Editing System Shock 2 (section)

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 92/100<ref name="Metacritic SS2">{{cite news|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/system-shock-2/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=''System Shock 2''|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|location=United States|access-date=2008-02-14|archive-date=2010-08-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818045340/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/system-shock-2|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Allgame = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="allgame ss2">{{cite news|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=18819&tab=review|title=''System Shock 2'' > Review|author=Norands, Alec|work=[[Allgame]]|publisher=Rovi Corporation|location=United States|access-date=2008-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114234636/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=18819&tab=review|archive-date=2014-11-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| CVG = 9.5/10<ref name="cvg review">{{cite news|title=CVG ''System Shock 2'' Review|author=CVG Staff|work=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=2001-08-13 |issn=0261-3697|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|location=United Kingdom|issue=237|page=70}} Retrieved 2008-06-24.</ref>
| Edge = 8/10<ref name="Edge review">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/system-shock-2-review|title=''System Shock 2'' Review|author=''Edge'' Staff|magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|location=United Kingdom|access-date=2008-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729075629/http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/system-shock-2-review|archive-date=2012-07-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| GameFan = 93/100<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.gamefan.com:80/repre.asp?g=1295&t=r | title=System Shock 2 Review | magazine=[[GameFan]] | access-date=May 16, 2021 | author=Cybrid | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127180929/http://www.gamefan.com/repre.asp?g=1295&t=r | archive-date=November 27, 1999 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| GamePro = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="gamepro review">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/1486/system-shock-ii/|title=GamePro ''System Shock 2'' review |first=Matt |last=Holmes|publisher= IDG Entertainment|location=United States|magazine=[[GamePro]] |date=2000-11-24|access-date=2008-06-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005093841/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/1486/system-shock-ii/ |issn=1042-8658 |archive-date=2008-10-05}}</ref>
| GameRev = A<ref name="GameRev SS2">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/system-shock-2|title=''System Shock 2'' Review|author=Colin|location=United States|publisher=AtomicOnline, LLC|work=[[Game Revolution]]|year=1999|access-date=2008-03-29|archive-date=2012-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323150736/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/system-shock-2|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GSpot = 8.5/10<ref name="GameSpot SS2 review">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/system-shock-2/reviews/system-shock-2-review-2533150? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110111329/http://www.gamespot.com/system-shock-2/reviews/system-shock-2-review-2533150 |archive-date=2012-01-10 |title=''System Shock 2'' Review |author=Desslock |publisher=CBS Interactive |location=United States |work=GameSpot |date=1999-08-25 |access-date=2012-09-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| IGN = 9.0/10<ref name="IGN SS2 review"/>
| NGen = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="NG"/>
| PCGUS = 95%<ref name="pc gamer ss2">{{cite news|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/system_shock_2.html|title=''PC Gamer System Shock 2'' Review|author=Harms, William|work=[[PC Gamer]]|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|location=United Kingdom|year=1999|access-date=2008-04-08 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080331023523/http://pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/system_shock_2.html |archive-date = 2008-03-31}}</ref>
| PCZone = 96%<ref name=PCZReview>{{cite journal|title=System Shock 2 Review|author=Paul Mallinson|journal=[[PC Zone]]|date=September 1999|issue=80|pages=62–67|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|location=United Kingdom|issn=0967-8220}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]''
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name=cdmag/>
}}

''System Shock 2'' received critical acclaim. It received over a dozen awards, including seven "[[List of Game of the Year awards|Game of the Year]]" awards.<ref name="SS2 official awards">{{cite web|url=http://www.irrationalgames.com/shock2/|title=''System Shock 2'' official website|publisher=Irrational Games|year=2005|access-date=2008-02-18 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080216161753/http://www.irrationalgames.com/shock2/ |archive-date = 2008-02-16}}</ref> Reviews were very positive and lauded the title for its hybrid gameplay, moody sound design, and engaging story.<ref name="Metacritic SS2"/> ''System Shock 2'' is regarded by critics as highly influential, particularly on [[first-person shooter]]s and the [[survival horror|horror]] genre. In a retrospective article, [[GameSpot]] declared the title "well ahead of its time" and stated that it "upped the ante in dramatic and mechanical terms" by creating a horrific gameplay experience.<ref name="GameSpot Greatest Game"/> Despite critical acclaim and being the tenth best selling PC game in the US the month of its release,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wertz Jr. |first=Langston |date=1999-09-23 |title='The next Tetris' is just as much fun as the last one |pages=4D |work=4D}}</ref> the title did not perform well commercially;<ref name="gamesThatSell">{{cite book | title = Games That Sell! | last = Walker | first = Mark | publisher = Wordware Publishing, Inc | year = 2003 | isbn = 978-1-55622-950-3 | page = 193}}</ref> only 58,671 copies were sold by April 2000.<ref>{{cite journal|title=PC Gamer Editors' Choice Winners: Does Quality Matter? |journal=[[PC Gamer]]|date=April 2000|page=33|publisher=[[Future US]]|location=United States|issn=1080-4471|oclc=31776112}}</ref>

