Confirmed Half-Life 2 Review Schedules

[Chris D]

We certainly have an exciting couple of months ahead of us. I know I have said it in almost every single news post about Half-Life 2 over the past few weeks but the wait is indeed nearly over and we'll shortly find out whether or not the wait has been worth it.[br]
[br]
With at least three magazines so far confirming printed reviews in October, we're finally going to get a verdict on the game we've all been waiting for. Here's the review schedule as it stands so far:

PC Gamer UK:Tuesday 5th October 2004[br]
PC Gameplay NL:Tuesday 5th October 2004[br]
PC Zone UK:Friday 8th October 2004

So far, the American magazines have all been very tight-lipped about whether or not they will be covering Half-Life 2 in their next issues but I'm sure they'll follow the trend, along with other magazines worldwide.[br]
[br]
And as if this wasn't enough to get you excited already, our forum member, uziholda, informed me over the weekend that he'd received a personal response to an e-mail from Mark Donald, editor of PC Gamer UK. He says so little but yet so much:

uziholda: ...was [Half-Life 2] what you guys expected?[br]
Mark Donald: More

We'll bring you more news as we have it, but if you work for a print magazine, or know of any other print magazines scheduled to be printing a review, then please contact me here.

UPDATE: Seems as though in my error, a speculative date I had written down creeped into the information I had and it has now been confirmed that Australian PC Powerplay magazine, will not be printing a review in their issue out on October 20th. I apologise for any inconvenience.

 

[KagePrototype]

Let the hype and mass-hysteria commence!!

 

[Kristafon]

is More meant to be a link? Dosent work...

 

[Biozeminade]

AWESOME!

Nothing else needs to be said.

 

[Chris D]

is More meant to be a link? Dosent work...

No it's not a link. Is it not enough that one of the guys that has reviewed Half-Life 2 states that it was more than he expected? :O

 

[pixartist]

wow "couple of months"

lol this is just embarrassing....the game should be out NOW

 

[WiffleLess]

For those of you that believe HL2 will be delayed for anything more than a month, please consider this news post. You have a number of national magazines confirming every day that they'll have a review of HL2 in their next issue. Do you really think they'll have reviews all over the place, and still delay the game past this year? Come on. That would be unprecedented. I sincerely doubt that.

 

[Adrien C]

I hope they don't release a review like PC Gamer did with Doom 3, full of spoilers.
Any way, good iniciative Chris.

 

[FISKER_Q]

Chris_D i suspect you could get information about a overseas subscripton of PC Gamer UK(to the DK)

Do you know when i should order it? Cause i won't get money before Tuesday. And it would suck to get the november issue in a month if after i pay 60£ for it

But then again i'd love to read it, and since you won't be allowing scan anyways(Yeah i know why). I could as well get a years subscription with free shipping.

 

[Nex321]

They said "more" could this mean that they gave it 100%?

 

[<RJMC>]

the reviews will come whit news screenshots?

 

[skull24]

Man I can't wait to read these reviews

I can't wait until the American magazines, do the reviews because I want to read them. I want to see the Pros and Cons of the game and see the scores.

 

[Asuka]

Sweet im thinking of buying just that one issue of Pc gamer uk.

 

[WaryWolf]

sounds good, i must say. hopefully this will be an incentive for vivendi to release the game instead of delaying it (if they were, of course)

 

[ShinRa]

I can't wait until the American magazines, do the reviews because I want to read them. I want to see the Pros and Cons of the game and see the scores.

usually we have about 10 translators from UK and NL that will more than likely translate the entire review for us multiple times. so dont worry.

 

[ch4ndl3r]

More, means above 100%

 

[TriggerHappy]

More, means above 100%

Lol. I was thinking that too.

 

[Spugmaster]

First game in history to receive 110%

 

[sublidieminal]

This isn't such great news, my Dad is an art director for American Media and he tells me that the standars for Magazines is to make them 3 issues in advance. I wouldn't be expectng a review until a december issue.

 

[johnnypoopoopant]

sweet, cant wait

 

[DigiQ8]

yay
more than expected !!

