Yeah, that's rather unfortunate- though there's still a decent
community that'll help if they can. I've been having some issues getting it to run on my new laptop as well. Most of the issues with SS2 pop up on multiprocessor/hyperthreading systems- you have to tweak it so that shock2.exe only runs on
one processor, which is easy enough... except when WinXP decides to be a complete and utter
%&$! about it, which is what's been happening to me (I've been through three different third-party utilities that didn't help either). There is also an issue with nVidia FX series graphics boards (dunno about the GT series, which is what I'm running now). Fortunately, I still have another computer which it
will run on... otherwise I'd spend a lot of time crying; SS2 is pretty much my all-time favorite game.
I'd have put SS1 on the list, too, but I honestly think that we've reached a point in gaming where sprites- even well-made sprites in 3D environments- just can't be scary anymore. That, and it's even harder to get running than SS2 and is even more impossible to find a legit copy of these days (being older than
classic Doom and all).
Those, Doom3, and Bioshock are pretty much the extent of me experience with
scary games though... there are a few
spooky and
creepy moments in the Halos and in Unreal II- but nothing that had me running for my virtual life and occasionally wasting ammo on shadows. Half-Life 2 had Ravenholm, which occasionally came close, but only that even came
close because I'm an arachniphobe and the black and fast 'crabs look like spiders. Doom3 relied too much on monster closets and lights-out for its scares. SS2 and Bioshock both have genuine
suspenseful scares with intricate setups that actually work into the plot and set you up in advance for the
next one.