User Reviews (1 - 11 of 61)

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Great Game, Terrible Customer Support

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: September 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As of September 11th, you can't even play this edition of the game. There is some problem with the activation process that has yet to even be acknowledged by Valve's customer support. But the game itself is great (4/5 stars, would be 5/5 if customer support was decent), just make sure you don't get the GOTY edition.

Half-Life 2 : Game Of The Year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 13
Date: September 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This seems just like the issue that occured last year when people had purchased Half-Life 2 via a retail store before Half-Life 2's official release date had occurred.

People flooded the Steampowered forums wanting to know why their game did not work.

It did not work because the official release date had been broken.

I purchased my Half-Life 2 through Steam.

I didn't get to play it earlier than the release date.

I had to wait too.

I don't claim to know why the Half-Life 2 : Game Of The Year edition isn't working for you, but I would think it has something to do with being sold earlier than it's release date.

Half-Life 2 is a great game and when the validation servers are ready, you will be able to play your game(s).

Half-Assed2 - Virus of the Year Edition -

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 27
Date: October 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

How many times should a person attempt to install and play a game? 1?...2? ..3? I won't attempt to run this STEAMing pile of dung on my machine past 3. This is my first, only and absolutely last STEAM / VALVE game I will ever buy.

If you don't have Internet access, you can't even play the single player version!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 19
Date: October 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

After beating Half Life, I bought Half Life 2 GOTY edition. I install games on my laptop so that I can play in the hotel when I travel on business and can't connect to the Internet. But when I put the CD in my laptop and started to install HL2GOTY, it told me that I would need to connect to their Steam site to install and play the game. Being that my laptop doesn't have Internet access installed, the game is totally useless to me.

I went to their Steam site on my desktop PC, and after registering and logging on and looking their their "intelligent" help system for a way to install the game (since I bought and paid for it and have the CD and key in my grubby little hand) without using Steam, I sent an email, but have not had a reply from them.

So I'm now waiting to hear if they'll let me return an open game, but I doubt it.

Don't buy this game unless your intent is to play in multiplayer mode on the Internet.

Otherwise, boycot Sierra, Valve, and Steam!

Best game, but worst possible distribution

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: December 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Here's the truth behind HL2 and Steam: Half Life 2 is, in mine and many others' opinions, the best game ever made for PC. Especially because the level design is simply beautiful.

However, Steam is one of the most terrible inventions ever introduced to the gaming world. If you don't have internet access, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME because you will not be able to play. Steam is a program which has control over Half Life/Counterstrike/all other games in the series. Once you create an account and associate your cd key with the account, the cd key will never work for any other account. However, you can download and play games you have in your account on other computers as long as you log in with your account. Unfortunately, I believe only one computer can be logged into your account at a time. But there's a LOT more to it. I have no idea how Steam works. I don't know if anyone does. It's worth dealing with though, and from what I can tell it seems pretty fair.

Overall, once you get past the hassle of Steam, you're in for one of the best gaming experiences of your lifetime, so I'll go ahead and give it 5 stars.

Steam is not so bad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: December 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Reading through these reviews, it seems that Steam is giving people a lot of trouble and thus, the game a bad name. I for one have had no problems with Steam. I bought the game in a store, installed it, and it has run fine. For those worried about the internet connection, you only need this to register your copy of the game. Once installed on a machine, you can select to play a game in "off-line" mode (meaning no internet required). Just thought I would help clarify.

Agreed- Steam is Satan

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 15
Date: December 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Just wanted to add my vote to the general consensus- Steam is quite possibly the most lamebrained baffling ordeal of a nightmare to be foisted upon humankind. There's no mention of this moronic lunacy on the outside of the package. I OWN the game, I INSTALL the game. Why then can I not PLAY the game??? I've never screamed so many crude words at my computer screen before, which is quite a statement (and on Christmas Day, no less 8-) It's even worse for me being on dialup. It took the better part of a day just to install and "update," whatever that means. Afterward, loading, even a QuickLoad, takes insane amounts of time.

The game itself, however, is everything it claims to be. Too bad the delivery is so horrible...

Sickingly Good Game.......... BUT STEAM IS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF CRAP EVER MADE

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: December 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Once upon a Christmas, a boy got Half-Life 2:GOTY Edition. He installed Steam, and also the game that went with it. Unknown to the wretches of evil that is Steam, the game says install complete. But it isn't. STEAM MAKE YOU DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE FREAKING GAME!!!!!! This means the 5CD pack I bought was really just for the freaking CD-Key! I've played Half-Life 2 in stores, but i didn't get to try it out, because Steam is not good for 56k modem connections, and broadband is out of option. If there were any way to get updates on CD, I would buy it. But for now, BE CAREFUL ON WHAT YOU BUY FROM VALVE!! THE PACKAGE ONLY SAYS "INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATION" BUT IT DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO UPDATE THE WHOLE PROGRAM! Valve, if you're reading this, please change Steam so we don't have to update the games in order to play them. Other than that, Half-Life 2 is the best game ever made.

What tech support ??

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 13
Date: January 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The low rating does not reflect on the game since I can't install it without the key code which, unfortunately, wasn't enclosed. It is, however, an assessment of their tech support which has not responded to numerous emails. Perhaps the key code was on the manual which didn't arrive with the game, either, although there was a place for one in the case. Think long and hard before buying this one 'cause once you open it you can't return it !!!

Try

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If anyone can find a first person shooter that can beat this one I will be not only delighted because i can buy it and play it but rather extremely surprised because ive played many pc games and to be honest this puts all of those to shame. And i ran it on a laptop. If you like a linear story that is extremely realistic you WILL NOT be disappointed. Best PC game to date that I have ever played and to say the least ive been around the block. Once you play it you will see why it clearly won the game of the year.

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