System Shock 3's first gameplay teaser only gave us a brief glimpse of SHODAN, an AI that you just can't keep down, and the various monsters and machines out to kill you. The new pre-alpha trailer shows off quite a bit more, however, and it looks like SHODAN's had a bit of an update since March. Give it a watch above.
We didn't get to see any weapons in the earlier teaser, but a few make an appearance this time. There's something very reassuring about seeing the trustworthy wrench amid all the sci-fi guns, and I look forward to the wrench-only runs that will surely appear.
As gruesome as the trailer is, it's SHODAN's mocking monologue that's really unnerving. It's bonkers supervillain fare, but it still manages to sound as threatening as you'd hope from one of gaming's most memorable villains. And she doesn't look like a Lawnmower man knock-off now.
While the trailer focuses more on monsters and action, System Shock 3 will still let you pick your path, sneaking around and hacking your way through the secret facility. Or you can just clobber everything to death.
Back in May, designer Warren Spector talked about how balancing violence in System Shock 3 is "very hard". He's reluctant to make violent games, but he realises that people expect violence in System Shock.
"There are expectations with a game like System Shock that I’m going to go a little bit further [with violence] than I normally would," he said. "So what I’m trying to do is listen to my team, listen to the audience and adjust my beliefs, or work within my beliefs, appropriately."
System Shock 3 is due out next year.
