Another Shock to the System

The original System Shock is one of those games that received a lot of acclaim but less commercial success upon its release in 1994. But even now the game receives a great deal of attention, as those who played it in the past discuss its merits on newsgroups and message boards with an almost cult-like affection.

So it should come as little surprise that Looking Glass has finally announced a sequel. System Shock 2 will utilize Looking Glass' Dark Engine, which provides the backbone of its upcoming first-person action game, Thief: The Dark Project. Like the original System Shock, the sequel will be published by Electronic Arts. And while Warren Spector, designer of the original, has moved onto Ion Storm and his current project, Deus Ex, Looking Glass' release promises that several "key members" of the original design team are working for Irrational Games, the development house for the sequel.

No release dates or story details were available, but it's assumed that you'll have to wait at least until 1999 to see if Looking Glass can honor the memory of one of its most beloved games.