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First Person Shooters (Games) Entertainment Games

Half Life 2 Goes Gold 227

AhabTheArab writes "IGN is reporting that Half Life 2 has gone gold. After months of speculation and delays, it is finally true this time."
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Half Life 2 Goes Gold

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  • Cool! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Dancin_Santa ( 265275 ) <DancinSanta@gmail.com> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:09AM (#10543817) Journal
    I can't get enough of first person shooters! Why, there just are so many of them out there that I can't make up my mind which one to play. And it's not like they are at all similar to each other. The weapons in one are completely different from the weapons in the other ones. Also the enemies in one are completely different than the enemies in the others.

    I can't wait until next year when they update this with a booster pack that includes different weapons and enemies!
    • Jokes aside... (Score:3, Informative)

      by rsilvergun ( 571051 )
      the mark of a _good_ FPS is the weapons and level design working together to make the gameplay different and interesting. Take Unreal Tournament vs Quake III. I find the latter emphasizes accuracy while the former clever use of resources. Or compare the level layout of say, Duke Nukem 3D with the orginal Half-Life, where Duke has numerous alternate routes (but not much story) compared to the more linear, story driven Half-Life.

      Weapons can drastically change how you play. In Quake I, ammo was so limited
      • (anyone ever actually kill a shambler w/o cheating and/or wasting all your nail gun ammo?)

        Uh yeah, how about with the axe? On Nightmare skill? Without getting hit? I've done that many times.

  • by sparcnut ( 775902 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:09AM (#10543819)
    Hell reported to be experiencing record-breaking temperature lows. Predictions show that Hell will freeze over just about when Duke Nukem Forever goes gold.
  • by DrSkwid ( 118965 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:09AM (#10543821) Journal
    Valve Software's Half-Life 2 has been submitted to the BBFC for certification, we've learnt this afternoon, news which adds credence to recent rumours that Vivendi is shortly to announce that the hotly anticipated first-person shooter sequel has finally 'gone gold'.
    • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:01AM (#10544012)
      Its already been leaked in France. I'm playing it as I type now but it seems a bit buggy. the controls only let me to drop my weapon or retreat.

      Kalinga
    • What do you make of the gamespot [gamespot.com] report though? They seem certain it's done.

      Also IGN did mention a shipping date - probably November. If Valve is *anywhere near* done with this game, late November / early December is the latest it will ship. They do NOT want to miss Christmas.

      While games aren't the center of my universe, Half Life was fun and the early technology preview demos of HL2 were very cool. With all the negativity over Steam and Valve's excuses for pushing back the schedule, I'd almost for

    • Valve Software's Half-Life 2 has been submitted to the BBFC for certification, we've learnt this afternoon, news which adds credence to recent rumours that Vivendi is shortly to announce that the hotly anticipated first-person shooter sequel has finally 'gone gold'.

      You beat me to it. Sloppy reading.

      Also note that as far as VIVENDI is concerned, the game is finished. Well, that isn't necessarily a vote of confidence for a polished product. As far as we know, Vivendi told Valve, "enough, you're f'in don
    • Doesn't 'gone gold' mean that a game has reached it's final state of code (which I think the BBFC would require in order to classify the game correctly)?

      We should really save all of our hype (which seems to be happening) until the game has been RTM.

      • "gone gold" means that the developers have burned the final game to a CD to send to the pressing plant (from the days when blank CDs were gold coloured).

        Sending a game to the BBFC means that it has been sent for classification, the classifiers might refuse a certificate or issue a different certificate from the one hoped for by the author.

        If the BBFC issues an 18 certificate and the developer wants a 15 they will have to go back to coding which could potentially take a long time, depending on the changes
  • No (Score:5, Funny)

    by StevenHenderson ( 806391 ) <stevehendersonNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:10AM (#10543822)
    After months of speculation and delays, it is finally true this time.

    ...errr, or years.

    • Re:No (Score:5, Funny)

      by lewp ( 95638 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:44AM (#10544229) Journal
      Years are just a whole lot of months. I've been waiting for Duke Nukem Forever for weeks now.
    • More like year. Nobody even knew this game was in production until E3 2003 and they bullshitted w/ a fall 2003 release date. Now it's 2004.

