Well, ladies and JENTELMEN, the day I've been predicting has finally arrived. As we speak, my computer is furiously sucking data from the Steam servers that according to Valve will do the following:
If I understand this right, it means that Half-Life 2 and Episode One have been ported to the Orange Box engine, if not Source 2009, and we're getting all the benefits that come with it. For one thing, people who only own Half-Life 2 will be able to play Black Mesa when it finally comes out, because it's an Orange Box mod. I can finally get all those achievements that my Xbox-owning cousin has had for months now. And of course, Mac owners will now have access to the series. AND they're on sale for a third of their previous price (30% off a permanent price drop), in case anyone still doesn't have them.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Remember when Steam/Source for Mac was first announced, and Valve released six teaser images parodying Apple's own ads? One of them was a parody of Apple's infamous "1984" Super Bowl ad, featuring Alyx and Dr. Breen. Well, this has now been turned into a full shot-for-shot recreation of that ad called "Free Yourself." The official version can be seen in HD on the Steam store.
Updates to Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:
Half-Life 2
- Added support for Mac
- Added Steam Cloud support for save games
- Added new achievements
- Improved graphical effects
Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Added support for Mac
- Added Steam Cloud support for save games
- Added new achievements
- Improved graphical effects
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Added support for Mac
- Added Steam Cloud support for save games
Note: Save games for Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One will go through a transition. The current level you are on will be saved, but not the exact position in the level.
If I understand this right, it means that Half-Life 2 and Episode One have been ported to the Orange Box engine, if not Source 2009, and we're getting all the benefits that come with it. For one thing, people who only own Half-Life 2 will be able to play Black Mesa when it finally comes out, because it's an Orange Box mod. I can finally get all those achievements that my Xbox-owning cousin has had for months now. And of course, Mac owners will now have access to the series. AND they're on sale for a third of their previous price (30% off a permanent price drop), in case anyone still doesn't have them.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Remember when Steam/Source for Mac was first announced, and Valve released six teaser images parodying Apple's own ads? One of them was a parody of Apple's infamous "1984" Super Bowl ad, featuring Alyx and Dr. Breen. Well, this has now been turned into a full shot-for-shot recreation of that ad called "Free Yourself." The official version can be seen in HD on the Steam store.