Is there a plan to release the game later and do I need the backstory of 1 to enjoy 2?

I really want to begin with the first game since I am not a big fan of just skipping one game and immediately start with it's next installment.

"We're only releasing System Shock 2; there's virtually no story overlap between 1 and 2, so there's no real need to play the first one to enjoy the second one fully."

Well, that's too bad. Is it somehow possible to play System Shock 1 on Win7x64 or does it have the same problems which SS2 had?

That's a very good question.

No your really don't need to know what happened in SS1 to play SS2 save for having a bit more of a understanding of the meaning of "Remember Citadel" but that also is a bit of the surprises so it's a mix bag since things like that give players of the first game a idea of what is happening but it also means that those who don't will be much more surprised but if you want to know the low down on SS1 check out the video System shock lore in a minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geelprw3KkM SS1 was a DOS game so no, just fiddle around with DOSbox and you will be fine or just google System shock portable which is the first game already set up in dosbox and with a few modern tweaks such as improved controls.

That's nice to know since I heard that System Shock 1 is much better than it's sequel.

Does the portable version also has every cutscene in it?

Cutscenes? yeah it has the intro and ending outside of those SS1 had no real cutscenes if I remember correctly.

As for it being better that is debatable it's a diffrent game and a good one if you can live with the pita control setup but a better game, not really if you ask me.

SHODAN has you.

Forgot about that one..

Love that video.

Coincidentally the Cyberpunk 2077 teaser took its premise from that video.

Alert: spoilers ahead





When Shodan takes over the engines and starts rewriting reality, she 'remakes' the citadel. If you didn't play the first game is another level, just a bit different.

If you did play SS1, the awesomeness level reach the ceiling.

System Shock 2 is surely a more refined experience (after all, it came out in 1999, five years later than the first episode and after a nice slew of first-person games), but System Shock 1 is *really* a UNIQUE beast, when it comes to graphic style, gameplay options and interface clunkyness. It's also unimaginable hard for today's standards: yeah, hard doesn't equal "fun", but you really had to watch your steps, even in the first, very confusing level (just look up the map on Google).

sshock1 is only trouble if you are playing it stock. There is a modified version called SYSTEMSHOCK-Portable which fixes the terrible "clunkiness" by enabling mouselook and hi-resolution. It plays very similar to ss2, with the exception of the 3d hacking minigames.

thanks for the answers. Going to try it out now.

What Entropy said... definitely check out System Shock Portable. It's a freely available modded version of the original game that lets you set up mouselook and other modern things (the original control scheme is REALLY hard to get used to).

[EDIT: Apparently GOG have stated they don't want us to link to System Shock Portable. It's easy to find on your own though.]

I do not agree with those who say there is little story overlap between the two games. While you can certainly play System Shock 2 without playing the first one, I think that knowing about the events in the first game (and most importantly, knowing all about SHODAN already) makes the second game far more enjoyable. And I actually liked the first game a tiny bit better, clunky interface and all. It's worth at least trying it out. Make sure you read the manual first though... check ReplacementDocs, they should have it.