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Orange Box In Stores Wednesday

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the crowbars-at-the-ready dept.

Ars Technica is reporting on an announcement from Valve: the Orange Box will be in stores on Wednesday. For those folks who purchased the pack through Steam, all five games will be 'unlocked' just after midnight that day. If you're like me and already owned HL2 and HL2:Episode One, the 'giveaway keys' should be available at that time as well. "In our last bit of Orange Box news, Valve has been running a television commercial for the Orange Box. It had to have been hard to make all those different games look like one cohesive package, but the company did a great job. The Orange Box can't come soon enough."

162 comments

  1. WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    > The official Orange Box Gifts FAQ also says that purchasers of the Orange Box via physical means will also be able to give away their licenses individually.

    Once upon a time, when I bought a box full of games and had a duplicate, I just gave the CD, and the CD-key printed on the label, to my friend.

    No vendor needed to know my email address, and they sure as fuck didn't need to know my friend's email address.

    In fact, neither of us needed an internet connection and a subscription-based DRM system either.

    1. Re:WTF? by kcbanner · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Who the fuck modded this troll?
      OP is perfectly right! "Here give your friend this game! LOL we now own your friends life too!"

      --
      Obligatory blog plug: http://www.caseybanner.ca/
    2. Re:WTF? by IdeaMan · · Score: 1

      That happened long ago, you see buried in the fine print they acquired the rights to all your wealth, all your friends wealth, and the wealth of all your offspring. You DID read the fine print like I did didn't you? (oh wait...)
      Seriously though, they've owned my soul ever since TFC came out, and again when Counterstrike reigned supreme, (m4a1 + scope those were the days), and again with Natural Selection. So by my count, I gotta sell 3 of my friends souls to them just to get break even. I've put off getting HL2 for a coupla reasons, but now that TF2 is out, that Schloooooping sound you hear next will be all my waking hours being chewed up by their DRM-infested-hacker-riddled but still totally awesome game that is the successor to TF2.
      Oh and if you accuse me of hacking, COOL. I love compliments!

      --
      They ARE out to get you simply because They are in it for themselves and they don't care about you.
    3. Re:WTF? by Kingrames · · Score: 1, Funny

      Yeah but you had to walk to the store, and that means risking your LIFE to a TERRORIST.

      You could have DIED, man! DRM's quite preferable to that.

      --
      If you can read this, I forgot to post anonymously.
    4. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So dont buy it through steam... buy it in the store and do what you just said. They offer both forms of distribution, how is it insightful to bash the one that you dont like, when the one you like is available...

    5. Re:WTF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow what an incredibly insightful point. No, wait, it's fucking stupid, because the box just contains slips of paper with numbers on that you enter in to Steam.

    6. Re:WTF? by greedyturtle · · Score: 1

      A Steam Account has so far been the easiest and best ways to share a game that I've ever seen. Tell your friend what your SteamID and password is, and as long as you aren't on at the same time, they have full access to all your games. Installing multiple games is a breeze, the only limiting factor is the long download times.

  2. Giveaway Keys are Live by Bieeanda · · Score: 3, Informative

    A new column in the 'My Games' tab titled 'Gifts' appeared earlier today, with listings beside my installs of HL2 and EP1. According to the official forums, that system is live.

    1. Re:Giveaway Keys are Live by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 1

      You neglect to mention that while the system is live, you still don't get gift passes until the 10th

      Also, this column only shows you whether you have gifts. You'd give them the same way you give guest passes (Games > Manage...).

    2. Re:Giveaway Keys are Live by desenz · · Score: 1

      Nope. I gave gift passes to my brother about 6PM EST. Worked fine.

  3. rocket science by User+956 · · Score: 4, Funny

    It had to have been hard to make all those different games look like one cohesive package

    Not really, I mean, it looks like they just put them in an orange box, and named it "the orange box".

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:rocket science by pclminion · · Score: 1

      No shit. First time I saw the commercial I thought to myself "What the hell kind of name for a game is 'The Orange Box?'" I had no clue it was a collection of multiple games until I read this article just now.

      Way to go marketing "geniuses."

    2. Re:rocket science by msimm · · Score: 1

      Lol. Not to mention they show Source games. Even TF2 is still obviously a Source derivative, down to some of the sounds. If the game play wasn't so...playable, I'd think I'd been tricked into playing another round of HL2MP (shudder).

      Whoever told Valve games should be fun should get a raise. Maybe next they can do a little less simplifying...

      --
      Quack, quack.
  4. Cohesive? by SnoopJeDi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Personally, I think the commercial is awful for any casual gamers. It's really obscure, and doesn't really specify WHAT the games are.

    If I didn't know what these games were, I'd rather just see an infomercial-type ad with a picture of the set and a guy telling me wtf it is.

    That said, I'm not a casual gamer, and I've anticipated Portal since it was announced. So I loved the commercial.

    1. Re:Cohesive? by matazar · · Score: 1

      I think it gives you enough of a picture to make you curious enough to go online and figure out what the orange box is all about, which was their goal. They did an amazing job with doing that for Portal. Not to mention, they have a big enough following for half life that I'm sure word of mouth did enough alone. Considering the box has already gone gold.

    2. Re:Cohesive? by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 1

      I would agree with you, had only I not seen the Halo 3 "Action figures with solemn music" ad the very day before it. In fact, looking back on a lot of FPS, and other gaming ads (I'm looking at you, Sony) the Orange Box commercial looks positively informative. At least this one actually had any gameplay videos in it.

      --
      Demented But Determined.
    3. Re:Cohesive? by Pvt_Waldo · · Score: 1

      I'd beg to differ. Valve is a company that could put a picture of a crowbar on a page with no text and people immediately go nuts because they knew it was Half-Life 2.

  5. blasphemy by User+956 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    In fact, neither of us needed an internet connection and a subscription-based DRM system either.

    What, you don't welcome your new subscription-based DRM overlords?

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  6. Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Got a copy of Episode One, and want some more single-player Half-Life 2 before going all orangey with the Orange Box on Wednesday?

    I prescribe my own MINERVA, complete with needlessly cryptic website.

    Random games journalist types are quite keen on it. No bribery was involved whatsoever, honest. Other links? Wikipedia! My blog-thing! ... Um ... Valve Developer Community! Even Steam!

    Described by random inhabitants of the internet as having: "extremely bad writing", with "some of the most dreadfully boring environments you'll ever see" - the "puzzles and triggers in the game are horrific", and "combat is done exactly the wrong way" - what are you waiting for?

    --
    Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    1. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by Rowan_u · · Score: 2, Informative

      Just wanted to add here, that despite the self depreciation. . . I loved Minerva! Maybe even more than the main game (with the exception of the antlion bits). Writing was superb, and the way you left me staring down turrets with no grav-gun really opened me up to what's possible in the source engine. Running mad dash style while holding a barrel in front of your face for cover, then attempting to pick up one turret and throw it into another is simply something that never occurred to me while in possession of the mighty grav-gun. All around great mod. Still waiting for the conclusion btw.

      --
      only one everything
    2. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What about the enormous piles of Cocaine you sent us, mate?

      KG
      (RPS)

    3. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How do you get it to run without a Steam account? I can get HL2 working but not this.

      I DO own a copy of the game but I can't access tinternet from my games PC.

