Update 1.2 cometh next week
A big ‘ol patch is coming to theSystem Shockremake next Thursday, headlined by “[reworking] the entire final fight with new mechanics and a unique flow” and adding a female character option for our hacker. Update 1.2 will also tweak and fix and fiddle with heaps of other things. OurSystem Shock reviewcalled it “a breathtakingly beautiful and astonishingly faithful remake that proves the enduring power of Looking Glass design” when it launched last year, though I would say System Shock’s final battle is one of the most dated parts, so I’m curious to see the new form.
Even more than most 90s shooters, the System Shock games have stumbled with big boss battles that are a bit bum as it becomes a whole other type of game. “A lot of the criticism that we received was: you spent this whole game collecting items, gearing yourself up for this big battle, and then all of your stuff was gone,” said Stephen Kick, founder of remakers Nightdive, in a recent interview with cheery RPS fanzinePC Gamer. “You’re left with just this one weapon to play what boils down to a minigame.” So, he added, it’s “just been completely reworked”.
Other newness coming in 1.2 includes enabling cloud save support, improving AI, optimising performance, giving the Alpha Strain and Avian Mutant enemies a new attack each, and adding mission waypoints for the Easy difficulty mode. SeeNightdive’s blog postfor the full list of changes. Though a confusing promo image attached to the blog post in some Steam systems say the update is out now, no, System Shock update 1.2 is scheduled to launch on Thursday the 11th of April.