      I dunno understand all the hubbub and bitchin' over this release date being pushed back. They only suggested it was gonna be released last year but it wasn't. Before last year this game wasn't even announced.
  • No It Hasn't (Score:5, Informative)

    by BRock97 ( 17460 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:12AM (#10543831) Homepage
    Read the article on IGN (actually, it is Voodoo Extreme), and you will see that Valve has submitted the game to BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) and PEGI (Pan European Games Information) for rating. While this would most likely require the game to be in final build status, there has been NO announcement from Valve or Vivendi as of yet.
    • Re:No It Hasn't (Score:3, Insightful)

      by r0j ( 715273 )
      Even the creator of this thread didn't RTFA, what is the world coming to?

      Dom.
  • by PIPBoy3000 ( 619296 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:13AM (#10543836)
    For those who haven't heard, Vampire: Bloodlines [vampirebloodlines.com] is a vampire game done by Troika. It also uses the Half-Life 2 engine and looks to be a very interesting game. Reports are that Vampire should ship soon after Half-Life 2.
    • I don't want to troll, but honestly, that game looks like shit. If this is supposed to show of the quality of the HL2 engine, well, I'm seriously disappointed.

      Look at the screenshots : the player models are rather low-poly. Not realistic at all (look at elbow junctions for instance... ) Not much more accurate than Quake3. The environment is very very very rectangular. Quake2 would approach this level ! The lightning is very ordinary, with polygon edges showing everywhere.

      If you compare this to Doom3, w
      • This game is indeed running on the Source engine, but it's not the graphics quality that Half-Life 2 is on. I wouldn't go as far as saying it looks like crap though, I personally am looking forward to playing it, but it's not on the same level as Half-Life 2. I suppose that Trokia decided to keep the models on the lower end so that more of the fan base can play it.
      • I tend to disagree. To decide for yourself, you can check out the movies at the Yahoo preview [yahoo.com]. Personally, I'm amazed at what they've done with Half-Life 2's facial expressions.
  • week (Score:2, Funny)

    by witte ( 681163 )
    hmmmm.. time to plan a week of sick leave in november.
  • Well... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by The-Bus ( 138060 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:20AM (#10543865)
    What if Half Life 2 became available to download in a week's time, before it hit stores? Would Valve still release it ahead of time? Better yet, would people download it from Steam or get it for free anyways?

    Furthermore, I just want to take this moment and talk directly to developers and publishers who have worked so hard to get their games out just before this holiday season: Sucks to be you. This year is filled with some immense competition from a lot of sequels, especially in the console arena... Doom 3, Half Life 2, San Andreas, GT4, Halo 2, and I believe the newest Biohazard is coming out, as well as Metal Gear Solid, right?

    That being said, I just bought HL2 "Bronze" (I couldn't see myself spending $90.00 just to get a hat and a soundtrack).
    • Oooo, but why not buy silver? I can't stand CS, personally, but Day of Defeat Source is teh wins, as the kids say these days.
    • Re:Well... (Score:3, Informative)

      by gabe ( 6734 )
      I've already downloaded the "preload" via Steam. I've paid the $60 for the Half-Life 2: Silver package via Steam (didn't want that extra swag either) , so, yeah - when Valve says it's done and it's on Steam, I'll unluck/download it and play it to my heart's content.

      My guess is they'll have to release it on Steam when it hits retail stores also to make Vivendi happy instead of litigious.
  • by octal666 ( 668007 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:20AM (#10543870)
    After all this time, I need at least a photo of something a bit on the golden side to believe ANYTHING about HL2
  • by minus_273 ( 174041 ) <`aaaaa' `at' `SPAM.yahoo.com'> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:22AM (#10543873) Journal
    i've had it downloaded on my HDD for days...havent really played it though ;-p
  • Except. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by raventh1 ( 581261 )
    Except for the litigation between Valve and VU, I'd believe you. With that going on, VU could hold the game and not even announce that it has gone gold. They can even hold the game until March if they wanted.

    When I see a Press Release, I'll finally believe.
    • Ah yes, but the longer VU sits on the game, the more pre-orders through Steam are rolling directly into Valve's pockets (via CS:Source) and bypassing VU.

      N.
  • There has been no confirmation from Vivendi or Valve yet.
  • by orangeguru ( 411012 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:27AM (#10543890) Homepage
    New algorithms and canonfodder for armchair killers. I wonder how many times we can save the universe before itself self destructs because of boredom ...
  • Deep Breath (Score:5, Insightful)

    by alnya ( 513364 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:29AM (#10543897)
    There should be some sort of law against posting headlines like that - my heart went quite aflutter.
    Sadly, it's not true, and until Valve AND Vivendi issue a press release saying "Gold, and you'll be able to play it on this date" none of these "nearly gold", "almost gold", "so almost gold I can taste it" announcements really mean anything.
    Mod headline -1.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:33AM (#10543912)

    Sometime in mid 2008, a computer actually capable of running the game will be announced...

