Sound the 'This week's free Epic Games Store game is worth logging in for' alarm

Shodan, as seen in System Shock 2's 25th anniversary remaster — (Image credit: Nightdive)

What's going on?

System Shock 2 is an excellent videogame and all-timer immersive sim.
Nightdive's 2025 remaster is exquisite.
It's free on the Epic Games Store until October 8.
You will have to remember your password and dig out a 2FA code probably. Sorry.

Is this really worth logging in for? Do you know how long it takes to log in to a thing?

Joshua Wolens

I'm afraid it very much is worth logging in for, reader I just made up. Nightdive's System Shock 2 remaster is an absolute delight, and the fact it's being given away for free barely a year after release feels like a crime. Fortunately, it's a crime you and I stand to benefit from. That's the good kind of crime.

System Shock 2 is sort of a pseudo-sibling to Deus Ex, whose release it preceded by one year. It's a space-based survival horror immersive sim that traps you aboard a spaceship overtaken by a fleshy hivemind (it's all explained in System Shock 1; don't worry about it). You can choose between three general classes—gun guy, tech guy, psychic guy—and your options for overcoming and bypassing challenges are many.

You should play it, is what I'm saying. It's a damn classic, but it's not an antique. It was fun to play even before Nightdive did its magic. Now? It runs smooth as butter, looks great, and you can do the whole thing on a gamepad if you want to. Probably sacrilege, but anything goes, I suppose.

One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.