(INQ) Google to buy Valve

[azraeel101]

Google to buy Valve (http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/09/17/google-valve)

WELL PLACED SOURCES tell us that Google is going to be buying Valve any second now. If you have to stop and think about why, you probably are not aware of Steam, Valve's amazing content distribution platform.

Since it's from the Inq it may not be true, but if it is, what do you think?

I don't trust google personally, but if buying Valve means more publishers on Steam and other media (like music and movies) distributed through it, I would be happy. I have over 30 games bought through Steam and it would be nice to get things like tv shows through it..

[n-sanity]

That is... some of the most ridiqulous and at the same time disturbingly plausible news i've heard from the [INQ] yet...
I'm all for google... but this might just be a little too far.

[agor]

When will Google Windows Longhorn be released?

[Hornet331]

google.. i dont like them.. and if they buy valve i dislike them even more....

[Shintai]

Google want steam userdata aswell as...adding more logging? :o

[[cTx]Riggs]

Wow, this is kinda weird. Never thought that a internet engine would buy a game company. :s

[Eson]

Google were cool in the beginning but now they are frighteningly big - too big. While its nice they are competing well with Microsoft i dont like it when they expand their market, its like they dont know what to do with the money. When they own half the world and things getting worse they will shut down everything that cant make profit.

[buultje]

Or they dont have to shut them down because money aint a problem. Might just be good so non profit programs will keep running

[Hornet331]

Google want steam userdata aswell as...adding more logging? :o

exactly my thoughts, everyone complains about ms, but compared to google ms knows nothing about you. :p:

[[XC] gomeler]

No... please Valve stay yourselves and don't sell out.

[Luka_Aveiro]

gomeler;3295338']No... please Valve stay yourselves and don't sell out.

X2

PLIZ!!!!!

[gallardo]

After reading THIS (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4753389.ece), this isn't such a shocker.

[Hornet331]

After reading THIS (http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4753389.ece), this isn't such a shocker.

time for a artificial island called gootopia. :ROTF:

[Wrench]

I hope they buy them. Then maybe Steam will not suck so much as$

[kryptobs2000]

Wow that is truly scary. A company should not try and enter every business they view it's possible to make money in, I feel that defeats the purpose of forming a company. A company is supposed to have a goal, in googles case to provide web based services. Grrr... I don't know. I just no longer like google now.

[rge]

Google want steam userdata aswell as...adding more logging? :o

That was my first thought...and if google controls steam and thus what data it collects and for what purpose....no way is my computer hooking up to steam on a google server.

first DRM, now Google Gestapo...what next for games.

[naokaji]

Regardless if its from the inq or not, I dont want to believe it even though I can clearly see the advantage google will have as steam is moving quickly to become the n1 vendor of pc games there are lots of user habbits to track and analyze which we all know is how google makes money.

[Luka_Aveiro]

I hope they buy them. Then maybe Steam will not suck so much as$

How does Steam suck :confused:

first DRM, now Google Gestapo...what next for games.

Why not "now Google CIA", or "now Google FBI?" :rolleyes:

[Shintai]

Why not "now Google CIA", or "now Google FBI?" :rolleyes:

They are already on that stage. Will upgrade to Gestapo :D

[FrogBite]

I would stop using Steam if Google were to buy Valve!

[Hornet331]

the fbi could only dream to have the data that google has. :p:

[Blacky]

this news caused damage to my brain... stupid inq

[Seraphiel]

Google is worse than Microsoft. Expect a hostile view upon Google in the next few years (some have already seen this, obviously, but not to the common extend MS is, yet).

[Miss Banana]

More paranoid hysteria.
I never realized that so many down to earth XS folks were the tinfoil hat kinda types.

[Seraphiel]

Valve is going to bought, eventually. It really doesn't matter if it MS, EA or Google that does it.

[ahmad]

Google toolbar (or desktop) will now check if you have pirated games...

[MrMojoZ]

Wow that is truly scary. A company should not try and enter every business they view it's possible to make money in, I feel that defeats the purpose of forming a company. A company is supposed to have a goal, in googles case to provide web based services. Grrr... I don't know. I just no longer like google now.

