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GAD
05-18-2010, 12:43 AM
Steam has released many of its games for the Mac, and is offering the fabulous game "Portal" for free until May 24th. Free Portal is available on PC too I believe.

http://store.steampowered.com/freeportal/

The days of "no good games for the mac" may finally be coming to an end!
marcoaml78
05-18-2010, 12:59 AM
yes! :aok, already downloaded it

altho steam doesn't seem to go all great on my macbook (white 2.0 with 4gb of ram) i guess it would work better on a mb pro...
austratman23
05-18-2010, 02:39 AM
did they release the old cs 1.6 for the mac? I always tried that crossover stuff but it would never work correctly on my mac. I hope they didn't because my guitar playing skills and marriage will suffer lol...i used to be addicted to that game.
mild
05-18-2010, 06:12 PM
did they release the old cs 1.6 for the mac? I always tried that crossover stuff but it would never work correctly on my mac. I hope they didn't because my guitar playing skills and marriage will suffer lol...i used to be addicted to that game.

It's not out yet, but as I understand it they are beta'ing a new version of CS source with a bunch of new features - I'm guessing this will be the eventual Mac release. :)
GAD
05-18-2010, 06:37 PM
I just spent an hour playing Portal on my 17" MBP and it's rock solid. I'm very impressed.

On my kid's Mac Mini without the performance graphics card, it just didn't work, but it warned us ahead of time that it likely wouldn't.
coreybox
05-18-2010, 07:20 PM
yeah, i got it a couple days ago. Cool game! Levels 18 and 19 take alot more time than any of the others...
sodapopinski
05-18-2010, 07:40 PM
i beat the game a few years back... its amazing, i downloaded it to. :)
jazzbasta
05-18-2010, 08:58 PM
Steam has released many of its games for the Mac, and is offering the fabulous game "Portal" for free until May 24th. Free Portal is available on PC too I believe.

Thank you for the tip, am downloading it now. I'm on the PC but have never played games of any kind. This looks like a good one to try.
TehSuperFox
05-18-2010, 10:40 PM
Portal's a sick game, I finished it in a day. It works well on my MBP, although it can be a little slow to start up.
DaveF
05-19-2010, 06:52 AM
the cake is a lie
Boobala
05-19-2010, 07:15 AM
Welcome to 2007 Mac!

P.S. The graffiti is a lie. The cake is Black Forrest.
BadMelonFarmer
05-19-2010, 08:44 AM
Welcome to 2007 Mac!

:rimshot

OP - Thanks for the tip off, downloading at the moment.
Platypus
05-19-2010, 08:52 AM
valve needs to release more challenging portal levels, I loved that game and want more.
Boobala
05-19-2010, 08:54 AM
valve needs to release more challenging portal levels, I loved that game and want more.

Portal II should be available before Christmas (PC, Xbox 360, PS3).
Platypus
05-19-2010, 08:55 AM
Portal II should be available in the fall.

sweeeeeet

Now they need to finish episode 3 of HL2 :P
Ibanez_Guy
05-19-2010, 08:56 AM
Portal's a sick game, I finished it in a day. It works well on my MBP, although it can be a little slow to start up.

Ya gotta get all those achievements now! :D

I was so happy the day I finished the last time-based challenge to get all gold medals!! MUAHAH!!!!!! :beer
coreybox
05-19-2010, 10:23 AM
Portal II should be available before Christmas (PC, Xbox 360, PS3).

Any idea what the story line is going to be like? Seems like they concluded it pretty well to me.
Ibanez_Guy
05-19-2010, 11:26 AM
Any idea what the story line is going to be like? Seems like they concluded it pretty well to me.
I read somewhere (I can't remember and am too lazy to google) that it will take place about a century after the original, and feature a different protagonist. Something about all those GlaDOS balls coming to life....

But then I read somewhere else that Chell is still in it.... so... unless she is really old or she is in at but isn't playable, that doesn't make sense. Maybe the G-Man puts her in stasis?

They released an update a few weeks/months ago that changed the ending so that it shows someone dragging you away after you come outside, so who knows!

Either way, I can't wait. Maybe Mike Patton will do more voices this time. :dude
zekmoe
05-19-2010, 11:46 AM
What's the purpose of releasing these games for free? Would it benefit them more just to charge $5 or some nomincal fee? I don't get the economics of this free release of software. It's not like they're going to make up their costs in support fees for a game.
Ibanez_Guy
05-19-2010, 12:49 PM
What's the purpose of releasing these games for free? Would it benefit them more just to charge $5 or some nomincal fee? I don't get the economics of this free release of software. It's not like they're going to make up their costs in support fees for a game.
Probably to get people hyped about Portal 2.

