System Shock Remake Console Port Impressions
Last year Nightdive Studios graced us with a remake of the first installment of System Shock, giving one of my favourite franchises a much-needed facelift. I've been waiting for a console version ever since and, after months of sitting on the edge of my seat, I was finally given the opportunity to jump straight into it - I can worry about the now-permanent crease in my chair later. We've already reviewed the game on our site before and while this highly stylised immersive shooter received high marks not just on the Temp, but from reviewers far and wide, some of its features needed to be ironed out for the experience to be truly enjoyable on a big screen and a controller - I'm here to tell you all about how that conversion worked out, and whether the game retained its glorious pixelated luster in the process.
One of the stand-out additions that was highly requested since the game's initial release is the option to mass-vaporize items in the inventory. This is a great QOL improvement, especially on a controller, and reduces the amount of effort required to scrap junk items to one click. That being said, in the pre-release copy I've tried this feature was somewhat buggy and led to loss of scrap if you already had a pre-existing stack, so it needs a quick fix, and until that arrives, a degree of caution when used.
I'm also happy to report that controller support has been greatly improved from the initial rudimentary implementation. That's not to say that everything's perfect just yet - I noticed that Nightdive included the option to turn crouching and ADS into toggles, but a toggle for sprinting is curiously absent, and there's nothing that bugs me more than having to continuously press L3 when I want to move around fast. Thankfully the game gives you the option to fully rebind your controls, so I quickly moved sprint to one of the shoulders. Now, keep in mind that many buttons do multiple things, as it tends to be the case on console ports. Binding sprint to L1 instead of L3 made it difficult to navigate menus which in my opinion shouldn't be the case as menu navigation should be an entirely different subsection for bindings. Moreover, the game does not change menu icons at all once a button is rebound which can lead to some confusion. Overall, controller support is improved, but still needs some more polish.
As far as the visual presentation is concerned, the game is just as pretty on console as it is on PC, targeting 4K 60FPS (3840x2160) on PS5/Series X and an equally impressive 1800p 60FPS on the Series S, with 120Hz, VRR and dynamic scaling support, ensuring smooth performance on current gen systems. Previous gen players on PS4/PS4Pro/XBO S will have to contend with a 1080p 30FPS limit, with the original XBO performing the poorest 966p at peak and the XBO X reaching as high as 4K, per Digital Foundry (via Eurogamer). Much like graphical fidelity, sound is also on-par with the PC release with Surround Sound support intact, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in the game as you explore the corridors of Citadel Station. Aside from somewhat humorous ragdoll physics rearing their head, the audio-visual presentation of System Shock is top notch.
With performance that can't be faulted, quality of life improvements tailor-made for console gamers and a fairly low price tag there's never been a better time to try out this remake of a 1994 classic. If games like Bioshock, Deus Ex, Thief or Dishonored are your jam, this right here is their grandaddy... Oh, I'm sorry SHODAN, grandma. No, I'm not calling you old, please recall that Cortex Reaver, I'm giving you a thumbs up!
