As mankind threw up its arms to embrace its next big conquest, space, a new world opened up before their eyes. Having explored our own system of planets already, it was felt that human kind needed to expand out into the deep reaches of the stars, where we could find new life and spread our knowledge throughout the galaxy. Sadly many of the systems lay beyond our reach, so it was decided that a new kind of space ship needed to be developed. The Vaunbrau, the result. Here was a ship equipped to be a city in the sky, fully maintained and controlled jointly between one of the most advanced computers ever made and the manual operations of the living crew. Nearly half a centaury earlier a similar computer had been developed and some how began to live, hopefully it won’t happen again. Hopefully.

Is this a game or a dream?
The original System Shock never really caught my attention; at the time it flew onto the market without much hype and basically past a lot of us by. The original game itself revolved around a unique mixture of action and role-playing strategy in which you played a hacker trying to stop an intelligent machine from taking over. It’s not that the game was complicated, but just it missed out having an immediate appeal simply because it didn’t explain how to do things properly (one reason). System Shock2 is basically more of the same, the difference is a totally different setting, bang smack up to date in every way and simplified interface method for doing everything that is needed. The story is different but you can guess that it’s again about Artificial Intelligence; saying anymore would be bad because there are a few twists in the plot. The developers have had years to think up a good sequel and System Shock2 presents its self as a possible GAME FOR 99 right from the moment you step into the game.

Once an you stand on a platform at a train station, dustbins sit with stains on the floor, lights flicker and the low hum of power can be heard winding its way through the cables that ride the ridges of the roof. Stepping forward and a voice sounds, “Please make your way to the U.C.C recruitment building”, with few other directional options you do just that. The game instantly mold's you into a seemingly Blade Runner universe where you are nobody specific, just a guy looking for a job in a futuristic city. Walking though the realistic tunnels and out onto the street it becomes apparent that the controls in SS2 are remarkably smooth. On the street and before heading into the U.C.C building, you decided to have a look around, a van sits with its lights on just managing to penetrate the still night air and next to that a bar flickers it’s lights as though it were just closing up. Onto the U.C.C.

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