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HL2, Jump to Lightspeed Demos

Posted by Zonk on from the try-before-you-buy dept.

HomeLAN has details on newly available demos of two of the most interesting late-2004 releases. The folks over at Valve have released a Half-Life 2 demo, available where you download stuff, and FilePlanet has available a demo version of Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed should you want to try it out for 10 days.

40 comments

  1. Question: by Return_of_the_Pyro · · Score: 1

    Question: What self-respecting geek doesn't already have Half Life 2?

    1. Re:Question: by VendingMenace · · Score: 1

      answer: ones who are too poor to afford a decent computer or internet connection?

      sadly, i speak from experience :(

    2. Re:Question: by usernotfound · · Score: 1

      correction, what self respecting geek wasn't holding on to his ATI coupon like one of Willie Wonka's Golden Ticket or had it preloaded weeks before the actual release?

      --
      You call it excessive, I call it ambitious.
    3. Re:Question: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
      Question: What self-respecting geek doesn't already have Half Life 2?

      Those of us whose wives might be buying it as a Christmas present.

      Oh, sorry, you said geek.

    4. Re:Question: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      This is for those people who live in the altered reality that Halo 2 is still the best FPS ever, and Halo 1 was unique in some way.

    5. Re:Question: by xTown · · Score: 2, Insightful

      One whose disdain for Steam overrides any desire to play yet another FPS, no matter how good it may be?

    6. Re:Question: by Drathos · · Score: 1

      Agreed. Steam is the one thing that is stopping me and several freinds from getting HL2.

      --
      End of line..
    7. Re:Question: by evilmousse · · Score: 1


      by all means... purchase it AND use the hacked version. sure, you don't get to protest.. but daaayum, this is one to let go. ^^

      i still can't play offline tho i bought legit, i guess because of the graphics driver warning that pops up. i made due effort, even write emails with requests that went unanswered, not even by form letter: 1, I intend to use a no-cd hack, 2, i want to be able to play offline.

      i don't much time to game, so i'm still planning on trying out some online multiplayer and haven't patched it just yet. so idunno, it's become like weighing xboxmediaplayer against xboxlive. if you've got ample local opponants, go for it.

    8. Re:Question: by stanmann · · Score: 1

      And who doesn't have $50 in the budget for a single player online game.

      Between the evils of steam and my decision not to spend more than $20 a shot on any game... well there you have it.

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
  2. Steam by Richie1984 · · Score: 0, Troll

    As promised, ATI.com has now released a demo of Half-Life 2 allowing folks with a Steam account to try out the recent best selling first person shooter from Valve Software.

    Oddly enough, that's the first thing I wondered about when I saw the article. You might as well just buy the full game if you're going to go through the process of getting a steam account and a verification just for a demo.

    --
    I'm not stressed. I'm just terribly, terribly alert.
    1. Re:Steam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, because creating a Steam account takes like... 2 minutes...

    2. Re:Steam by G-Spot · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd have to disagree. Sure, it takes some time to download the demo, but unless you have to sit in front of the computer and pedal it to make it go, this really isn't an arduous task. Why download the demo? Because the full game costs $50 or $60. Once people do this, however, they may see how simple the Steam process is and decide to buy the game. But that's a different story altogether than "You need to get a Steam account so you may as well buy the game, so the demo is a stupid idea."

    3. Re:Steam by Dave2+Wickham · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure I'm following you here. You say "You might as well just buy the full game if you're going to go through the process of getting a steam account and a verification just for a demo.", but I'd imagine most people interested in this would already have Steam accounts for Half-Life 1, or to preload HL2.

    4. Re:Steam by br0ck · · Score: 2, Informative

      Keep an eye on Gametab's Frugal Gamer and you should be able to pick it up for ~$35 ($40 here). Whatever you pay, it's worth every penny.. it even just won Gamespy's GOTY award and a number of other awards (best character - Dog!).

    5. Re:Steam by WormholeFiend · · Score: 1

      and I bet you don't have a New York Times free registration either... ;)

      [/runs away]

  3. Yes but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Are they digitally signed?

    1. Re:Yes but... by Mr.Dippy · · Score: 1

      If it isn't then it could infect your computer like the naughty FireFox broswer doo-hicky thing.

      --


      -Dipster
  4. link to torrent by QuantumRiff · · Score: 4, Informative

    The demo torrent can be found on 3dgamers here

    --

    What are we going to do tonight Brain?
  5. New Content by G-Spot · · Score: 1

    My question is, is this just a level from the final HL2, or is it a little bit of new content? I remember back when they released Half-Life they had a demo available that actually wasn't part of the game - Half-Life:Uplink, I believe they called it. It was a pretty fun 30 minute or so mission, if I remember correctly. Anyone try out the demo yet?

    1. Re:New Content by Chyeld · · Score: 4, Informative

      I can't dl it in Steam since I already have the full version and Steam isn't listing it in the avaliable games, however from other people's statements the Demo is basicly a few of the first levels and a bit of Ravenhome. No new content.

  6. will the demo be like the HL demo? by myc_lykaon · · Score: 1
    ie. will the demo be totally different, with maps that are unavailable in HL2 full?

    I rather enjoyed the HL demo Uplink and it was worth the download time.

    1. Re:will the demo be like the HL demo? by space_jake · · Score: 1, Informative

      I just checked fileplanet and it doesn't appear to be new content. Thats a shame I really enjoyed Half-Life: Uplink as well.

  7. answer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    The one who uses a different OS than Windows on non-x86 hardware, which isn't supported by HL2 or any emulators out there.

