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BioShock gets Steam-y

2K Boston's dynamic shooter available for prepurchase on Valve's downloadable game service.

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Earlier this week, reports set Internet message boards ablaze with news that 2K Boston's heavily anticipated underwater escapade BioShock was readily available at retail outlet Toys "R" Us, a full week before the game's anticipated ship date. Those reports proved to be true for only a scant few lucky gamers, however, as Toys "R" Us' speculated defiance of Take-Two's imposed street date turned out to be nothing more than a minor gaffe on the part of misinformed retail clerks.

For those still stinging with disappointment on not getting a jump on BioShock, Valve today announced a slight recompense for their suffering. PC gamers looking to delve into BioShock's depths as soon as humanly possibly can now prepurchase the game through Valve's downloadable game service Steam, and begin playing as soon as the game is made available.

More than a few third-party publishers have signed on to Valve's distribution service in the past year, including Eidos, Capcom, and most recently, id Software. Take-Two's own agreement with Valve stems back to October of last year.

As with the retail version of BioShock, the digitally distributed version available on Steam costs $49.95 and will be available August 21 in the US and August 24 in Europe. It is rated M for mature. Check out GameSpot's extensive coverage for more on the game.

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