September 29, 2004 - Valve's Gabe Newell has announced the various ways the hugely anticipated Half-Life 2 will be packaged. As our readers will already know, the game will be available for purchase either through standard retail or through Valve's online distribution service, Steam.

The Steam packages can be purchased starting next week. A few nifty tidbits: users who order any of the packages from Steam will receive a full version of Counter-Strike: Source right away. Also, it looks like Day of Defeat: Source is tucked into a few packages, too. It looks like a dream for many is going to be a reality.

Whether you go Steam or bricks 'n' mortar, you'll have to make some choices as to just how much Valve goodness you'd like. I mean, there is a Half-Life 2 hat included in one of these.

Here's the official breakdown:

Retail Boxes

  • Standard Edition: Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: Source. Ships on six CDs, in one of three boxes (Gordon, Alyx or the G-Man).
  • Collector's Edition: Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source, a Half-Life 2 T-shirt and a Prima book sampler. Ships on a single DVD.

Steam Packages

  • Bronze: Half-Life 2* and Counter-Strike: Source.
  • Silver: Half-Life 2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam.
  • Gold: Half-Life 2*, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life: Source*, Day of Defeat: Source*, Valve's back catalog currently available on Steam, Complete Strategy Guide from Prima Games, three different Half-Life 2 posters, Half-Life 2 hat, Half-Life 2 postcard, Half-Life 2 stickers, Half-Life 2 Soundtrack CD, and a chance to win a trip to Valve (one trip offered for every 5000 Gold packages purchased).

    *Available upon product's release.

Though the wait has been long, it looks like once Half-Life 2 does hit, it's going to be in style. Assuming legal conflicts do not too much tangle up proceedings, we should see Half-Life 2 very soon indeed.

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