When it comes to crowdfunding, I’m as much of a fan of nostalgia as I am towards unique game concepts. However, does nostalgia have a place on Kickstarter, and do the big projects deserve to be funded by fans? That depends, of course, on a case-by-case basis, but in the case of the remake of System Shock does this fall into the “okay to crowdfund” category or should it be left to outside investors?
Yes, that’s a bit of a heavy opening paragraph but let me say my piece. I’ve never played any of the original System Shock games. I know, it’s something that I need to rectify and I did buy them on both GoG and Steam. Is it worth backing this Kickstarter from the perspective of someone who barely knows what it is, beyond a sort of Cyberpunk-themed sci-fi horror game with a murderous AI? Frankly, I have no clue. I’m honestly still on the fence if I want to go in on this campaign or not.
No matter which way you look at it, I will admit that this is a well prepared pitch. The text gets across pretty much everything that they want to say and the video is fun to watch and creative. The graphics in the screenshots are also impressive and from what little I know about the original System Shock. It holds true to the lower resolution original. Again, I can’t really compare the two beyond what’s in the pitch.
I have no doubt that the System Shock remake will easily make its $900k goal, as it’s already almost halfway there in just a day. The question remains, though, is it mostly the fans of the series that are giving most to it to see a reimagined but still loyal to the original concept? I don’t doubt that a huge percentage are those that are there purely for nostalgia reasons as it’s been proven many times before that it sells. Big time.
Okay, I’m getting a bit off track here but hear me out. I’m a fan of the Bioshock series and when I heard about System Shock I became interested in checking it out. Which, as I mentioned above, I still have to play. For those of us who never played the original game is it worth backing this updated take on the title? Well, considering that the series is… I think they said two decades old, the experience probably doesn’t stand up to today’s blockbusters.
So, perhaps this new System Shock is worth backing after all. Just to get a new look at an old classic with more modern mechanics and graphics. However, I’m also of the mind that crowdfunding probably isn’t where it should be, but I don’t doubt that I’d be in the minority here as people are speaking with their wallets. As it is, I do want to see this one succeed as it looks to be a true homage to an old game. At least, I think it is.
You’re not the only one who never played a System Shock game, somehow it missed me by too. Although my reason for not backing this on Kickstarter is the price – $30 for the basic ‘game’ pledge is a bit excessive (and $5 for the entry-level ‘updates’ pledge is too considering that sort of level is usually $1).
Yeah, the $30 price tag is rather steep and one of the main reasons why I’m wary to back it myself. I do plan on playing the demo so be on the lookout for a critique on what they do have so far.