      My steam account is on a different PC.

    4. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by atomic-penguin · · Score: 1

      Congratulations on finishing up your mod, Adam. Some of the greatest map design I've seen. The last chapter in this was challenging, a great surprise, and an exercise in desperation to stay alive. That's all I'll say, and hopefully avoid spoiling it for others.

      I loved it! Thanks for the great series, hope you keep up the good work.

      --
      /^([Ss]ame [Bb]at (time, |channel.)){2}$/
    5. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by witte · · Score: 1

      Just finished it yesterday night, this is a very polished single player mod.
      Lots of surprises, clever and ironic puzzles, some unexpected twists, good timing and event triggering, and not easy.
      I was very impressed by the dynamic layout of the levels with everything interconnecting organically as the player explores the environment. This takes gameplay a bit more off the rails as well. And the level of detail is beyond what you'd expect from SP mods.
      (Minerva is more fun than a lot of HL2's original chapters imho)

      Mr Foster & team, thanks for making this.

      Ok, I'm done fawning.

    6. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 1

      I hate you.. now I have to play part 3.. I adore your mod but you don't half work up the paranoia..

      --
      I like muppets.
    7. Re:Random Opportunistic Mod Plugging of the Day! by ShakaUVM · · Score: 1

      Heh, funny, just downloaded your newest release two days ago.

      Yeah, Minerva is awesome.

  7. gift dilemma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I now have copies of Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 to give away, but I don't have any friends who don't already own them!

    1. Re:gift dilemma by mackil · · Score: 0, Troll

      After a post like that, I'm sure you'll have no shortage of friends.

    2. Re:gift dilemma by Indes · · Score: 1

      And of course, with that, I'll be your friend :-)

    3. Re:gift dilemma by Glsai · · Score: 1

      Hehe I'll be your friend. :) Seriously though if anyone does have a spare set of keys I wouldn't be adverse to getting a set. Then when I can afford orange box (for TF2, the first game wrecked my life when it was on HL I spent waaaay too much time playing it) I can pass the codes for HL2 and HL2:EP1 to someone else.

  8. Get with the times. by gumpish · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In fact, neither of us needed an internet connection and a subscription-based DRM system either.
    I have to wonder if there's any intersection between the people who complain about digital distribution of software (a la Steam) and people who shriek and throw feces at the entertainment industry for not changing their business model to center around digital distribution.
    1. Re:Get with the times. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Well he is talking about walking to the store and buying a physical copy, so I think it's a valid complaint. If the music industry's digital enlightenment involved them tying their online distribution to physical CDs so even though you bought a CD you still had to register online to actually use it, I think anyone who asked the music industry to change distribution models would be correct to say "That's not what we meant".

      Online distribution is supposed to make getting media without purchasing a physical object easier. It's not supposed to make buying a physical object should you choose more of a chore. :P

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    2. Re:Get with the times. by Tackhead · · Score: 2, Informative
      > I have to wonder if there's any intersection between the people who complain about digital distribution of software (a la Steam) and people who shriek and throw feces at the entertainment industry for not changing their business model to center around digital distribution.

      I don't see anyone clamoring for the music industry to deliver "you download the song, then your MP3 player contacts the mothership to confirm that it's authorized to decrypt the song on your player, and if you leave your MP3 player unplugged from your computer for more than 30 days, you have to phone home the next time you plug it in. We also have the right to automatically "update" the Original Explicit Mix with the Radio Edit Mix if Wal-Mart decides it won't sell our records if the singer uses the word "fuck".)

      Actually, I see plenty of RIAA and MPAA executives clamoring shrieking and throwing feces in favor of that model of digital distribution. But I don't think you were talking about those particular monkeys :)

      Me? I wonder about the intersection between the people who think Steam's a wonderful content delivery system, but who shriek and throw feces at Microsoft for XP, Vista, and WGA. They're the really weird ones.

    3. Re:Get with the times. by complete+loony · · Score: 1

      In AU stores I believe the orange box is retailing between AU$79 and AU$99. But with the current exchange rate you'd be much better off buying direct from steam. When I pre-ordered it only cost AU$54 including VISA's currency conversion fees, and I believe the exchange rate has tipped even further in our favour.

      --
      09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
    4. Re:Get with the times. by matazar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's the same in Canada. It looks like it's about $60 to buy it here, or I can buy it on steam for $45, since USD = CAD right now.

      They really need to fix that, we have an issue with our books, since the price is still listed on books as USD = $14.99 || CAD = $19.99, when our dollar is the same.

    5. Re:Get with the times. by topham · · Score: 1

      Add 2.5% (aprox) for the Credit Card transaction... love the banks.

    6. Re:Get with the times. by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 1

      What is he whining about? Valve is doing this as a service to their customers.. granted it's kind of a ripoff since they cancelled Black Box, but allowing customers to give away duplicate programs that they bought through Steam is a great idea. If you bought it on disk originally, there's nothing keeping you from giving it you your friend (as long as it's not multiplayer)

    7. Re:Get with the times. by TheThiefMaster · · Score: 1

      Even adding on 17.5% tax it's only £26. The RRP is £30 for the PC version (though it can be found online for £25+delivery), or £50 (£40 online) for the console versions.

      Seems that the PC boxed version is pretty competitive with the steam version, and console gamers get ripped off again :)
      Anyone who says a console is cheaper than a pc, but has a shelf-full of games, should have "higher initial investment for lower long-term cost" explained to them.

    8. Re:Get with the times. by Some_Llama · · Score: 1

      Esp. if the friend is already on steam.. I have 3 steam accounts that I registered with older copies of HL1 that friends of mine weren't using.. now i can install HL2 on those accounts as well..

    9. Re:Get with the times. by B'Trey · · Score: 1

      Valve is doing us a favor? They're forcing us to buy software that we already own in order to get access to Episode 2, and then they're doing us a favor by letting us give one copy of the software we've paid for twice to someone else? How bloody friggin' generous of them.

      The whole promise of "episodic content" was smaller, quicker, cheaper. Now suddenly we have to pay the price of a full game if we want to get the next episode. And don't tell me that I'm getting my money's worth by getting all the other "bundled" software. I either already have or don't want and will not play any of the other games. It's useless and therefore worthless to me. I either pay just shy of $50 bucks for a piece of a game, or I don't get to play the game. Or I say "Screw you, Valve!" and grab it off bittorrent for free. I've paid for around 20 games on my Steam account, including every Half Life title out there and now they want to screw me over like this? Spit. Time to fire up Azureus.

      --

      "The legitimate powers of government extend only to such acts as are injurious to others." Thomas Jefferson.

    10. Re:Get with the times. by toolie · · Score: 2, Informative

      Valve is doing us a favor? They're forcing us to buy software that we already own in order to get access to Episode 2, and then they're doing us a favor by letting us give one copy of the software we've paid for twice to someone else? How bloody friggin' generous of them. Instead of being a douche and jumping on the 'ZOMG!!! They suck making us buy all this stuff!' bandwagon you do some checking for yourself. Here, I'll even help you out.
      --
      -- toolie
    11. Re:Get with the times. by B'Trey · · Score: 1

      As of yesterday, that page did not include a "purchase" button for Episode 2. I looked at it again before I made my post. It only listed the purchase options for the packages. I spent a couple of hours researching this issue when the Orange Box became available for preorder because I wanted to preorder Episode 2. I could not find any information on it being available stand alone. Everything I found talked only about the various packages. I'll retract and apologize for my rant but I did not "jump on the bandwagon" and I certainly did attempt to check for myself.

