10 More Underrated Video Games Way Ahead Of Their Time

3. System Shock 2

The original 1994 System Shock was a hugely influential FPS, yet its 1999 sequel somehow delivered an even more pivotal and tide-changing entry into the genre.

System Shock 2 was an envelope-pushing hybrid of FPS and RPG, presenting players with a bevy of customisation options which were virtually unheard of in the genre at the time.

While most FPS games of the era were single-mindedly centered on shooting enemies, System Shock 2 allowed players to fine-tune their character's abilities and weapons however they wished, introducing more meaningful progression into a genre that typically stopped at handing you a bigger, better gun.

Sadly like its predecessor the sequel flopped commercially despite enthusiastically positive reviews, yet it nevertheless had a tectonic influence upon the FPS, with games like Deus Ex clearly borrowing from its winning feat of genre fusion.

These days RPG-esque customisation is commonplace in FPS games, and it all goes back to System Shock 2.