For those of you who haven’t had the chance to play this one back in the day, it brought a lot of innovative (at the time) mechanics. These include the ability to hack computers, branching narrative paths, taking damage on specific areas of your body, the ability to knock weapons out of your enemies’ hands at close range, and, of course, genetically altered mutants to shoot at.

Those mutants come courtesy of Elexis Sinclaire, whose DNA-altering drug catches the attention of John “Rusty” Blade, a crime fighter who refuses to let Freeport, his city, succumb to the influence of Sinclaire’s wicked machinations. It’s a fairly simple premise that’s handled quite well on both the narrative and gameplay fronts, and this one’s a title we’re looking forward to.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how long we’ve got to wait before we play it, but the announcement trailer below should help pass the time.

First released in 2023 for PC and last year for PlayStation and Xbox platforms, System Shock remake revamps the classic action RPG/immersive sim with new visuals, sound effects and music. Both Switch ports also benefit from features like gyro aiming, but the Switch 2 also gets mouse support, 1080p/60 FPS performance and “community-requested features.”

Stay tuned for more details on the release date and check out our review of the base game here. In the meantime, those seeking to experience the second game in the series can check out System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster on PC, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Compared to the System Shock remake, it adheres more closely to its inspiration while adding co-op, mod support on PC and more. You can read our review for more details.

Based on the first game’s update, there could be support for higher refresh rates, new anti-aliasing options (including SMAA) and more controller options. There should also be numerous quality of life improvements, bug fixes, improvements and new features, so stay tuned when it drops for more details.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil’s remaster is available on PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PS4. A new title, Turok: Origins, is also in the works by Saber Interactive for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It offers solo and co-op play as players venture across numerous worlds to stop an alien threat, slaying hordes of dinosaurs in the process. For more details, head here.

Focusing on upcoming PC titles, with “exclusive” trailers and announcements, it promises appearances from Nightdive Studios, Devolver Digital and Sega. There will also be coverage from the show floor and interviews with various developers.

Tokyo Game Show runs from September 25th to 28th. Ninja Gaiden 4, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Nioh 3, Ghost of Yōtei, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and many more will be playable or appear in some fashion.

An announcement for the next Forza Horizon is also allegedly on the cards, and we may see Nintendo finally reveal a release date for Metroid Prime 4. Stay tuned for full coverage when the event unfolds.

As a re-release of Raven Software’s acclaimed fantasy first-person shooters, Heretic + Hexen includes the base games and their expansions, Shadow of the Serpent Riders and Deathkings of the Dark Citadel. However, Nightdive included two new episodes – Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur – for a total of 117 campaign maps.

All 120 Deathmatch maps are included as well, with cross-platform co-op and PvP for up to 16 players. You can also play split-screen co-op and deathmatch with up to eight players. Fans can also look forward to 4K support and up to 120 frames per second on current-gen and PC, new accessibility options, widescreen support, a Vault showcasing concept art and other development material, and modern controller support.

Of course, there’s also an in-game mod browser with support for community-made mods, just like DOOM + DOOM 2. Head here for an FAQ with more details.

While not too many details about the project have been revealed, the job listings do indicate that the work will be done in Unreal Engine 5, along with other tools like Blender. We also get a few hints about the nature of the project owing to some of the descriptions in the Essential Duties and Responsibilities, as well as the Preferred Qualifications sections. For instance, applicants for both roles should like Sci-Fi and Horror media and have an appreciation for retro games.

The Level and Quest Designer will also have to work hand-in-hand with Environmental Artists to “ensure levels are both visually compelling and mechanically functional.” Along with this, the job descriptions also note that the game will make use of environmental storytelling, as well as scripted events. These descriptions would indicate that Nightdive Studios might finally be getting ready to work on a follow-up to its remake of classic horror shooter System Shock.

A remake of System Shock 2 would be seen by many as an obvious choice for Nightdive Studios. The game, after all, can feel quite dated at times even in its recent remastered release. This should come as no surprise since the title first came out all the way back in 1999, and ended up laying the foundations for gameplay mechanics, level design and environmental storytelling that would go on to inspire many other games, including the seminal Deus Ex, as well as Irrational’s BioShock series.

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster came out on PC back in June, with a console release coming slightly later in July. The game features support for many modern technologies, with its resolution going all the way up to 4K. Players can also experience the horror RPG at high frame rates, and controllers have been fully supported thanks to a revamped UI. There have also been other improvements made to the classic title, including enhanced character models, animations, and even the environments. To cap it all off, the game also got support for co-op multiplayer.

The last time Nightdive Studios went beyond just remastering its titles was with System Shock Remake. While a predecessor to System Shock 2, the classic horror shooter had quite a few differences when it came to level design, general gameplay mechanics, and even how its story was told. The title largely revolved around the player waking up on Citadel Station and trying to figure out how to make it out of the labyrinthine space station alive, while also having to deal with the machinations of psychotic AI SHODAN, who has seemingly formed a god complex once she was able to fully take over Citadel Station.