Several publications praised the title for its open-ended gameplay. With regard to character customization, Trent Ward of [[IGN]] stated the best element of the role-playing system was allowing gamers to "play the game as completely different characters", and felt this made each play-through unique.<ref name="IGN SS2 review"/> Erik Reckase writing for Just Adventure agreed, saying "There are very few games that allow you [to] play the way you want".<ref name="JA ss2 review">{{cite web|url=http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/SS2/SS2.shtm|title=JustAdventure ''System Shock 2'' review|author=Reckase, Erik|publisher=Just Adventure|access-date=2008-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224151808/http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/SS2/SS2.shtm|archive-date=2008-02-24}}</ref> Alec Norands of [[Allgame]] believed that the different character classes made the game "diverse enough to demand instant replayability".<ref name="allgame ss2"/> Robert Mayer from ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]'' called ''System Shock 2'' "a game that truly defies classification in a single genre", and ensured that "the action is occasionally fast-paced, it's more often tactical, placing a premium on thought rather than on reflexes."<ref name=cdmag>{{cite news|last=Mayer|first=Robert|title=''System Shock 2'' Review|url=http://cdmag.com/articles/022/060/systems2_review.html|work=Computer Games Magazine|publisher=Strategy Plus, Inc.|access-date=2012-09-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205020110/http://cdmag.com/articles/022/060/systems2_review.html|archive-date=2005-02-05 |location=United States|date=1999-08-19}}</ref>

Buck DeFore reviewed the PC version of the game for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'', rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Bluntly put, ''System Shock 2'' is a welcome visit to the lost arts of the good old days, and an immersive experience as long as you don't mind some of the cobwebs that come along with it."<ref name="NG">{{cite magazine|last=DeFore|first=Buck|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|volume=2|issue=3|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|date=November 1999|page=125}}</ref>

A number of critics described the game as frightening. ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' described the atmosphere as "gripping" and guaranteed readers they would "jump out of [their] skin" numerous times.<ref name="cvg review"/> Allgame found the [[sound design]] particularly effective, calling it "absolutely, teeth-clenchingly disturbing",<ref name="allgame ss2"/> while ''[[PC Gamer]]''{{'}}s William Harms christened ''System Shock 2'' as the most frightening game he had ever played.<ref name="pc gamer ss2"/> Some critics found the weapon degradation system to be irritating,<ref>{{cite news|last=Simpson|first=Dan|date=October 1999|title=System Shock 2|location=United States|publisher=Future US, Inc.|work=[[Maximum PC]]|volume=4|issue=10|page=107|issn=1522-4279|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3QEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT110|access-date=2011-08-27}}</ref> and members of the development team have also expressed misgivings about the system.<ref name="GameSpot SS2 Retrospect">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/videos/system-shock-2-retrospective-interview/2300-6109962/|title=''System Shock 2'' retrospective interview|author=GameSpot Staff|work=GameSpot|publisher=CBS Interactive|location=United States|date=2004-10-04|access-date=2008-02-15|archive-date=2014-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214071547/http://www.gamespot.com/videos/system-shock-2-retrospective-interview/2300-6109962/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://xemu.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2004/10/5/154992.html |title=''SS2'': When Not Enough is Too Much |author=Fermier, Rob "Xemu" |publisher=Blog Harbor |date=2004-10-05 |access-date=2006-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211124227/http://xemu.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2004/10/5/154992.html |archive-date=February 11, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Rob Fermier was one of the lead programmers working on System Shock 2.</ref> The role-playing system was another point of contention; GameSpot described the job system as "badly unbalanced" because the player can develop skills outside their career choice.<ref name="GameSpot SS2 review"/> Allgame felt similarly about the system, saying it "leaned towards a hacker character".<ref name="allgame ss2"/>

