Oh hey, is this thing on? So I guess this is my first blog entry, whatever, let's talk about games. My first order of business is to announce that I now have a reason to write!

Today marks a momentous occasion in my gaming career. I have finally finished Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4! My total playtime was close to 150 hours, except that was over the course of nearly two years. It certainly was one hell of a a journey. I almost gave up on a few spots, but I persevered and was rewarded with some truly great gaming memories.

Looking back, I realize that this was not only the first Shin Megami Tensei game I ever played, it is now the first one I have completed. Now that I know what to expect from the Persona series, my hype level for P5 has gone critical.

Next, I will tackle Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. It's part of the main-line series, but it's still very similar in some ways to Persona. Though, from the few hours I played, it is a totally different beast in other regards. I will have more on Persona 4 and Nocturne later, instead I want to shift gears and get to the real reason for this blog: Shocktober baby!

Well, here we are, two days from Halloween. That being so, I figured now would be as good a time as any to make a blog post about how for the past month, I've been bloating myself on horror books, games and movies.

Since it is Shocktober, I had no excuse not to finally get around to experiencing System Shock 2. Even though I've played its successor BioShock, the early entries in the Shock series were a mystery to me. Still, I was excited.

As of right now, I have not yet completed System Shock 2, but I just wanted to put my thoughts down about how much this game has impressed and intrigued me so far. After only spending about 4-5 hours with it, I can see why people would say that System Shock 2 is superior to BioShock and its infinite iterations. While lacking in technical presentation and flashy set-pieces, what stands out, is the atmosphere and to a lesser extent, the game-play.

While certainly not perfect, and even a bit clunky, especially stealth, the game-play of System Shock 2 is much more robust than its modern-day equivalents. Your actions; hacking, weapon repair, healing, various Psi-abilities, are all determined by a set of basic skills and three distinct skill branches. Only a meager amount of points are given to allocate to these skills. This adds a feeling of vulnerability, you can't do everything, and what's more, you are not immune to failure. A critical failure when hacking the security system or your gun breaking during a fight are always a possibility.

What, for me, stands above the game-play is, of course, the plot and setting of System Shock 2. The majority of the action takes place aboard the Von Braun and UNN Rickenbacker, for now I won't go into to those plot details. To me, what is equally intriguing, is the larger universe that the Hackers, the protagonists, story is encapsulated within. At the games start, the tutorial quickly and nicely serves to set up the wider scope of the Shockverse. Humanity has managed to establish a firm presence through out the stars, yet, inequality and unrest are still rampant. The debut of the Von Braun, the first starship capable of faster-than-light travel seems to be only a temporary distraction from this reality.

The single, most striking aspect of System Shock 2, is just how lonely the whole game feels. Having the Von Braun travel 63 trillion miles from Earth only exacerbates the sense of overwhelming isolation. As you wander through empty corridors, with only ambient humming or the white noise of machines to fill the empty spaces, your footfalls resound on the cold metal floor, your ears poised for any sound of the Many, it isn't anxiety or dread that fills you, it's simply...emptiness.

Anyway, I will most likely have even more to say once I finish System Shock 2. I might even write about other games as well, maybe. Until then, uh, thanks for reading this.