      --

      "The legitimate powers of government extend only to such acts as are injurious to others." Thomas Jefferson.

  9. One of the comments... by KGIII · · Score: 2, Insightful
    One of the comments on the site summed it up fairly well:

    At the end of the day for the sheer amount of gameplay you will get out of the package $50 for all of this is an excellent deal. Valve could have sold everything for the $80 separate price and probably still would have sold copies of everything to most of the people who plan on buying it for $50 anyways. It certainly beats paying $70 for a 360 or PS3 game you finish in a few hours and then let collect dust.
    That, to me, sums it up just nicely. It is a decent enough value at the price and the hours of play more than justify it. As a side note, I'd like to see someone pick up the Fallout series and create an online version.
    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    1. Re:One of the comments... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      $50 is pretty much standard for PC games. Now, I don't *have* any of these, and I *want* all of them. I've been meaning to buy HL2 forever, but I'm not really interested in the "episode" crap, so the second one is a bonus. Portal looks amazing, and TF2 could be the multiplayer FPS-ish thing I haven't gotten a new one of in the past 5 years.

    2. Re:One of the comments... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      It was enough to make me think about it. I may still though I haven't actually made up my mind or anything. Given my distance from the real world and my need to rely on narrowband connectivity at home I'm pretty much limited to LAN or single player modes but the gameplay that I've experienced on other people's systems really impressed me a great deal so investing a smaller sum to get that much would be viable for me.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re:One of the comments... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I actually pirated HL2, finished it, saw the box in a shop, felt guilty and bought it.

      And it's a bloody good game, far superior to overhyped mediocrities like Bioshock, Doom3 or Halo3. The only FPS game that comes anywhere close is FEAR, and HL2 has more to it.

      I don't really mind buying it again, I never bought EP1, so EP1+EP2+TF2+Portal is still good deal for $44.

    4. Re:One of the comments... by Fozzyuw · · Score: 1

      That, to me, sums it up just nicely. It is a decent enough value at the price and the hours of play more than justify it.

      Am I the only one who's seriously disappointed by the "orange box"? I already own HL2 and EP1. Gift cards to give HL2 and EP1 to a friend? Give me a break. It's a pure marketing scam to get HL2 in more peoples hands. OH! So the friend gets a free copy of HL2 and EP1 at your expense. How nice of them use US to give someone ELSE their product! Of course, since the friend didn't pay for his HL2, he'll be more than willing to drop $50 for the orange box.

      Sadly, I'm a big enough fan of HL and it's off shoots (Counter Strike, Team Fortress, etc), that I'm willing to drop $45 for it (hey, $5 off when pre-ordered from GameStop, I'll take what I can get). If I'm lucky and if I find a friend who wants it, I can make him buy me a few beers for the game.

      Cheers,
      Fozzy

      --
      "The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth." ~1984 George Orwell
    5. Re:One of the comments... by Some_Llama · · Score: 1

      "(hey, $5 off when pre-ordered from GameStop, I'll take what I can get)"

      You have to use steam to play the game anyway right? why not just have pre-ordered thru steam? you coulda been fragging with me in TF2 the last 2 weeks (which has been a blast).

  10. Why Adam!? by Winckle · · Score: 1

    I've been waiting for this mod for a very long time, following you since the start, and you choose to release it in the busiest gaming period of my lifetime!

    Thanks a bunch :(

    Downloading now ;)

  11. Valve to its customers: by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 3, Funny

    You have given us $70-$120 in the past. To show our appreciation: Here is a $5 discount on our already great one-and-a-half games for the price of three offer!

    --
    -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    1. Re:Valve to its customers: by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      If all you want is Ep2, it's $30 through steam. If you only want Portal, it's $20.

      Of course, if you want both, you're better off with the Orange Box. And you're also free to wait until the price comes down to something you feel is reasonable. Shouldn't be more than 6 months.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    2. Re:Valve to its customers: by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 2, Funny

      But I only have five months to live!
      The make a wish foundation at first thought I was talking about dying when I asked for half-life, now they tell me to stop calling.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    3. Re:Valve to its customers: by matazar · · Score: 1

      Except, don't most PC games cost $45+ by themselfs when they are first released? So you are not only getting TF2, Portal and Ep2, but also HL2 and Ep1 for the same price. I think this is a pretty reasonable price. Portal will be short, but the mod and custom map potentials are huge.

    4. Re:Valve to its customers: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      dont forget they're letting us give away our other already purchased copies.

    5. Re:Valve to its customers: by lucas+teh+geek · · Score: 1

      im not disagreeing with you (I have no idea about it), but what makes you certain portal will be short?

      --
      TIAEAE!
    6. Re:Valve to its customers: by matazar · · Score: 1

      They've released details saying theres about 50 maps or so. The expected gameplay is 5-6 hours.
      But it has great mod and community made map potential, so it will be worth it anyways.

    7. Re:Valve to its customers: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These aren't full-length games! That's what people seem to be forgetting! Expect Episode 2 to be 6-8 hrs of playtime. $30. Aren't most $45 games supposed to give you around 20 hrs?

    8. Re:Valve to its customers: by matazar · · Score: 1

      Okay, well let's factor in how much play time Portal will be. 5-6 Hours for the normal game and how many hours do you think once people start making their own levels? When someone makes a multiplayer Mod?
      TF2, I've already played it for about 30 Hours since it's release.

      I don't know why everyone is so upset that Valve is putting 2 extra games in a bundle that's ALREADY worth more than the price it's selling for just because most people already own them. It doesn't matter, you are saving money anyways. STOP bitching or just buy the games seperatly and pay more.

    9. Re:Valve to its customers: by lucas+teh+geek · · Score: 1

      ah, first I'd heard of it was when I watched the videos on steam when I was about to buy the orange box a few days ago. Looks fantastic and I'm so glad they're not trying to cobble multiplayer onto it. more devs need to learn that not every game needs multiplayer modes

      --
      TIAEAE!
    10. Re:Valve to its customers: by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 1

      They've released details saying theres about 50 maps or so. The expected gameplay is 5-6 hours.

      I've played through the storyline section - while it is pretty short (I really got the hang of it after some false starts) and really didn't take that long for me to complete, it's definitely my gaming highlight of the year. I just don't want to spoil anything by describing why...

      The challenge maps, or whatever they're called, should add loads of replay potential - apparently it can count the number of portals opened, the time taken and so on. So it goes beyond simply solving the puzzles, to solving them in as elegant a manner as possible. Should be fun!

      Also, Episode Two is much bigger than Episode One. The environments, the maps, the length, the updated content - everything feels much more like a new game rather than just an expansion.