Along with ''[[Deus Ex (video game)|Deus Ex]]'', Sid Shuman of ''[[GamePro]]'' christened ''System Shock 2'' "[one of the] twin barrels of modern [first-person shooter] innovation", owing to its complex role-playing gameplay.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.games.net/article/netten/1/112821/the-10-most-important-modern-shooters/|title=The 10 most important modern shooters|first=Sid|last=Shuman|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=IDG Entertainment|location=United States|access-date=2008-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022452/http://www.games.net/article/netten/1/112821/the-10-most-important-modern-shooters/|archive-date=2011-07-16 }}</ref> IGN writer Cam Shea referred to the game as "another reinvention of the FPS genre", citing the story, characters, and RPG system.<ref name="IGNretro">{{cite news|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/15/top-10-retro-dlc-games-wishlist|title=Top 10 retro DLC games wishlist|publisher=News Corporation|location=United States|work=IGN|last=Shea|first=Cam|date=2008-01-16|access-date=2009-02-03|archive-date=2012-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922092732/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/15/top-10-retro-dlc-games-wishlist|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[PC Zone]]'' lauded the game as a "fabulous example of a modern-day computer game" and named it "a sci-fi horror masterpiece".<ref name=PCZReview/> The title has been inducted into a number of features listing the greatest games ever made, including ones by [[GameSpy]],<ref name="gamespy greatest">{{cite web|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top502ase/index3.shtm|title=GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time|author=GameSpy Staff|publisher=[[GameSpy]]|date=2001-06-01|access-date=2008-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525133108/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top502ase/index3.shtm|archive-date=2011-05-25}}</ref> ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'',<ref name="edge best game">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2007/jul/04/edgestop100g|title=''Edge's'' top 100 games&nbsp;– almost certainly not yours|last=Schofield|first=Jack|work=The Guardian |date=2007-07-04|access-date=2009-03-05|archive-date=2009-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318145252/http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2007/jul/04/edgestop100g}}</ref> ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'',<ref name="Empire top 100 games">{{cite news|url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/|title=The 100 Greatest Games Of All Time|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|publisher=[[Bauer Consumer Media]]|location=United Kingdom|date=2009-06-01|access-date=2014-02-16|archive-date=2015-12-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224233541/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100greatestgames/|url-status=live}}</ref> IGN,<ref name="IGN top 100 games 2007 SS2">{{cite news|url=http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_22.html|title=IGN top 100 game of all time: #22 ''System Shock 2''|author=IGN Staff|work=IGN|publisher=News Corporation|location=United States|year=2007|access-date=2008-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211122703/http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_22.html|archive-date=2012-02-11|url-status=dead}}</ref> GameSpot<ref name="GameSpot Greatest Game">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-greatest-games-of-all-time-system-shock-2/1100-6130956/|title=The greatest games of all time: ''System Shock 2''|last=Shoemaker|first=Brad |work=GameSpot|publisher=CBS Interactive|location=United States|access-date=2006-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022085604/http://www.gamespot.com/features/6130956/|archive-date=2007-10-22}}</ref> and ''[[PC Gamer]]''.<ref name="PCGamerGreatest">{{cite news|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169961|title=''PC Gamer's'' Top 100: 50–01|last=Atherton|first=Ross|work=[[Computer and Video Games]]|publisher=Future Publishing Limited|location=United Kingdom|date=2007-08-13|access-date=2009-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007050654/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=169961|archive-date=2010-10-07}}</ref> IGN also ranked ''System Shock 2'' as the 35th greatest first-person shooter of all time.<ref name="IGN top 100 fps 2013">{{cite news|url=http://ign.com/top/shooters/35|title=System Shock 2 - #35 Top Shooters|author=IGN Staff|work=IGN|publisher=News Corporation|location=United States|year=2013|access-date=2014-02-16|archive-date=2015-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712082034/http://www.ign.com/top/shooters/35|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[X-Play]] called it the second scariest game of all time, behind ''[[Silent Hill 2]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/658946/x-play-top-10-scariest-games/ |title=X-Play' Top 10 Scariest Games |last=D'Alonzo |first=Mike |work=[[X-Play]] |publisher=[[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]TV |date=October 25, 2006 |access-date=October 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924040723/http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/658946/x-play-top-10-scariest-games/ |archive-date=September 24, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> SHODAN has proven to be a popular character among most critics, including IGN,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/03/08/top-10-tuesday-most-memorable-villains|title=IGN Top Ten Tuesday: Most memorable villains|author=IGN Staff|work=IGN|publisher=News Corporation|location=United States|date=2006-05-07|access-date=2008-02-19|archive-date=2010-08-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831222621/http://ds.ign.com/articles/694/694434p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> GameSpot<ref name="gamespot shodan">{{cite news|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page10.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212917/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page10.html|archive-date=2007-09-26|title=The ten best computer game villains|author=GameSpot Staff |work=[[GameSpot]] |publisher=CBS Interactive|location=United States|access-date=2008-06-11}}</ref> and [[The Phoenix (newspaper)|''The Phoenix'']].<ref name="thephoenix">{{cite news |url=http://thephoenix.com/Boston//RecRoom/24912-20-Greatest-Bosses-in-Video-Game-History-#1-/ |title=The 20 greatest bosses in video game history |author1=Krpata, Mitch |author2=Stewart, Ryan |name-list-style=amp |newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Phoenix]] |date=2006-10-23 |access-date=2008-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509212811/http://thephoenix.com/boston/recroom/24912-20-greatest-bosses-in-video-game-history-/ |archive-date=2012-05-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''System Shock 2'' won ''PC Gamer US''{{'}}s 1999 "Best Roleplaying Game" and "Special Achievement in Sound" awards, and was a runner-up in the magazine's overall "Game of the Year" category.<ref name=pcgamerusawards1999>{{cite journal |date=March 2000 | title=The Sixth Annual ''PC Gamer'' Awards | volume=7 | number=3 | pages=46, 47, 49, 50, 54–56, 60, 62 | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | author=Staff }}</ref> The editors of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' nominated it for their "Role-Playing Game of the Year" prize, which ultimately went to ''[[Planescape: Torment]]''.<ref name=cgwpremier1999>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | title=The 2000 Premier Awards; The Very Best of a Great Year in Gaming |date=March 2000 | issue=188 | pages=69–75, 78–81, 84–90 }}</ref>

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