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You guys have given us a lot of great gaming. It's time we gave some back in return. The two gaming companies that are closest to my heart have both felt less like companies solely about business and more like a collection of people that are in it primarily for the love of the game. One of those groups is Paizo. The other is Valve. I want to share some of that love from one with the other.
I just need to check:
Are there any Paizo staff or contributors with a computer or a PS3 that currently lack a copy of Portal?
If so, I can get three of you either the Portal Pack OR The Orange Box through Steam. All one needs is a Steam account and a PC, Mac, or a PS3.
Portal is one of those unique games that everyone should get a shot at playing, as long as they don't get first-person motion sickness. It's smart, slick, creepy, funny, and easy to get into. If you love adventure games or puzzle games, you'll find something to love here.
The Portal Pack contains both Portal and Portal 2. Portal 2 is everything from Portal and more. Even more tense(and hilarious) than the original, it actually completes the Portal experience in a very satisfying way.
The Orange Box contains Portal, Half-Life 2(and the continuing Episodes 1 & 2), and Team Fortress 2. The Half-Life series is one that greatly raised the bar for the genre, and is still held over many current games as a standard in interactive storytelling and worldbuilding. Team Fortress 2, besides being the world's greatest war-themed hat simulator, is one of the most enduring and endearing team-based online games out there. If you're weary of the grim and gritty FPS's saturating the market today, most of which seem to take themselves far too seriously, you might find a lot to love in TF2's more colorful and outlandish world.
I'll try to get some trailers and other links up to give an idea of what to expect for those that are entirely unfamiliar with these games, but it'll have to wait a bit since the last attempt to add links ate the original version of this post.
It will take a bit for me to send these out, but hopefully at the latest I can deliver them before Christmas. My gaming comp is ailing at the moment, but I can take care of the ordering through their website if need be. For anyone that does want them, I'll probably be PM-ing you my Steam tag so that you can contact me through there, and I'll be able send the packages without you having to air your tags in public.
Thanks for all the fun Paizo, and Merry Christmas!
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Hey, my fellow Paizonians: if you haven't played Portal/Portal 2, regardless of whether you normally like FPSes, puzzle games, or whatever, please try them. They are amazing, and should be played by everyone. If you have a significant other, child or best friend who you'd like to play videogames with, the co-op campaign for Portal 2 is hilarious, satisfying, and accessible even to those who don't play a lot of video games.
(And right now, a copy of Portal 2 for the Xbox, at least, cannot be purchased in game stores in the Seattle Metro area for love or money.)
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RE: Xbox 360 availability... Ouch!
I'm also sorry ahead of time for anyone that only has the 360 option. It's not being excluded because of silly console loyalty or anything, but rather because Xbox still doesn't have Steam support.
If you have an even choice between PC/MAC and PS3, I'd recommend the former since it offers the widest net of online players for Portal 2's Co-Op campaign and TF2. (unless Steam supports crossplatform hookups. I'm honestly not sure...)
I endorse this message!
... what're we talkin' about again?
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More proof that the Paizonian community ROCKS!
Way to go Mikaze :)
I'm already well stocked for video games, but this is awesome! Thanks, Mikaze!
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J.K. Simmons performance for those maps have been a thing of beauty, by the way. :)
Strangely, I love Portal and Portal 2, but I've never seen or played Half-Life or Team Fortress. Are they any good?
While tastes my vary....very!
I'll need to get those trailers up tonight when I'm on a proper computer.
Strangely, I love Portal and Portal 2, but I've never seen or played Half-Life or Team Fortress. Are they any good?
Half-Life has aged a little bit badly and feels a little clunky to a modern gamer, but its sequels still hold up fairly well due to their stellar storyline and voice acting. Team Fortress is just a whole hell of a lot of fun, but as more mechanics have been added over the years it's picked up a slight learning curve, so be warned!