For more details about System Shock Remake, check out our review. Also check out our review of System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster.

As spotted by Reddit user kjurban, the comment by Nightdive said “All eyes, I mean Orbbs will be on that announcement lolol.” For context, Orbb is one of the new playable characters from Quake 3 Arena. The character is essentially a large eyeball on a small metal body with organic legs.

This report would indicate that the announcement by Nightdive Studios will likely happen at the upcoming QuakeCon – a yearly event that celebrates games made by id Software, both modern and classic. Traditionally, QuakeCon has served as a home to quite a few classic game announcements, including the Nightdive-developed enhanced release of classic shooter Quake 2, which was unveiled at QuakeCon 2023.

Considering Nightdive’s history with remastering classic games to modern audiences, complete with quite a lot of work to ensuring they work well with modern hardware, the studio seems like the obvious choice to bring back the multiplayer-only Quake 3 Arena.

When it was originally released back in 1999, Quake 3 Arena broke the trends set by its predecessors by being multiplayer-only. A single-player game mode was available, which pit players against AI-controlled characters in the various multiplayer maps and modes that the game launched with.

As was tradition for id Software at the time, Quake 3 Arena also served as the introduction to several new graphical technologies for the series. This included spline-based curved surfaces, allowing for more varied level design, as well as advanced AI with more difficulty options.

Quake 3 Arena was quite popular when it was first released, eventually spawning a dedicated player base that these days lives on through Quake Live. It would get quite a bit of support over the years, both from id Software thanks to the release of the Quake 3: Team Arena expansion, which brought in a host of team-based game modes and maps, as well as from the community itself, which made several maps and mods for the game.

Nightdive Studios is relatively fresh off the release of System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, which came out on PC back in June. The console version of the game – available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch – was released just a month later in July.

For more details about the remastered classic sci-fi horror game, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 9 out of 10, praising the gameplay, narrative, pacing, and revamped visuals, while criticising weapon degradation and some skills being poorly balanced.

Currently available for PC, the remaster is based on the 1999 classic action RPG from Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games. Players control a soldier onboard the Von Braun, who awakens from a cryopod to an infestation by an unknown alien parasite. Working with Dr. Janice Polito, they work their way through the structure, but things aren’t as they seem, and it isn’t long before an old friend comes calling.

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster supports up to 4K resolution and 120 frames per second on Xbox Series X/S and PS5. It also features controller support, a revamped UI, and visually enhanced character models, environments and animations. You can also explore with other players via co-op (complete with cross-play).

Check out our review of the PC version for more details. We gave it a nine out of ten for retaining everything that made the original great while enhancing the experience.

Unlike Nightdive Studios’ remake of the first game, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is a lot closer to its inspiration’s aesthetic. It doesn’t channel the chilling and isolationist horror of the Von Braun with a new aesthetic so much as to enhance what’s already there, in effect showcasing what made the original so fantastic. It’s another feather in the developer’s cap, an excellent remaster, and well worth the trip, even if those older design choices may occasionally frustrate.

"Knowing when and where to employ firearms isn’t even a question of frugality – it comes from knowing the different areas of the Von Braun. How its onboard computer XERXES will respond with automated security. How The Many will assail you, even with simple infected crew members (known as Hybrids) wielding pipes and shotguns."

It’s 42 years after the disastrous events of the first game. The chance of rogue artificial intelligence attaining sentience (and suitably judging their human masters) is a worry of the past, thanks to the UNN. The original TriOptimum is gone, but a new owner has acquired its assets and licensed to create a faster-than-light ship, the Von Braun, to explore new horizons. It’s all well and good until they arrive on Tau Ceti V and become overrun by a parasitic life form that calls itself “The Many.” When you awaken from cryosleep, the FTL ship and the Rickenbacker, a UNN vessel piggybacking off the former, have effectively joined this hive mind.

You have amnesia upon exiting the cryotube, but your story doesn’t begin there. Instead, it starts with the character creation process, where you can learn the ins and outs of gunplay, traversal, repair, and inventory management. After deciding which unit to join – Marines for more straightforward gunplay, the Navy for hacking and repairing, and the OSA for psionics – you can embark on different “missions,” adding a little more color (and starting stats) to that military career.

From a narrative perspective, it’s not exactly the most thrilling, especially next to the first game’s Hacker and their predicament. Nevertheless, it gets the job done and offers a much better set-up for role-playing as your own character. You’re still effectively voiceless throughout and can only project your terror onto the protagonist, but it works well enough for what System Shock 2 wants to accomplish.

Because, like in every good role-playing game, no two choices are the same. Sure, you can invest in Strength for more inventory space and harder-hitting melees, which comes in handy with the wrench. Those Cyber Modules could also be invested into Standard Weapons to handle a handgun and shotgun, which will become essential for dealing with armored threats like security robots (but then again, there are other choices to circumvent them). Even repairing seems like a good idea, especially since weapon breakage is a thing, but you won’t really know how valuable Hacking can be until you step into the Von Braun. I opted for the Marines, embracing the firearms (and wrench-swinging) lifestyle, but the ammo isn’t infinite, even with Replicators that exchange Nanites for ammunition.