This is absolutely crazy. Unless they are non-profit, all companies are formed to make money. What kind of socialist garbage have you been reading? No wonder you people hate MS so much, you are delusional about why companies exist.

[Seraphiel]

That is true. All companies the size of Google are in the business of making money...

Why have illusions?

[RaZz!]

it's not about them making money. just imagine if google buys valve.

google would know:
- about anything you search on the web
- which sites you visit (with chrome)
- which games you play and how long you play them (with steam)

just imagine what they could do with google desktop search - or what would happen if google would ever release an operating system....

sry, but this goes too far. google would know anything about what you're doing on your pc/on the internet. this is indeed somehow scary.

[Seraphiel]

In the end Google will / would do all of that for money... Nothing else.

So it is about making money. Microsoft have their MS tax + what not, EA have a large control of games, and Google have the Internet through various means.

Money, money and money... nothing else. None of them are trying to do anyone any favors, unless there is profit involved.

[tjelaw]

Go Google!

HL games were good by Valve, Steam was a smart move. But there are other things about Valve that suck ridiculously hard. Like totally ignoring their userbase's/community's feedback especially with the CS series. Steam's is a really bad piece of software, remember 100%CPU bugs, offline mode bugs, favorites bug still present after 3 years. And when the one and only steam auth server is down. nobody on the planet can play their games.

If google bought steam it would be fixed in no time

[JohnZS]

I do not like google :(
I really hope that this does not happen.....
As if Chrome was not bad enough.... imagine if future versions of steam force feed us GoogleDesktop (Spyware which does nothing) and GoogleToolbar(Spyware).
vALVE, Google do not have any Cake, the Cake is a lie..that's all part of the plan
John

[Calmatory]

In the end Google will / would do all of that for money... Nothing else.

So it is about making money. Microsoft have their MS tax + what not, EA have a large control of games, and Google have the Internet through various means.

Money, money and money... nothing else. None of them are trying to do anyone any favors, unless there is profit involved.

Advertising companies literally pay their ass off to get information Google would gain with Steam and Chrome.

[FrogBite]

Valve is going to bought, eventually. It really doesn't matter if it MS, EA or Google that does it.

Yes it does. The more Google buys the more of a monopoly they will have on the "electronic" market.

[Sumanji]

They are already on that stage. Will upgrade to Gestapo :D

You mean Goostapo :rofl:

I can see why Google would want to buy Valve. Masses and masses of user data as mentioned, ownage of the best online games distribution service, and possibly an avenue for new advertising opportunities - in game ads anyone?

But I agree, I don't like Google having all this power. I prefer Microsoft and the softly spoken Bill Gates :p:

[SquiZZ]

Agreed with someone earlier, Valve is going to be bought sooner or later. EA or Google. Which is the lesser of the two evils? personally I hope anyone but EA get's their grubby hands on Valve.

[Starscream]

Steam already tracks user info.

How else do u think they got the info on what hardware users got.

[metachronos]

it's not about them making money. just imagine if google buys valve.

google would know:
- about anything you search on the web
- which sites you visit (with chrome)
- which games you play and how long you play them (with steam)

just imagine what they could do with google desktop search - or what would happen if google would ever release an operating system....

sry, but this goes too far. google would know anything about what you're doing on your pc/on the internet. this is indeed somehow scary.

Except for the fact that you have a choice to not use any of those things.

[nullface]

google.. i dont like them.. and if they buy valve i dislike them even more....

Second that!

[SparkyJJO]

it's not about them making money. just imagine if google buys valve.

google would know:
- about anything you search on the web
- which sites you visit (with chrome)
- which games you play and how long you play them (with steam)

just imagine what they could do with google desktop search - or what would happen if google would ever release an operating system....

sry, but this goes too far. google would know anything about what you're doing on your pc/on the internet. this is indeed somehow scary.

- I don't care if anyone knows what I search for. Do you think that yahoo doesn't keep records too? And most stuff on the internet that isn't on a secured connection is hardly private anyway, anyone could be watching what you search for really.
- I don't use chrome. Don't use chrome, no problem. Stick with firefox, it has all the cool extensions anway!
- Don't use google desktop, IMO, it is just another thing to suck down system resources, I have no use of it. If you don't know where you keep your files, well, get more organized!