    • Sometime in mid 2008, a computer actually capable of running the game will be announced...

      But with the final release of Longhorn means you either have the latest OS or Half-Life 2 - there are just not enough resources for both of them.
  • This story... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by sinner0423 ( 687266 ) <sinner0423@gm a i l.com> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:38AM (#10543928)
    ..is all speculation. This is yesterdays news, and hasn't involved an official PR by Valve or Vivendi. As much as I would like this to be true, there aren't any facts to substantiate it.

    Between playing CS:Source and reading the steampowered.com forums, I'd be amazed that it will be available for a November release.

    There are tons of bugs, exploits, and cheats going around any CS:Source (HL2 powered) servers. IMHO, it looks like they really rushed CS out the door, and it's pissed off a lot of steam subscribers. I should only hope with the official gold announcement comes a big patch to address the many issues they've already got.
  • Dupe? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Vicsun ( 812730 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:39AM (#10543930)
    I remember having read this story before... Damn those editors!
  • About time (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Lisandro ( 799651 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:48AM (#10543966)
    Now we'll see if the game lives up to the hype it has been subjected to. Doom 3 suffered much from this (don't look at me, i loved it).
  • by The Ultimate Fartkno ( 756456 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:54AM (#10543993)
    ...using Steam to get HL2 vs. buying it retail? If I recall correctly you can only get the package that includes the Source rework of HL1 via online purchase and I *really* want that, but I still don't like the idea of dropping $50 or so on a game and not getting anything physical to hang on to. I know it's old-fashioned, but I still like having a backup copy to hang on to just in case my drive dies or something.

    • by sinner0423 ( 687266 ) <sinner0423@gm a i l.com> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:08AM (#10544035)
      ...using Steam to get HL2 vs. buying it retail? If I recall correctly you can only get the package that includes the Source rework of HL1 via online purchase and I *really* want that, but I still don't like the idea of dropping $50 or so on a game and not getting anything physical to hang on to. I know it's old-fashioned, but I still like having a backup copy to hang on to just in case my drive dies or something.

      Amen to the "I want tangible stuff" comment. Check out this [steampowered.com] post for a solution. Basically, you'll have to archive all of the \steamapps folder with winrar, and back it up on DVD/CD. About 2 1/2 DVD's or a fsckload of CD's are your options.
      • Apparantly a 'fsckload' of CDs is 17 CDs. Hail again teh days of swapping disk after disk to run programs
      • doesn't it make pirating the singal player game trival? I think what everyone is worried about is that Valve will have some kind of verification system in place that like MS Product Activation. I can live with Microsoft doing that, because a) I don't have a choice and b) Microsoft isn't likely to be wiped out in a re-org before my copy of Windows XP is obsolete (in the literal sense, that is, I can no longer find hardware to run it).

        What Valve should do is store a unique product # based on a key somewhe
    • by edo-01 ( 241933 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:09AM (#10544039)
      If you lose your PC or your hard drive you can just login to Steam from your new PC and all the games you bought can be downloaded again. I've done it on the three machines I use all the time. You can also copy the Valve directory from machine to machine over the top of a fresh Steam install.

      So, backup your Valve directory to a DVD-R, and if you ever lose that you can download it again any time.

    • ...If you get the 'collectors edition'. That's also the only one they are releasing on DVD.

      I pre-ordered mine at EB yesterday. $79 for a game? Yeah, I'm their bitch... :)

      Here's the link:

      http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/243836.asp

    • I know it's old-fashioned, but I still like having a backup copy to hang on to just in case my drive dies or something.

      Not the answer you were looking for, but one none the less: If you have a DVD burner then you can burn the Steam directory to disc. I recently upgraded my computer and was able to move the folder without any problems - I did keep the path the same, but I am not sure if that is a requirement.
    • Worrying about your hard drive going out is pretty silly, considering that Steam lets you re-download a copy of your game to ANY computer onto which you've installed Steam and your credentials.

      In a way, it's the exact opposite...Steam IS the ultimate backup.

