I’m not young. But 25 years after the hype, I am finally getting around to playing half life (1)! Stupidly missed the free action, but paid a few eurocents for it. They’re totally worth it! Awesome game, holds up very very well after two and a half decades!
I agree 100% with your System Shock 1 assessment. SS2 has been my favorite game for over 20 years, but I could never get into the first game after the mouse-look/free-look era came to fruition.
That’s why I’ll be forever grateful to Nightdive Studios for their incredible, stunning, staggering remake of SS1. If anyone who’s curious hasn’t checked it out yet, I highly, highly recommend it!