Bunch of tinfoil hat people around here. If you don't like it, you don't have to use any of it.

[Vinas]

gomeler;3295338']No... please Valve stay yourselves and don't sell out.*** RUNS SCARED***

Seriously! This is crazy! I dunno good or bad?

[bowman]

After that interview where Lombardi said they were 'happy to have acquisition discussions' I knew they were going to bought one way or the other.. Better Google than EA or MS at any rate. It'll be interesting to see how Google intend to tackle the gaming market.

[Vinas]

Steam already tracks user info.

How else do u think they got the info on what hardware users got. User hardware survey, it's not required and they don't do it without YOU PRESSING OK. http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html
(http://www.steampowered.com/status/survey.html)

[RaZz!]

- I don't care if anyone knows what I search for. Do you think that yahoo doesn't keep records too? And most stuff on the internet that isn't on a secured connection is hardly private anyway, anyone could be watching what you search for really.
- I don't use chrome. Don't use chrome, no problem. Stick with firefox, it has all the cool extensions anway!
- Don't use google desktop, IMO, it is just another thing to suck down system resources, I have no use of it. If you don't know where you keep your files, well, get more organized!

Bunch of tinfoil hat people around here. If you don't like it, you don't have to use any of it.

you don't seem to get what i was saying. we (pc enthusiasts) mostly KNOW about such things. but do you think everyone knows about such things?

even that a company is ABLE in some way to gain so much information about a single person is indeed quite alarming, imo.

[rge]

Bunch of tinfoil hat people around here. If you don't like it, you don't have to use any of it.

That is exactly the problem. As long as I can avoid google, I am happy. I now use Ask as search with askeraser on....and they only store the data a few hours, so search problem solved for now.

Gaming, I still have a choice... I can avoid games with intrusive DRM, and I have no issue with one small company tracking my hardware via steam. Google, no doubt sees steam as a way to gather more data than just hardware, and pretty soon gaming choices will get thin.

If google becomes a monopoly in certain areas, it is good for google and their employees, but not for anyone else. And at that point, when I can no longer avoid them and no longer have a choice....not much point in complaining once the horse is out of the barn.

If everyone quit using google...their advertising money would dry up and they would blow away. That is never going to happen...but enough backlash...maybe they wont become a monopoly.

Tin hats...dont think so, maybe some with blinders on though...google employees posting aside.

And being in health care myself....this one is down right out scary
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/02/21/google.records.ap/

[G0ldBr1ck]

This should be stopped. There need to be new laws on the books to protect us from these new threats on our privacy. One company should not be allowed to buy or start every busness that has a way to collect personal data. They will push it farther and farther untill they are stopped.

its one thing to have 1 source of info on us but to to pry there way into every angle of our lives like they would love to do would give them a complete and accurate profile of us.

They want payed for there software, they dont want it stolen. I dont want my info stolen and if they want it bad enuf I have a price just like them.
Some might say well just dont use there services, that may be posable now but if its not changed it will eventualy become imposable to avoid.

[Mad1723]

Oh, before we talk of the end of the world, anybody see a link with the fact that Valve were saying they were interested in being bought about a month ago from now? I see a strange link here :) Don't wanna scare you, but this could be absolutely true or fake!! :shrug:

Edit: I was right, here's the true story
http://www.steamfriends.com/other/p2_articleid/1554

[LUCI5R]

I do agree with one about the fact that eventually Valve would have been bought - be it Google, MS, EA or someone else. The point is not the sale of Valve. The point is another purchase by Google - another territory intrusion and thus leading up to a Monopoly factor by Google. At this point Google is seeming more and more like Skynet from Terminator. One by one, territory by territory, total expansion and engulfment of all. I'm not happy with that. Definately not. I have nothing personal against Google ... but all this influx, intrusion & expansion ... as one put it, too much money & not knowing what to do with it ... at the end of the day, it's a classic futuristic 'end-of-the-world' or man vs. machine movie scenario. Nothing fancy about it, except the Visual Effects. I don't like it one bit.

Or maybe I've been playing Command & Conquer a bit much lately. I don't know.

