I never cared about multiplay for this game, I don't mind the difficulty (in fact I enjoyed it), and I thought the graphics were fine (especially for when it was released).  Having been a huge System Shock 1 fan, I was first in line (pretty much literally, too) to buy this sequel when it was released, and for the most part I absolutely loved it.
Now let me qualify "for the most part".  That means everything until about three major levels before the end, at which point the game completely buried itself.  To this day, I even remember the specific point at which I realized it had passed the point of non-redemption: where you found several very tall columns sliding up and down that were supposed to be (ahem) "teeth", and you had to jump across them a la 80's side-scroller.  The ending of this game (along with the couple of levels immediately preceding it) was so incredibly god-awful that I have to ding not 1, not 2, but *3* stars.  It it just that bad.
An ending this bad, that ruins what was a masterpiece of a game leading up to it, is nothing new in computer games.  In fact, one of the highest-profile examples of it is quite similar to SS2, and that is Half-Life.  Now, if you're the type that's able to overlook a game's ending and enjoy just portions of the journey for their own sake, then you'll likely enjoy this game more than 2 stars' worth.  However, if you're like me and can think of few game design sins worse than a horrible ending, than my rating stands.  SS2 started out as one of the best sequels I'd ever played, and ultimately ended as one of the most disappointing.
I never cared about multiplay for this game, I don't mind the difficulty (in fact I enjoyed it), and I thought the graphics were fine (especially for when it was released). Having been a huge System Shock 1 fan, I was first in line (pretty much literally, too) to buy this sequel when it was released, and for the most part I absolutely loved it. Now let me qualify "for the most part". That means everything until about three major levels before the end, at which point the game completely buried itself. To this day, I even remember the specific point at which I realized it had passed the point of non-redemption: where you found several very tall columns sliding up and down that were supposed to be (ahem) "teeth", and you had to jump across them a la 80's side-scroller. The ending of this game (along with the couple of levels immediately preceding it) was so incredibly god-awful that I have to ding not 1, not 2, but *3* stars. It it just that bad. An ending this bad, that ruins what was a masterpiece of a game leading up to it, is nothing new in computer games. In fact, one of the highest-profile examples of it is quite similar to SS2, and that is Half-Life. Now, if you're the type that's able to overlook a game's ending and enjoy just portions of the journey for their own sake, then you'll likely enjoy this game more than 2 stars' worth. However, if you're like me and can think of few game design sins worse than a horrible ending, than my rating stands. SS2 started out as one of the best sequels I'd ever played, and ultimately ended as one of the most disappointing.