Seven Things That System Shock 3 Needs to Have
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The editors at Cinema Blend have cranked out a list of seven design elements that they feel must be implemented in System Shock 3 in order to meet their lofty expectations for OtherSide's newly announced FPS/RPG threequel. A couple of items to give you an idea of where their heads are at:
Micromanagement
One of the key selling points for the first two games even though they didn't sell all that well was the micromanagement for the player character. The ability to choose between different skills, items and weapons made System Shock 2 in particular the kind of game that inspired the open-ended, emergent gameplay structure found in later games like Deus Ex or Fallout 3.
This kind of customization is a must-have for SS3. It lets players come up with their own strategies for getting through the game's challenges. Plus, the more options that players have, the more replayable the game will be.
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SHODAN
SHODAN is the acronym for the Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network. It's the main antagonist of the two System Shock titles, working as a HAL 9000 villain in the first game and more as a Frank Fontaine-style villain in System Shock 2.
The character has always been well regarded as one of the greatest AI villains ever created. It was calculating, cold and deliberate in the kind of objectives it had in mind. The interesting thing about it is that we've had AI in other games like Portal's GLaDOS that appeared to be of similar ilk to SHODAN, but with far less philosophical wit and a bit more metaphysical snark. It wouldn't be System Shock without SHODAN. With today's tech it would be pretty cool to see how the character is brought to life in the newest game.
