Steam Users Surprised With Free Download for Classic Game

A 90s classic is now on Steam and free to download.

By Tyler Fischer

Steam users have a new free download for a classic game from 1994. As you may know, 1994 was the year the PS1 was released, as well as the Sega Saturn and the Atari Jaguar. Meanwhile, on the games front, gamers were treated to the likes of Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI, Donkey Kong Country, Tekken, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Daytona USA, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, DOOM II, Earthworm Jim, Clockwork Knight, Ace Driver, The King of Fighters '94, NBA Jam, Killer Instinct, Cruis'n USA, Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, Revolution X, Alien vs. Predator, Madden NFL 95, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Super Bomberman 2. It was a landmark year for the hobby, and part of an era were arcades hadn't been wiped out by console gaming yet. As a result, fighting games were also still massive. 

It was around this time first-person shooters started to gain some footing in the industry. At this point, DOOM II was out. Meanwhile, Bungie -- the creators of Halo and Destiny -- put itself on the map with Marathon, a sci-fi first-person shooter that was exclusive to the Mac. Because it was locked to the Mac, it didn't light the world on fire commercially, but it reviewed very well and was a success for the platform. As a result, it spawned a trilogy that was completed with Marathon 2: Durandal and Marathon Infinity, released in 1995 and 1996 respectively. In 1996, the game was ported to the Pippin and in 2011, it was ported to iOS. 

Fast-forward and this week it was stealth released on Steam. More than this, it was made free to download. The Steam listing makes no mention of Steam Deck compatibility so those on the handheld Valve machine may run into issues trying to run the game on Steam Deck, if they can run at all. That said, this is just speculation because the Steam listing for the game has no mention of compatibility one way or another. 

How many Steam users have taken advantage of the free download, we don't know, but there is currently 132 user reviews already, 96 percent of which are positive. 

"Alien forces have boarded the colony ship UESC Marathon in the Tau Ceti system, in orbit around humanity's first interstellar colony," reads an official elevator pitch of the game's story. "The situation is dire, and as a security officer assigned to the Marathon, your duty is to defend the ship and its crew from the alien threat."

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The game's official pitch continues: "This classic 1994 Bungie FPS had a foundational influence on the genre, and is now maintained by the fan community. Experience authentic game play using the original data files, with optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation, just in case the original is too authentic."

If you have never dabbled with the series, now is a great time with its revival announced last year. Above, you can check out the official teaser trailer for this new game. Meanwhile, for more Steam coverage -- including all of the latest Steam news, all of the latest Steam rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Steam deals -- click here.

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