You mean the same RPG elements that told me my cybernetically enhanced marine with years of training under his belt couldn’t figure out how to squeeze the trigger of a shotgun without using “upgrade modules” to get his guns skill to level 4 (or whatever the requirement was) first?
For a highly-trained cyborg soldier, the main character of SS2 was pretty useless in a fight.
Frankly, I could do without the RPG system entirely. Different character archetypes that can ensure my experience in the game is different each time are a great idea, but don’t tell me that despite having perfect right-between-the-eyes aim with the mouse every time, my bullet somehow grazed the zombie in the arm because the dice didn’t roll in my favor. (Again, aren’t I a Marine? A futuristic Marine? A cyborg futuristic Marine? Yet I can’t direct-hit a zombie at ten paces? WTF?)
If the game has to have RPG stuff, let it all affect things where my reflexes won’t play a role. Some of SS2’s skills were fine - better Strength meant more inventory space, that makes sense. Stuff like regeneration, being able to charge items through psi-powers, creating psychic force fields - that’s all good. But the weapons skills of SS2 are part of the reason why I will never enjoy FPS/RPG hybrids as much as either a great pure FPS or great pure RPG.
Fair enough, and so you can be thankful that nearly every game out there is either a FPS or a RPG, but not a hybrid. But for us guys who actually enjoy such a game there’s pretty little we can buy along those lines. So grant us some RPG elements in our shooter in the System Shock franchise.
You mean the same RPG elements that told me my cybernetically enhanced marine with years of training under his belt couldn’t figure out how to squeeze the trigger of a shotgun without using “upgrade modules” to get his guns skill to level 4 (or whatever the requirement was) first?
[/quote]
Hey there’s already a thread dedicated to shaming us over our mistakes on shock 2! I’ve got to have somewhere where I can hold my head up!
I have the utmost faith in any game Irrational does. I will buy anything you release. I love you guys. That said - Bioshock? Fucking COME ON. When Gamespot started teasing us yesterday about a Shock related announcement, guess what? This was the game no one wanted to see. Is Terry Brosius playing Shodan? Is she? Well, then.
Why can’t you guys just get the rights to System Shock 3? It couldn’t possibly cost more than licensing the Unreal Engine.
One area that really frustrates me about computer games is that long running series aren’t kept alive. So you end up with things like “spiritual successors” instead of the true sequel everyone wants to see because evil conglomerates own the rights and won’t make sequels unless they’re guaranteed to sell. Meanwhile, Nintendo, Capcom, and Konami continue to make sequel after sequel.
I’m happy enough with a new property. The only thing I really want is more SHODAN, and I’m sad that I don’t have that to look forward to. But I’m more interested in the gameplay than the flavor.
Irrational can pretty much do whatever they want and I will buy their products day 1.
Having said that, I sort of wish this game wasn’t announced yet because it so clearly year(s) away from being released. There was no screenshots in the Gamespot piece much less anything actually moving so I’m guessing they are still deep in pre-pro and just starting to send out signals to publishers. I hate reading a preview of an amazing game only to realize that it isn’t going to be out for ages.
At least this Gamespot ‘countdown’ of 1 day beats the snot out of the cheap thrills buy the game mag for more Elder Scrolls Oblivion info! Thank you Gamespot? Wow, I actually said it.
You mean the same RPG elements that told me my cybernetically enhanced marine with years of training under his belt couldn’t figure out how to squeeze the trigger of a shotgun without using “upgrade modules” to get his guns skill to level 4 (or whatever the requirement was) first?
[/quote]
Hey there’s already a thread dedicated to shaming us over our mistakes on shock 2! I’ve got to have somewhere where I can hold my head up![/quote]
No, not since you stole all of the nice things I said about SS2 in the other thread and used them in yesterday’s Gamespot interview. ;) ;) ;)
OTOH, when long-running series are kept alive, the results aren’t always desireable either. Ultimas 8 and 9, Heroes of Might & Magic 4, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Heck, even in the space of a single game, you’ve got examples like how disappointing Deus Ex 2 was to most fans of the original. Of course, these bad examples usually come down to “evil conglomerates” either forcing too-tight development schedules or “mass-market-appeal features” onto developers…
