Originally released in 1994,System Shockhas been hailed by many reviewers and fans as one of the greatest games ever. Newer fans ofSystem Shockand fans of other series that wished to get into the classic would have had a very difficult time playing it, but that has changed with the release of theSystem Shock Remake, which has enhanced the game and reworked it to enthrall modern gaming audiences.
RELATED:Pro Tips For System Shock Remake
SHODAN managed to capture many gamers' minds back when the original game was released, making one of the best andmost engaging video game villainsof all time. Operating with brutality and efficiency only an AI is capable of having, the fear players have to know they are fighting against a near-perfect being makes it all the more satisfying when players beat SHODAN. The AI shows its brutal creativity even in denigrating players, using wit, sarcasm, and even sheer horrifying terror in its dialogues to try and stop the player from beating it once and for all.
7"Do You Believe There Is A Soul, Hacker? Let Us Find Out Together."
The Hacker hears this quote from SHODAN when they die in the game, and have their body turned into a cyborg. SHODAN says this while she takes the player’s dying body, and this quote especially stands out from the others said by the AI when the player dies.
The post-death cutscene is already a terrifying sight, with the Hacker having their body eaten into in some way by the Cortex Reaver controlled by SHODAN. It onlybecomes even more terrifying, hearing what SHODAN has in store for us puny mortals.
6"Who Are You?"
After theHacker destroys the securityand the nodes in the Alpha Quadrant of the Medical Bay, SHODAN begins to inquire into whom the Hacker is. SHODAN, trying to peer into the player says, “Who are you? The computer nodes can be repaired, but you… Who are you? My cameras and probes scan your body, but you do not match any employee file. When my cyborgs bring you to the electrified interrogation bench, I will have your secret and you will learn more about pain than you ever wanted to know.”
For the first time in the game, SHODAN is not openly hostile or derisive, but is very curious as to who the Hacker is, and how they got into the Citadel. That curiosity paves its way into hostility, and SHODAN delivers a threat to the Hacker, a threat the Hacker knows it will carry out if it gets its hands on the Hacker.
5"I Am Drunk With This Vision. God: The Title Suits Me Well."
When the Hacker finds a voice log in the Beta Quadrants of the Research Labs, theyopen it to hear SHODANsay, “In my talons, I shape clay, crafting life forms as I please. Around me is a burgeoning empire of steel. From my throne room, lines of power careen into the skies of Earth. My whims will become lightning bolts that devastate the mounds of humanity. Out of the chaos, they will run and whimper, praying for me to end their tedious anarchy. I am drunk with this vision.God: the title suits me well.”
RELATED:Most Terrifying Female Villains In Horror Games, Ranked
SHODAN is also not fully misguided here when it says all this. It has an immense ego behind this quote, but there is also the acknowledgment of its achievements, its power, and its grand ambitions. One can only feel a shiver down their spine when they hear the full quote from SHODAN, and who can blame them?
4"I’m Afraid It’s Too Late To Save Your Friends"
One of the most notable ‘gotcha’ moments in the game takes place in the Southern corner of the Flight Deck when the Hacker is trying to reach the last few humans still alive on the Citadel. The Hacker is trying to reach them, save them, and maybe enlist their help in taking down SHODAN once and for all, only to instead be jumped by a Cortex Reaver under the control of SHODAN, saying the above line in the most menacing way possible.
Not only is this quote terrifying due to how it comes out of nowhere, but it also symbolizes something very bleak for the Hacker. SHODAN has cornered them successfully, but more importantly, anyone that could have helped the Hacker out in their quest is not alive anymore at best, and at worst is a cyborg, or mutant out to get them as well.
3"Did You Really Think I Would Not Deduce Where You Would Run To, Insect?"
Just as players think they can outsmart SHODAN in any capacity, the SHODAN always catches up to the players and moves one step ahead. SHODAN says the above line while doing exactly just that, jumping the player when they least expect it.
This encounter takes place in the Gamma Quadrant of the Reactor, and this is exactly where SHODAN also jumps the player.The rogue AIshows her disdain, contempt, and disregard for the Hacker, not even deeming the player worthy of being called anything but an insect in SHODAN’s godly path.
2"Insect, Your Body Will Never Be Mourned, But It Will Be Burned When I Am Finished With It."
This is another one of the quotes that are spoken by SHODAN when the player has died, pulling them up into the Cortex Reaverto become a cyborgthat is fit only to obey and serve. This ‘game over’ scene and dialogue only takes place by chance, and hence can only be seen once in a while.
RELATED:System Shock: How To Reduce Security Level
What differentiates this from the earlier ‘game over’ entry is the sheer brutality and hatred emanating from SHODAN when she says this quote. A part of what makes SHODAN one of the greatest video game villains ever is the mix of it looking down on the player, along with disdain, and sheer brutality it is willing to engage to achieve its goals.
1"Behold Your Ignorance, Insect."
One very notable aspect of SHODAN that gets very clear as players progress through the game is the lofty manner in which it speaks. The AI calls itself a goddess, not without its reasons, and it addresses lowly humans as such. SHODAN uses its grand-sounding language all through the game to mock and discourage the Hacker from beating it.
This quote isone of the perfect examples. Even as the Hacker is being ambushed by a large group of enemies, SHODAN uses its impeccable language to put the player down in multiple ways, as it has done so throughout the game. The sheer brutality and relentlessness with which SHODAN mocks the player while trying to kill them is impressive.
SHODAN is one of the greatest video game villains of all time, and with quotes like these, it’s easy to see why. An omnipresent AI that doggedly tries to kill the player at every turn of the game, whether it is physically through the monstrosities it has built, or whether it is through scathing remarks made to cut, SHODAN is unique in its sheer hatred and low regard for the Hacker it tries so hard to destroy.
System Shock Remakeis currently available on PC, having been released on May 30th, 2023.
