Details on Half-Life 2 - Orange and Black Editions

A post at Game|Life lays out details on the upcoming Half-Life 2 releases. Instead of an unwieldy name (Half-Life 2 : Episode Two and a bunch of other stuff) they've given the PC and console releases color-coded names. The PC release, containing Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 will be available as Half-Life 2: Orange. Half-Life 2: Black will be the 360/PS3 release, and will contain all of the above plus Episode One and the original campaign. Both boxes are expected in 'late summer' of this year.

Comments

Corrections

[Thansal]

FTFOA

The Black Box is only available on PC and includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2. It retails for $39.99.

The Orange Box is available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes One and Two, Portal and Team Fortress. It retails for a modest $59.99.

Re:Corrections

[Dr. Eggman]

Also

Both boxes are expected in 'late summer' of this year.
Should read "Both boxes are expected to be delayed in 'late summer' of this year."

Re:Corrections

[eln]

We already had the delay? I admire your optimism. But remember: this package contains TF2, which has been DNF-esque in its delays. Packaging a product with TF2 is like throwing it into a black hole from which no release date can escape. Valve is packaging HL2:Ep2 with TF2 because they don't think they'll be able to finish it within the next 10 years, so they package it with their favorite missed-deadlines whipping boy.

This product will be available just as soon as they get the email server integrated into it.

Re:Corrections

[Ford Prefect]

In all honesty, I think we already hit the delay, and now we are just waiting for the final release. We will probably hear more precise rumours as the date goes by, then we will hear the giant WHOOOSH as they go flying by, and eventualy we will have out precious HL2:EP2, TF2, and Portal (time to wipe up the drool again), at the very, very end of summer.

Yep, it's quite easy to decipher Valve's release date announcements - so long as you have the right glossary...

You need to work on your reading, Zonk.

[Canthros]

The PC release, containing Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 will be available as Half-Life 2: Orange. Half-Life 2: Black will be the 360/PS3 release, and will contain all of the above plus Episode One and the original campaign.

That's the exact opposite of what the article says. The Black box is a PC-only edition containing Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The Orange Box is multiplatform and will contain the aforementioned, and Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode 1. This is stated at Game|Life, and at IGN, which Game|Life is sourcing. Thanks for the heads-up, though. I don't read either, so I wouldn't have noted it myself.

Late summer's kinda vague as release dates go, and a ways off for something that was supposed to have shipped last year. I hope the package details are a sign that they're on-target with the stated time frame. I don't want to wait any longer.

Games without freedom zero == no sale for me

[Aim Here]

And of course the Steam EULA will force you to bend over and be raped by Valve Software. You don't even have the right to run the game you pay for.

I wonder how long before their source engine games are subjected to the same bait and switch tactics that they used with HL:Counterstrike, where they now inflict advertisements on the players, supposedly to pay for the Steam servers that they forced everyone to "upgrade" to.

When you buy a Valve game, what you're paying for, with real money, is the right to *request* that you be allowed to use some nonspecific software, which they can revoke at any time they want to, and where you'll be subjected to forcible upgrades. It's not up to you to decide whether you're happy with version 1.1 and want to stick with it; if version 1.2 comes out, full of billboards and with a subliminal voice whispering 'Please buy Brand X fizzy pop', that's the version you play, or not at all.

With my Digital Rights being Managed like this, I'll stick to nethack, thanks...

Re:Games without freedom zero == no sale for me

[josteos]

I've never had problems with Valve hammering my Steam games. The Steam forums are good reading... lots of people posting about how Valve banned their acct and how they were gunna sue, but then a Valve guy shows up and explains that buying the game with a credit card then doing a chargeback doesn't sit well with Valve. Or trying with 19 different credit cards (with diff names) doesn't sound like they are legitimate customers, and BTW Valve forwarded their info to the police. Good stuff!

Not too long ago someone commented that they understood Valve had 'unlock' patches ready to go for their Steam games in case they ended up folding. Seems like a fair way to do it.

Re:Games without freedom zero == no sale for me

[bigbigbison]

Steam may be highly problematic, but at least with it I can at least play the games I have bought. I've ran into copy protections on at least 3 other games that prevented me from even installing the games legally. I tried them on 3 different drives on two machines and you know how I finally ended up getting the games to work? bittorrent. It seems that the cracking community has no problems with eliminating the copy protection, only the people who actually pay for the games.
I'll take Steam over that kind of copy protection any day of the week.

Re:Games without freedom zero == no sale for me

[spyrochaete]

I didn't trust Steam one iota when HL2 came out, so I enjoyed the pirated version for a few months. A friend ended up giving me his boxed copy of HL2 so, with nothing to lose, I tried Steam. I haven't had a single problem with it yet, and have purchased many great games at low prices (Episode One, $18; Psychonauts, $20; Uplink, $10) since.

Yesterday marked the end of my first customer service issue with Steam. I purchased Outrun 2006 which froze my machine every time I started a race. Because Steam acts merely as the distributor they directed me to Sega for technical support. I emailed a detailed report to Sega but they never got back to me. I explained my situation to Steam support who immediately refunded my money and revoked my rights to access the game from the Steam client. No fuss, no muss, and they're the only software retailer I've ever dealt with who issued a refund for a nonworking game.

And for the record, 3D Realms created a Steam-like distribution system, Triton, with the release of Prey. Before long they decided it wasn't working out so they ditched Prey and untethered the game from Triton (and now it's for sale on Steam). I expect Steam will do the same when their time comes, though Steam's EULA clearly indicates that customers may only access games while they are "subscribers." Still, Valve has proven itself to be a highly reputable company with high standards so I trust them completely with my investment.

Re:Games without freedom zero == no sale for me

[Kelbear]

For all the FUD about advertising and Valve arbitrarily taking my access to games I paid for, and the grandmother rape stuff...

My experience thus far has been nothing but positive. I look at the news window and see a release. I decide I want it, I buy it, and then I play it.

Potential future issues are still there, but irrelevant to me. I'm done with the games. If Valve died somehow so that I couldn't use steam to play my games, it'd be trivial for them to release a tiny patch to allow us to keep playing and burn our own backups. But I wouldn't care, by the time they could die, I'm already done with their games and I don't care anymore.

The bottom line, is that with all the /potential/ for abuse, the actual experience for me has been better than buying the physical media.

Obviously, I can't speak for other people, but I'm just laying out my opinion same as the others who don't like Steam.

I looked through my classic game collection

[Realistic_Dragon]

Last night I fired up Red Alert after looking through a big collection of classic games from long gone companies.

The on line game mode no longer works. Westwood on line no longer is it seems.

If a once-great gaming giant can cut off service... why does anyone think that Valve won't in the future? Except that then instead of not being able to play on line you won't be able to play at all.

It's hard to tell people that they should say no to Steam now when they won't feel the effects for another 10-15 years. Heck, even then it won't feel like a disaster... but it's pretty sad to lose a part of the past when there is no good *technical* reason, just a business one.

Question

[Anonymous Coward]

If I play Half-Life and Second-Life at the same time, will I get a life?

Re:But...

[grammar fascist]

What if you're color blind?!?

I knew a bloke what was orange/black color-blind. Could never take him camping - he kept wandering into the fire.