 

[CyanEyed]

Not gonna read em, I think I have seen enough on HL2, too much really. Wanna keep the rest a surprise

 

[Challeman]

This isn't such great news, my Dad is an art director for American Media and he tells me that the standars for Magazines is to make them 3 issues in advance. I wouldn't be expectng a review until a december issue.

Well you can't work 3 issues in advance because the game and computer world i ever changing. I know Pcgamer here in Sweden have their deadline about 2 weeks before it hits the shelves but they only (most... maybe retro articles and such mey be the exception) work on the issue for the month after. Sure they plan but that's not the same thing...

 

[GodlessPagan]

How is it that the UK has the frickin' game already? I really don't understand how that works. Seems like BS to me...

 

[LightwarSiX]

**** the reviews, give us a the damn game already.

 

[The Mullinator]

How is it that the UK has the frickin' game already? I really don't understand how that works. Seems like BS to me...

UK magazines have the game, Gaming magazines almost always get the game early so that they can review it.

 

[Alec_85]

We certainly have an exciting couple of months a head of us.

ahead

Anyway. This is nice. We're moving forward at least. Towards a release!

 

[GodlessPagan]

UK magazines have the game, Gaming magazines almost always get the game early so that they can review it.

Hmmm....

This disturbs and angers me. Me no likey.

 

[Chris D]

UK magazines have the game, Gaming magazines almost always get the game early so that they can review it.

And it depends on their publishing cycle who posts the reviews first. It seems as though they're able to talk about things from 3rd October and some magazines have moved their publishing forward a week to make sure they get the reviews first. (read: Europeans have been clever enough to release the magazines early to beat the rest of the world )

EDIT: Some people seemed confused with one of the quotes in my news post expecting the More bit to be a link.

I've reformatted the quote now so hopefully it should make a lot more sesne.

 

[SubKamran]

No it's not a link. Is it not enough that one of the guys that has reviewed Half-Life 2 states that it was more than he expected? :O

The meaning of one word has never meant so much. :farmer:

 

[Lemonking]

I really wonna know the Scores cause im never buying a game without knowing the rating it got from the German mags PC Action or PC Games or Gamestar to bad we dont have PC Gamer over here........

 

[uziholda]

chris,you own for putting me on front page *prepares do do battle side by side in cs source* lol

 

[Hallucinogen]

I suggest you all relax and wait, havent you learned already about these "news" ?!?!

 

[bxstreetlife]

:bounce: thanx chris the most positive thread i've read for 2 weeks

 

[[Matt]]

And it depends on their publishing cycle who posts the reviews first. It seems as though they're able to talk about things from 3rd October and some magazines have moved their publishing forward a week to make sure they get the reviews first. (read: Europeans have been clever enough to release the magazines early to beat the rest of the world )

EDIT: Some people seemed confused with one of the quotes in my news post expecting the More bit to be a link.

I've reformatted the quote now so hopefully it should make a lot more sesne.

Dont forget that US magazines and sites have an unwritten rule of not reviewing games until they are final or 'gold'. Remember when CZ was reviewed by the UK titles some 5 months before it finally came out?

 

[Alec_85]

Chris_D: Did you get my PM about translating articles last week or so?

 

[SoSorry]

Don't you find it odd that U.S magazines have not announced that they will be reviewing Half-Life2. Normally you would think they would say something to attract more readers ahead of time. Perhaps Vivendi told them Half-Life2 will not be released until 2005

 

[JimmehH]

PC Format (UK) have a review out on the 14th if anyone's interested. They also had a Making Of Half-Life 2 supplement this month but it was stuff we knew already.

 

[Homie]

PC Gamer UK: Tuesday 5th October 2004
PC Gameplay NL: Tuesday 5th October 2004
PC Zone UK: Friday 8th October 2004

Im a bit confused. Those dates are those the release dates for hl2?
If those are the Release dates are they correct?

:cheers:

 

[SubForce]

Thank God for Barnes and Noble. They carry PCGAMER UK edition here in the US. Yeah baby, gonna get it too. Oh the UK edition usually comes with 2 cd's also. Lots of gaming goodness for the masses.