The System Shock franchise might simply be cursed at this point; the number of issues that have cropped up in recent months as studios fire their developers, outsource work, bring in new developers, scrap everything for the umpteenth time; it’s been a rocky road for the franchise that is arguably one of the godfathers of cyberpunk action.
Yet as it’s quieted down in recent months, the broad assumption has been that everything has been back to business in Nightdive Studios, and we’re all on the up and up.
Then the trailer dropped for System Shock Redux, or System Shock Remastered (it’s been called both interchangeably by the studio), and we’re all kind of wondering precisely what is going on.
Before everyone gets too bent out of shape about the state that the trailer is in, it’s worth noting that there is a demo available to try on Steam, which is completely free to explore.
The demo looks leagues better than this trailer that is offered and plays moderately well to boot. So don’t look at the trailer as the ideal version of System Shock Redux, although that’s a horrible statement to need to make when trailers are what makes or breaks hype for titles.
This isn’t painting the ideal picture of what many were imagining the remastered System Shock would become, or at least could.
The frame rate issues that appear within the trailer itself is…foreboding for the release.
Yet release it inevitably will, or is at least scheduled to, within the coming months. With how it appears, however, it’s likely safe to presume a 2021 release date as long as more drama doesn’t unfold in the interim. As Nightdive Studios have also been charged with the remake of the 97′ Blade Runner title, a poor showing here could have a ripple effect across multiple other titles.
Further, the ending of the title shows that the game is going to be released on PC, yet it doesn’t ascribe to a specific platform, showing the logo of Steam or Epic Games. This is bringing concerns that it may still be purchased as an Epic Games Exclusive, which would make it one of the first titles that have launched a demo on Steam and then backed out to dedicate an exclusivity contract with Epic.
Again, a poor trailer isn’t the end-all of a hyped upcoming title, and the demo does far better at explaining what fans of the title, or those walking in blind, can expect from the game. It is, however, a rough first showing in what should have been a bit more grandiose in execution.
