The story line and how it evolves is the central element that separates Shock 2 from anything else on the market. Granted, most RPGs possess powerful and engrossing fiction, as was the case with 1998′s RPG of the year, Baldur’s Gate. But all too often, an RPG’s strength of story is marred by an unforgivable flaw, such as outdated technology, as seen in this year’s version of Might and Magic.

Very rare is the CRPG that is able to combine the complexities of plot as seen in Baldur’s Gate with the visual presentation of an action offering like Half-Life, but Shock 2 does exactly that. And often lost in the analysis of what Shock 2 is is what it is not — and that’s yet another fantasy-based RPG. Rather, its psycho-technical thriller style gameplay and futuristic setting combine into a symposium of horror that will chill your bones and boil your blood, conveniently all at the same time. Like the Many, it’s irresistible.

Wrapped tightly within the horrifying storyline is a haunting gameplay that is very reminiscent of the original product. Using an advanced version of the Thief engine, Shock 2 incorporates many of the stealth features, including the lean, that have become Looking Glass trademarks. Maneuvering through the enormous space vessel is akin to most first-person titles, albeit at a slower, more refined pace. There are six decks to the Von Braun that constitute the bulk of Shock 2, a couple of levels aboard the Rickenbacker and a few surprises thrown in here and there for good measure. In total, there are ten mammoth levels that will constitute about 30 hours of gameplay for the astute player. The difficulty settings are to be taken very seriously, as they affect multiple factors, such as enemy spawn rates, availability of ammunition and other stores, upgrade costs and enemy toughness.

In fact, the overall difficulty is its biggest drawback. I was able to play through with two different characters. I finished playing with my first character, a highly focussed hacker with decent weapons skills on hard difficulty in 27 hours. I finished with a Marine character, an all around weapons guy, on impossible difficulty in 33 hours. Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and looking back on my experiences, I do not recommend playing on either of these two difficulty settings, as many of the frustrations I had can be associated with the insane difficulty caused by myself. I’m playing through once again with an OSA character focussing on Psionics, and the fun factor is exponentially higher.

Still, there are some things I just didn’t like about System Shock 2. The title offers players the choice of three different character types, which I’ve mentioned above. While each character is technically different, the game is ultimately the same no matter how you modify your stats. Noted — the means by which you solve certain puzzles and progress through levels is different depending on your skills, but the events that transpire (meaning the story) is always consistent, making the replay value marginal. Shock 2 also forces you into making a well-rounded character. It’s next to impossible to focus on one character type, such as psionics, and be successful. There are also a few things that should be tweaked with the forthcoming patch, such as better ammunition supplies. I also found the availability of ammo too sparse most of the time, especially towards the end. The rate at which weapons deteriorate is also out of control, requiring all characters, no matter what type, to spend way too many cybernetic modules on maintenance skills.

Some other things about the interface, such as the lack of DirectInput support and the ladder implementation, caused me an inordinate amount of frustration. The Thief engine does not support DirectInput, so players accustomed to using roller-wheel mice will have to find an alternate source for weapon toggling. Navigating ladders in Shock 2, like in Thief, is unlike most other first-person offerings. Whereas most titles allow you to freely move on and off ladders no matter your position, in Shock 2, you’re stuck to them like a octopus, and cannot move off of them without jumping or descending all the way to the bottom.

The last gripe I have about Shock 2 is the absent multiplayer mode. News from Irrational says that the patch that will enable the multiplayer portion is just around the corner, but, unfortunately, at this time it still remains a mystery. For almost a year, it’s been touted as the first fully functional first-person multiplayer role-playing game. Let’s just hope this isn’t another Terra Nova.

In the overall scheme of things, though, none of these flaws impacted my enjoyment. If anything, they kept me from falling into its alternate reality. Shock 2 has a special ability to immerse the player into a world full of believable terror, a terror so frightening you’re unable to escape it or even cry out for help. It’s a masterpiece of storytelling that is so compelling, you’ll want to play it non-stop until you finish it. Irrational Games, Looking Glass Studios and EA are to be congratulated for doing what I thought impossible — giving us a worthy sequel to the greatest game I have ever played. Is it better than the original you ask? No– but it’s certainly not any worse.