Half Life Junkie

Valve today announced that those who pre-purchase the PC edition of The Orange Box at Amazon and GoGamer before October 10th will save 10% off the regular price and gain access to the beta version of Team Fortress 2 for the PC. This pre-purchase program is also available at GameStop and via Steamgames.com.

The Orange Box has earned the coveted “Must Buy” Award and scored 94% in PC Gamer’s October cover review. Available October 10th, The Orange Box includes 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 and Half-Life® 2: Episode One.

Starting immediately, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box for PC at any of these retail outlets in the US will receive a key-code and instructions to download and activate the beta release of Team Fortress 2 from Steam. The beta will conclude with the release of The Orange Box on October 10th.

The Orange Box will have a suggested retail price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox® 360 and Playstation® 3 console systems. The 10% pre-purchase discount also applies to all three versions at participating retail outlets.

For more information about The Orange Box, please visit www.steamgames.com.

Valve and GameStop today announced that those who pre-purchase the PC edition of The Orange Box at GameStop, the world’s largest video game and entertainment software retailer, before October 10th will save 10% off the regular price and gain access to the beta version of Team Fortress 2 for the PC.

The Orange Box, penned by IGN as “the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century,” 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-together, more than 30 hours of award-winning gameplay. Customers who already own these titles will have the ability to conveniently “gift” them to a friend upon official release of The Orange Box.

Starting immediately, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box for PC at any GameStop retail store in the US will receive a key-code and instructions to download and activate the beta release of Team Fortress 2 from Steam. The beta will conclude with the release of The Orange Box on October 10th. This year’s most anticipated online action game, Team Fortress 2 delivers new game types, a signature art style powered by Valve’s next generation animation technology, persistent player statistics, and more.

The Orange Box will have a suggested retail price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox® 360 and Playstation® 3 console systems. The 10% pre-purchase discount also applies to all three versions at GameStop and participating retail outlets.

For more information about The Orange Box, please visit www.steamgames.com.

The Orange Box-featuring Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal, as well as the complete Half-Life 2 experience to date-is now available for pre-purchase via Steam, a leading online platform for the distribution of PC games. Those who pre-purchase the PC edition via Steam before October 10th will save 10% off the $49.95 regular price and get exclusive access to the Team Fortress 2 beta.

The Orange Box, penned by IGN as “the package which could legitimately be called the deal of the century,” 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. Customers who already own these titles will have the ability to conveniently “gift” them to a friend upon official release of The Orange Box.

Starting September 17th, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box via Steam can download and activate the beta release of Team Fortress 2 (TF2). This year’s most anticipated online action game, TF2 delivers new game types, a signature art style powered by Valve’s next generation animation technology, persistent player statistics, and more.

As a special bonus, those who pre-purchase The Orange Box via Steam will also receive a copy of Peggle Extreme. PopCap and Valve have teamed up to create a special edition of the game cited by MSNBC.com as one of the “Top 5 Most Addicting Games of All Time.” This first ever collaboration is themed around content from Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal which will positively result in Extreme Fever!

Available at retail on October 10th in North America and October 12th in the rest of the world, retail copies of The Orange Box will be offered for an estimated price of $49.95 on the PC and $59.95 on the Xbox® 360 console systems. The 10% pre-purchase discount also applies to these versions at participating retail outlets.

For more information about The Orange Box, please visit www.steamgames.com.

It doesn’t look like Valve has said so, but Steam Community is now available on Steam. Just go into your settings, beta participation, and pick Steam Community.
If you’re not too smart, there is a cool wiki entry with pictures at http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/The_Steam_Community
If you want to be really cool, you can also join the HL2World group at http://steamcommunity.com/groups/HL2World

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Updated with press release:
The largest update for Steam, a leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, is now open for public beta testing. The update, which will be available free of charge, introduces an expansive set of social networking and online multiplayer features to a growing PC platform serving games and digital entertainment to over 13 million accounts.

The new Steam community features are designed to connect gamers with friends and other gamers, create and join groups, and organize matches and tournaments. The initial batch of features rolled out in the beta version include:

• Steam ID. Create a personal profile-complete with a photo or avatar, biographical details, favorites, and more-viewable on the Web and within the Steam client.

• Friends. Add peers to a personal Friends List that shows in real-time who’s online and available to chat or play a game. Accessible from within the Steam client or while playing a game, the Friends List makes it easy to invite friends to chat, play a game, or join a group.
• Groups. Create and join public and private groups comprised of gamers who share a common interest, such as fans of a particular game, map or mod, or competitive teams. The Group Profile page displays information about the group, recent activities, news and announcements, and a schedule of upcoming events. Groups can quickly initiate a text or voice chat; plan a game, tournament, LAN party, or any other event; and track group gameplay statistics.
• Statistics. From both a personal Steam ID or Group profile, users can view a range of gameplay statistics, such as most played games or maps and average playing time.
• Chat. Initiate a chat with friends and groups using integrated instant messaging, text chat, and voice features.
• Events. Schedule matches, tournaments, and in-person gatherings, such as LAN parties. Upcoming events are displayed in both a list and calendar view, and members can receive reminders that help keep everyone on schedule.