      --
      Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    11. Re:Valve to its customers: by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      The difference is: We obviously /don't/ think it's worth more than they're charging for it.
      And Valve obviously doesn't either.
      This "Episodic" thing has obviously failed. I realize the $10-$15/ep dream is lost, but $30? $30 is, to me, the price of a new game. Not the second half of a half-game. Price creep raised the cost of new games to $65 for this next generation of consoles, and maybe part of the market said $65 was an okay price for a new game, but part of the market didn't. I'm in that part. I don't think the market has decided yet, but I assume "$30 for a piece of a piece of a game" isn't it.
      I'd pay $20 for Ep3, $30 for Ep3+Portal.
      And wasn't TF2 supposed to be bundled with the original HL2 900 years ago? I'm not paying for it.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    12. Re:Valve to its customers: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So now you have a good self justification to pirate it, which you were probably going to do anyway.

      Valve doesn't owe you shit.

    13. Re:Valve to its customers: by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Isn't Ep1 still $20 on steam? What makes you think that it's going to drop in price?

    14. Re:Valve to its customers: by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Agreed. I also will not be purchasing Anything else from Valve for awhile. I might come back when they finish Ep3. I already own HL1, HL2 and Ep1. I'm not going to buy them again just to 'save money'.

    15. Re:Valve to its customers: by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      Nope, it's down to $10 now. http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=game&AppId=380

      And I 'think that it's going to drop in price' because all games do, eventually. If not a straight price drop, then they get packaged in with other stuff until the value is good enough to keep selling copies of it.

      Eventually it -does- go away, of course, but most decent titles see some time in the ole bargain bin. And if it isn't decent, why do you want it anyhow?

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    16. Re:Valve to its customers: by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      Nice trap. If I say "I'm going to pirate it", you claim I would do it anyway, and so no amount of money would be low enough.
      If I say "I'm not going to pirate it", you claim I wouldn't want to play the game anyway, and so no amount of money would be low enough.

      However, I'm not going to pirate it, and will probably buy the game once (as others have mentioned) the price drops to something reasonable.
      I guess you can stay in anonymous-land, where only pirates don't want to pay $30 for half a game, only spammers hate huge upstream blacklists, only drug-users care about drug laws, only people who want to have abortions think it should be legal, only pedophiles think drawings of any sort are protected expression, and only crackers use cryptography.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  12. Team Fortress 2 FTW! by AdamTrace · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I pre-ordered the Orange Box just to get early access to Team Fortress 2, and so far I'm loving it.

    It's very Counterstrike'ish, but with classes. What's cool, and surprisingly refreshing, is that the classes are actually VERY different, and lead to very different gameplay. The Spy is very sneaky, the Engineer is kind of a "pet" class where you spend most of your time fixing machines rather than in direct combat, the Healer is fun support, etc.

    Good times.

    1. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      It's very Counterstrike'ish, but with classes. As a long-time TF player, that comment just made me die a little inside.
      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by matazar · · Score: 1

      It's not anything like counter-strike....

      It's fairly different from TFC, but counter-strike? I'd like to know what version of counter-strike this guy is playing...

    3. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by lymond01 · · Score: 1

      I think he means it in a "I'm not familiar with the TF series in any engine, but if I'm going to compare the basic genre, it's like Counterstrike in that there are teams and you have guns."

      From what I've heard TF2 keeps the craziness of the original TFs which, to me, is why they were so much fun. Rocket launcher for teh win!

    4. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by matazar · · Score: 1

      They also did a great job on balancing classes. Removed grenades, so that the game isn't just a grenade fest. You actually have to work together to win.

    5. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Constantine+XVI · · Score: 1

      If you watch one of the trailers, the last 30 seconds or so is of the Soldier class rocket-jumping to ballet music

      --
      "I think an etch-a-sketch with an ethernet port would beat IE7 in web standards compliance."
    6. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by LazyBoy · · Score: 1

      How does it compare to Tribes2?

      --

      If Chaos Theory has taught us anything, it's that we must kill all the butterflies.

    7. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's very Counterstrike'ish, but with classes.
      No, no it's not anything like CS and you do TF2 a horrible disservice by implying so.

    8. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Splab · · Score: 1

      The trailers are great, I'm going to buy the orange box and try it out. I usually only buy a game every other year or so (no I don't pirate, but most games don't have an appeal, I play CS (gun game mod) and DDO) but that trailer totally sold me for the TF2.

    9. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Slamtilt · · Score: 1

      It's a very different game. Much faster paced, no vehicles, small maps, and you don't spend time fiddling to find the perfect loadout. It is fantastic fun, though.

    10. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by Blnky · · Score: 1

      Well until I crisp your cookies with my Pryo. :P Seriously though, TF2 rocks. In my opinion it is the FPS of the year. And for me, the best in many years. I love every class. Nothing like being a spy, convincing an enemy doc to heal you, and then driving your knife into his skull as soon as your at max health. I never played any of the TF series before this either, but I am positive you will like it.

    11. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by ShakaUVM · · Score: 1

      Oh, lord, did he just say TF2 is like Counterstrike?

      Ugh....

      As the author of CustomTF (www.customtf.com) -- where you have money to build your own Team Fortress class and equip your character -- it galls me to hear people say, "Hey, that's just like Counterstrike!"

    12. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by absorbr · · Score: 1

      it's nothing like Tribes 2..

      If you need a Tribes fix, get Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, which just got released yesterday. Circuit City has it for $38 this week before it goes to $50.

      For me, TF2 is my counterstrike upgrade. QuakeWars has become my Battlefield replacement. It really is so much better.. There is a steep learning curve and it feels strange at first, but it really has more depth than 2142. It also just looks amazing. Part of the initial strangeness is in the graphics -- I'm not sure if it's because they're using infinite textures (it can render out to the horizon if desired with no slowdown) or if it's just the style of artwork. But it feels more detailed, and both movement and shooting is more accurate than the battlefield series. And there are lots of weapons and teamwork possibilities!

      And it is more exciting! it's too bad the game got released at the same time as TF2, with it's valve/steam/counterstrike customer base, because the player base is relatively small. Well it's only been out for a day in the US so hopefully that will change. It's an amazing game!!

      oh it is currently lacking VOIP but there is an intention to add this in an update soon. At the moment it doesn't detract too much, but it will help when it is available for coordination among the players of a fireteam (or squad in BF lingo)

    13. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by absorbr · · Score: 1

      no I agree, there is an analogy here. TF2 is to counterstrike what Enemy Territory: quake wars is to BF2142

    14. Re:Team Fortress 2 FTW! by absorbr · · Score: 1

      you're missing it -- it's like counterstrike in that everything is geared towards instant gratification and quick rewards. Well it's different than CS in the spawn times, but CS was very straight forward when it came to objectives -- TF2 has similar objectives but you also have more ways of going about acheiving the goals.

      Put it into the context of other games like Battlefield 2142 and Enemy Territory: quake Wars (which is IMO MUCH better than BF2142), and you might see where he's coming from. I agree it's a drink beer and play with your buds kind of game with non stop mayhem. Lots of mental investment is not necessary to have a good time, although the opportunity for it is there.. A game with large maps and varying terrain requires more analyzation, and more questioning of "where are my friends?"

      well ok similarities and differences abound.. but bottom line is this replaces CS for me, and ET:QW replaces battlefield.

  13. Yeh, Buy what you already have... by fozzmeister · · Score: 1

    Yeh, Buy what you already have... But that's ok, because you can give it away.

