System Shock Remake Review (Xbox Series X)

System Shock Remake (Xbox Series X)

Developed by: Nightdive Studios

Published by: Prime Matter

Date of Release: May 21, 2024

Price: $39.99

Back in the mid 90's when I was still quite young my grandparents took me to Walmart to pick out some PC games for my birthday, as they had a massive bin of clearance titles. I ended up with quite a haul... Final Doom, Electro Man, Ultima Underworld 1&2, Syndicate Plus, and this one game with a rather creepy looking cyborg on the front... "System Shock". The other games ended up being pretty good, but none sucked me in quite as much as Looking Glass's sci-fi magnum opus. Now here we are in the year 2023, and System Shock has at last been updated for modern times.

The gaming industry has seen its fair share of remakes and remasters over the years, but few titles have generated as much anticipation and excitement (not to mention salt over the Kickstarter campaign!) as the remake of System Shock. With it's original release in 1994, System Shock was a groundbreaking game that blended elements of first-person shooters and dungeon crawling RPGs, pretty much birthing the immersive sim genre. Now, Nightdive Studios has undertaken the ambitious task of revitalizing this beloved classic and porting it to the Xbox Series X. In this review, we delve into the intricacies of the System Shock remake to see how it measures up to the original and whether it successfully captures the essence of, and lives up to the reputation of the iconic cyberpunk adventure.

Diving right in you'll notice that one of the most noticeable improvements in the System Shock remake is its visually stunning presentation. The developers have transformed the dated graphics of the original into a modern, immersive experience. The updated environments are rich in detail, featuring intricate textures (with a glorious retro pixel aesthetic baked in), dynamic lighting, and impressive special effects. The revamped Citadel Station now feels that much more alive and foreboding, effectively creating a sense of isolation and dread. The best part about all this is on the Xbox Series X it runs at native 4K60, and stays rock solid. Furthermore, the developers have paid great attention to enhancing the dark and atmospheric tone that made the original so memorable. From the flickering lights and haunting audio cues to the eerie sound design, the remake expertly captures the unsettling ambiance of the original game. Exploring the station's twisted corridors and encountering its horrifying inhabitants is an intense and chilling experience, just as it was in the original.

While the remake remains faithful to the core gameplay mechanics that defined the original, it also introduces several improvements and modernizations to enhance the overall experience. The controls have been perfectly adapted to suit the Xbox controller, providing fluid and responsive movement, making combat and exploration feel just as intuitive as the PC version. The inclusion of modern conveniences like quick-saving and an improved user interface and inventory system inspired by the sequel System Shock 2 also streamline the overall gameplay experience without sacrificing the challenge and depth of the original. Moreover, Nightdive Studios has taken the opportunity to refine certain gameplay elements. The combat mechanics have been reworked to provide a better balance between gunplay and melee combat, ensuring that players have viable options in dealing with the station's threats.

System Shock's narrative has always been one of its strongest aspects, told through the myriad of voice logs and data entries strewn throughout the station, and the remake manages to faithfully recreate the intricate and engrossing storyline. The game effortlessly weaves together elements of cyberpunk, horror, and science fiction to create a captivating and immersive world. The iconic antagonist, SHODAN, is as menacing and memorable as ever, and the remake successfully captures the sense of dread and unpredictability associated with this rogue AI. The voice acting and audio design deserve special praise, as they breathe new life into the game's cast of characters. The voice actors deliver convincing performances, adding depth and personality to the inhabitants of Citadel Station. Combined with the atmospheric soundtrack, the audio design serves to immerse players even further into the haunting world of System Shock.

When it comes right down to it, despite the extended development time and Kickstarter controversies, the System Shock remake is a labor of love that pays homage to a timeless classic while perfectly modernizing it for a new generation of players. Nightdive Studios has successfully captured the spirit of the original game, offering improved visuals, refined gameplay mechanics, and an immersive atmosphere. While some die-hard fans may have reservations about certain changes, overall, the remake stays true to the essence of System Shock, delivering a captivating and unforgettable experience. Whether you are a longtime fan or a newcomer to the franchise, the System Shock remake is an excellent port to the Xbox hardware, and an adventure that shouldn't be missed. I'm certainly glad I could be along for this wild ride.

