOUT THIS PROJECT System Shock is a complete remake of the genre defining classic from 1994, rebuilt from the ground up with the Unity Engine. System Shock was one of the first 3D games that took a methodical approach to exploration while revealing a story driven narrative through audio logs and messages scattered throughout the game world. It was a revolutionary step forward for the medium in a time when developers first began experimenting with interactive story telling. Players were trapped aboard Citadel Station as they fought to survive against the cyborgs and mutated crew members corrupted by a maniacal A.I. known as SHODAN, one of the most treacherous antagonists ever conceived. System Shock offered an unparalleled experience that would solidify it as one of the greatest games of all time. STORY Caught during a risky break-in, you become indentured to a greedy TriOptimum executive. After six months in a healing coma, you awaken to discover the surgeons are missing, the station is in disrepair, and the once-prime corporate facility now teems with mindless cyborgs, robots, and mutated beings, all programmed to serve a ruthless A.I.: SHODAN. There’s scarcely time to think before it unleashes the first terror… FEATURES General Features

â†’ A modern take on System Shock, a faithful reboot; itâ€™s not Citadel Station as it was, but as you remember it. Many improvements, overhauls and changes are being implemented to capture the spirit of what the original game was trying to convey, and bring it to contemporary gamers.

â†’ Re-imagined enemies, weapons, and locations by original concept artist Robb Waters.

â†’ Terri Brosius reprises her role as SHODAN, and new VO will be recorded.

â†’ Brand new musical score composed by Jonathan Peros.

â†’ The user interface, game mechanics, enemies, and puzzles will be updated to reflect modern aesthetics and sensibilities, while maintaining the feel of the original. Scope Features

â†’ $900k Goal: Modern Inventory Management, Modern Controls, New Puzzles, Updated Faithful Levels, Game Difficulty Modes.

â†’ $1.7m Goal : Enemy limb dismemberment, More puzzles, Ammo types/weapon settings, Vending machines, Basic components/research, RPG progression, Weapon upgrading, Hardcore mode (No respawning), Ironman mode (Only 1 savegame. If you die, the save is deleted).

The game doesn’t appear to need much help getting to its base goal of $900,000—it’s already well over half way to $1 million with 28 days remaining. That alone tells you how excited both people who love the original and those looking forward to being able to play it for the first time (me! me!) are by this updated version of the classic. The only reason to chip in is if you’re a fan and want to be a small part of it, and to help it get to its many stretch goals so it can be the biggest and best remake it can be.

If interested you can read much more about the project, the team involved (an impressive group who have previously worked on games like the original System Shock, BioShock and BioShock Infinite, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and World of Warcraft), and what rewards are being offered over at the Kickstarter campaign page.

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