The Steam community features may be accessed within the Steam client or from within any game available in the Steam library of games – a growing collection that includes new releases and classic titles from leading publishers and independent developers around the world. Additionally, certain features, such as the user’s Control Panel, Friend’s List, and Groups pages may be accessed and managed using any Web browser.

This upgrade marks the largest extension to the Steam platform since its first commercial release in March 2004. In its three year history, Steam has defined the next generation online gaming platform delivering hundreds of games to millions of users with services such as Guest Passes, Automatic Updates, Free Weekends, and access to purchased games from any PC.

To explore the Steam community features, install the Steam client available at www.steampowered.com. Click the Community tab within the Steam interface to take a tour of the features and create a profile.

Nearly all of iD’s catalogue will be sold over Steam starting right now. The “Id Super Pack” will buy you all of the games for only 70 bucks (62.95 at the moment)!

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id Software brings you some of the most popular game franchises in history via Steam. Starting today, you may download full versions of the complete DOOM series and QUAKE I – III, including mission packs, as well as id’s pioneering PC side-scroller, Commander Keen and vintage favorites Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, Heretic, and HeXen.

id GAMES on Steam
• Commander Keen, Episodes 1 through 5
• Wolfenstein 3D
• Spear of Destiny
• Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• Ultimate DOOM
• DOOM II
• Final DOOM
• DOOM3
• DOOM3: Resurrection of Evil
• QUAKE
• QUAKE Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
• QUAKE Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
• QUAKE II
• QUAKE II Mission Pack: The Reckoning
• QUAKE II Mission Pack: Ground Zero
• QUAKE III Arena
• QUAKE III: Team Arena
• Heretic
• Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
• HeXen
• HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
• HeXen II

id PACKAGES on Steam
• DOOM 3 Pack: Includes DOOM 3 and DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil
• QUAKE III Pack: Includes QUAKE III Arena and QUAKE III: Team Arena
• Wolf Pack: Includes Wolf 3D, Spear of Destiny and Return to Castle Wolfenstein
• DOOM Pack Complete: Includes all DOOM games released by id
• QUAKE Pack: Includes all 8 QUAKE Titles available on Steam
• Heretic\HeXen Pack: Includes Heretic, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders, HeXen, HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, HeXen II
• Id Super Pack: Every id game on Steam

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Source: http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=news&cc=US

Wow, lots of great games coming to Steam!!

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Steam welcomes an all-star line-up of THQ titles from some of the most prestigious development studios in the gaming industry, including THQ’s Relic Entertainment, Gas Powered Games, and Pandemic.

The following games are now available on Steam with a 10% discount through July 24:
• Company of Heroes (Strategy; developed by Relic Entertainment)
• Titan Quest (Role playing; developed by Lore Entertainment)
• Titan Quest: Immortal Throne (Role playing; developed by Lore Entertainment)
• Full Spectrum Warrior (Action; developed by Pandemic)
• Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers (Action; developed by Pandemic)

Stay tuned for the launch of additional titles, including:
• Supreme Commander – (Strategy; developed by Gas Powered Games)
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl – (Action; developed by GSC Game World)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Gold Edition – (developed by Strategy; Relic Entertainment)
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade – (developed by Strategy; Relic Entertainment)

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SupCom, Stalker, Warhammer 40k, CoH?! Awesome!

Source: Steam

Valve and Introversion today announced an agreement to deliver DEFCON, a new online strategy game from the creators of the award-winning Darwinia, via Steam, Valve’s pioneering broadband platform for games and digital content. In addition, Introversion’s first game and cult hit Uplink is now available via Steam.

Introversion, the award-winning, maverick developer of the hit PC game, Darwinia, will be releasing its eagerly-awaited third title, DEFCON, in September 2006 via Steam and at retail outlets around the globe for $14.95. Uplink is now available as a stand-alone title via Steam for just $9.95 and is also included with Darwinia, the 2006 Independent Developer Festival winner, for a package price of $19.95.

“Steam has made Introversion a commercial success, and brought critical acclaim to Darwinia”, said Thomas Arundel, commercial director of Introversion Software. “DEFCON is proof once again that the creation of exciting, unique games does not rely on years and years of development, nor a 100 strong dev team. With the release of DEFCON, Introversion continues to demonstrate that indie developers are at the forefront of exciting, innovative gaming experiences.”

“As evidenced by the success of Darwinia, Steam is an excellent outlet for independent developers, such as Introversion, who are breaking new ground with the industry’s pioneering titles,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “With over 10 million registered users, the library of games offered via Steam continues to expand with games from all genres.”

DEFCON is an online, competitive, multiplayer strategy game based around the theme of global thermonuclear war. The player assumes the role of a General hidden deep within an underground bunker, his mission being to successfully exterminate the enemy’s civilian population whilst simultaneously disabling the enemy’s ability to retaliate.