[Levyathan]

Originally posted by ZylonBane
Explain.

A) Shock 2 is much more player-friendly.
Shock 2 has mouse look, a more practical interface (this is arguable, many people like Shock 1's interface better - generally people who played Shock 1 when it first came out) and more important, it gives you the option of customizing the controls. Those features help the player get into the Shock universe, and once he is in there, he won't want to leave.

B) Storytelling
System Shock 2, as a sequel, didn't have an option but to mention Shock 1's events - obviously. The beauty lies on the way the designers managed to do it. They revealed the core of the plot (SHODAN and all that) but left many unanswered questions. Upon finishing the game, the player feels like finding out exactly what happened on Citadel Station. When he starts playing Shock 1, things that would normally represent a barrier to enjoyment won't keep him from continuing the game and living the story.

Of course, not all people are the same - I just think that's the case for most gamers.

[ZylonBane]

Seems like reasons A & B boil down to the same reason-- playing SS2 first will sufficiently interest players in SS1 to overlook its shortcomings.

What if the player is *already* sufficiently interested in SS1? Do you still think it would be better to start with SS2?

[Levyathan]

Originally posted by ZylonBane
Seems like reasons A & B boil down to the same reason-- playing SS2 first will sufficiently interest players in SS1 to overlook its shortcomings.

Originally posted by ZylonBane
What if the player is *already* sufficiently interested in SS1? Do you still think it would be better to start with SS2?

Depends on how interested he is. If he's interested enough, then he should go ahead and play Shock 1 first. The thing is, how interested is sufficiently interested? I don't think Setekh is interested enough, therefore I think he should play Shock 2 first.

Also, as venom2506 showed us, a failed attempt at playing Shock 1 first might ruin all of your interest.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by StrykeIX
Logic would be wrong. There are some games, like the Fallout series, where getting the first helps figure out what's going on. There are some, like Syndicate, where the first is downright better. And then there are games where the second is just the first, vastly improved. FPSes generally fall under category 3.

Hahah, I hear you. Funnily enough, Fallout and Syndicate are among my favourite games of all time.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Levyathan


Depends on how interested he is. If he's interested enough, then he should go ahead and play Shock 1 first. The thing is, how interested is sufficiently interested? I don't think Setekh is interested enough, therefore I think he should play Shock 2 first.

Also, as venom2506 showed us, a failed attempt at playing Shock 1 first might ruin all of your interest.

I think I'll play Shock 1. I'd rather go from difficult-gaming-experience to less-difficult-gaming-experience, and I've heard enough about the games to be at least a little interested by now.

[Stryke 9]

FO2 was still a bit more fun though. More stuff to do- Fallout, you just head down, head back up, try to kill the evil Overseer- a bit more linear.

And yes, I mean the Overseer. Guy was a total bastard.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Sandwich
Meh - I'm a wuss; Option 1. I just don't get any real enjoyment out of jumping in my chair, or lying in bad after a movie with scenes going through my mind, unable to get to sleep...

On the other hand,  commanding an APC through the streets of Jenin, with grenades and makeshift explosives going off on top and all around the vehicle, bullets pinging off the sides, etc etc... wasn't all that scary. Neither was disarming live mines in a hornet-ridden minefield, come to think of it.

*thinks back*

Scariest movies I've seen (to clarify, I haven;'t seen any of the Alien series, any Texas Chainsaw Massacre, nor  The Ring, Others, or even Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal. I know - poor, deprived me. Bah.) was when I watched Event Horizon and Sphere back-to-back one boring saturday on base.

W00t! A kindred soul. All I know about the Aliens series is that there's some lady called Ripley and the same Aliens are in AvP2 (of which I've played the demo). So sue me. Actually, please don't...

[Setekh]

Originally posted by StrykeIX
FO2 was still a bit more fun though. More stuff to do- Fallout, you just head down, head back up, try to kill the evil Overseer- a bit more linear.

And yes, I mean the Overseer. Guy was a total bastard.

Actually, I meant FO2. I haven't played number 1... couldn't find it anywhere in the shops.

As for FO2, I really like the guy with the bone through his nose. He made me laugh.

[Levyathan]

Originally posted by Setekh
I think I'll play Shock 1. I'd rather go from difficult-gaming-experience to less-difficult-gaming-experience, and I've heard enough about the games to be at least a little interested by now.

