Half Life 2 Episode 2: Black Box Canned

PC gamers penalised

Posted by Staff
The cheaper, no-frills Black Box bundle of Half Life 2: Episode 2 has been cancelled.

Speaking about the bundle, the director of marketing for Valve (which is developing the game), Doug Lombardi, said:

"The Black Box has been cancelled. We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99, £25) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99, £30). In addition to the three new products -- Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life: Episode Two -- The Orange Box will also contain the full version of Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One.”


As console owners were never going to get the Black Box anyway, thanks to Half Life 2 and Episode 1 never having been available on console, it's no great loss to them. PC owners, however, are being forced to pay an extra $10 (£5) for a product they may already own. Valve has made a concession of sorts to possible complaints on this front. Lombardi said:

“Those who purchase the PC version of The Orange Box will get three separate Steam product codes: One for the three new games, one for HL2, and one for Episode One. This way a PC Orange Box owner can give away their Half-Life 2 or Episode One unused Steam product codes if they don't need a copy of those games."


Granted, a fiver isn't going to break the bank, but what about those of us who don't have any mates to give Half-Life 2 and Episode One to?

Episode 2 is expected to ship this Autumn, and Valve has encouragingly said recently that the game's nearly finished.. For more on Episode 2 head over to SPOnG's dedicated game page.

†Source: IGN

Comments

Plasmoid 21 May 2007 12:57
1/4
Unless valve are going to change things your still going to be able to buy TF2, portal and Ep2 seperately... like with EP1 and DOD:S .... wont you?
billson 21 May 2007 13:57
2/4
I already own half life 1,2 and episode 1 and owning 2 copies of the same game is just idiotic, anyone i know that is interested in the slightest in HL has already bought all the games, so i cant give the "spare" games to them, how much more money could it have really cost to put ep.2, portal and team fortress 2 into a single box? they somehow managed this gargantuan feat with episode 1 and all the other half lifes for the that matter, what if next bungie decide to scrap all the other versions of halo 3 except the incredibly overpriced spartan helmet version?
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realvictory 21 May 2007 15:24
3/4
Sell the spare codes on ebay.
config 23 May 2007 10:34
4/4
This is so bloody annoying.

I've already got HL2 and Ep1. All I want is Ep2 and Portal.

Valve's arrogance really is starting to get on my tits.
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