Six years on from its initial reveal, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is finally releasing for consoles and PC later this year, following the first System Shock's remaster in 2023.
After a name change (it was originally called System Shock 2: Enhanced Edition) and six years of careful but challenging development, the highly-anticipated remaster is finally coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on June 26, 2025.
A lengthy PlayStation Blog, written by Nightdive Studios communications manager Morgan Shaver, goes into detail on why the remaster has taken so long to develop. In summary, it's a combination of incomplete source code and developer Nightdive's penchant for attention to detail.
Nightdive's Alex Lima chimes in here, saying that "extensive reverse engineering" was required to have System Shock 2 playable on modern hardware.
“The game engine that System Shock 2 uses is large and complicated,” adds Nightdive's Lexi Mayfield. “It was originally designed for PCs from the late 1990s with a mouse and keyboard and was only used for three games. As a result, porting the game to PlayStation was a long and arduous process, from both a coding and interface perspective.”
For System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, players can expect improved visuals as well as support for advanced shaders and much higher refresh rates, leading to much better presentation and performance overall.
Originally a PC exclusive, the game has also received controller support for the first time ever now that it's coming to consoles. Actions like leaning around corners, quick-swapping items, weapons, and psi powers have been "streamlined" for controllers. A new quickbar and context menu should also mean players will spend less time fiddling around their busy inventories.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of the original System Shock 2. I love almost everything about it, from its terrifying mutated human enemies, horrific atmosphere, and an incredible soundtrack that bounces between moody horror and fast-paced, pulse-pounding techno.
The star of the show is undoubtedly SHODAN, a rogue AI that serves as System Shock 2's primary villain. SHODAN is delightfully evil, her warped speech patterns constantly flitting between creepy and silly without ever going overboard in either department. She's so good at both taunting and mocking the player, making for a constantly entertaining and intimidating threat.
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