      -JT
  • Certified != Gold (Score:3, Informative)

    by KombuchaGuy ( 752406 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @09:59AM (#10544008)
    if you look on the BBFC page http://tinyurl.com/6t96x [tinyurl.com] you'll see that GTA:SA completed certification on 4th October, a week before going gold. Vampire: Bloodlines a week prior to that and that one hasnt even gone gold yet afaik. Factor in that the process takes a couple of weeks then you could still be looking at anything up to a month before it even goes gold.
  • by Wilkshake ( 788751 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:06AM (#10544027)
    The journalistic quality of these supposed news sites. All it is, is a bunch of news sites such as IGN [ign.com], Computer and Video Games [computeran...ogames.com] (Registration may be required) and Gamespot [gamespot.com] shifting about a whole bunch of rumours and maybees.

    Purhaps they should do what real journalists do and actually search out for the truth by contacting Valve or Vivendi Universal, rather than trying to connect the dots or use sources like "An Industry Insider". That way they don't sound like trashy womens magazines that get their sources from "Close Friends" and the like.

    -

  • by the_bard17 ( 626642 ) <theluckyone17@gmail.com> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @10:16AM (#10544074)
    I'm not too thrilled about it "going gold." So it's [B]finally[/B] going to be released. Booyah.

    What would really make my day is if they declared HL2 went gold [B]and[/B] they have a Linux client. Because until they get that second part down, the first is rather meaningless (for me at least).

    And don't tell me to get Windows if I want to game. I have my reasons :o).
  • by xigxag ( 167441 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @11:03AM (#10544322)
    PC Gamer's latest December 2004 issue has a very extensive review of the completed HL2 with loads of screenshots and spoilers. They call it "history in the making" and "arguably the best game ever made," finally giving it a 98% rating. For comparison's sake, the same issue also rates Call of Duty:UO at 93%, Evil Genius at 88% and The Sims 2 at 85%.
    • by cliffski ( 65094 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @11:30AM (#10544460) Homepage
      Which is total horseshit. You think PC Gamers 'exclusive' reviews actually use final code? dont be so naieve! the magazine will be allowed to play a beta copy under supervision from marketing people, and told that the numerous bugs and missing bits will be finished before it ships. In return for the 'exlcuive' they agree to give an unfinished game a 95% score, and both companies are happy. The poor schmucks reading PC Gamer usually dont realise whats going on.
      magazine reviews are total bullshit. if you want to know what a game is like, the ONLY way to know is to play the demo. If there isnt a demo, set suspicion=suspicion_max
  • by JWJolly ( 764101 ) <jwjb62@umr3.1415926.edu minus pi> on Saturday October 16, 2004 @11:06AM (#10544341) Homepage Journal
    Professor: James, what's happened? It seems like your studies have become disorganized - and your test scores have taken a turn for the worse. Is there anything I need to know?

    Me: I'm having.. trouble sleeping, Professor. It .. it's hardest to watch for .. these.. these headcrabs.. especially at night.

    Professor: *leans closer* I know; scary little bastards.
  • by alt-j ( 777543 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @11:32AM (#10544469)
    Some "jerk" in the production line has swiped a copy of the French version...

    The only weapon in the French version allows you to shout obscenities at each other until you pass out.
  • Yesterday, it had told me I had "100%" of the preload (Silver Pack), and now that dropped to 80% and its downloading again.

    Perhaps this is a seed of the final changes. I wonder if Steam can do incremental patching of the other preloaded content. Seems likely now.
    • i don't think Steam can

      the first big preloads for HL2 were the artwork and sounds, which Valve stated were set and wouldn't change. the most recent preload phase downloaded the maps of HL2, as those were likely worked on most recently. now, the executables are being worked on.

      as the files are mostly huge .gcf files(encrypted compressed format), i doubt small changes could be made.
  • So does it have... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ChrisK077 ( 667911 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @12:46PM (#10544878)
    So does the retail version also have the MS-like product activation "feature"? Well, Microsoft has forced that down my throat once with XP, but since I'm interested but not an avid ego shooter fan, this could definitely be a reason for deciding against purchasing it, regardless of how much praise the game gets...
  • Uh...gold? (Score:3, Informative)

    by ZeeCog ( 641179 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @01:09PM (#10544991)
    First of all, this is 2 or 3 day old news. Second of all it does not indicate that Half-Life 2 is gold. Third of all, where is the official announcement?
  • Gold? (Score:2, Informative)

