There aren’t very many mods for Looking Glass Studios’ classic System Shock. Apart from patches that increase the video resolution and make the package portable, fans have had to play the game almost exactly as it was on release, convoluted controls and all. That it still holds up for many people after all these years is testament to its timeless design. But a brilliant modder by the name of Malba Tahan has come out with a handy controls reconfiguration patch, that adds configurable keys and mouse look support. The first addition is welcome but by no means new, the second is a godsend. If you’ve ever played the game, you’ll know that it is not quite a conventional first-person shooter; the mouse cursor is movable independently of the view, which allows you to interact with objects and manage your inventory – but means you have to manage the view separately, which can be frustrating for twitch gamers.
The sequel, System Shock 2 by Irrational Games, improved the control scheme by allowing mouse look when shooting, and then detaching the cursor when using the inventory. Malba has recreated that scheme in SS1 by making mouselook available at the touch of a key, which, as you can see in the brief demonstration I put together below, makes the game appear much more like a typical FPS.