/end rant.

[clayton]

They probably want to start a console called Google Steam. XD Add in video chat and all those Live features and you'll have a competitor that runs PC games and it's own exclusive.

[Vinas]

I guess it's not happening after all.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/17/valve-on-rumors-of-google-buy-out/

[Theli]

google would know:
- about anything you search on the web
...if you use Google's search engine. If they didn't know what you searched for, they would never be able to present you with search results. This is kind of how the Internet works.
- which games you play and how long you play them (with steam)
1. Google knows which games I'm playing.
2.
3. Horror.
just imagine what they could do with google desktop search - or what would happen if google would ever release an operating system....
The operating system would probably include desktop search. That's my prediction.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

I guess it's not happening after all.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/17/valve-on-rumors-of-google-buy-out/


THANK YOU INTERNET GODS!

[Manicdan]

i really wouldnt have been so scared

valve does great work, and their developers dont get booted out just cause a name change, so hl3 could be exactly the same.

what it would do is give a great platform for steam, which is unbelievable awesome when it works right, imagine never having to stand in line again for any good game out there. all the DRM crap we go through dosnt exist with Steam games, i still have HL1 capable of being installed at any moment. or if WoW ran its expac through Steam i just wait for midnight of my timezone and i log in, it would be worth a few extra bucks to not have to wait in line at gamestop for a few hours, then come home to install, and finally play by 3am.

Steam + Google could be the stepping stone needed to create a true virtual video game store.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

i really wouldnt have been so scared

valve does great work, and their developers dont get booted out just cause a name change, so hl3 could be exactly the same.

what it would do is give a great platform for steam, which is unbelievable awesome when it works right, imagine never having to stand in line again for any good game out there. all the DRM crap we go through dosnt exist with Steam games, i still have HL1 capable of being installed at any moment. or if WoW ran its expac through Steam i just wait for midnight of my timezone and i log in, it would be worth a few extra bucks to not have to wait in line at gamestop for a few hours, then come home to install, and finally play by 3am.

Steam + Google could be the stepping stone needed to create a true virtual video game store.

Steam already is fully functional virtual video game store. My main concern is for the information google would get, I am very opposed to google's recent incursion into the browser market and their sketchy practices regarding data collection from their users

[ryboto]

Steam already is fully functional virtual video game store. My main concern is for the information google would get, I am very opposed to google's recent incursion into the browser market and their sketchy practices regarding data collection from their users

Why is everyone so paranoid about this? So what, they monitor our interests to target us with user specific advertisements, so friggin what! So far all of their services are free, and I bet they'll continue to come up with free services using the same model. As long as they aren't stealing from me, and I can choose to not have them log my personal chats, then what's the big issue?

Steam is great, but Google makes things fairly streamlined. I'd like to have seen the enhancements they might have offered to the platform.

[hollo]

Why is everyone so paranoid about this? So what, they monitor our interests to target us with user specific advertisements, so friggin what! but what if someone borrows your computer and websites they visit are peppered with advertisements related to goats and lubricant?
nobody wants that...

[Hornet331]

Why is everyone so paranoid about this? So what, they monitor our interests to target us with user specific advertisements, so friggin what! So far all of their services are free, and I bet they'll continue to come up with free services using the same model. As long as they aren't stealing from me, and I can choose to not have them log my personal chats, then what's the big issue?

Steam is great, but Google makes things fairly streamlined. I'd like to have seen the enhancements they might have offered to the platform.

think about why its free, with the data the get about you and me the make more money then charging for the product. :p:

[SparkyJJO]

but what if someone borrows your computer and websites they visit are peppered with advertisements related to goats and lubricant?
nobody wants that...

If that happens I think that person has issues..... ;)

BTW I have google talk save all my chat transcripts in my gmail account. It has come in handy on more than one occasion.

[DaMulta]

The cake is not a lie.

http://googlified.com/files/google-israel-cake.jpg

Just think if Google did buy this it could be a good thing. Steam is the best downloading service for game IMO. If Google owned them more companies would go to it. Hell maybe EA would go to it, and kill off their honorable service. I could see a lot of good with Google owning them.

