This enhanced edition of the classic sci-fi RPG, System Shock, was developed by Nightdive Studios and first released in 2023. What Nightdive has done is bring the original 1994 classic into the modern age, with high definition graphics and a boatload of quality-of-life features.
Tag Archives: 3D graphics
Three-dimensional graphics, usually constructed of polygons. Not two-dimensional.
System Shock, PC
This is the original VGA/SVGA* version of System Shock, first released in 1994. The game was developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems in North America and Electronic Arts in Europe.
*= System Shock was originally released in VGA (320×200 resolution), but was soon upgraded to SVGA (640×480 resolution) via patches and re-releases. I’m showing both the VGA and SVGA versions here.
Unreal Tournament 2004, PC
Epic Games‘ Unreal Tournament 2004 is the third game in the Unreal Tournament series, and is an updated version of its predecessor, Unreal Tournament 2003.
Batman: Arkham Asylum, PC
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an award-winning action game based on the DC Comics character, Batman. It was developed by London-based Rocksteady Studios and published in 2009 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Eidos Interactive, for PC, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, XBox One, Mac OS X and Nintendo Switch.
3D Starstrike, Amstrad CPC
Written by Graeme Baird, Ian Oliver and Andrew Onions, 3D Starstrike was the hit-outta-nowhere* from Realtime Software, in 1984. Well, actually, that was the ZX Spectrum version, which came out the year before this – the Amstrad CPC port. Which was released in 1985.
*= Aided somewhat by the success of Atari‘s famous Star Wars arcade machine.
Quake, Nintendo 64
id Software‘s formidable Quake was ported to the Nintendo 64 by Midway, and first published in 1996. And it is an excellent port of the classic First-Person Shooter.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, PlayStation 3
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a fighting-based action game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision in 2006. In it you control a team of four Marvel superheroes, chosen from a pool of 23 playable characters (not all of which are available from the start – you must unlock some of them), and going up against the forces of Doctor Doom.
Phantasy Star Online, Dreamcast
Phantasy Star Online was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast. The game is an online/offline JRPG in the style of the previous Phantasy Star games, and is much-celebrated. We’re looking at PSO “Version 2” here, which came out in 2001, with expanded content.
Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, PlayStation 2
Developed by LucasArts and first published in 2002, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is a third-person action game in which you play as Jango Fett, and it is also a prequel to the Star Wars film: Attack of the Clones.
Quake, Sega Saturn
The Sega Saturn port of Quake was apparently the first official console port of id Software‘s classic 3D shooter. And, while it plays quite well, it looks kinda ugly.
Saturn Quake was developed by Lobotomy Software and published by Sega in 1997.