Tag Archive

Valve Releases Steam Client for Linux

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

It is no secret that Valve has been working on a version its Steam client for Linux for sometime. This afternoon the closed beta for the new version of the client became available to the entire world. If you are a fan of open source software or free operating systems then you now have a new option for your gaming enjoyment. Just don’t expect the strong library that Windows and Mac users enjoy currently.

As of this writing there are 39 games available including Team Fortress 2, Killing Floor, The Book of Unfinished Tales and Aminesia The Dark Descent.Read More

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Dota 2 On Your ipad? It Could Happen Says Valve Boss

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Dota 2, Valve’s upcoming free to play MOBA game has been in closed beta for a while. According to Kotaku we could be enjoying the game on the next generation of tablets if a quote from Gabe Newell is spot on.

Valve tried to get the game running on some current tablets but they weren’t up to the job. Mr.Newell speculates that tablets of the not so distant future will have the horsepower to make Dota 2 run smoothly in the palms of your hands.

“We were working on getting Dota 2 running on some tablets .. That ended up being kind of a disappointment. But the good news is that tablets are getting faster very quickly, so I think we’ll get the kind of performance we want and other game developers want in the near future.”

I wonder what kind of hardware they are testing it on. Perhaps they are using the ipad 4, that is certainly one of the more powerful tablets out there. Then again there is always the quadcore Asus Transformer as well if they are playing with android. We’ll just have to wait and see if this project comes to fruition. Valve is known for playing with various ideas, even if they never pan into commercial products.

Source:Kotaku

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Half Life 2 Voted “Game of the Decade”

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Valve’s Half Life 2 has been impressing us for the past eight years. It is hard to believe that such a ground breaking, and arguably still impressive, game was released almost a decade ago. Well, Spike TV and Entertainment Weekly voted Valve’s Magnum Opus the best game of the decade.

Do you agree with their choice for game of the decade? I bought Half Life 2 on launch day and It’s amazing to think I am still using the same Steam account to this day. Gordon Freeman’s last non episodic adventure helped bring gravity based weaponry and rag doll physics to the genre. Even eight years on we are feeling its impact.

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Steam’s Halloween Sale Begin Today

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Les Major

You know the cute cartoon mascots, all those fun percentage numbers, and the fact that your wallet is about to take a huge hit. That’s right, it’s Steam sale time again! It seems the featured games section in the sale are highlighted titles and below that is a list of all Halloween sale games through October 31st.

Just throwing some titles out there, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is on sale for just $2.49 so if you want some H. P. Lovecraft horror to your Halloween, there’s a starting point. At least one I havn’t played yet anyway. Meanwhile in content I can vouche for, Dead Space 1 and 2 are on sale. If you havn’t played them yet, do yourself a favour. Especially the original is a fantastic title! Alan Wake is also on sale which is another horror survival title I’m happy to have in my collection.

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Black Mesa Source Beta Released

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

There are certain gaming projects that we just all assume will never see the light of day – Duke Nukem Forever, Black Mesa: Source, Half Life 3 but now we can cross of two of those three. The team behind Black Mesa: Source have released a preview build of the game that includes all content up to the Lambda Core.

Black Mesa: Source was a self funded recreation of Valve’s 1998 classic using the Source Engine, the same engine that Powers Half Life 2 and Counter Strike: Source. After running into some legal trouble the group has finally released their modification, with Valves blessings.

This beta version of Black Mesa includes around 8 hours of gameplay and can be downloaded here. Be warned the file is rather massive, a staggering 3GBS, and requires the Steam Software Developers Kit.

Look for our impressions soon!

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Steam: Big Picture Goes Public Beta

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Jason Bassett

You know that thing that Valve has been tinkering with? They call it Big Picture and it has just went into Beta. What is Big Picture?  Big Picture is just a small step in a big trend as Valve comes into the console race. Think of Big Picture as the software or Operating System to the hardware. While Valve has finally confirmed that they are indeed in the hardware race, Big Picture will let your TV get a lot more than just playing your Xbox.

As an example, let’s say you have a small multimedia PC that you use for games on Steam. Now, let’s say you take that PC and plug it into your TV via HDMI. Launch Steam and then launch Big Picture and you will then have the console experience right within Steam and right in a PC ready controller.

Want more information on Steam’s Big Picture? Head over to http://store.steampowered.com/bigpicture/

Alternatively, you can watch the video below!

[youtube id=”EFrL6-OhN94″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

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Black Mesa, a Fan Recreation of Half Life, Releases Sept 13

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Black Mesa, a source engine powered remake of the original Half Life has remained one of the most elusive fan run projects in recent memory. On their official website the team replaced their regular blog roll with a countdown clock, leading to the release of the game’s first public beta on September 13th!

