Steam Sale Offers 'System Shock 2' For $7

Do you love the “Bioshock” series? Want to see where most (if not all) of the ideas in the series came from? Here’s your chance.

“System Shock 2,” regarded by critics and players alike as one of the all-time greatest games ever, is currently being sold on steam for $6.99, a 30 percent discount.

Released in August 1999 and winner of multiple Game of the Year awards, “System Shock 2” melded action, RPG and survival horror elements into an unbelievably atmospheric and dreadful experience. The player traversed through a derelict spacecraft filled with ghostly apparitions, blood-splattered walls and the audio logs of dead crewmates, all while being stalked and taunted by the game’s psychotic antagonist, the artificial intelligence known as Shodan. The game was hailed as a landmark achievement, though it suffered from poor sales.

As recently as 2011, Ken Levine, who developed “System Shock 2,” as well as “Bioshock” and “Bioshock Infinite,” said, “you never know what’s going to happen,” when asked about the prospect of “System Shock 3” ever seeing the light of day by a fan at PAX East. Reportedly, the rights to the game have been stuck in limbo after “System Shock 2” developer Looking Glass Studios folded in 2000.

This is worth repeating. In case you didn’t know, Levine and Irrational developed “System Shock 2,” as well as “Bioshock” and “Bioshock Infinite.” If you do decide to give "System Shock 2" a try, you’ll likely come to realize how much of a “spiritual successor” the “Bioshock” series is when compared with “System Shock 2.”

What do you think of this sale? Are you a “System Shock 2” fan who has been aching for a sequel for years? How does the “Bioshock” series stack up with “System Shock 2?” Sound off in the comments below.