System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster Review – Still a Terrifying, Clunky Classic

System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster Review

I’ve always wanted to play System Shock 2. I’d always look at its striking packaging in the big box PC sections of electronics stores when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, rental stores didn’t have PC games, and I didn’t have any friends who owned it. So I never played System Shock 2. I knew it was a blend of FPS, CRPG, and survival horror. As an adult, I’ve grown to love System Shock adjacent genres like (J)RPG, and survival horror, but I’m not a big fan of first-person POVs or CRPGs that get too menu crazy or rely on D&D mechanics.

I’m writing all this to let you know that this System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster review isn’t from the point of view of someone with nostalgic love for the original, or who gravitates towards its gameplay. If you’re also curious if it’s for you, read-on, and I will share what it was like to play System Shock 2 for the first time in 2025.

I was immediately grabbed by System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster’s story. The game begins with a video of the creepy AI from the box art calling the player “a pathetic creature of meat and bone”, asking the player “How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?”. The video immediately turns into a RoboCop-like news broadcast of the maiden voyage of the first ever faster than lightspeed starship. The player then awakens on that ship, to find it falling apart, and most of its crew dead. They are left to explore its corridors to find out what happened. The story is drip fed through voice notes, and is one of the highlights of System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster. It’s easily my favorite aspect of the game.

FPS Core

System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster’s core gameplay is a first-person shooter. Moving and shooting feel great. The game begins with gyroscopic aiming turned on. While my immediate instinct was to disable it, I found that it worked well to fine tune aiming, as a supplement to the right joystick. The player also has psionic powers, and hacking abilities. Psionic powers are like interesting extensions of the FPS gameplay. They offer different attacks, and abilities to move objects and generate shields. Hacking abilities allow players to open doors without codes, and shutdown annoying security cameras.

There’s a fairly long tutorial section that allows players to try the different types of gameplay, as well as choose where they want to focus their stat points. Choosing a starting character build, and collecting the cyber module items that let players allocate stat points are the extent of the RPG elements. This aspect adds replayability, but I would have preferred a balanced character with all abilities deliberately introduced.

The System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster really wants its hacking portions to feel like another way to play the game. But in execution, it’s more like a fun supplement. Hacking a computer is a minigame, where the player has limited moves to light up a sequence of nodes. It’s very simple, and I can’t imagine playing through the game and dumping all of my stat points into hacking skills. Multiplayer is also shallow. It’s a fun co-op way to play with the System Shock 2 gameplay core, but it loses all elements of story and atmosphere. I love that it was included as an option, but most players will likely try it once, and then never again.

Ridiculous Menus

The gameplay fell apart for me as soon as I needed to use any of the menus. I can see how they would work better with a mouse and keyboard. But even so, every action is way too complicated and clunky. To use my gun, I had to pick it up with the square button, go to the inventory menu by pressing the touchpad. Then, to select the weapon, you have to use the arrow buttons to find it on a grid, then press triangle to bring up the “actions” menu (not X to “grab” or square to “use”), then select “equip” with the X button. And to reload, you have to bring up the inventory menu, hover over the ammo, then press square to “use” it. Pressing the wrong button could move or drop the ammo.

This is just one example of how insanely overcomplicated almost every action in the game is. Nothing is streamlined. There isn’t even a universal select button! I know System Shock 2 is a product of the time it was made, but as someone who couldn’t stand overly complicated CRPG menus in the 90s, this was a major barrier for me, and one I’m sure many players won’t get past.

Creepy Atmosphere

Another area The System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster shines is its atmosphere. The entire game drips with lurking dread, and I loved the designs of the horror aspects. The Von Braun is a lonely, frightening ship. There isn’t much music, but the sparse atmospheric score helps to build tension. Of all its gameplay elements, I found System Shock 2 works best as a survival horror game. Items are precious, and enemies are real threats. I would probably argue the game is too difficult, but there are 4 difficulty settings, and I stubbornly stuck to normal. The story is even told though Resident Evil-style notes. In 2025, the atmosphere and story really carried me through.

The System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster was developed by Nightdive Studios. They were behind the excellent remasters of many classic first-person shooters, including Turok, Quake, Doom, Rise of the Triad, and Star: Wars Dark Forces. They also finally released their long-awaited remake of the original System Shock in 2023. System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster is a remaster with crisp visuals, a solid framerate, and widescreen support. The gameplay and systems are unchanged for better and for worse. System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster is an authentic experience, but also isn’t streamlined for modern standards.

Incredible Bonus Materials

The most incredible part of this accurate remaster is its Vault. System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster has a plethora of bonus materials that go above and beyond any other game’s. The Vault includes concept art for characters, creatures, and environments. There are scans of all the packaging, including full manuals, box art, and CDs. A very fascinating inclusion is the original two page pitch for the game. There is loads of magazine coverage and promotional materials, as well as behind the scenes interviews and photos. There’s some video content, including unused material. And maybe my favorite inclusion is the entire 290 page Prima strategy guide. This Vault of bonus materials alone is worth the upgrade for anyone who has the original version of System Shock 2. Truly above and beyond!

System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster is the original System Shock 2 experience for better and for worse. It includes every aspect of the original game, including the clunky menus and side features that don’t work as well as intended. Fans of the original will miss nothing, and have a smooth-running version on consoles. While System Shock 2 is an important video game, it’s going to be difficult for modern players to experience it for the first time. I recommend Nightdive’s System Shock remake for anyone who wants to get into the series for the first time. Undoubtedly, System Shock 2: 25^th Anniversary Remaster is the best way to play this classic open-world survival horror FPS CRPG.

***PS5 code provided by the publisher***