Techtite's Bargain Bin Binge

Imac owners: click the past Bargain entries listed on the right column, for Mac-compatible discount items!

Every time I get tempted to cease the updating of Techtite.com's Bargain Bin Binge column, I begin to realize its importance. On the one hand, it is getting more and more difficult to find bargain-level games that are worth mentioning. Most games that are sold for discount are often discounted for clearance, and any link to their possible purchase is too fleeting to bother with (as I became quickly aware with my first BBBinge recommendation, The Mac Action Sack, which Bungee Software surprisingly yanked from distribution in mere months). In short, the possibility of yanking this department from continuation is great; it's just too hard to maintain.

Then there are the games that give me reason to keep it alive. Games like System Shock 2, now sold at the insultingly low price of $19.99. Games that deserve to have been played by one and all, yet never seemed to sell half as much as they should have. If you never played System Shock 2, you almost have to search your wallet for the mere $20 bill to play it now. Fans of Thief: The Dark Project will love the game even more, since it was made by the same game design team. It is much like that game, in grittiness and intriguing background story, yet is set in the future, with all the fun gadgetry that the medieval Thief world cannot provide.

The story is simple enough; you're a soldier (your specialties can be chosen as either weaponry, stealth, or ingenuity), who has just been awoken from cryogenic sleep by the First Officer of the vessel you're traveling on. There has been some sort of scientific catastrophe when investigating a nearby planet, and you must now help her set things right. The problem is, she's near the bridge on the upper levels, and you're closer to the lower levels. Making matters worse, you're closed off from that level, thanks to any number of ship systems gone awry. You must go deck to deck, searching for clues as to what has been going on, and more importantly, to reach to the top decks and help your new friend before it's too late.

This won't be easy, to be sure. Peculiar creatures run amok in the ship, from either alien or scientific origin. Did these creatures get manufactured, or are they an alien threat? That's part of the bigger mystery. Adding to the complications is a computer core that has become its own macabre matrix a la Star Trek's "The Borg"; it has warped the cybernetic implants of some crew members, making them forced to attack. This is all very effective in mood setting, because there are surprises around every turn. Get past the eerie monster in one corridor, and then meet up with one of the possessed zombie crewmen, who slowly attack while meekly moaning warnings like, "Ruuuun!" or "I'm sooooorrry!" This is one effective, awesome interactive thriller!

This game's strength also comes from the excellently mapped ship, which is not as linear as it may seem. Each deck of the ship has its own purpose, like science research, engineering, and so on, with challenges different from the rest. With an excellently programmed game engine (an enhanced version of the one used for Thief), you first move level to level, then repair enough ship systems, to move freely through the whole ship. Forgetting to pick up an item, or being forced to leave equipment behind, is of little worry; later on, you'll get the option to go back to those levels at will. Of course, that's presuming you want to; there's so much more areas to explore.

Your character is equally interchangeable, enhancing both replay value as the ability to play the game as you wish. A gamer interested in the battles themselves, may be better off choosing attack skills; an adventure gamer might prefer the more scientific approach, using terminals to tap into key systems, change the security in key areas, and open doors to important short-cuts. Complete enough for your new officer friend (who talks to you frequently via your communication implant), and she'll reward you with added energy, to enhance your abilities even more. The final skills of your character are totally your own choosing, and they depend all on the way you wish to play the game; there really is no "right choice" of skills to learn, as long as those skills help you play the game the way you like.

If there is any flaw to the game, it's a lack of proper publicity. Well, there's also the matter of the ending, which for some might not be as victorious as hoped (though, in truth, is no worse than most other endings of action games; victorious, yet with a small hint of a possible sequel). Personally, I hadn't played this game until as much as a full year after its release, and I could'nt have felt worse that I almost missed out playing it. Don't make the same mistake. If you're a fan of action-adventures, particularly recent ones like Thief 2 and Deus Ex, you really should give System Shock 2 a chance. This is a bargain bin binge more than worth the $20.

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The Bargain Bin Binge!

System Shock 2

A Review By Techtite

Imac owners: click the past Bargain entries listed on the right column, for Mac-compatible discount items!