I May Pee My Pants While Playing

System Shock 2 was a love and hate experience for me. When I began to play it I loved it. I continued to love it for a short time, until love of the game became secondary to fear. I don't do well with horror games, and you won't find me playing Fatal Frame. But SS2 was different.

I couldn't stop. Addicted? Probably. The game was intense, and I loved and hated every minute of it. I loved it for its atmospheric quality, and the fact that it was just well done. I hated it because it constantly gave me the creeps, making me sit on the edge of my seat. I loved and hated it because I couldn't get away from it. Like a holodeck simulation gone bad, the only thing to do was to get to the end, finish it, and be free. After its completion, the destruction of Shodan, I threw up my arms in jubilation and vowed never to play it again.

Of course I was still obsessed with the experience and it has stuck with me ever since. I even decided to vent my emotions in a creative way by making a wall. I called it Meet Shodan, and it's up on Minitokyo now. I recommend trying to view it full size if you want the real effect. I thought it turned out well, and then ended up converting the rest of my desktop to a matching SS2 theme using WindowBlinds, IconPackager, CursorXP, and several other programs.

That was about three years ago. Yes I played SS2 that recently, and for the first time no less. I had always meant to when it was still on the shelves, it just never happened. And now, what do I find here? BioShock is being developed by the creators of the System Shock series. The latest footage is already creepy. This game is beautiful, frightening, and I have a feeling I might be in for another nerve-wrecking ride. By the looks of it, BioShock may cause me to pee my pants when playing it. I better take precautions.