I get the feeling System shock 1 was more goofy with the comical soundtrack all jazzy and funky, not so scary compared to SS2...

Yeah, the original System Shock is not focused on being a horror game as opposed to the second game. Which does come with its own pros and cons. SS1 and 2 are very different games - out of which I prefer the original for its fantastic level design and absence of a bit clumsy character progression mechanics.

since when is the system shock series known for beeing scary ?

they both tell a "dark tale" in space withouth jumpscares etc

i totally love the system shock 2 soundtrack ... but do you really feel scary when listening to "electronic techno beats" ?

i would say both games are awesome and tell a dark stylish / adult story ... yeah stylish not scary

system 1 is totally worth playing and super awesome ... at least the enhanced edition ... vanilla controls are waay to clunky for me

(played system 1 the first time and finished system 2 at least 10 times :D btw)

The first time I played System Shock 1, it was at midnight with the sound turned up high. Being jumped by mutants and cyborgs sent chills down my spine! For me it was all a psychological thrill.

These days it doesn't have the same impact as there are far more realistic games on the market.

dont know .. i played system shock 2 @ release when i was a kid because my older brother said i have to play this :D

but it never scared me ... it was the overall feeling and the awesome story telling with audiologs that "thrilled" me

Guys, my take is that each person is different as to how much he is scared in video games. I remember games that i was scared while my friends were not. And of course age has to do a lot with it.

For example, Alien Trilogy (PSX) had me sitting at the edge of the seat while i was waiting for the motion tracker to kick in when an alien was close. Still, a lot of my friends didn't think that the game was scary enough at the time.

A good example of how a game used to be scary is Realms of the Haunting. That game was scary at the time. SCARY! But if you play it now for the first time, i doubt you'll be scared.. But it is a great game and highly recommended by the way! ;-)

Lastly, a recent example of a game that scared me much was Alan Wake. I haven't thought that a 3rd person could scare me but this game did it. I felt anxiety while i was playing it, i was seriously immersed in it's world, the atmosphere was great and there were a lot of instances where i couldn't progress in the game because i was scared, especially when i was tired. Still, a friend who played it told me that it wasn't scary at all and Resident Evil scared him much more.. What can i say, to each his own...

"goofy and comical" aren't the right terms/words for them, in all honesty, while both games have horror elements, I didn't find either to be scary.

horror and scary aren't mutally exclusive?

My first time playing S1 was actually on the mac, and I didn't know the that there was music. Without the sound track the game is a lot scarier. Especially for an 8 year old.

Turning off the music was the best thing I've done in SS2. Until the first encounter, it was not really bad, being just dark and atmospheric. I was already immersed in the heavy mood of the phantom-ship.

When the first hybrid came running to me and the techno-stuff blowed in my headphones, I suddenty felt in a classic shooter, wanting to grab my BFG and kick some alien asses.

Nope. Just no. Turned it off and suddently the game became WAY better. Only the sound of your steps and from the ship's systems. And then the creepy moaning of the hybrids on distance.

If you want to have a horror atmosphere in the game, play this way. It is not "scary", there are no scripted sequences to make you jump from the chair. But it's very, very tense, at least.

Or just drop the bass and let the techno guide your through a shoot-fest. It's perfectly acceptable if it's the way you enjoy the most.