A new trailer for System Shock 3 was released today. Developer OtherSide Entertainment put a teaser trailer up on its YouTube channel earlier this morning. The studio consists of of ex-Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games developers who worked the first two entries in the System Shock series.
System Shock 2 was originally released in 1999 to critical acclaim. The cyberpunk RPG broke boundaries and set standards when it came to video game world-building and storytelling. The path it carved out led to the existence of games like BioShock, Prey, and the Dead Space series.
Story-wise, System Shock 3 starts where System Shock 2 left off 20 years ago. The AI villain of the second game, SHODAN, survived and is back for vengeance in the new sequel. Her voice-over menaces throughout the entire new trailer, giving it that distinct space-horror vibe the original games were famous for bringing to the medium. Fans are reacting especially well in comments to the improved motion capture done for SHODAN since the last trailer was shown.
The new trailer shows a game that looks a lot more action packed than previous games in the franchise. Which makes sense. Games have come a long way in 20 years, and this new System Shock seems to be taking influence from the games it inspired.
Of course, the trailer shows plenty of wrench combat, a staple of the series and now the immersive sim genre thanks to System Shock's influence. Plenty of terrifying enemies pop up in the trailer as well, letting the viewer know that this game knows what defines System Shock. That makes plenty of sense given the team that's working on it that includes Warren Spector.
The System Shock IP is in a strange place right now. Many different companies are working on System Shock projects, all seemingly unrelated, in an attempt to bring the franchise back into the limelight. Aside from OtherSide's new entry, Nightdive Studio is currently working on a remake of the original game. However, the System Shock remake is currently on hiatus and has been pushed well out of its release window in 2020.
Unfortunately for fans of the franchise, neither of these major System Shock projects are coming any time soon. An HD remaster of System Shock 2 was also announced earlier this year, but currently has no release date either.
System Shock 3 will release for PC, but currently has no release date.