Half Life 2 Arrives!

The follow up to 1998’s Game of the Year, Half Life 2 hits virtual shelves today as thousands of pre-orders get sent out via Steam, the online distribution system created by Half Life developers, Valve.

Retail store shelves will also soon be getting their share, but the midnight madness that Halo 2 saw wasn’t duplicated, save for those who logged into Steam and let their broadband connections do the footwork.

Online, Valve offered several different packages, some of which include a complete rehash of the original game, placed into the new engine, but alas, not all is shiny. Silver and Gold package orders were to have been shipped with the Day of Defeat Source modification. The popular mod, second only to Counter Strike, takes players in the trenches of WW2 using the Half Life 2 engine. Instead, gamers must deal with with a “coming soon” notation.

The next few days will seperate the PC gamers from the Xbox gamers though as sales for Bungie and Microsoft’s Halo 2 has surpassed the $125 million sales mark, a record obliterating accomplishment. Whichever comes out on top, broadband services worldwide will certainly be getting a workout.