    1. Re:Yeh, Buy what you already have... by matazar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      These games were thrown in to the Orange Box. You were never paying for them in the first place. You are paying for TF2, Portal and Ep2.
      It's more than reasonable price considering most new games cost that much by themselfs. Though if you are so upset over it, buy them all seperatly....

    2. Re:Yeh, Buy what you already have... by jakobX · · Score: 1

      Not really. The original plan was to release the black box (EP2 with portal and TF2) and an orange box. The black box was supposed to cost the same as EP1, while the orange box was supposed to cost as much as it does.

      I agree that the orange box is a very good value for those that havent bought HL2 and their first episode. On the other hand its a complete rip off to force those of us who already bought HL2 and EP1 to re buy them. Yes. Re buy them. They are not free. All of you who think they are free should go back to school. This might sound harsh but you people lack basic education.

      Just because Valve posted silly prices for EP2 and portal on steam doesnt mean they are worth it. IF they said EP2 costs 3000$ separately would the orange box be an even better value? Of course not.

    3. Re:Yeh, Buy what you already have... by Damvan · · Score: 1

      God, people will bitch about anything. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

      Buy each part from Steam and pay more if you don't want to "re buy" HL2 and EP1.

    4. Re:Yeh, Buy what you already have... by jakobX · · Score: 1

      You dont get it. Thats fine.

      Some of us are just bitter because of the way valve treatsits old customers. If I knew they werent going to sell EP2 in retail i wouldnt have bought EP1. Im sure there are plenty of others that feel the same way.

    5. Re:Yeh, Buy what you already have... by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Same here. I've already resolved not to purchase anything else from steam until they finish Ep3. I might come back and take a look at what they're offering, but I highly doubt it. This just smacks of gouging. Maybe they tell us to get a second job to pay for it.

  14. Mod parent up, plzkthx. by Bieeanda · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Seriously. Minerva is one of the most singularly impressive single-player mods that I've ever had the pleasure of playing through. Anyone who has HL2 and hasn't played through this is missing something wonderful.

  15. I like steam but... by sparkeyjames · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Forcing me to pay again for something that I have already paid for gets me PISSED.
    No one that I personally know is in need of the "extra" software. Seeing as all my geek friends already
    have the same set of games. It's still a rip off no matter how they try to candy coat it. All I really cared about
    was episode 2.

    1. Re:I like steam but... by matazar · · Score: 1

      YOU ARE NOT FORCED TO BUY IT AGAIN.

      These games were just included in the package. You are paying for TF2, Portal and Ep2. $45 is reasonable for these 3 games. Stop whining, you are not forced to buy games you already own again. If you think it's a better deal, buy all 3 games by themselfs.

    2. Re:I like steam but... by lucas+teh+geek · · Score: 1, Informative

      if all you want is episode 2, then buy just episode 2 by itself for $29.95. nobody is forcing you to buy the orange box

      --
      TIAEAE!
    3. Re:I like steam but... by Adradis · · Score: 1

      Think about it. Buying it separately is what? 80 dollars for three games? Buying it in the pack is 45-50 dollars. So, 30 dollar discount. And BONUS! Look, you get two more games that flesh out the background. If you already own them, oh well, it's a freebie regardless. If you don't? Congrats, two free games that you will likely enjoy. Your not paying for the same stuff a second time, since, factor in those two games into the cost individually (100ish dollars). Freebies, and you people whine. Bullshit. They offer you freebies and you people get pissed.

    4. Re:I like steam but... by Ensayia · · Score: 0

      Excuse me, but WHAT are you talking about? Half Life 2 - Episode 2: $29.95 Portal : $19.95 Team Fortress 2 : $29.95 TOTAL : $79.85 Orange Box : $45.99 And they throw in HL2 and EP2 for those who don't have it as a BONUS How the HELL can you call this deal a ripoff?

    5. Re:I like steam but... by drb_chimaera · · Score: 1

      Agreed - if I remember correctly the Orange Box works out to £5 more expensive than Ep1 was on release (£26 vs £20ish). Which was the only part of the package I wanted (I think it came with HL2DM as well, but I already had that)

      For that I get Ep2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 - all three of them games I've been looking forward to for a long time Its cheapers to buy the Orange box than any *two* of the games seperately so whats the point?.

      I don't care that it comes with HL2 and Ep1 (which I already have) - I can give them to a friend of mine that was going to buy them anyway last week, and he buys me a couple of beers in the pub after work on Friday by way of thanks and everyone's happy.

    6. Re:I like steam but... by elFarto+the+2nd · · Score: 1

      Seems to me that Valve have included HL2 and EP1 just so that they will be given to people who don't have them. They will play it, and might buy The Orange Box, to get EP2. Thus giving them another copy of HL2/EP1 who they give to someone else. Continuing the cycle.

      Regards
      elFarto
    7. Re:I like steam but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      How the HELL can you call this deal a ripoff?

      Dammit! Because INFORMATION WANTS TO BE FREE!

    8. Re:I like steam but... by Floritard · · Score: 1

      It's actually kind of funny. If they never included HL2 and Ep1 I think they would get less bitching. $50 ($45 for preorder that also let me play TF2 early) is completely reasonable for those 3 new games. Compare that to the limited edition of Halo 3 which cost $120 (hell just the game is $60)! Where was the bitching over how ridiculous that was?

    9. Re:I like steam but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But no! They are forcing me to buy games I already have again. If I just buy ep2, I won't be able to brag to my friends that I also bought the orange box, just like they did. So it isn't an option ok? Now bugger off. I have to go cry in the corner.

    10. Re:I like steam but... by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Ep1 was $20 USD. Orange box is $45 USD. The fact is, Valve saw a chance to gouge loyal customers to make a quick buck. Episodic content was supposed to be quick and cheap. 0/2.

    11. Re:I like steam but... by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Once again. They are not free. They're included in the package and the package costs money. I'm not whining any more. I'm simply not giving any more of my money to Valve until they learn how to reasonably price episodic content.

  16. not really outraged..? by tehwebguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have to say, I really think this is pretty cool.

    Steam is the best gaming platform ever. It is truly awesome. It lets me lose my CDs as long as I have my password. It lets me fix the game files if something happens to them. It lets me keep track of my friends and play with them instantly.

    I know DRM is inherently bad, I know. But it's almost like Valve took all those promises that the MAFIAA made (such as, "DRM will give us new our customers new ways of enjoying our products"), and making them real.

    --
    -- lol pwned
    1. Re:not really outraged..? by BlueCollarCamel · · Score: 1

      It's not much fun when they ask for a scan/picture of the CD and key after the password is stolen*.

      Granted, I had the CDs so I was in luck. I feel sorry for those who bought it online just to have their account stolen.

      *This was during the early days of Steam, have they since altered their hijacked account recovery process?

      --
      1&1 - Cheap domain and web hosting.
    2. Re:not really outraged..? by matazar · · Score: 1

      I assume that if you purchased online, you'd just need to provide them with payment details.
      Also, don't get your account stolen.....

    3. Re:not really outraged..? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I dunno. I look at it this way.

      There's the illegal route. Bittorrent and a decent darknet like relakks. You pay $5 per month for an all you can eat buffet. Most of the time you get every new game at around release date and with a good virus scanner you're home free. Probably relakks means you're untraceable. If not a dynamic IP assigned by an ISP is hard to trace, especially as my Wifi is shared between a shitload of people and it's hard to prove any individual crime. In any case there are horribly complex jurisdictional issues for anyone trying to prosecute you.

