User Reviews (1 - 11 of 61)

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How much time do you have?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 24 / 29
Date: October 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is a blast- no way around it. But Steam, Valve's annoying memory hog run in the tray adware copyright protection content delivery application is a constant source of screaming fits. Every time I sit down and I just want to play for 30 minutes or something before work or school, Steam throws an error and refuses to let me into the game, even going so far as to tell me that I do not own the game, or its "unavailable."
Valve is going to have to realize that treating customers like criminals is just bad business, and that Steam has GOT to go.
I can no longer reccomend this game despite it's being so much fun, because at least %50 of the time I try to get in to play it, I am unable for some error.

Really bad install, poor support

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 16 / 28
Date: January 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'd just gotten a really nice new video card, and was looking forward to the reportedly awesome graphics. After installing disc after disc, I start the game to get an obscure Steam error. It can't find a DLL. So I go to the web site looking for support, enter the exact message, and get no help. Find one page to re-install Steam, follow the instructions, no joy. Futz with it and the web site for another hour, find another page so that you basically install it manually. It finally works.

Sort of. I have a real firewall on my network, not some cheesy host-based firewall, and now it can't connect. This is because the network protocol design is about the worst that I've ever seen. Someone with 1/2 a brain could make all this work using ONE connection, preferably to a port that normally goes through firewalls. With this sort of junk design, am I going to expose this to the raw internet? I think not. I don't expose anything listening out through my firewall, and that's stuff that's built by people who know what they're doing. This shop wouldn't know an IP option if it bit them. (Yes, I am the same guy as wrote books on application and network security).

Does the app correctly figure out that the network is blocking them, and tell the user what's wrong? Nooooo. It just hangs indefinately. Given that the install is junk quality, and the network protocol and error handling is junk quality, I'm expecting the rest of the game to have similar low QA standards, so I lodge a complaint with support. I'd like my $$$ back because my local shop won't take back something that's been opened. 4 days (!!!) later, tech support gets around to responding. They won't take back the software, so I just sold it to someone here at work.

So it has a really bad installer, turns your firewall into swiss cheese, EVEN IF ALL YOU WANT IS TO PLAY ON YOUR OWN SYSTEM, and they have the worst tech support I've ever seen.

I'm really sympathetic to anti-piracy measures. I really am. I don't like people that steal software. I've made my living for a long time working with people who sell software. I just want to play my legally purchased game on my own computer, and if I could do that without mangling my firewall rules, that would be cool.

How's the game? I don't know. Never got that far. I hear it's nice. I do know I won't buy another game from this shop.

Excellent game, spoiled by the most intrusive piracy protection ever!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 17 / 20
Date: September 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I endorse all the other reviewers postive comments about this game. As 1st person shooters go, it's about as good as they get. But I felt I had to post a warning for anyone who, like me, had no idea about this 'Steam' anti-piracy thing.

Frankly, I thought some of the other reviewers were getting too worked up about it. After all, for goodness sake, how bad can it be?

The answer is, very, very bad. I really, REALLY resent having to install this kind of adware on my machine, just so I can pay a game that I paid good cash for. I can't believe how intrusive the Steam system is, and much as I love this game, I will not ever buy any other product that forces me to install this junk on my machine, regardless of how good the game may be.

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.

Do not Purchase!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 22
Date: March 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Single player game -yes! Why then do you have to install and run, and connect to the internet, the steam software that is required to even load the game. The game would be incredible if it weren't for the steam software integraded into the "single player" play. I will never buy from valve again, absolutly horrible!!!!!!

steamed out

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: October 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I never got to see it. 3300 megs , 5 dvds, it was gonna be great, but then
steam happened. with its patches and updates, invalidating my account,(witch I never wanted anyway) and always trying to sell me the stuff I just bought and lockups-- I have a dual core pentium with a gig of ram. Sure I have 56 k but thats why I bought the dvds. What crap, a million dollars worth of copy protection for a 30 dollar game. I don't want to be connected to the internet to play games that reside on my machine. Well anyway, a small miracle , walmart actualy took it back, goodby game of the year, goodby steam. stick it in your ear.

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 !!!

half life 2

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 32
Date: February 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Bad experience loading the game. Fire walls stopped installation. Deleted same and gave away. Would not recomend.

Will Not Play!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 27
Date: April 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Installed the game with security off ,firewalls down,etc. Game froze my entire computer, even though it stated that the game was properly installed. No help from Help, just auto response and a scoldy note suggesting that it was my fault. Still have not played the Game Of The Year. It will be nice when the computer biz grows up a little and begins to realize the importance of customer ser. Until they do, stay away from games like this. Steam is a nightmare.

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