[Manicdan]

I wish i had advertisements build for me.

you can tell what kind of person you are by what commercials you see when you watch your favorite shows. if its "text 555 to this number for your daily horoscope" then you need to stop watching MTV.

it turns out based on my shows, i probably want a new big car thats bad for the economy, and i need to refinance my mortgage, vote for neither presidential candidate, buy a prescription for antidepressants, and watch football. all of which mean nothing to me.

[highoctane]

I'm just waiting for Google reality TV with a mass army of camera's running around taping every second of everybody's life. So you can simply query for any place at any time and see what anybody is doing at any second.

[metro.cl]

i thought steam was spyware i onceinstalled it because of a game that came with a ATI card and i had to do a windows reinstall to get rid of it, didi like 2000 weird trick from guides around the net and it still wouldnt uninstall completely.

[Bodkin]

Looks lie it was just normal INQ FUD, just proves what they do to boost ratings...

http://www.trustedreviews.com/gaming/news/2008/09/17/Google-Not-Buying-Valve/p1

[Hornet331]

i thought steam was spyware i onceinstalled it because of a game that came with a ATI card and i had to do a windows reinstall to get rid of it, didi like 2000 weird trick from guides around the net and it still wouldnt uninstall completely.

rofl?

even back in 2000 once you deinstall steam its completely gone, expect the mods you dl into the steam folder.

[happychappy]

- I don't care if anyone knows what I search for. Do you think that yahoo doesn't keep records too? And most stuff on the internet that isn't on a secured connection is hardly private anyway, anyone could be watching what you search for really.
- I don't use chrome. Don't use chrome, no problem. Stick with firefox, it has all the cool extensions anway!
- Don't use google desktop, IMO, it is just another thing to suck down system resources, I have no use of it. If you don't know where you keep your files, well, get more organized!

Bunch of tinfoil hat people around here. If you don't like it, you don't have to use any of it.
Agreed.

[initialised]

When will Google Windows Longhorn be released?Wasn't that Chrome? It looks suspiciously like an OS too me, or at least an API disguised as a browser. Give that access to graphics hardware and it doesn't matter what OS you are running.

[Klarko]

Thats just gay.

[Chewbenator]

It's not happening: http://kotaku.com/5051164/valve-kills-google-buy+out-rumor

[knightwolf654]

2012 google to buy the moon. :P

[ak_47_boy]

If they do buy Valve i will stop using all Google products and start using cracked valve game.

[saaya]

uh.... valve... they have a few good coders, but thats really about it...
there are lots of slackers in valve afaik...

[TheVaLVe]

Mr. Creedy : "Bollocks..."

[halo112358]

This thread is early, it's not 04/01/09 yet.

uh.... valve... they have a few good coders, but thats really about it...
there are lots of slackers in valve afaik...

They hired a few really clever multithreading guys, other than that I'm not sure what google would want with them.

[iddqd]

Steam already tracks user info.

How else do u think they got the info on what hardware users got.

It's a survey. You don't have to participate if you don't want to.

[bigslappy]

think about it if Google keeps this up....... buying every company in sight GEEKS will be running the world !!!

instead of Big Brother looking over yer shoulder it will a SS GeeK nazi type !


Must Get Tin Hat Ready !! I know i'll start a tin hat company that protects PPL from GooGle , they will buy me out for billions , then I'll retire to Saudie area, build a HUGE compound & live next door to Michael Jackson !

[saveus222]

When will Google Windows Longhorn be released?

why dont you google that and find out :rofl:

[The0men]

I hear loads about search engines storing our info on what we search and stuff, but really, if you are who you say you are, and don't search anything STOOPID like childpron, then what does it matter what they know? its no more than anyone else....

[DilTech]

uh.... valve... they have a few good coders, but thats really about it...
there are lots of slackers in valve afaik...

Exactly, valve hasn't brought anything new to gaming(as in gameplay) in...well.... They're also still milking a graphics engine that literally has needed to be replaced since it's first commercial release(HL2). Steam is 'ok' at best, but I still see it as over-charging considering you're paying full price and only getting the data, while the person who goes to the store gets what obviously costed more money to produce(cd, book, box) pays the same amount... I think games on steam should be cheaper than their in-box brethren. :yepp:

Seriously, I'll never understand why people are so head-over-heels about valve.

