If you like the old id Software games and you can play the original System Shock without vomiting pixels, you're going to want to check out Starshock . It's an indie first-person shooter that's "about 95% done", and with only 7% left to go - why yes I was bottom of maths at school, why do you ask? - developer Quarry has uploaded a demo for the entire world to try. It offers three levels of claustrophobic shooting, terminal-reading and pixel-deciphering action, minus most of the sound effects (those must be part of the remaining 12%).
Starshock's chunky, jagged look is sure to be divisive, but I think it looks rather lovely (the well-defined colour palette helps). If you're tempted to give the demo a try, don't let the near-immediate onslaught of enemies put you off, as they're relatively easy to defeat with the sword (press 3). From the demo, this seems like a more action-focused take on the original System Shock, which is no bad thing. Starshock is out soon - head over to the game's TIGSource devlog for further Starshocking developments.
