Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, Team Fortress 2 shipping October 9th

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jun 15th 2007 at 8:15AM }

Politely telling naysayers who expected the games to miss their 2007 launch to eat crowbar, Valve has confirmed to Chris Remo of Shacknews that its upcoming Source trio will ship for all intended platforms on October 9th. The suite is comprised of warped puzzler Portal, stylized multiplayer shooter Team Fortress 2, and continued scientist savior sim Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The collection will be sold through Valve's online Steam service as well as in a retail package.

The EA-distributed Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, which also contains Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One, will be available on PS3 and Xbox 360 for $59.99, with the PC version priced at $49.99. There once existed a Black Box (containing the three new titles only) for those PC gamers unwilling to take the digital distribution route, but it was promptly buried in the hope of fostering a strange sort of philanthropy amongst gamers. Still, in featuring five games -- two of them proven classics -- there's little question that the Orange Box offers great value, especially if you're a newcomer to Valve's first-person shooters.

[Thanks, Gogandantis]

Tags: FPS, Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Half-life2, Halflife, Halflife 2, Halflife2, Portal, Team Fortress, Team Fortress 2, TeamFortress, TeamFortress2, Valve

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Jermaine Pulliam @ Jun 15th 2007 8:38AM

Hold on, so the version for the 360 doesn't include Episode Two, Portal, or Team Fortress 2?? If that's correct I'm not buying it.

Arsenic13 @ Jun 15th 2007 8:38AM

Bring Half-life1 to home consoles!
http://www.petitiononline.com/Valvepet/petition.html

FrankTheCrank @ Jun 15th 2007 8:39AM

This game kicks ass.

I've never played a game as good as Half Life 2(PC). It's just that good. From the graphics, sounds, characters, control and physics. What a great game.

I'm just afraid it may be that time again, UPGRADE TIME. The old overclocked 3.2GHZ just isn't going to cut it anymore...8800 with dual cores for me please.

Jermaine Pulliam @ Jun 15th 2007 8:43AM

Nevermind, I read the linked post.

Joe @ Jun 15th 2007 9:14AM

Scientist saviour sim? I like it.

Otis Whitaker @ Jun 15th 2007 8:54AM

I've never been able to understand why people liked HL2 so much.
The story was lackluster and practically non existence, whilst defenders like to say "IT DOESN'T HOLD YOUR HAND DERRRRRRRRRRR IMMERSION!" or what have you, I just think it was sloppy.
There was pretty much no real variety in enemies, except for some minor excursions. I thought the enemy AI was terrible, and I thought the weapons were pretty dull. I felt absolutely no attachment to any of the characters, and I felt like anything I did in the game carried absolutely no meaning at all, aside from a means to the end of the game, with no real purpose or goals laid out. All in the favor of "immersion" (Read: Lazy storytelling that hides itself under the false pretense of being smart and artsy). I think the only great thing to come out of Half-Life 2 was Gary's Mod. That's the only thing that any real use of the physics of the game. The actual game pretty much just used physics as a means to do things you could do before from other methods, and was rarely even absolutely needed. It AMAZES ME that the game took as long as it did, but that's a western PC developer for you. Slow and over appreciated.

Otis Whitaker @ Jun 15th 2007 8:55AM

Arsenic13, Half-Life 1 came out for the PS2, and it was a pretty decent port too.

copa @ Jun 15th 2007 9:21AM

I think there are a lot of console gamers that have never played Team Fortress before. They are going to be absolutely blown away when they discover there is a shooter that is as accessible as Halo, but richer and more entertaining.

jay @ Jun 15th 2007 9:21AM

Otis got pwned in HL2 deathmath.

sambo @ Jun 15th 2007 9:18AM

i think otis is smoking crack.

Blazur @ Jun 15th 2007 9:22AM

What a helluva deal, I'm all over this one.

Curious, but how was Episode 1? I've not yet had the pleasure of playing this game.

Blazur @ Jun 15th 2007 9:31AM

What a helluva deal, I'm all over this one.

Curious, but how was Episode 1? I've not yet had the pleasure of playing this game.

