If you haven't played System Shock 2 before, now is the perfect time. Nightdive Studios' impressive 25th anniversary remaster is free-to-keep on the Epic Games Store until October 8, 11am EST.
Launching in early 2025, this remaster updated the cult classic immersive sim with cross-play co-op, mod support, 144fps performance, ultra-widescreen support, 50 achievements, enhanced characters, weapon models, and animations, and optimized controller support. It's more relevant than ever, with a rogue AI agent causing mayhem and confusion. Only, instead of breaching medicare portals and leaking private images, she turns the spaceship's crew into a hive-mind. Lets, uh, hope that ChatGPT doesn't do that anytime soon.
If a 1999 imsim isn't your speed, there's always Buried Stars, a Korean mystery visual novel about a building collapsing mid-broadcast during a live survival audition TV show, trapping contestants and production staff beneath the rubble. It's also free-to-keep on EGS right now.
While a freebie might be enticing, I'm well aware that EGS isn't for everyone. The platform has certainly improved over the years, but some have sworn it off entirely due to Tim Sweeney's comments on X, exclusivity deals with games like Alan Wake 2, and its poor user interface. Thankfully, the System Shock 2 remaster is 45% off right now on Steam for just $16.49 if you'd rather buy it from your preferred storefront.
Better yet, you can grab the System Shock bundle, which includes the 2023 remake of the first game, for $25.63 right now, down from $62.98. The Steam version also includes all 50 achievements, controller support, and online co-op, with the added benefit of being Steam Deck compatible.
Whichever platform you choose, System Shock 2 is a piece of gaming history worth diving into, especially if you're a BioShock fan. System Shock 2 was actually Irrational Games' debut title, and BioShock was later conceived as its direct spiritual successor. You can see that influence everywhere, so if you love Rapture, there's really no better place to see where it all came from than this 1999 gem.
More broadly, though, every imsim from Dishonored to Prey owes something to the System Shock series, and System Shock 2 holds up remarkably well. The remaster even more so, thanks to all the quality-of-life improvements Nightdive Studios has made.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/system-shock-2-remaster-free-epic-games-store/
