So, I hate to say it, but as a 1997-and-onwards gamer, System Shock (at least the first one) has aged absolutely terribly. It's without a doubt the clunkiest UI and navigation system I've ever met, and I really appreciate just how far we've come since it debuted.
I've heard it's a classic, but it's just such a clunky affair that I genuinely cannot will myself to play it further than the first 20 minutes. It's kind of the gamer equivalent of reading Chaucer's version of English: I recognize a lot of the constituent elements as proto-forms of things I am familiar with, but on the whole it's just an alien experience unless I were to devote way more time and energy than I am comfortable with spending on getting to master the material.
Maybe someday there will be a remake that repackages all the awesome stuff in a more modern and playable form (being able to turn my head reliably would be a nice addition), but for now, I'll just have to let this one sit.
It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this one.
But, on a semi-related note, Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary World Tour is a remake of a classic done absolutely right. Hopefully we can get a do-over of System Shock done that well (and playable to modern sensibilities).
Here's hoping.
To keep this from just being a "waaaaah" post, does anyone else have any classic games that they don't feel have really stood the test of time all that well?