What Was SS2's Original Ending?

[663fda3be2282Hikari]

The story, as I understand it, is the ending we got for SS2 was a slap-together because the resources for the actual ending got destroyed with no real way of recovering before final ship date.

So, does anyone know what the actual ending was supposed to have been? Has that information ever been released over the years?

[663fda3be24acKolya]

No, it wasn't released in any way or form. IIRC the story that Levine related a few years ago was that there had been a misunderstanding with the guy who did the video work and they ran out of time and had to deal with the footage they had. I never heard that anything was destroyed.

While Levine was a creative genius at the time, I personally think the supposed alternative ending is a retro invention. Maybe he is embarassed about the often ridiculed ending of his master piece, although apart from the "nah!" I can't really see what's the problem with it. I like it.
While the ending of SS2 certainly was rushed, the ending video is actually too long, complex and specific to have been developed completely outside Levine's control and then recut with a different vision. Also they would have had time to fix it after the game had shipped, since it was clear they had to release a patch anyway (the v.2.3 patch), that would arrive at the same time the game hit the shelves. Finally Levine never related a word about what the other ending would have looked like, when he came up with this story years later. But that's just my personal conjecture, there exists no evidence for or against this alternative ending.

[663fda3be25d2Hikari]

Had considered the idea the 'this wasn't what I wanted' was just excuse/handwaving.

Thanks for the input Kolya.

[663fda3be2715icemann]

Hope we get to see what happened after the ending video someday. We got a Fallout 3 after a large amount of time in between so you never know.

[663fda3be2822Hikari]

Christine i think is the closest we'll come and frankly she does a bang up job.

[663fda3be2a26Briareos H]

The final boss fight was supposed to take place in a matrix-like japanese dojo instead of what we have, it is possible that parts of a different ending cinematic were made in that dojo then abandoned when the level was scrapped, but there's no proof of that. The ridiculous "<fwooosh> nah." cinematic feels as rushed and underwhelming as the whole final part of the game, so I doubt it's only the ending video that they originally wanted to make different.
As for the Rebecca part of the cinematic, it's not great (What are Shodan's motives for revealing herself to Tommy, and probably killing him at that point? Wouldn't it be more efficient to wait until she's back on the VB? Why the hair thing?) but it at least sets up a sequel properly.

[663fda3be2b0eKolya]

Well Michael Ryan created a dojo mock-up, but it was rejected by Levine. That cannot be the alternative ending then.

[663fda3be2e91The Watcher]

Hope we get to see what happened after the ending video someday. We got a Fallout 3 after a large amount of time in between so you never know.

You should be careful what you wish for. Many old-school Fallout fans consider Fallout 3 and FO:NV to be wretched abominations that tore the heart out of the franchise and shat in the hole, and will merrily froth at length and in great detail about how Bethesda has betrayed the game's roots (I actually like FO3, but I can see why they feel that way) The probability that any Shock sequel would be developed by Irrational is now essentially zero, and even if they somehow managed it, the publishing environment is quite different to the world of 2000 - you only have to look at the Dead Space series to see the probable route any developer would be forced down by publishers (barring something like getting it kickstarted, I suppose).

It may be worth asking yourself which is more important to you: never finding out what Irrational planned to have happen after the end of SS2, but having the series 'end' at a high point; or to find out what a completely different developer (one working for a publisher interested only in safest-bet, widest possible mass-market appeal, dumbed-down slops to feed the gibbering hordes of trigger-happy twitch-festers) decides to turn it into. Honestly, without Levine heading it, and a publisher that doesn't insist on dumbing it down, the chances of something that doesn't suck happening are really, really small. It might happen, sure, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[663fda3be2f95Briareos H]

If there's one person to whom I would not hand System Shock 3, it's surely Ken Levine.

[663fda3be306aKolya]

Give it to JJ Abrams!

[663fda3be32c7Briareos H]

Only if the original cast of pipe hybrids and hoppers returns

[663fda3be34baicemann]

I was a huge fan of Fallout 1 & 2 and I didn't have a problem at all with Fallout 3 or NV. It still felt like Fallout. Much how GTA 3 felt like GTA despite its change of perspective.

But then you have games like Syndicate (the new one) who don't feel at all like the games they are based on.

I like to try and keep an open mind prior to watching the developer videos or the playing of a demo.

I recall starting up the SS2 demo completely expecting to hate it due to its change of style and ended up liking that more than the original. All in the eye of the beholder I guess.

[663fda3be38c2ZylonBane]

Many old-school Fallout fans consider Fallout 3 and FO:NV to be wretched abominations...

Many Fallout fans are deranged lunatics who consider anything that isn't turn-based isometric to be an abomination.

As for the original SS2 ending, I've always assumed that it was intended to be essentially the same as what we got, just presented in a less silly manner.

[663fda3be39edHikari]

How could this 'olololololol rebecca has shodan taking her body over' be presented better given technology and probable costs of the time.

[663fda3be3b73voodoo47]

I'd still hit it.

[663fda3be40abZylonBane]

How could this 'olololololol rebecca has shodan taking her body over' be presented better given technology and probable costs of the time.

WTF. We're talking about the "Nah!" moment. The Rebecca bit is fine.

[663fda3be4200Hikari]

Strange. Most of the 'nah' sequence i was fine with It's the sudden no-forshadowing 'rebecca is shodan's new host' thing that made me go '...huh?'

[663fda3be42fbKolya]

That's a classic horror film ending with a showdown where the hero destroys the villain and reinstates normality, then an epilogue where we see the villain survived surprisingly and unbeknownst to the hero.

[663fda3be44a4Nameless Voice]

What Kolya said, only I was going to actually call it by its trope name, "The Stinger".

[663fda3be457eZylonBane]

Hand punches out of grave.
Roll credits.

[663fda3be466dKolya]

Man, I was looking for the trope name. Or I was going to...then it's all a haze of laughing nodding and clicking. Must have been hours ago.

[663fda3be4761Nameless Voice]

Did you notice the 41 minute gap between your post and mine?  Warning, someone has replied since the post you are replying to...

[663fda3be4a37Zygo]

If there's one person to whom I would not hand System Shock 3, it's surely Ken Levine.

I'd give it Levine, but I wouldn't give it to 2k. Bioshock sounded fine while IG was still independent.

Hypothetically I'd get Ken Levine and Chris Avellone to write the story, Brian Fargo to run the kickstarter, use CDPR's engine and art team and grab whoever it was who did the X-labs in Stalker as a level designer plus whatever originals are available.

Cleve Blakemore can supervise and provide feedback on what being a cyborg actually feels like.

[663fda3be4b6aKolya]

Speaking of Blakemore, I played the Grimoire demo a bit. It's not my type of game, not even when the originals came out, but it does look very nice and like a real labour of love and I very much respect that. If I was stranded on a lonely island/Siberia/a nuclear fallout shelter with a laptop and no internet for a few years, that's the game I'd like to have with me.