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HL2 Packages Available on Steam
aWalrus writes "The long wait for Half Life 2 and bundled games through Valve's online distribution system, Steam, ends today. Steam news reports that Half life 2 packages will be available at 11 am PST. With HL2 still trapped in publisher approval limbo, these packages don't have the game yet (available upon products' release), but they do have Counter Strike:Source. This could be a good bargaining chip for Valve and a boost to Steam distribution."
I find it interesting that another hearing is set for tomorrow (Oct. 8), and Valve opened up HL2 orders on Steam the day before. Surely, this was some sort of legal maneuver...
As a person who only plays FPS games online, I wonder since Half Life 2 isn't going to have multiplayer, and CS source is basically CS with a very souped up graphical and physics engine, why would I pay for this? Maybe it's because I played the CS Source beta and was unimpressed. The original CS with all the mods available is much more enjoyable to play now, HL2 will be interesting for me when CS 2 comes out.
Powerplay died awhile back, it was too broad of a scope with little actual substance to back up its claims.
Steam on the other hand, is an immediate benefit to Valve. At $50+ a pop, with millions of counter-strike players worldwide, Valve is looking at a huge profit. Its been proven to be able to sell games (condition zero) as well as handle a hot new release (cs:source beta).
Unless they lose the countersuit from Vivendi, the sky's the limit!
Excuse me, but isn't the current lawsuit about Vivendi trying to stop Valve from selling Half Life 2 on Steam? And haven't the courts told Valve they can't sell HL2 on steam until the end of the case? And aren't Valve about to start selling HL2 on steam?
I know that you won't be able to actually get HL2 today, but when you plonk down that $90, you sure as hell aren't paying for the hat... you're paying for Half Life 2. Doesn't that count as Valve selling it? And what happens if VU win? How does everyone who'se already brought it on Steam get their copy?
Ian
I was going to moderate here, but to be honest I preffer to shed some opinions here. Are you sure its a good idea to shell out $50 for half life 2 right now? I mean, seriously, valve doesnt have the best history in delivering on time you cant talk about. HL2 delays are only second to DNF and thats saying a LOT. CS: source is neat, yes, but not worth $50 ($20-$30 maybe). And to top it off all you've got an untested and buggy, encrypting and delivery system and valve in the middle of a complex lawsuit which could lead to an undefined delay.
I mean, off the record has it ocurred you, this whole lawsuit thing could be a smoke screen for something else? (a delay per example?) I mean have you ever heard about people beta testing half life 2 multiplayer? Its not like its the first time they use an elaborate excuse (cough code theft cough)
Read between the lines, maybe you should hold to those $50 a bit longer. just in case.
Go ahead MOD my day!
More opinions here
I'm just wondering why I should shell out $50 for a steam copy of HL2, the same amount I'd pay for a physical copy in a store. Basically, are they going to drop the prices once HL2 comes out in stores to something more reasonable like $40, and thus are using their leverage since everyone wants HL2/CSS/etc so badly that theyll pay $50 for nothing more than HL2 & CS:S? I was going to buy it today, but I guess ill wait till the prices become a little more reasonable considering I dont even get a physical product.
"What can a thoughtful man hope for mankind on Earth, given the experience of the past million years? Nothing." -Bokonon
Why is Valve offering payment now? It's called the MMORPG effect. That is when 100k people try to login and pay for something at one time and all the servers go down for a day or two. If you are going to be purchasing the game via Steam, you might as well pay now when the servers are not so busy and you can actually get through and have a chance of getting your order processed. I already see hundreds of Steam buyers whining on release night that they still havn't been able to get their game while others just went down the street.
I'm actually very frustrated at the name selection. It has made googling within the source-port community nearly impossible beause of all the Half Life coverage. For example, I was trying to find out what Quake 1 source ports (such as tenebrae et al) suported Team Fortress mod. Very difficult to find out now with the "Source engine" muddling up Google.
I just registered the cd key that came on the ATI coupon with Steam. The available games show CS:Source. Oh, it shows up as an available game and now it's updating...
:) The problem is... I forgot how to play CS :D
Well, I had this old CD of CS retail lying around here when I built this PC. Somehow I was talked into installing Steam (not knowing what was happening in that scene in the past couple of years). I never played HL and don't have much interest either, but I thought it was kind of nice that I was given a chance to play. And the coupon that came with my 9800XT was somehow not lost. So, here I am ready to play CS:Source now.
It just finished loading the stuff. I'll see what it's like
I haven't been over to the Steam forums yet, so I don't know what everyone else thinks, but it seems to me that CS:S might have been a little... rushed.
Where are the new models? The "surprises"? (Fable, anyone?!)This is basically the Beta with a few more maps. And NOT the most popular maps either.
"But they'll update it with new models etc soon" is all I've been hearing. Yes, maybe so. But when I buy a game I expect it to be fully finished. The fact that CS started as a fan mod shouldn't mean we should have to settle for a handful of maps upon release and hope the fans make the rest. Is it just coincidence that some of the most popular maps are the ones that missing? These are also the maps that the modding community are most likely to port over FOR VALVE, FREE OF CHARGE!
Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of the modding community. It could even be argued that it's fitting that some of the classic maps are being created by the community again. However, the court hearing tomorrow (a day after release) just makes me wonder...
Maybe Half Life 2 will convince me it was money well spent. After all, it is *technically* the game I paid for!
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