      But all the money you spend goes to people who don't create the software you use. That really bothers me. I used to do this and buy the games I played more than a demo's worth from stores, but I travel around all the time now and it's hard to find English copies of them. Plus I don't have space to store them.

      Or there's the legal route. Maybe you pay $50 a month for a game over steam or direct connect. So you pay more but the money actually goes to the people who make the game. You still need a virus scanner, since there's no guarantee the content is clean. Now Steam might well crash or Valve may go bankrupt. But since I paid for a license I'd feel ok morally with downloading a pirate copy. Legally it's a grey area, but I think I'd be happy standing up in court and holding up my proof of purchase. $50 bucks is not a large sum of money, maybe a decent night out. Or 1/40th the cost of a good gaming system.

      Steam/Direct Connect works faster and is more reliable than a torrent over a darknet too.

    4. Re:not really outraged..? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      have they since altered their hijacked account recovery process?
      I'll need the password to your Slashdot account before I can answer that question, sir. (Hey, it already worked once on this guy...)
    5. Re:not really outraged..? by Fweeky · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm not denying that Steam doesn't have some good aspects, but the app itself is a pile of junk. It's slow, buggy ("Delete your ClientRegistry.blob. Again."), awkward to use, and lacks a lot of basic functionality I'd hope a download service like it would have by now.

      Stardock's content delivery system, Stardock Central, is much closer to what I want out of such a service; if Stardock are down or my Internet connection is funky, it doesn't freeze for 120 seconds waiting for the connection to time out; if a patch is available, it can tell me about the exact version I'm about to get, let me checkpoint my current install, and if the patch goes horribly wrong I can rollback; it doesn't lock up and busyloop for no apparant reason; it looks and acts like an actual native application.

      Oh, and it doesn't have any DRM.

    6. Re:not really outraged..? by rhennigan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I am in total agreement. Initially I hated the idea of Steam and wouldn't touch it for some time, but I eventually caved because I wanted to play HL2. Since then I order my games on Steam if they are available because I'm one of those people that always loses CDs and CD keys. The ability to keep track of your friends in game is quite a nice feature. One click lets you jump into their game, on their server. Other games, you would have to contact them via other means, and communicate an ip address, etc. Sure, it's DRM, but it works for us too, very much unlike the music industry.

    7. Re:not really outraged..? by Fweeky · · Score: 1

      (woohoo, Portal and Ep2 unlocking. Suck it, people who have to go to work today ;)

    8. Re:not really outraged..? by CRiMSON · · Score: 1

      s/Stardock Central/Steam/g

      --
      oogly boogly!
  17. mod parent up by derfy · · Score: 1

    LOTS of people think you are buying HL2 and ep1 with the Orange Box. This is not the case.

    1. Re:mod parent up by Surye · · Score: 1

      Really? How do you figure? Last I checked, you buy Orange Box, you get HL2 and Ep1. They aren't free outside of Orange Box, so it's not just included for convenience. That's like saying when you buy a burrito combo, and it comes with rice and beans, you aren't really buying rice and beans.

    2. Re:mod parent up by derfy · · Score: 1

      Ok, Ok. What I meant was, you aren't paying for HL2 and ep1, they are included for free [to get people up to speed, sayth VALVe].

    3. Re:mod parent up by matazar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "The Orange Box features three highly-awaited new games by Valve: Half-Life® 2: Episode Two, the second installment in the Half-Life 2 episodic trilogy; Team Fortress® 2, the sequel to the game that put class-based, multiplayer team warfare on the map; and Portal, the game that blends puzzles, first person action, and adventure gaming to produce an experience like no other. To bring gamers up to date with the Half-Life 2 universe, The Orange Box also includes Half-Life 2, the best-selling and highest-rated action game series of all time, and the episodic debut Half-Life® 2: Episode One." As I've stated on here several times. You are paying for portal, tf2 and ep2. They added hl2 and ep1 in as freebies. Even if you are "buying games you already own." What does it matter? You are getting a deal on the 3 games that retail for $80 seperatly. YOU ARE NOT PAYING ANYTHING EXTRA FOR HL2 & EP1.

    4. Re:mod parent up by matazar · · Score: 1

      Sorry for lack of formating, I picked html instead of plain text.

    5. Re:mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By your logic, "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" coupons make no sense. It should just be "Get 1 Free!"
      How about "Free CD with every purchase!"

      Those things aren't free without you paying for something first. In either case it's better to pay $45 for 3 new games and 2 old ones that you already own then $80 for the 3 new games. What better deal can they offer you than $45 for 3 awsome games? (I say that without playing anything but TF2, because it's is awsom,e there's no way Portal won't be awsome and HL is always great.)

    6. Re:mod parent up by jakobX · · Score: 1

      We understand WHAT you are saying its just that it doesnt make any sense. At least here on earth.

    7. Re:mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...Not really. The more appropriate analogy would be that you bought a regular burrito, they gave you a "free" upgrade to the "burrito combo with rice and beans", and you are now complaining to the manager that you never wanted rice and beans anyway, thus you demand a 45cent discount, it's a "slap in the face" to the burrito community, etc.

    8. Re:mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We understand WHAT you are saying its just that it doesnt make any sense. At least here on earth. Um, yeah it does. I just reread this thread. Pay more money for each new title separately or buy at the same time and get not only a price break, but several other games added free. Now I suppose in your universe you still think we don't get it. But you seem like the person who twists things around quite a bit. Do you find yourself defending this? "No that isn't what happened! The football wasn't free with the car! I bought the signed football for $27,998 and the car for $1! A free football doesn't make any sense. At least here on earth."
    9. Re:mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is wrong, as your analogy assumes that the "upgrade" came after purchase, and was not considered in the purchase decision. The Orange Box LISTS HL2 and EP1 on the box. It's part of the whole package. Why did you even post this? Did you seriously think you were right?

    10. Re:mod parent up by Surye · · Score: 1

      While your analogy is way off base in other ways, no one is asking for a refund, just the right to sell the "bonus". Could you imagine the restaurant saying it was in their terms of sales that you must eat or give away the rice and beans, but you cannot sell it.

    11. Re:mod parent up by jakobX · · Score: 1

      The argument was that HL2 and EP1 were free.

      If the inclusion of those older games was indeed "free" then the orange box would sell between 20-30$.
      EP2 (with portal and TF2) was supposed to sell for the same amount of money as EP1 (with HL DM). Its obvious that the inclusion of HL2 and EP1 increased the cost of the package between 20-30$ since they are selling it for 50%.

    12. Re:mod parent up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, I'm pretty sure that re-selling rice&beans would be breaking all sorts of health code violations, so yes. In fact, I've personally seen plenty of packaged foods that have "Not for resale" stamped all over them.

    13. Re:mod parent up by ivan256 · · Score: 1

      Really... I'll just wait for Ep3 then... I can get HL2 and eps1 & 2 for free when it comes out probably.