    by ZeeCog ( 641179 )
    First of all, this is not bleeding edge news. This was known a couple days ago: http://www.halflife2.net. Second of all, even this news does not constitute gold status. Until Valve officially announces that the game has gone gold (which I will admit will probably happen on Monday) I don't want to hear any more rumours or speculation.
  • by Whammy666 ( 589169 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @02:32PM (#10545497) Homepage
    This is not a gold announcement. It just says that Valve has applied for a game rating. Plus you need to keep something in mind. Even if Valve does make a gold announcement, it doesn't mean that HL2 is going to ship anytime soon. If you remember, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero went gold and then it took another 6 months before it finally hit the store shelves. And don't forget that little legal dispute between Valve and Vivendi which could keep HL2 off the shelves.

    The deal is that Valve has no real control over when the game ships. So a gold announcement from Valve is largely meaningless in terms of when it's going to ship. Wait for an *official* announcement from Vivendi (not Valve) because they are the ones who have the final say as to when it going to ship.

    Ideally, if everything goes well, HL2 might be on the shelves in late November because it takes about 6 weeks from going gold to reach the stores. Also, buying thru steam won't let you get it any faster. Valve cannot release HL2 thru Steam until it appears on retail store shelves.

  • by trauma ( 62841 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @02:44PM (#10545573)
    Morons being the story submitter and editors who published it in its current form.

    I fail to see any indication anywhere, even in the text of the linked story itself, that this is any different from any of the other hundred rumors. It is entirely conjecture and extrapolation of information coming entirely from third-party sources, nobody official will confirm anything, yet suddenly "it's finally true"? This has only slightly more credibility than the dates on pre-order diplays in Game Stop from 6 months ago. But by all means, phrase the headline and synopsis in the most sensational way possible with no regard for the facts whatsoever.

    Bye bye karma.
  • by teknikk ( 822707 ) on Saturday October 16, 2004 @03:13PM (#10545728)
    Spotted this on a certain messageboard, either an actual leaked press release (in which case it's a kick in the nuts), or it might be a fake.

    quote:
    ---
    HALF-LIFE 2(TM) HAS GONE GOLD

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 16, 2004) - Vivendi Universal Games announced today that Half-Life 2, the highly anticipated next installment in the best-selling and beloved franchise, has gone gold and will be released December 6th in North America, and December 20th in Europe.

    "Half-Life 2 offers an unprecedented gameplay experience," said Michael Rouling, EVP, Vivendi Universal Games. "It features the most advanced AI ever seen in a game, combined with state of the art graphics and sound.".

    Developed by Valve, Half-Life 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the best selling Half-Life title, named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.

    The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.

    Half-Life 2 carries a suggested retail prices of $54.95 and has been rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB with descriptors for blood and intense violence. For additional information please go to www.half-life2.com.

    About Valve
    Founded in 1996, Valve creates entertainment software titles, including Half-Life®, Counter-StrikeTM, and Team Fortress®. Valve's portfolio accounts for over 12 million retail units sold worldwide, and over 88% of the online action market. More information about Valve is available through the company's Web site at www.valvesoftware.com.

    About Vivendi Universal Games
    Headquartered in Los Angeles, VU Games is a leading global developer, publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. Its development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Entertainment, Fox Interactive and Massive Entertainment. VU Games' library of over 700 titles features multi-million unit selling properties such as Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo from Blizzard Entertainment; Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Empire Earth, Ground Control, Tribes and Leisure Suit Larry.
    ---
    • $55, no thanks. I am going to wait for this game to come out with 10 patches first.

      If memory serves me correct, last time I bought Doom III for $55, it sat on my shelf collecting dust because my overpriced ATI Radeon 9800 pro somehow wasn't good enough. After the Catalyst drivers finally worked out, the game was already down to $39 in some places.

  • The plan: to bust the sucker (piñata) open when the game achieved goldIn other news, Bellevue, WA police arrived at VU games this morning to discover a bizarre scene after responding to a call of attempted homicide. On site, officers discovered two additional piñatas cowering in the corner of the room babbling "My god, what are you doing?!" "Stop attacking! He's a friend!" and "Are you insane?". Suspect, and company director, Gabe Newell, was taken to Bellevue-Sinai hospital still clutching what a
  • Gold? (Score:2, Funny)

    I'll believe it's gold when someone here posts a torrent / emule link.

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