System Shock 2 - Retrospective Review @ US Gamer

Jeremy Parish (US Gamer) takes a look back at System Shock 2:

System Shock 2 Proved the FPS Could be More Than Doom Clones

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It was Ultima Underworld that served as the inflection point for System Shock and its sequel, System Shock 2. Developed by Blue Sky Productions, Underworld had debuted nearly a full two years before DOOM, and it simplified the rules and mechanics of Ultima in order to make them work in the context of first-person action. While not really a shooter in the modern sense — melee weapons were far more common than missile attacks, and the computer tallied attack damage with virtual dice rolls — it nevertheless feels like a proto-FPS in many ways. Yet, at the same time, the window on the action is surrounded by a classic RPG frame that depicts icons for various actions, a text window, inventory items, and a breakdown of the protagonist's gear and stats. Compared to what DOOM would bring, Ultima Underworld felt glacial and cumbersome... but it was also deep and substantial, succeeding in a completely different respect from id's hit.

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