  18. Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by Surye · · Score: 1
    From their FAQ:

    May I Buy, Sell or Trade gift subscriptions?
    No. This violates the Steam Subscriber Agreement and may result in having your account disabled.
    Last I checked, you purchased that software. Both of them. Why can you not sell one of the copies?
    1. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by paleo2002 · · Score: 1

      Not that I condone breaking EULA's or anything, but how are they going to know whether or not your friend gave you the gift of The Green Backs for your gift subscription from The Orange Box? And, why should Valve care? Anyone who is given HL2 and EP:1 are going to buy at least Episode 2 a few weeks later and probably Portal and TF2 - all ala carte.

    2. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by wild_quinine · · Score: 1

      Yes, and then they have another copy of half life 2 and episode one to give away... It's almost like shareware came back. It's actually very clever, and I would probably be strongly in favour of it, if I weren't so utterly offended by the idea that I'm not allowed to sell games that I paid for.

    3. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by Floritard · · Score: 1

      I would probably be strongly in favour of it, if I weren't so utterly offended by the idea that I'm not allowed to sell games that I paid for. Yea, because people are just climbing over each other to buy your copies of a game that pretty much everyone who would pay money for has already played almost 3 years ago (that's like 15 in software years). I'm similarly pissed at Apogee Software for distributing their games on diskettes which have since degraded and become unreadable, forever cock-blocking my ability to sell this precious copy of Rise of the Triad that would otherwise likely bring eBay's auction system to its knees in a heartbeat.
    4. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by wild_quinine · · Score: 1

      That is a painfully ignorant comment. If I play Half Life 2: Episode 2 through in a single day, and want to sell it the day after release, it would still be worth a good deal of money. The important thing is that since I bought it, I should be able to sell it, even if I'm selling it for next to nothing. 'It's probably not worth much' is a bloody awful defense.

    5. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by Floritard · · Score: 1

      I dunno. I think it's "painfully ignorant" to think that PC game software has any real value after you've gone through it yourself. Consumed cheeseburgers are about the only thing that depreciates faster. I don't know where you're from, but around here you can't sell used PC software anywhere. Console games sure, but not PC. Going by the use of your expletive attributive, I'll assume you're not from the states and concede that maybe where you live one can sell back used PC software for a few bits. Most of us here have kind of gotten used to the fact that we're not going to see that $40 of disposable income again. Comes with the territory. Not everything is an investment.

    6. Re:Another nail in the first-sale doctrine coffin? by wild_quinine · · Score: 1

      But as I said, that's not the point. The point is, whether or not I sell it should be my decision, because I paid for it. And in any case, you can usually get back more than half your money through ebay if you sell up within a month or so - long enough for most games.

  19. Give Away Keys work as discount or w/ Xbox360? by Wescotte · · Score: 1

    I own HL2 and HL2 Ep1.. I want Portal, TF2 and HL2 Ep2 so chances are I'll just buy the Orange Box and pass on the give away keys. I was thinking I'd give them to my brother but he only really games with his xbox360. Can I transfer those keys to the xbox360 versions? Or at least get a discount on the Xbox360 version of the Orange box?

    Eric

  20. hmm by brkello · · Score: 1

    I am looking forward to the Orange Box...but that has to be one of the worst commercials they could have made. That voice is extremely grating and annoying...and they spend as much time in an orange screen as they do showing game clips. This goes to reinforce my theory that 90% of people who make commercials are abusing a substance.

    --
    Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
    1. Re:hmm by paleo2002 · · Score: 1

      Too many video game commercials are basically aimed at people who already know about the game. And, since they only run video game commercials during shows that have been determined to be popular with the nerd demographic (SG-1, Family Guy, etc.) its basically like dropping hints to your parents that your birthday is coming up.

      Valve: Hey guys, you know what happens on October 10th?

      Core Demographic: Of course we do. You used to money from our pre-orders to pay for this ad in the first place.

      Valve: Well, don't forget to buy the Orange Box!

    2. Re:hmm by wild_quinine · · Score: 1

      I am looking forward to the Orange Box...but that has to be one of the worst commercials they could have made. That voice is extremely grating and annoying... Well, I hate to piss on your bonfire, but if you don't like that voice you're SOL with about 1/3 of the orange box. Commence disappointment now.
    3. Re:hmm by brkello · · Score: 1

      Well, I might be wrong but that voice is only used in short clips. That really doesn't bother me. But maybe this is similar to Bush where if it tries to cobble a full sentence together it becomes extremely annoying.

      This will only appeal to the fans of the series (i.e. people who already are going to buy it anyways). Anyone else is probably going to be turned off by it and only purchase it despite the commercial (probably off a friend/game site recommendation).

      --
      Support a great indie game: http://www.abaddon360.com
  21. Can we finally buy Half Life 2, for real? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Okay, Valve, hasn't HL2 been out long enough now, and haven't you made enough profit off of it, to allow us poor saps who simply wanted to actually BUY a copy in a store (instead of renting a copy through Steam) to do so?

    My gaming machine has no Internet connection, and I am never going to "activate" software - you couldn't force me to do so at gunpoint.

    I just want to buy a boxed game, install it on my home computer, and play it.

    Hasn't enough time passed by now for you to make this simple functionality available to prospective "second-tier" purchasers like me?

    1. Re:Can we finally buy Half Life 2, for real? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No.

      Connect your "gaming machine" to the internet for a bit so you can activate it. Steam has it's problems, but it's not all bad.

    2. Re:Can we finally buy Half Life 2, for real? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, that's okay, not gonna do it. Steam sucks. DRM (activation) sucks.

      I'll just ask again in 10 years ... or steal a hacked version somewhere... or read a book.

      Thanks, Valve, for chasing away a customer.

    3. Re:Can we finally buy Half Life 2, for real? by Jaqenn · · Score: 1

      Someone did the math, and decided what they gain via steam activation is worth what they lose by alienating people like you.

      I'm sure you can take great comfort in knowing that "it's nothing personal, it's just business". I agree that it sucks for you, but valve has some of the best games ever made to sweeten the medicine with.

      --
      You are awash in a sea of fiercely stated opinions. Obvious exits are: 'File->Quit', 'Reply', and 'Page Down'.
    4. Re:Can we finally buy Half Life 2, for real? by rufo · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sure can.

      --
      My English teacher once told me that two positives don't make a negative. Two words for her: Yeah, right.
  22. Episode 2 by pat_trick · · Score: 1

    All I want to do is purchase Episode 2. Is this my only option?

    1. Re:Episode 2 by Paradigm_Complex · · Score: 1

      No, historically VALVe has allowed its customers to buy individual games within a package. Episode 2 alone will cost $29.95, check http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=search&cc=US&term=Episode+2&developer=Valve&category=2&price=

      --
      "A witty saying proves nothing." - Voltaire
    2. Re:Episode 2 by jakobX · · Score: 1

      Yup...this is it.

      Eventually you will be able to buy it separately over steam, but i guess its going to cost some ridiculous amount of money like 30$ + tax for what is basically a short episode. Valve originally planned to release the black box that included EP2, portal and TF2 for the same amount of money as EP1. They canceled this and blamed retailers. As if the retailers said we dont want to sell a game that people want to buy in our shops. Lying bastards.

      If you already bought HL2 and EP1 in retail and wish to buy EP2 in retail then you are out of luck. Personally im just going to DL it online and be done with it. If they dont want to sell the second part of a game i already bought then im just going to use alternative means.

