Pre-Order Valve Games Via Steam Next Week, Enter the TF2 Beta

The British Gaming Blog notes that the Orange Box (Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2) will be available for pre-order via Steam starting next week. What's more, ordering the games via Steam will give you access to an advance Beta test of Team Fortress 2. "The Orange Box contains Half Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2; you'll have to purchase the entire package to receive the Beta. Valve recommends giving the extra codes for Half Life 2 and Episode 1 (if you already own them) to someone who's been missing out. Not explained on the actual pre-purchase page is an added bonus for early adopters, Peggle Extreme; a special edition of Popcap's Peggle featuring new challenges and Orange Box related artwork." Apparently current HL2 fans will miss out on the Beta ... because we've already paid them money.

Comments

Re:Does Valve suck for anyone else?

[fo0bar]

This might be slightly tangential but does Valve run slowly for anyone else? Yes, it's quite slow to pick up Valve HQ and move it. Their employees need to get on the treadmill, that's how slow Valve is.

(Steam is the content delivery service, Valve is the company name. And yes, to a degree. It's a bit slow starting and stopping (maybe 30 seconds to do either), but once it's up and running, it works fine for me.)

Re:Oh, come on now...

[Ford Prefect]

Valve has never said they wouldn't offer the Black Box on Steam. If it bothers you that much, why not wait and see if they do release it? Maybe they are only allowing pre-orders on one box set at a time.

When I was at Valve in June, I asked about the dropping of the Black Box at retail. Apparently the standalone Episode One wasn't welcomed by retailers since, despite having high-level production values, it was effectively at a budget price - and thus was treated accordingly.

The great-big-bumper-Orange-Box is basically a compilation to bring it into full-price game territory, so retailers should be a bit more generous with regard to shelf-space, promotional material and so on.

I got the impression that the Black Box's non-appearance at retail is partly because of that, and also perhaps so that Valve can effectively undercut retail prices on Steam - I'm not sure how the games might be split up, or even if they will be - but I imagine it could be a fair bit cheaper buying just a few sections of the Orange Box that way. Plus, outside of Valve, I've read stories of retailers essentially forcing Steam prices to be as high as they are - essentially saying that if Valve sells it more cheaply online, the stores won't stock the boxed games at all...

I'd wait a week or two before writing off the Black Box (or equivalents) entirely, anyway. But perhaps this is an attempt at viral marketing of the Half-Life 2 series? Give gamers a load of unused product keys, and let 'em give em to friends who haven't played them yet...

Re:Oh, come on now...

[Ford Prefect]

Episode 2 brings a lot of new tech to the series and has been in development for quite some time. It is a new title. It is made by some of the most talented people in the industry. It will, most likely, be very good.

I've played it right the way through, and it's gameplay-wise much-much-longer than Episode One, and content-wise much-much-more of a new game. Fractionally, if Episode One was Half-Life 2.1, Episode Two would be Half-Life 2.5 or something like that. Maybe Episode Three will take it all the way up to Half-Life 3.0?

Team Fortress 2 is extremely exciting to people who like fps online or who enjoyed the original (I didn't like the original much, but that's a different story). You clearly know absolutely nothing about it.

TF2 shares rough player class types, some gameplay concepts and some map layouts with, say, TFC - but otherwise it's a whole new product. It's a very different game!

And as for 'Portal is just a new set of skins on half-life with a bit of storyline' - now we know you really are just making this up to annoy people.

I'd say it was the best puzzle-oriented FPS I've ever played, but come to think of it, I can't actually think of too many puzzle-oriented FPSes. And the 'S' is a bit dubious anyway, as I can't remember much shooting...

But I do remember cake, yes.