System Shock

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds·Dec 18, 2025

Critic50/100

Agreement—

System Shock is, on paper, a brilliant remake that thoughtfully updates the 1994 original for modern systems, introducing both gyro aiming and mouse support along with a host of graphical upgrades. Unfortunately, the move over to the Switch 2 has tanked the performance, resulting in a game that never feels satisfying enough to play.Should this get fixed in the future, it may well be worth investigating, but for now, you'll be better off playing it on another platform.

Push Square

Aaron Bayne·May 20, 2024

Critic60/100

Agreement—

At the end of the day, System Shock is the faithful remake of a 30-year-old game, and you can feel that age in every facet of its being. In some ways, this is a tantalising look back at the game that started an entire genre, and if you've got the enthusiasm or nostalgia for immersive sims like it, then it's worth checking out for that alone. However, if you lack that nostalgic connection, then System Shock is more a showcase of how far the genre has come, rather than a spotlight on how well it's held up. System Shock may have walked so others in the genre could run, but for us, that walk is just a little too slow.

IGN

Jon Bolding·Jun 2, 2023

Critic90/100

Agreement—

System Shock deftly returns a classic immersive shooter to its place on top of the heap, updated for nearly anyone to enjoy.

PC Gamer

Joshua Wolens·May 29, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

It might be a little conservative, but this is a smart, faithful remake and easily the de facto way to play System Shock in the modern era.

GamesRadar+

Leon Hurley·May 29, 2023

Critic60/100

Agreement—

An oddly pitched remake that has its moments but adds very little to the original beyond a visual upgrade

Rock Paper Shotgun

Jeremy Peel·May 29, 2023

Critic—

Agreement—

While its refusal to let you cheat the exam will prove too punishing for some, the new System Shock is a breathtakingly beautiful and astonishingly faithful remake that proves the enduring power of Looking Glass design.

Polygon

Gita Jackson·May 29, 2023

Critic—

Agreement—

It’s easy to understand why people played this game and then became obsessed with it, why you can trace some people’s careers through the game.

Eurogamer

Kaan Serin·May 29, 2023

Critic80/100

Agreement—

A remake that closely follows the original classic, with a slightly different overall effect.