Half-Life 1 is my favorite FPS (followed by Jedi Academy... ok, not so much a FPS as I played it mostly in TPP view and Half-Life 2). It had an actual plot! It was very challenging (at least for me) and it made it very very fulfilling. Half-Life 2 has "We Don't Go To Ravenholm" Chapter which was very climatic. It's worth to play HL2 just to get there...
Strangely, I love Portal and Portal 2, but I've never seen or played Half-Life or Team Fortress. Are they any good?
The first half-Life is old by today, but it did win over 50 Game-Of-The_Year awards. so that should speak volumes
The Half-life expansions (Opposing Force,and Blue-shift) are also very good.
Though Blue shift is short. (I beat it under two and a half hours)
There are various Half-life one mods that are well done, (like They Hunger),
TH download link
The Source engine version of Half-life 1 (Half-life:Source) is a good port of the first Half-life, but they don't take full advantage of the engine.
Black Mesa source is a fan made remake of the the first Half-life, but it does require "Source SDK Base 2007" which is free to download.
I would suggest you poke around in the
Mod Database for mods and TCs that you might enjoy.
or Fileplanet
Heck, I have played Half-life 1 and it's expansion over 8 times,
and some of the single player mods, I've played 4 to 12 times.
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Y'know, with the first Half-Life not being in The Orange Box package and TF2 actually being FreeToPlay(though you probably will want to pay to take full advantage of what the game has to offer) and a lot of folks already owning Portal and Portal 2, adding another option!
Half-Life Complete - This package contains:
Half-Life
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life Source
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Half-Life 2 : Episode 2
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Team Fortress Classic
edit-Thanks for the catch, Azure_Zero! (i mangled it during reformatting the text)
correction Mikaze,
Half-Life Complete - This package contains:
Half-Life
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life Source,
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
Half-Life 2: Death match
Team Fortress Classic
Just don't play at work!
(And deprive us of Pathfindery goodness...) :)
I've played all of these games and can attest to their greatness.
I still own many of these titles, so I'll let some other staff member take you up on your kind offer. Thanks for spreading the holiday cheer, Mikaze! :D
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A Link to My Newest Portal Test Chamber. The Exit is to your Right.
Mikaze, I just wanted to chime in and say THANK YOU for the offer and for yet again proving what a fantastic community we have here at Paizo. =-)
I have not, yet always wanted to (the Portal games, too!), and I'll take you up on that, Oladon!
YES! THANK YOU, Oladon AND Mikaze! Merry X-mas, indeed! =-)
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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I just wanted to throw in my thanks for the generous offer and all the positive thoughts and wishes for Paizo and its staffers and contributors. Alas I will decline on account of not really having the life-space to sink into potentially addictive computer games. A happy wife is a happy life, dontcha know? :)
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I don't know if this is still true, but at least when it launched, buying Portal 2 for the PS3 also came with a code to unlock it for Steam on PC AND Mac.
It's still the only FPS I've ever been able to play without a keyboard and mouse and actually complete it, if anybody's worried about the control schemes.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4; Contributor; Publisher, Legendary Games
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I just wanted to throw in my thanks for the generous offer and all the positive thoughts and wishes for Paizo and its staffers and contributors. Alas I will decline on account of not really having the life-space to sink into potentially addictive computer games. A happy wife is a happy life, dontcha know? :)
Upon consultation with my in-home video game expert (aka my 14-year-old), he suggests I go ahead and take Mikaze up on his generous offer, in order that he can show me this and that about these games... not that he has any ulterior motive or self-interest in this situation. :)
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Oladan! gg! :)
I just wanted to throw in my thanks for the generous offer and all the positive thoughts and wishes for Paizo and its staffers and contributors. Alas I will decline on account of not really having the life-space to sink into potentially addictive computer games. A happy wife is a happy life, dontcha know? :)Upon consultation with my in-home video game expert (aka my 14-year-old), he suggests I go ahead and take Mikaze up on his generous offer, in order that he can show me this and that about these games... not that he has any ulterior motive or self-interest in this situation. :)
Gotcha, loud and clear. ;)
I'll shoot ya a PM in a bit!