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[kupoartist]

Valve Software have announced that Half-Life 2 is available to purchase over Steam, their Net-Based content delivery system. In congunction with the Five-Phase Half-Life 2 preload (wherein encrypted files containing all 4 Gigabytes or so of the game's content were downloaded to Steam user's computers), the release and distribution of Half-Life 2 has all but been acomplished. Now, Half-Life 2 is not available for anyone to play as it is - it hasn't gone "gold", so Vivendi Universal aren't manufactuting the on-the-shelf final product that needs to be released in order for Valve to activate everyone's HL2 preloads... HOWEVER, Valve are offering rather large incentives for all who preorder Half-Life 2 via Steam.

You can buy Half-Life 2 as part of three packages - "Bronze, Silver and Gold". However, buying any of these packages will allow you to begin playing Half-Life 2's Multiplayer component, before the entire game is released! What's more, that multiplayer component just happens to be Counter-Strike Source - the latest version of one of the most successful multiplayer games ever made. The Silver and Gold packages will net you "Source" versions of Day of Defeat and the original Half-Life (though only when HL2 reaches retail, sadly), as well as immediate access to the entire Valve software back-catalogue (HL1, Opposing Force, CS, CS:Condition Zero and all the mods).

Offering CSource immediatly appears to be the ace up Valve's sleeve - they are currently in court proceedings with Vivendi, who may try to hold up HL2's release for no better reason than getting at valve - however, for every day they do this, legions of CS freaks (many of which care more about the new CS than HL2 itself) will preorder through steam rather than waiting ages for the boxed version to appear. Clever huh? ^^