Wrath: Aeon of Ruin review

Back in 2019 Killpixel and Slipgate Ironworks started work on a throwback FPS game, with a decently meaty early access version that gave a tantalizing taste of what would come. Well, since then it's been a somewhat long-ass wait but Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is finally finished and released. Developed over the span of nearly 5 years by Slipgate Ironworks upon the framework of the venerable Darkplaces engine based on the source code from the original version of Quake, Wrath really feels like a hearty callback to the early glory days of the FPS genre.

The Darkplaces engine definitely has the proper Quake look and feel, though it is capable of far more fancy effects and mapping techniques than the original 1996 vanilla Quake engine ever was. Even with all the extra engine modernizations though Wrath still has the heart and soul of Quake, and really feels like it was torn out of the late 90s and plunked down here in 2024. It just captures that certain zoomy feeling of momentum that Quake was famous for IMO. It's totally satisfying, and really effectively scratches the 90s boomer shooter itch.

The enemy design is varied and impressive, though a few more types would have been nice. The weapons feel really beefy and have satisfying alt-fire modes, even the first gun you find packs a massive punch, and don't get me started on the fangspitter, that thing is an ammo chewing beast that can rip through nearly anything. The gunplay is very satisfying and requires you to quickly switch between weapons to dispense the appropriate firepower to dispatch the foe currently in your crosshairs. 

Level design in Wrath is IMO very good, the exploration feels satisfying to me, and it has an excellent sense of scale and verticality, with a decent amount of secrets to find. The only complaint I really have is the save system is rather weird, relying on main checkpoints called shrines, and single-use quicksave markers called soul tethers. Although you can activate infinite soul tethers, it still feels a bit odd, but it does work in the end.

At the end of the say, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is an impressive entry in it's genre, and manages to stand out well enough from the competition. In my humble opinion it was definitely worth the wait, and I certainly hope that there will be more someday. It's certainly nice to see games using the original Quake engine, and forks thereof. I highly recommend Wrath to anyone who has a taste for such things.

Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster Review

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster

Developed by: Lucasarts, Nightdive Studios

Published by: Nightdive Studios

Date of Release: February 28, 2024

Price: $30

Way back in the early 90s, id Software blew the world away by releasing their smash hit Doom. That ground-breaking earthquake of a game quickly unleashed a tsunami of what the press dubbed "Doom Clones", and would eventually be known as First Person Shooters. Nearly everyone wanted to get in on the Doom Clone phenomenon, and the results varied wildly from amazing games such as Heretic to abysmal efforts such as Operation Bodycount. But then in 1995 Lucasarts tried their hand at it, applying the Star Wars license to their own in-house 3D engine, and what resulted was Dark Forces, an amazing Star Wars experience. And now 29 years later Nightdive Studios has given Dark Forces a loving remaster, and PC and console players alike can experience this masterful Star Wars title anew.

The original release of Dark Forces had some very impressive cutscenes for the time, blending 3D animation with gorgeous hand-drawn character art and rotoscoping techniques worthy of it's film license. Lucasarts definitely took advantage of the CD-ROM medium to absolutely pack it full of gorgeous cinema goodness. However in this new remaster the cutscenes have all been touched up amazingly (all the originals are there optionally as well), with all new CGI done by Brendan McKinney (who also did the cutscenes for Nightdive's Quake II remaster) and 2D art done by Ben Chandler. On top of that the sprites and textures have all been touched up as well, resulting in the a presentation that is the best that Dark Forces has ever looked (you can swap between graphics modes at the press of a button to boot!.

When the remaster launched there were a few flaws in the music playback system, with weird delays in the music and missing notes, however as of the latest patch those have all been smoothed over, and to be honest it sounds as good as playing the original with a high quality GM synthesizer. There's also the option to use FM synthesis for those really old school beeps and boops. Just as with the graphics, the audio presentation in Dark Forces Remaster has been perfectly preserved and enhanced. As for the gameplay, everything is intact and the game plays just like it did originally, though with some lovely modern control accoutrements. There is also a lovely amount of extra content including making-of materials, and a completely restored level that was axed from the original game.

What it all comes down to in the end is clear proof that the folks at Nightdive really care about putting maximum effort into remastering these classics, and it really shows that the staff love these old games. At this point in time there is no better way to experience Star Wars: Dark Forces, on PC and console alike. I've seen so many people beefing on the steam forums that "oh, this is just a patch, it adds nothing, not worth it!", which makes me wonder if they're just blind. This remaster is worth every cent it costs IMO, and is a great example of how to do a Star Wars remaster right (for an example of wrong, please see pretty much any of the Star Wars games ported by Aspyr).

I give Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster 10/10 bacta tanks.