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Every event I go to, I always look forward to my meetings with Nightdive Studios. Not only are they always a treat to talk to, but I’m a huge fan of their games and how they develop them. At GDC, they were giving us a look at the upcoming System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, and I’m reminded each time just how committed the studio is to the games they develop to keep its authenticity instead of going all in to create a new experience.
Nightdive has given this remaster all the bells and whistles we have come to expect from their work. The visuals have been remastered, along with cutscenes and models, with higher resolution support up to 4K and 144 FPS. There are tons of new settings to adjust, including FOV and post-processing effects, and we have achievements and full mod support.
On top of that, I can confirm the game is a joy to run on the Steam Deck. Nightdive had both a Steam Deck LCD and OLED with the game on it for me to check out, and it's very playable. I was able to show them some areas where the battery drain was higher than necessary, and capping the TDP didn't impact performance but did give more battery life, but it was hitting 90 FPS under 15W with ease. I can't see this not being a great game to play on Deck, though I highly recommend using the Steam Deck OLED to make those darker colors really pop.
However, even with all of these changes and enhancements that clearly affect the game, it never loses its identity or the feel that the original had. Is it significantly easier to play? Absolutely. But it still has the same authenticity that the original 1999 release has. This is something Nightdive has perfected with their remasters like the Turok series, The Thing, PO'ed, Killing Time, and Rise of the Triad. Speaking with Larry Kuperman, director of business development at Nightdive, he reiterated how important it was to retain the feel of these original games and focus on making the necessary changes without changing the core of the original.
When talking, he actually likened it to the System Shock remake. Yes, the full System Shock remake is still System Shock, but it didn't feel like the original. It was clearly updated monumentally, but it doesn't have the charm the 1994 release did. Nightdive's remasters keep that charm while still making the necessary updates to enjoy these games on modern hardware with quality of life advancements that we have come to get used to.
It's a treat to see that Nightdive hasn't changed their stance on these remasters, and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary is going to be another amazing one. I can't wait to experience the full game for myself when it releases on June 26th this year. My dream for a full remake of System Shock 2 will continue as well, and I hope it's going to be just as great on the Steam Deck.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster can be pre-purchased on Steam for $26.99 ahead of its June 26th release.
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