Otis Whitaker @ Jun 15th 2007 9:31AM

Don't get me wrong! I don't hate HL2. I liked it.
It's just not one of the best games ever, or some sort of pinnacle of the art of gaming, as so many people like to make it out to be. It's just an above average FPS.. and I just seem to be unable to grasp why SO many people love it on that level.

Geo @ Jun 15th 2007 9:49AM

I bought Half Life 2 three weeks ago and i know im kind of late but i did not have internet service when the game came out anyway this game is awesome the atmosphere and physics are amazing and the scary sometimes, once i done with it i`ll get Episode 1...

jay @ Jun 15th 2007 9:45AM

Episode 1 was scraping it IMO. It's much too short and I regret the £15 I spent on it as it could have bought me some VC goodness or Garys Mod. Nevermind. It's definitely fun and good and all that But compared to the full HL2 (or even what we've seen of Ep2) it's like a minigame.

jay @ Jun 15th 2007 9:47AM

Viridium @ Jun 15th 2007 9:48AM

How will they work the 360 achievements? Will the 1000 points be spread across ALL the games?

kbunch @ Jun 15th 2007 10:11AM

HMMM tuff decision, get it for 360 or for the PC? Did I read that wrong as well, you don't get TF or Portal with the 360 version?

Phaty000 @ Jun 15th 2007 9:57AM

I'll probably pick it up sometime afterwards.

My priorities are games I haven't played.

ZippyDSMlee @ Jun 15th 2007 10:11AM

Meh Fear is better than HL2...hell HL1 is better than HL2...my main problems with HL2 is lack level design and caped nerfy feelign weapons.

Geo @ Jun 15th 2007 10:04AM

Half Life 2 recieved more than 35 gaming awards that tell you a lot...........

fleisch @ Jun 15th 2007 10:11AM

Yeah kbunch you read it wrong, the 360/PS3 bundle comes with all 5 titles, you can stop panicking! Im not sure what to do though, buy it on the 360 or the PC!!! or...both! Anyone got any idea when its available for pre-order on steam?

Viridium @ Jun 15th 2007 10:18AM

kbunch (and others):
What part of "ALSO CONTAINS" did you not understand? This not rocket surgery, people. It's Grade 3 reading comprehension.

Try a little quiz:
If Valve announced they are shipping games A, B, and C, and then it is reported that a bundle for the PC and Xbox 360 will ALSO contain games D and E, then what games are the PC and Xbox 360 getting in the bundle?

Here's a hint: F*CKING EVERYTHING!!

Breserk @ Jun 15th 2007 10:14AM

Look guys, it's not that hard:

FOR THE 360/PS3 AND RETAIL PC YOU GET:
HALF-LIFE 2, HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE, HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO, TEAM FORTRESS 2 AND PORTAL. THAT'S $60 FOR CONSOLE, $50 FOR PC.

THE STEAM PACKAGES DETAILS ARE UNKNOWN. EXPECTED ARE THIS PACKAGE AND ANOTHER CONTAINING ONLY EPISODE 2, TEAM FORTRESS 2 AND PORTAL.

Breserk @ Jun 15th 2007 10:20AM

Breserk @ Jun 15th 2007 10:16AM

Viridium @ Jun 15th 2007 10:22AM

Daxter1985 @ Jun 15th 2007 10:23AM

'm guessing the achievemnt system is gonna work like this

2000 total game points across all 5 games

1000 for Half-Life 2

250 for Episode 1

250 for Episode 2

250 for Portal

and 250 for Team fortess 2

or

1000 for Half-life 2

and 250 spread across the other games

Phillip @ Jun 15th 2007 10:27AM

I think Viridium just went Breserk.

jduke @ Jun 15th 2007 10:27AM

hmm, october 9? two weeks after halo. sucks this game is gonna get completely passed over on the 360.

Daxter1985 @ Jun 15th 2007 10:25AM

I find it more likely though that it's gonna be 1000 spread across all 5 games and when episode 3 comes out there gonna have that with 250

Jake @ Jun 15th 2007 10:26AM

kbunch, read the article. You get everything with every version on every system. They are all the same. They all have the same name and same everything. It was just a poorly written sentence.