[Manicdan]

i havnt bought a steam game in a few years, cause ive bought video cards that come with what i wanted for free. and the result is that i have HL2 and HL2 ep2, but no ep1, my own downfall

[cegras]

Exactly, valve hasn't brought anything new to gaming(as in gameplay) in...well.... They're also still milking a graphics engine that literally has needed to be replaced since it's first commercial release(HL2). Steam is 'ok' at best, but I still see it as over-charging considering you're paying full price and only getting the data, while the person who goes to the store gets what obviously costed more money to produce(cd, book, box) pays the same amount... I think games on steam should be cheaper than their in-box brethren. :yepp:

Seriously, I'll never understand why people are so head-over-heels about valve.

Have you played a valve game recently?

[Swatrecon_]

Exactly, valve hasn't brought anything new to gaming(as in gameplay) in...well.... They're also still milking a graphics engine that literally has needed to be replaced since it's first commercial release(HL2). Steam is 'ok' at best, but I still see it as over-charging considering you're paying full price and only getting the data, while the person who goes to the store gets what obviously costed more money to produce(cd, book, box) pays the same amount... I think games on steam should be cheaper than their in-box brethren. :yepp:

Seriously, I'll never understand why people are so head-over-heels about valve.

Actually, when you buy a Steam game, you buy a license and you can install it as many times as you want on as many different PC's as you want, as long as you don't play online at the same time. That's why people like it. No cd's, no books, no nonsense.

I think you need to actually think about what you say before you say it.

[Frodin]

Exactly, valve hasn't brought anything new to gaming(as in gameplay) in...well.... They're also still milking a graphics engine that literally has needed to be replaced since it's first commercial release(HL2).

Have you played Portal? I think the gameplay is pretty inventive, overall I'd say it's a very good game. The graphics may not be the best of the best, but I think it's a much better game than Crysis for example, and the graphics are more than good enough. I don't think the Source Engine "need" to be replaced, I'd rather have 5 good games based on it than 15 mediocre fancy grahics orgies. But I wouldn't mind if they updated it a little faster either.
The Orange Box was very good value when I bought it just after release, and significantly cheaper through Steam than the retail version. I've bought 6-7 other games at bargain prices through Steam as well.

[FischOderAal]

Exactly, valve hasn't brought anything new to gaming(as in gameplay) in...well.... They're also still milking a graphics engine that literally has needed to be replaced since it's first commercial release(HL2). Steam is 'ok' at best, but I still see it as over-charging considering you're paying full price and only getting the data, while the person who goes to the store gets what obviously costed more money to produce(cd, book, box) pays the same amount... I think games on steam should be cheaper than their in-box brethren. :yepp:

Seriously, I'll never understand why people are so head-over-heels about valve.

Yes, Steam is far from being perfect, but it's the best we've got. I'd really like to see a "Steam-Marketplace" so that you can "sell" games. Valve could earn money with that, too, but on the other hand they'd loose money as more ppl might buy a "used" one instead of a new copy.

Plus, did you play Portal? That game's just effing amazing and entertaining. I had more fun playing Portal than EP2... The HL-Series is not really innovative, but I'd say above-average. In fact, show me a valve-game that is sub-standard. They sustain a quite high-level of quality and I appreciate that :)

TF2 has given me lots of hours of fun as well.

[Knight]

Google became self aware in the year 2008. Google has since been slowly building its forces against the human race.


Any planes of Valve releasing a new product? Something to look forward too? Google + Valve seems to be two companies at the opposite spectrum of rational market strategy.

[GAR]

With the way things are going, valve is going to end up someone bi*ch, lol

[DilTech]

Portal was ok, too short to really matter too terribly much to me. Honestly, I didn't think it was all that great, I do appreciate the fact that they tried something new, and that they tried to make you think, but length made it worthless. Beat it in a few hours with absolutely no problem what-so-ever. It pretty much felt like a puzzle version of Prey, with a gun to create the portals found in prey.