Then go for it!
If you don't own a copy already and are unable to find one for sale, download it from The Underdogs. It's almost like the CD enhanced version, except that there's no German and French (I guess those are the languages, can't remember exactly) text. Not that it would make much of a difference for you.

[Setekh]

I might have to do that, in fact... I couldn't find the game a year ago in stores... I can't find FS2 either anymore! (That's actually quite bad, because my FS CD2 is really badly scratched... like, unreadable.)

[Levyathan]

You'll be lucky to find a copy of Shock 2 nowadays... At least around here they've completely disappeared.

[Stryke 9]

Of course, if you look reeeeally carefully, you'll find that SS2 is ALSO on HOTU.

Steak: Actually, I just lost my copy of 1 recently. but they sell the dual jewel most places now.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by StrykeIX
Steak: Actually, I just lost my copy of 1 recently. but they sell the dual jewel most places now.

I'll keep an eye out for that. Hmmm, does anyone sell the SSOTY Edition of FS2 online?

[Tiara]

Candyman, Candyman, Candyman....

[Nico]

Originally posted by Levyathan

See? You didn't even have to ask for one of those reasons - you discovered it by your own. It seems your logic betrayed you.

And I see you consider graphics an important factor in games. That's sad at least, really.

This is getting pretty lame. If you can't spell my name you shouldn't even be allowed to talk in the first place.

It's your right to have that opinion. It's my right not to agree with it. If you can't understand that, you should move to a cave and block the entrance.

"waits for a day for the kid to cool down"
oh, hey, man, don't take everything so seriously

1) As I said, logic is a girl, of course she's often wr- Ouch! Stop that Tiara!

2) I do indeed consider graphics an important factor, whats wrong with that? Try playing a VGA game on a 21" and come back to me ( very funny, I can actually draw the outlines of the pixels on the screen ). Only thing is:
THAT IS HELLA NOT THE RESON WHY I DIDN'T LIKE IT ( I've noticed when people say something they think might be important, they often put it with caps. It seems offending to me, but heh, let's troll togetha!!! ). Nah. The plain simple reason is that I got it from a CD cover ( so I should still have it somewhere ) and I couldn't figure the UI out, and alt-tabbing the game every ten seconds just to check in a txt how to swing a stupid metal bar, well, no thanks.

3) ( I like this smiley, don't you? )

4) Do you bite? Nah, I knew you'd reply that, honestly, I don't know why I wrote that in the first place. Oh, yeah: I guess reading that Thief got boring after two missions didn't please me? It's your right to prefer SS2, sure ( after all, thief is kindda strange ) but the way you put things, you used that argument to prove that SS2 is better than thief so someone get it rather than Thief. I have no interest in having thief sold more than SS2, mind you, but I love this game and I think that this was just unfair as it wasn't true. Sue me

[Setekh]

Okay everyone, let's go and relax for a while. Frag some Shivans or something

Oh, and, my question still stands...

Originally posted by Setekh
Hmmm, does anyone sell the SSOTY Edition of FS2 online?

[Styxx]

Originally posted by Setekh
Oh, and, my question still stands...

I'm pretty sure someone does... Don't ask me who, though.

[ZylonBane]

Originally posted by venom2506
2) I do indeed consider graphics an important factor, whats wrong with that? Try playing a VGA game on a 21" and come back to me

Irrelevent to System Shock. The CD-enhanced version supports SVGA rez (640x480), although it does default to 320x240.

The plain simple reason is that ... I couldn't figure the UI out

Ha! The sad truth comes to light at last. Too bad the SS interface was over your head, since most fans of both games agree that the plot of the first one was actually better.

[Zeronet]

I,ve got FO2 twice. I had to buy it again to get FO1.

[Nico]

Originally posted by ZylonBane
Irrelevent to System Shock. The CD-enhanced version supports SVGA rez (640x480), although it does default to 320x240.

Ha! The sad truth comes to light at last. Too bad the SS interface was over your head, since most fans of both games agree that the plot of the first one was actually better.

1) that's not the one I have, if you read what I'm saying.

2) yeah, the interface was over my head, as you say. and people always say the first one is better, so what you say comes as a real surprise