The team behind this mod of epic proportions aims to recreate Valve’s 1998 classic using updated high definition graphics as well as fine tuning everything using the company’s latest engine. After running into some legal trouble regarding the use of some of Half Life’s original assets everything seems to be on track.

We will be waiting in line to download this sucker on Thursday September 13th. Get your crowbars ready gamers! Head on over after the jump for their full announcement.Read More

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Watch Other People Play DOTA 2 Today

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Seung Lee

Anyone who uses Steam can now download and install a free app for DOTA 2 that allows for spectating other players. How does it work, you may ask? Well, you can watch a match from a player’s perspective, or from a directed view.You can check out any recent or live matches, along with all of the future matches at The International tournament. Is this app mandatory in order to continue playing DOTA 2? Nope, but it’ll be added into the game when it officially releases.

I’m personally not a big fan of DOTA, but I know there’s a lot of people out there who do. If you’re wondering how you can improve your skills, then you may wanna check out a match or two from some pros.

DOTA 2 is set to release sometime this year on Steam, with a free-to-play business model. Check out the game’s official website here.

 

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Steam Weekend Sale – Alan Wake Franchise & Sniper Elite V2

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Les Major

If you’re not suffering from overspending during the Steam Summer Sale this year, Valve has another weekly batch of weekend saving. Alan Wake, Alan Wake American Nightmare, and Sniper Elite V2 are on sale until the new daily sale goes up on Monday.

As of 1pm EST, Supreme Commander was added as Saturdays daily sale as well, going for only $3.74 USD at 75% off. For more details on the weekend sales games and pricing, read more.

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Mann VS Machine Update Launches On TF2

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Les Major

Released on August 15th, Team Fortress 2 now has a co-op mode allowing players to take on waves of robots! With at least one new map and new achievements, the added mode features robots based on the games classes. At the end of each wave you’ll be able to upgrade your character’s abilities and weapons.

Team Fortress 2 is Valves hit classic that is now even free to play on Steam! Released in 2007 it still holds true to being a fan favourite. I’ve seen lots of cosplayers giving the different classes a go, lets see how many of the robotic versions make the convention scene now!

[youtube id=”C4cfo0f88Ug” width=”600″ height=”350″]

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Left 4 Dead 2 Patched and Cold Stream Release Date Set

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

While PC gamers have been able to play Left 4 Dead 2’s Cold Stream DLC content for a year now, a release date has finally been set for the Xbox 360. Cold Stream, which includes the new Cold Stream campaign as well as the entire original Left 4 Dead campaigns that haven’t already been released as DLC, will be available for the 360 on July 24th.

Meanwhile, the PC version of the DLC has just received a substantial patch that makes all of the games mutations (like my beloved Taaannnk!! mutation) accessible from the main menu. Additionally, there are a number of fixes to the Cold Stream and original Left 4 Dead campaigns. Furthermore, the PC version is 75% off ($4.99) through Thursday at 4 P.M. Pacific Standard time. You can read the full list of changes below.Read More

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At Long Last, Meet Team Fortress 2’s Pyro

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Kirk Williford

After Team Fortress 2 was released back in 2007, Valve has steadily released “Meet The” videos for all of the games classes. There was a huge gap since the last video was released, leaving fans wondering when we’d finally get to “Meet the Pyro”. Today, that wait came to an end, as Valve finally released the video — and it’s quite possibly the best one yet. In addition to the video, you’re able to purchase an inflatable Balloonicorn, the Mayor of Valve’s “Pyroland,” for $29.99 on ThinkGeek.

Oh, and no, we still don’t know if the Pyro is male, female, or human at all. I, for one, hope we never find out. Check out the video!

[youtube id=”GZ4-obTw0VY” width=”600″ height=”350″]

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Valve Offering DOTA 2 Beta Access for $39.99

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Rae Michelle Richards

Valve has launched an early access program for their upcoming free to play MOBA game DOTA 2. For the small sum *clears throat* .. of $39.99 USD you too can gain early access to the game as well as a collection of in game items.

“The opening of the Dota Store is a big part of our final push to launch,” Valve said in their press release sent out to promote the launch of the online store.

I am not exactly sure how well this will be received by the community. At the time of writing no details where available surrounding what items were included with the early access pass and whether or not they will carry over to the final game, although this is presumably the case. When we tried to access the DOTA 2 store we were presented with an error. Why not try for yourself?

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PAYDAY: The Heist and Left 4 Dead Collaboration Announced

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Daniel Shannon

Overkill Software’s PAYDAY: The Heist has long been compared to Valve’s Left 4 Dead. PAYDAY is basically L4D where the protagonists are a bunch of criminals rather than survivors, and the zombies have been replaced by policemen. The distinctions between the two may blend even further after the announcement of a “co-operative” initiative between PAYDAY and Left 4 Dead. Read on for the official announcement from Ulf Andersson, Overkill’s Game Director.

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