Knowing when and where to employ firearms isn’t even a question of frugality – it comes from knowing the different areas of the Von Braun. How its onboard computer XERXES will respond with automated security. How The Many will assail you, even with simple infected crew members (known as Hybrids) wielding pipes and shotguns. The original game’s developer, Looking Glass, designed System Shock 2 to serve as a dungeon crawler, albeit in space. However, there’s also a bit of Deus Ex thrown in as you hunt down keycards and access codes, backtracking to previously locked areas. It’s a testament to the excellent level design that these never felt tedious – even after venturing back to open up R&D and find another potential survivor, new threats emerged, keeping the tempo and pacing fresh.

"The Many’s voices also remain as haunting and chill-inducing as ever – one of the many highlights of the voice acting and sound design (outside of you-know-who). The audio logs also offer some decent performances, and though they’re serviceable at best, they work incredibly well at setting up the events leading to the Von Braun’s downfall."

I was also surprised at how easy it was to get used to the movement, melee combat and gunplay, even with some janky hitboxes when wrench-whipping some monkeys. The weapon degradation is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I don’t outright hate it because there are avenues to mitigate the same (and the repair mini-game is a unique dot-connecting exercise) but having the shotgun break after about seven shots or so in the early going felt annoying. Nothing like the “click, click” sound with shells in the weapon and a combination of radiation and shotgun-wielding Hybrid to make my day.

Though starting fairly deprived, System Shock 2 offers several worthwhile avenues for power. An OS upgrade for more bullet damage is as worthwhile as one that provides resistance to radiation and toxin build-up. Psionics is a whole other area of expertise entirely with Pyrokinesis, Cryokinesis and even Soma Transference for leeching health off enemies, not to mention all the ways you can augment your character’s stats (including the reduction of weapon degradation). It could be something that every build dabbles in depending on their needs but remains challenging as a starter.

Investing Cyber Modules into stats, skills, and upgrades becomes gradually more expensive over time, and there’s no respec (past the little undo button before finalizing your choices). Don’t have enough Modules to use that cool new shotgun you’ve been lugging around? Better progress forward to get more (and not die). These locked-in choices can feel harsh if you invest in a build without knowing how to leverage it for all the challenges ahead, relying heavily on the wrench to get you through most encounters. However, the progression itself is smooth, steadily increasing your power while maintaining the survival horror experience.

And really, I can’t praise System Shock 2 enough for how it handles horror. It could be the sudden appearance of a Hybrid, which could be easy enough to deal without until you whiff the first swing and it gets some successful hits on you, never mind those with grenades. But even when you fully master their movesets, their appearance and cries to be released from The Many’s control remain unsettling and pitiful throughout.

The Many’s voices also remain as haunting and chill-inducing as ever – one of the many highlights of the voice acting and sound design (outside of you-know-who). The audio logs also offer some decent performances, and though they’re serviceable at best, they work incredibly well at setting up the events leading to the Von Braun’s downfall.

"As the intended experience, though, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is everything that made the original great – just better-looking and a smoother experience."

So we’ve established that System Shock 2 is a phenomenal game, but what about Nightdive Studios’ work? Outside of the vault for viewing concept art and the early pitch, it’s done a pretty good job sprucing up the environments while maintaining the aesthetic. Textures are cleaner, and character models overhauled – the Hybrid doesn’t look as emaciated or desiccated as the original, but they’re still sharp. The UI’s readability and clarity are also great, especially with the overhauled item art.

Performance is also flawless at 1440p and 120 FPS. You only have options for enabling Ambient Occlusion and Bloom, adjusting the gamma and selecting the video driver, but the overall presentation and fidelity are very good. I didn’t really get a chance to jump into co-op, so if you’re picking it up to play with other people, maybe wait for more impressions to drop before jumping in.

As the intended experience, though, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster is everything that made the original great – just better-looking and a smoother experience. Even if the likes of Prey or Deus Ex haven’t spoiled you, it’s a great way to appreciate how far the genre has come and a genuinely enthralling, terrifying and cerebral experience in its own right.

This game was reviewed on PC.

In a new BlueSky post, the developer revealed that it “encountered issues,” prompting a delay for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch. It’s currently “working to address these issues as quickly as possible,” and targeting the first two weeks of July for the console versions. “We’ll update everyone as soon as we have a set launch date.”

As indicated by the name, System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster revamps the original classic with improved visuals, from weapons and animations to the environments. Alongside 4K resolution support, it also offers up to 120 FPS on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 and up to 144 FPS on PC.

You can also look forward to an overhauled UI, mod support and co-op for up to six players. Stay tuned for more details and updates on the console versions in the coming weeks.