  8. Waiting for multiplayer by CrazyJim1 · · Score: 1

    I'll buy Half Life 2 when someone makes a decent multiplayer mod that's respected. I'm only interested in games that I can compete in world wide tournaments anymore. Single player games that tweak your ego by letting you crush your enemies are silly. Multiplayer games that don't become popular because they suck are imbalanced aren't my interest either. Its the solidly balanced multiplayer game that interests me.

    --
    God spoke to me.
    1. Re:Waiting for multiplayer by TellarHK · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know, I heard this wild rumor about a year and a half ago that they were working on this ultra-secret project called "Counter-Strike: Source" that would be really nifty and actually come free with Half-Life 2. And I guess the original Counter-Strike was something like the most popular FPS multiplayer on the planet, with leagues and prizes and everything.

      But it was just a rumor.

      --
      My own pointless vanity vintage computing page
    2. Re:Waiting for multiplayer by Lisandro · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Funny, i'm more interested in single player games lately. Don't get me wrong, HL spawned some fine multiplayer games, like Counter Strike, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress and so, but i dunno... maybe i'm getting old or something, but i still preffer playing by myself better sometimes. And it's not like i can't enjoy an online fragfest :) it's just different. I don't know if people were that interested in HL2 as a game or as an engine for mods, which, let's face it, was what kept HL going to this day - i serioulsy don't beleive every single CS fan played HL. Mods it's what made Valve what it is now.

      Anyway, i did play HL2, more or less half of it until the end (at a friend's), and it's good. Not the second coming of Christ, just good. The ending completely destroys the game IMHO, and while some parts were funny and incredibly dinamic others were plain boring - just like with the original HL. I honestly had more fun with Doom 3 (yeah, yeah, flame me) and Painkiller. I still would've bought it though (definitely, in fact), if it weren't for Steam. I like to be the owner of what i buy.

    3. Re:Waiting for multiplayer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe he wants a multiplayer mode where you don't spend the majority of your time sitting watching other people play. You know, something fun, as opposed to Counter-Strike, which is boring.

    4. Re:Waiting for multiplayer by bynary · · Score: 1

      Flamebait?

      --
      http://www.bynarystudio.com
    5. Re:Waiting for multiplayer by Scooter · · Score: 1

      It may be boring - but it sure is popular. Personally, I've never seen the attraction of the sniper-fest that is Half Speed Camperstrike. 20 minutes hiding behind a box isn't my idea of online fun. If you do try and walk, it's like your pants are round your ankles - you sort of shuffle. As a long time Quake/2/3/3wave player used to bouncing around the map at great speed performing trick jumps and using rocket propulsion to get around CS looks like a cure for insomnia...

      But! - I'm in the minority here - it's the most played online game there is, and if CS source doesn't float your boat - you can always throw bathroom fittings at each other in HL2 DM - it's the antithesis of CS - complete hilarity with no weapon balance at all (yes a filing cabinet is more deadly than the sub-machine gun in HL2 DM. You can spend ages trying to wear a hole in someone's head with bullets, or just chuck a toilet at them - brilliant :))) )

  9. finally a demo by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 1

    does that mean the sales already dropped?

  10. Stuttering - For Free! by superultra · · Score: 1

    I wish I would have waited. I could have saved myself $50 to experience the frusteration that is Half Life 2 on an n-n-n-vi-d-dia-a-a c-c-a-a-r-r-d-d-d.

    1. Re:Stuttering - For Free! by space_jake · · Score: 0

      You sure its your card? I have about the worst nvidia card (5200 FX, yes its worse thanMX, and gf4 ti line)on the market and it runs half-life 2 fine. Then again I have a gig of ram and a 3000+ xp processor

    2. Re:Stuttering - For Free! by gonzoxl5 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've got an old TI4600 and an XP1700+ CPU with only 768mb RAM and it runs really smoothly (certainly better than Doom 3)

    3. Re:Stuttering - For Free! by Lisandro · · Score: 1

      It runs very smooth on my system (XP1800+, 512mb, nVida FX5200) - completely smooth at 800x600 and very playable at 1024x768 (with some hiccups). D3 ran fine too, but at 640x480, 800x600 tops.

    4. Re:Stuttering - For Free! by TupperTrenine · · Score: 1

      Stuttering problem was fixed about 3-4 patches ago. :)

    5. Re:Stuttering - For Free! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stuttering has NOT been fixed

      http://www.blep.net/hl2stutter/

      http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread .p hp?s=&threadid=206390

  11. Re: even better by zr-rifle · · Score: 1

    Fast, non-reg download here
    http://www.ngi.it/download-3301-half-life-demo.htm l

    --
    Hack your mind out of its sandbox.
  12. Uhm? by AkaXakA · · Score: 1

    You might as well just buy the full game Uhm? Except the part where you pay 60$ (only 45 Euros! Ha!, sorry) for a game you're not sure about. Needless to say though, I already have my copy.

  13. Fuck steam. by slittle · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Where's the "Steam, for the most part, fucking rocks, but hell will freeze over before I contribute to its success as an authentication mechanism" option?

    If it was quick (and free) to transfer a single game from one account to another, maybe (making separate accounts for each game so they can be transferred to another party is just lame). If they promise to remove all remote authentication schemes from it completely after 5-10 years (perhaps kept in escrow, so they can't renege), maybe. But a system that neatly kills the "pre-loved" market, the buddy system (borrow games from friends), and will eventually stop authenticating new installs (when I get all retro sometime in the future and want to reinstall), can go and get fucked.

    I have the original Half-Life (released pre-steam of course), and have since installed Steam for it (free), so I'll be playing the HL2 demo for sure. But I won't buy the full game.

    --
    Opportunity knocks. Karma hunts you down.
  14. Fileplanet?! by Dachannien · · Score: 1

    Has Sony learned nothing from its newest and closest competitor?