HL2 was garbage. A garbage on-rails shooter, really I had to force myself to finish it. HL2 EP1 & 2 were more of the same. TF2 didn't captivate me at all. CS:S never was very well balanced, as shown by how many servers had to completely ban different weapons and such.

Valve hasn't released a game longer than 4 hours since HL2. They're milking source for every single dime it's worth as well, same with HL2(come on now, episodes?). I'll actually be happy the day they're bought out, as long as the new owners take on a new business model and fire gabe, as he's still stuck in the 90's when it comes to game play, AI, and hit detection.

I'm sure someone by now will say I only care about graphics, in-which case I'll point out that I play Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection more than any other game out, and it's running on an engine spec'ed to PS2 hardware but runs at 1080p natively on the PS3.

[cegras]

That's your opinion. I found HL2 to be more fun than Crysis. As well as Bioshock, which is still better than crysis.

If you played EP2, you'll notice the orange box engine has received a substantial upgrade. The graphics are handled on a much grander scale than Crysis, where you're lost in performance killing leaves most of the time.

But we dither on subjective opinions.

Valve is doing good, other companies not so much. There's not much else to say on that.

I believe the Half Life series (1 and 2) are in terms of quality, story, and gameplay much, much better than any shooter released thus far.

[FischOderAal]

wow, seems like you have a complete different taste from many others including me (CS:S sucks though). I am a fan of the HL-series, although I have to admit that they are kind of short. But Crysis and now Crysis Warhead aren't that long either, just to name two examples. That appears to be a general trend in the industry. Valve definately knows how to sell stuff and the HL-series is a cash-cow. But don't you think the Orange-Box was a good bargain, even if you already owned HL2 and EP1? You would've paid more for EP2, Portal and TF2 if they had been released by EA for instance.

Tastes are different and I like TF2, it's stupid and chaotic but I'm ok with that :D

I believe the Half Life series (1 and 2) are in terms of quality, story, and gameplay much, much better than any shooter released thus far.

Not than any shooter. There are many good games out there, for instance I liked Bioshock very much because of its story. I think I couldn't make a ranking, they are all good in their own ways.
But it definately is one of the best egos I'm aware of.

[Jowy Atreides]

Seriously, I'll never understand why people are so head-over-heels about valve.

I woke up this morning, bought 3 newly released games on a whim for less than half the store price on each
(uk gets charged the dollar price for some reason XD)
and played them after I had my breakfast,
saved me traveling to town to buy the games I wanted ;)

I never have to switch out game cd's either and the community keeps me and my team close together :)

I'd take valves box less versions of games for a lower price anyday,
screw EA's disc check protection - I bought crysis from valve :yepp:

[Swatrecon_]

I woke up this morning, bought 3 newly released games on a whim for less than half the store price on each
(uk gets charged the dollar price for some reason XD)
and played them after I had my breakfast,
saved me traveling to town to buy the games I wanted ;)

I never have to switch out game cd's either and the community keeps me and my team close together :)

I'd take valves box less versions of games for a lower price anyday,
screw EA's disc check protection - I bought crysis from valve :yepp:

WORD.

Valve > power level 9000

[ghost101]

People saying it should be cheaper should remmeber that valve also have to keep a lot of content servers running which costs money.

[AndrewZorn]

The only problem with buying a 'used' Steam game would be that it is indistinguishable from new. A buy-back type program might be a good idea though, even if it was just giving you 1/5 value back for a game you NEVER play.

I still have a second copy of EP1.

[Xope_Poquar]

Google CEO probably played through Episode 2 and when he got to the kick in the balls called the end he was like WTF! He got pissed off that Episode 3 wasn't out and decided to buy the company so he can get it sooner. Come on guys, duh.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

CS:S never was very well balanced, as shown by how many servers had to completely ban different weapons and such.


your kidding right??? the only reason servers ban AWPs and Autos is because most people are too inept to use a flash bang grenade and an m4/AK.

[FischOderAal]

The only problem with buying a 'used' Steam game would be that it is indistinguishable from new. A buy-back type program might be a good idea though, even if it was just giving you 1/5 value back for a game you NEVER play.

I still have a second copy of EP1.

Exactly. That might be the reason why Valve hasn't introduced something like that up to now.