I just hope they get the controls right. I played some of HL on my buddy's PC and enjoyed it. Now I'll have a full version available to me to play through. Just please get the controls right.

Hopefully they give it a slight graphics upgrade. The game looked nice when I played it, but I think current PC's, the 360, and PS3 are all capable of a bit more today.

It is a pretty sweet deal though. Never played Team Fortress and hear it is good (though it doesn't look like my kind of game) and Portal looks enjoyable. Those are both basically bonuses to what is already a full game.

Kaikara @ Jun 15th 2007 10:37AM

It's a pity the Orange box on 360 doesn't include CS: Source and DoD: Source otherwise it would be a surefire purhcase for me. I'll just dl Ep2 of steam I reckon....

EvoAnubis @ Jun 15th 2007 10:47AM

Hey, how'd they know that's my birthday? What a lovely present.

Geo @ Jun 15th 2007 11:41AM

* XBOX 360 and PS3= Half Life 2,Episode 1,Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. ($60.00)

* PC= Episode 2,Portal and Team Fortress 2. ($50.00)

GET IT...?

t_m @ Jun 15th 2007 11:43AM

Just played HL2 and it was great, and steam is a cool platform.. but seriously, this ISN'T how you do "episodic content".

Imagine if NBC collected up all it's new shows, and then simply broadcast them all as a big batch once a year.. they should be releasing these individually, at regular intervals..

And they need to set up a few different game teams, each working on a different franchise. THen alternate the releases. (with yet another team working on the engine.. and seperating the engine from the game design. )

That way you'd get an ep of HL in January, an ep of portal in feb, an ep of new-franchise-A in March, A map/character pack for team fortress in April, an ep of new-franchise-B in may, and then another ep of HL in June.. and repeat..

Ben @ Jun 15th 2007 12:05PM

Damn... Halo, Half-Life 2, and then GTA IV all coming out within three weeks of each other.

Einhanderkiller @ Jun 15th 2007 12:06PM

@Otis
http://members.shaw.ca/halflifestory/index.htm

Otis Whitaker @ Jun 15th 2007 12:43PM

"Otis
http://members.shaw.ca/halflifestory/index.htm"

What does that prove? a whole bunch of nothing. In the actual game, little goes on.
Almost all of the story you can gather from that is stuff that's from books, assumed info, and stuff from various sources that aren't the game.

DWells55 @ Jun 15th 2007 12:45PM

Team Fortress looks cool, but I think they're going to have a very difficult time competing with Halo 3. I know I'll be too busy with Halo 3 for at least the first few months.

Iced_Eagle @ Jun 15th 2007 1:18PM

Awesome! :D

Can't wait to play them. The question is, if some of them get done a bit earlier, will they release it on Steam early? Or will they wait for all three to finish and then release all simultaneously on Oct. 9th.

Oh, and having three major games get released on the same day is going to be killer for Steam's network haha.

Geo @ Jun 15th 2007 1:40PM

@ 38
Einhanderkiller

!Hey nice site, there is good information about Half Life story, THANKS.........

Arturo @ Jun 15th 2007 2:28PM

I can't waitttttt omggggg!

Einhanderkiller @ Jun 15th 2007 3:05PM

Listen to what the players have to say and read what the newspapers and signs say, and I think you'll find a fair amount of story in both Half-Life and Half-Life 2. The Half-Life series doesn't tell the story the same way most other games do. The story is presented in small chunks over the entirety of the game, whereas many other games will give you the story whenever you hit a cutscene. Because of this passive way of storytelling, the players who rush through the game will miss out on a lot, while players who play the game at a slower pace, listening to all the audio and reading all the text, will get details that they can use to piece together the story. It's not like an RPG where you're given loads of text that explain the backstory behind everything. You play as and are Gordon Freeman, and as such, you will only know what Gordon knows.

I recommend you re-play the game and play it at a slower pace--maybe you'll appreciate it more. I know I did.