Every once in a while I run into someone who would like to go back and play System Shock 2. The problem is that out of the box the game will not run on anything remotely modern. The game used to be a a giant pain to get working, but thanks to the efforts of Kolya, we now have a single tool to run that fixes just about every issue the game had with running on modern computers. There are also a lot of great mods out there that make the game look fantastic.

Here are the steps I would suggest to get System Shock 2 working:

Installation & Getting mod ready

---

• To install the game just copy the “shock” folder from the CD to your computer. (80 characters maximum path length. On Vista & Win7 do not copy to Program Files.)
• Install the SS2Tool but uncheck “Bug Fixes” as none of them are needed anymore.
• Extract System Shock 2 Patch to your desktop.
• Extract new_dark.zip and contrib.zip into your game folder.
• Install the SS2 Modmanager

Installing Mods

---

Installing the mods is easy using the mod manager.

• Add your downloaded mods via the File menu.
• Select the mod in the Mod List.
• Click the Activate-button.
• Start the game.

Download Mods

---

Shock Texture Upgrades

• SS2 SHTUP (Shock Texture Update Project)

SHTUP is a mod for System Shock 2 which aims to increase the resolution of all the common (and quite a few of the not-so-common) object textures. A secondary objective of the mod is to correct all other graphical glitches, such as typos, continuity errors, texture alignment errors, and so on. All of this is to be done while sticking as closely as possible to the original art style.

Tacticool Weapon Replacements

These are replacement weapon models for System Shock 2 made by Mercurius.

• Tacticool Wrench
• Tacticool Shotgun
• Tacticool Pistol
• Tacticool Grenade Launcher
• Tacticool Laser Pistol
• Tacticool Assault Rifle

Eldron Psi Amp

A much improved Psi Amp and hand model by Eldron.

• SS2 Eldron Psi Amp

Troubleshooting

---

• If you’re on WinXP with a HD Radeon videocard, you’ll need to use SS2Tool v3.1. (more info)
• On Vista/Win7: Start the game as administrator.
• If the game crashes at the start, try renaming the file LGVID.AX to LGVID.AX.BAK and see the Videos / Cutscenes Guide
• If you just installed SS2Tool and the game crashes after the loading screen, reboot.
• If you only see a white or black screen in the game (but can hear sounds)
• Do not use compatibility modes, it can actually stop the game from running. (Note that compatibility settings survive re-installation.)
• Don’t install cracks, it’s unnecessary.
• On Vista/Win7: You may have to “Disable desktop composition” (Aero) in shock2.exe’s compatibility tab.
• Broken Use/Shoot Mode Problem (If you cannot drag items in the inventory)
• Sound problems
• Multiplayer Guide
• System Shock 2 Manual
• The Mother Of All Guides

A special thanks to SystemShock.org, the source for most of the information found here.

 

Games are starting to get crossed off the list at this point. They keep coming out faster then I can get to them.

Completed

Here are the games I have finished since the last update. It was a pretty long time ago, so this list has an interest list of old and new. I know I am forgetting some stuff, but here are at least the main highlights.

• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• Duke Nukem Forever
• Singularity
• Battlefield Bad Company 2
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Vanquish
• Gears of War 3
• Assassins Creed II
• Dead Space 2
• Modern Warfare 3
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
• Portal 2
• Halo Anniversary
• Mass Effect 3
• Uncharted 3
• Bulletstorm
• Rage
• Battlefield 3
• Red Faction: Armageddon
• Medal of Honor

Games In-Progress (Tier 1)

These are the games I am actively working to complete. These games take priority before I start new ones.

• Diablo 3
• Assassins Creed Brotherhood
• Max Payne 3
• F.E.A.R. 3
• L.A. Noire
• Batman Arkham City

Games In-Progress (Tier 2)

These are the games that I have started and got pretty far in. For some reason I stopped playing them and moved on (See Tier 1). However I would like to go back to these and finish them at some point. I might start new ones before I hit the ones on this list and below.

• Torchlight
• Defense Grid
• Far Cry 2
• Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
• Dead Rising 2
• Aliens vs Predator
• Fallout New Vegas
• Section 8: Prejudice
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Beyond Good and Evil
• God of War Collection
• Skyrim
• Orcs Must Die

Games In-Progress (Tier 3)

These are also games that I have started, and in some cases nearly finished. However it has been so long since I last played them that if I were to pick them up again I should probably start over. For that reason, these are games that I likely wont get to. I am not ready to write them off completely, but the chances of me finishing these games are slim.

• Brutal Legend
• Resistance 2
• Mercenaries 2
• Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway
• Wolfenstein 3D
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
• Psychonauts
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Painkiller Black
• World in Conflict Gold Edition
• Borderlands
• Prince of Persia
• Burnout Paradise
• South Park Lets Go Tower Defense Play
• Red Alert 3
• Tomb Raider Underworld
• Red Dead Redemption

Games In-Progress Written Off

These are games that I started playing, but have no plans to ever go back and finish them. Its nothing agasint the games themselves. In many cases they were pretty fun, but I have since lost interest in playing them anymore. These games will not appear on future lists, unless they somehow get bumped to a different category.

• Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
• Bionic Commando
• Penumbra: Requiem
• Zeno Clash
• Frontlines
• Lost Odyssey
• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
• Universe at War: Earth Assault
• Saints Row 2
• The Club
• FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage
• Lost Planet 2
• Just Cause

New Games (Tier 1)

These are games that I have not started playing yet, but plan to get around to eventually.

• Hitman Blood Money
• Overlord
• The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
• The Witcher 2
• Wolfenstein
• Too Human
• Fable 3
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
• Super Mario Galaxy
• Bastion
• Limbo
• The Darkness II
• Dead Island
• Just Cause 2
• Trine 2

New Games (Tier 2)

These are more games that I have but never tired to play. Maybe I will get to these, but not before I make a big dent in the Tier 1 list of New Games.

• Ninja Gaiden II
• SWAT 4
• Sacred Gold
• Fallout
• Fallout 2
• AquaNox 2
• Zombie Driver
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed
• Company of Heroes
• Freespace 2
• Titan Quest
• Nexus: The Jupiter Incident
• Alpha Prime
• Alpha Protocol
• Braid
• Cave Story+
• DarkStar One
• X3: Terran Conflict

So that is more or less the current status of my gaming. I left a bunch of older stuff of the list that I don’t think I will ever touch again. It is mostly games that I bought  or last played it so long ago that they are not even really worth mentioning. If you are curious, examples include games like Alone in the Dark. I also have a list of 25 or so Xbox Live Arcade Games that I never touched (like Monday Night Combat), but I don’t feel like going into that list at the moment. Lets just pretend those games don’t exist.