      And before someone mentions steam. I dont want to use that overpriced shit. Every game is cheaper in retail and it includes a box. Im also not retarded and think that HL2 comes for free or that you get 3 new full games.

    3. Re:Episode 2 by Damvan · · Score: 1

      Glad to see that you were able to internally justify your theft. Doesn't make it any less wrong, of course.

    4. Re:Episode 2 by jakobX · · Score: 1

      I am still willing to buy it. Its up to valve if they are going to release it as originally promised. I have no interest in buying it over steam since i can get a full game in retail for that price (EP2 is just a short episode) or buying an orange box in retail since i already own HL2 and EP1. I wonder what will happen when ep3 is released. Will they want us to rebuy everything again?

      If they can screw me by selling me EP1 and then not wanting to sell me EP2 in the same way then i have no moral objections when it comes to piracy. I bought 1/3 of a game and i want to play it till the end.

    5. Re:Episode 2 by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      If they can screw me by selling me EP1 and then not wanting to sell me EP2 in the same way then i have no moral objections when it comes to piracy. I bought 1/3 of a game and i want to play it till the end. You have no divine right to play a video game. Purchasing HL2 or Episode 1 did not guarantee that you will get future content on the same terms. Valve changed their minds. Either buy it or don't. But don't pretend that their change in pricing justifies illegal activity. That's just stupid.

      BTW, I'm not saying that Valve's decision here is good or bad. But it's their product and if they want to lose business by pricing it that way, it's their perogative. Not yours. The point of 'voting with your wallet' is to show you have no interest in the product as it is offered. By pirating, you undermine that statement. Mindshare is just as important as money. Deny them both if you feel so strongly. But if you just can't survive without playing Ep. 2, then buy the damn box.
    6. Re:Episode 2 by jakobX · · Score: 1

      I really care to tell you the truth. I buy games because i want to reward the authors. In Valves case i have no such desire. DOnt think im going to feel bad for my actions. Certainly VAlve doesnt feel bad for their actions.

      I still want to play the game, but not on their new terms. If this was a new game i would vote with my wallet, but this is not the case. When i bought EP1 i didnt buy the whole product i only bought one third of a product.

    7. Re:Episode 2 by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      If I buy 'The Two Towers' am I entitled to 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Return of the King' for free if I don't like their sale price?

      No.

      I don't expect you to change your mind about what to do, but drop the bullshit self-justification.

    8. Re:Episode 2 by jakobX · · Score: 1

      This is a bad analogy. Lets say they were selling The two towers in episodic format. You bought the first third of the movie. The story ends somewhere in the middle. The company then releases the second third of the story but doesnt want to sell it to you and insists on you rebuying the first part again and also the previous movie. If this seems fair to you then so be it. i think its a rip off.

    9. Re:Episode 2 by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      It's a perfect analogy. The single book is part of a greater work. (The Lord of the Rings, in episodic format) Would one part of "The Green Mile" be a better analogy?

      I never said what they did was fair, I am saying that you are not entitled to the work. (In fact, I made sure to point that out in my post) If you think it's a rip-off then don't buy it. But there is no moral justification for obtaining the work via illegal means.

    10. Re:Episode 2 by jakobX · · Score: 1

      The green mile would be a better analogy, but as far as i know you could buy the second part separately. It didnt come bundled with the first part and also included some other Stephen King book you already owned and cost 250% more than the first part. Im sure you would feel cheated if they did that.

      Valve has said they WILL sell the episodes separately. They have not done so. (Im talking about retail here since this is where i bought the first episode.)

      If valve has no problem with the morality of their actions i sure as hell dont have a problem with my actions. Rip offs can go both ways.

      Im sure you have plenty of illegal software,movies and/or music so get of your high horse.

    11. Re:Episode 2 by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      Again, I don't really care what you DO. I just find the bullshit moral justifications to be tiring. I'm not sure if I can restate this in any simpler terms.

  23. Free HL2 by HairyNevus · · Score: 1

    First one (1) to e-mail me can get a free Half-Life 2. You should also download Steam if you haven't already.

    --
    You were critically hit for no damage. The bruise will look nice, and maybe the scars will make good party talk.
    1. Re:Free HL2 by Redfriar · · Score: 1

      I guess we'll find out if it's possible to Slashdot a mail server!

    2. Re:Free HL2 by HairyNevus · · Score: 1

      Contest over, someone did win. In fact, I only got 5 different tries, sorry to those who didn't get in time.

      --
      You were critically hit for no damage. The bruise will look nice, and maybe the scars will make good party talk.
  24. I'm on the edge of my seat! by DragonTHC · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I am bleeding excitement.
    I thought to myself, Hmm, I can't wait for HL2:Episode 2 to come out. I loved HL2 and Episode 1.
    Then it occurred to me that I've been waiting for TF2 for 9 years!
    I didn't even know what portal was until I viewed the trailer only a month ago. I had assumed it was another of those dinky steam games that sells for $9.95.

    I was astonished with portal. The closest reaction I can describe is seeing quake3 trick jumping for the first time, after realizing it was fake. Well, that and the first time I saw the physics gun in HL2. It was with the leaked alpha. It was so rough then, yet somehow the coolest thing I'd ever seen in a game.
    Then TF2! The style just completely makes sense. It's like "No one lives forever" meets "The Incredibles". And fun to play.
    I'm still looking forward to HL2:Episode 2. I will play it through. Then I will uninstall it.
    It just makes financial sense to buy the orange box.

    I pre-ordered it from gamestop. Then, while talking about it with a clanmate, I realized something. I don't want another cardboard box and game disc!

    They're a liability. I need to keep track of them. With steam, I just need a password and email. Steam keeps track of my account, and games I've purchased. I can download them and install them any time I want. I can uninstall them and free up disk space and not worry about it.

    There was a time when I had 60+ game boxes mounted on my wall as a badge of pride. Now, steam makes it easy to own games.

    --
    They're using their grammar skills there.
  25. I'll take a bribe. by atomic-penguin · · Score: 1

    May I Buy, Sell or Trade gift subscriptions?
    No. This violates the Steam Subscriber Agreement and may result in having your account disabled.

    Just want to throw this out there. If someone wants to buy me a beer at our slashdot party... I might be influenced as to which friend gets a copy of HL2 and/or HL2ep1.

    --
    /^([Ss]ame [Bb]at (time, |channel.)){2}$/
  26. You win. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's your stupidest slashdot post of 2007 award. Congrats!

  27. Episodic Gaming? by BarneyL · · Score: 1

    I always thought the point of episodes of games was to release shorter, regular episodes for lower prices?
    It seems like Valve's new sales model sadly is to release shorter episodes less frequently for the same price as a full game. I wonder if Episode 3 will still be great value when is sells for $80 and forces you to buy HL1, Ep1, Ep2, Portal and TF2 again...

  28. Clarification on PC/Xbox cross platform play by FairAndUnbalanced · · Score: 1

    In case you were confused by this Slashdot article where Valve talks about Xbox's playing against PC's, what they mean is Xbox's and PCs on the same LAN. There is still no way for an Xbox360 to connect to servers out on the public Internet. They are trapped behind the Windows Live system. Just FYI....(it confused me).