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E3 - Game Sites Get Hands-On With Half Life 2

Posted by simoniker on from the hype-the-funk dept.

metrazol writes "Over at GameSpy, they have a first hands-on preview of much anticipated, speculated, flamed, leaked sequel Half-Life 2. Hint: They love it." There's also a preview at GameSpot, and another over at IGN PC - elsewhere, The Inquirer notes that "ATI will bundle [Valve-developed] Counter Strike 2 with its X800PRO/XT cards", and CNN Money interviews the new President of Half-Life 2 publishers VU Games, who says Half-Life 2 is "still realistic" for a 2004 release (Valve are now saying that "the game should be out by this summer"), and argues: "The PC is far more profitable for us than the console... you're not playing platform fees to manufacturers, for one thing."

14 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. Who cares? by Kanon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Does anyone really care anymore? It's not like these previews are telling us anything new of substance.

    1. Re:Who cares? by Killjoy_NL · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Personally, I care.
      After the fantastic HL1, I'm still holding on to the hope that this will be just as good or better.

      My hopes have been crushed a few times though
      - Master of Orion 3
      - Deus Ex 2

      --
      This is the sig that says NI (again)
    2. Re:Who cares? by Kanon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm not saying that I'm not looking forward to it. I am. I'm guessing it will be a very good game but I've read a number of previews of HL2 over the last month and they all say exactly the same things and don't really tell us anything we didn't know last year before the code leak.

      I guess I'd be more excited if they told us something we haven't heard before or was a little unexpected.

  2. Re:A new icon/Logo? by Kelerain · · Score: 2, Informative

    Its been around for a while. It is the Quake 3 Rocket Launcher, although people also seem to think it looks like a fire extinguisher.

  3. New interface by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    As can be seen from the screenshot at gamespy, there is a funky green man in the corner. He looks a bit like a spy. Personally, I think it detracts from the aesthetics.

    1. Re:New interface by Baikala · · Score: 2, Funny

      Prior to checking your link and getting the yoke, I was thinking you were refering to one of these conspicuos green men.

      --
      16,777,216 comments ought to be enough for any forum!
  4. ATi by jbfaninmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wait a second, ATi is going to bundle CS2 with there new cards? What about all of those HL2 vouchers they gave out with the last generation of cards?

    Man ATi is a smart company. They are giving away these little paper coupons that people have to hold on to for at least good year before they are worth anything, but people feel like they are saving $50. Hell, they might never be worth anything. Whoever came up with that deserves at least, "Corporate Minion of the Month."

    1. Re:ATi by aliens · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They'll still be honoring those coupons. It sucks to have to hold on to them, but I'm sure ATI is just as pissed at Valve as the customer is at ATI/Valve.

      I mean honestly, you do not ink a major corporate deal knowing you can't deliver. I don't know what Valve was smoking to stick to last september's release date up until the very absolute last second. The interviews with Gabe even talk about how it wasn't released because it just wasn't finished, not because of the code leak.

      --
      -- taking over the world, we are.
    2. Re:ATi by Pvt_Waldo · · Score: 3, Informative

      Actually if you just use the key to register under Valve's content delivery system Steam, you'll get all the current games. Then when HL2 etc. comes out, you'll get those too. Steam will just automatically download them and give 'em to you.

  5. We still don't know... by Apreche · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hey reviewers! What kind of PC were you playing that demo on?? We still need to know the minimum system requirements!

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
    1. Re:We still don't know... by junkgrep · · Score: 3, Informative

      Currently, they are saying that they'll bump the requirements up to 1Ghz CPU and a Directx7 level card (i.e., TNT2s wont cut it anymore)

  6. shame by OmniVector · · Score: 2, Insightful

    shame we have little to no chance of getting a half-life 2 mac port since the whole game depends heavily on direct-x 9.

    oh well, i'll happily give money to the companies that care about cross-platform development (id software & epic games).

    --
    - tristan
  7. It's like a test drive, you get a free gift by justkarl · · Score: 3, Funny

    You know, you try half life 2, you get a free copy of the source code.

  8. Re:Forget HL2 and DNF by GearType2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    tf2 is bundled with hl2 as a mod.