A while back (I think around Halloween) they sold Team Fortress 2 for $2.00 or something... but it was basically it get people exposed to Left 4 Dead 2 which was $50 bucks or so. I would imagine this is the same thing. Think of all those soon-to-be Mac gamers (oxymoron no-more) that might drop a bunch of dough on some quality games! Portal could be the gateway drug to the entire Half-Life universe. :)
Boobala
05-19-2010, 04:59 PM
What's the purpose of releasing these games for free? Would it benefit them more just to charge $5 or some nomincal fee? I don't get the economics of this free release of software. It's not like they're going to make up their costs in support fees for a game.

If you like Portal (a 2+ year old game) , you'll probably buy Portal 2.

Probably to get people hyped about Portal 2.

A while back (I think around Halloween) they sold Team Fortress 2 for $2.00 or something... but it was basically it get people exposed to Left 4 Dead 2 which was $50 bucks or so. I would imagine this is the same thing. Think of all those soon-to-be Mac gamers (oxymoron no-more) that might drop a bunch of dough on some quality games! Portal could be the gateway drug to the entire Half-Life universe. :)Sorry, but most Macs lack the horsepower to run a 2 year old game like Half-lifeČ , let alone modern titles. The oxymoron still stands. :)
Cobra
05-19-2010, 05:03 PM
I downloaded it last night, & got to level 5, where I hit a brick wall & couldn't figure i out. I finally had to go to bed all bleary eyed & frustrated.
Level 5 is the one where there are 2 blocks on pedestals, & you need both to open the door. I got one, & spent untold hours trying to get the other. No luck...
Any tips?
Boobala
05-19-2010, 05:11 PM
I downloaded it last night, & got to level 5, where I hit a brick wall & couldn't figure i out. I finally had to go to bed all bleary eyed & frustrated.
Level 5 is the one where there are 2 blocks on pedestals, & you need both to open the door. I got one, & spent untold hours trying to get the other. No luck...
Any tips?

There are tons of guides and walk-throughs online. Look here! (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Portal+walk+through) ;)
coreybox
05-19-2010, 05:15 PM
I downloaded it last night, & got to level 5, where I hit a brick wall & couldn't figure i out. I finally had to go to bed all bleary eyed & frustrated.
Level 5 is the one where there are 2 blocks on pedestals, & you need both to open the door. I got one, & spent untold hours trying to get the other. No luck...
Any tips?

the one in the pit you can jump down, and then go through a blue portal.

the one on the pedestal... get on the pedestal with the orange portal. Shoot a blue portal over to pedestal with the block, then walk through the orange portal over to the block
Ibanez_Guy
05-19-2010, 05:32 PM
Sorry, but most Macs lack the horsepower to run a 2 year old game like Half-lifeČ , let alone modern titles. The oxymoron still stands. :)
Haha, excellent. Whenever I tell people I'm a musician they always assume that I use a Mac.* Then, when the ask me why not and I can't think of a better answer then "I don't want to learn new stuff/old dog-new tricks" I usually fall back to the "call me when they get Half-Life 2" demand. Well, that day is upon us. But, approximately how much would you have to spend on a Mac to get something to specs for HL2 et al?

* This reminds me of this little gem: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
mnjordan
05-19-2010, 09:12 PM
If you like Portal (a 2+ year old game) , you'll probably buy Portal 2.

Sorry, but most Macs lack the horsepower to run a 2 year old game like Half-lifeČ , let alone modern titles. The oxymoron still stands. :)

My Mac Pro will run anything you can throw at it.

I've been checking out Portal, and it is indeed very cool. A lot of my friends are PC gamer nerdz who have raved about it for years.

I still prefer consoles, just because sitting at my desk in front of my big machine feels like I'm at work. And, I'm admittedly much more casual than the typical "gamer".
marcoaml78
05-19-2010, 09:44 PM
i can't run portal properly on my macbook, that's precisely why i have the orange box on the xbox (half-life2, ep1, ep2, portal and tf2 all in one disc :D )
Boobala
05-20-2010, 07:32 AM
My Mac Pro will run anything you can throw at it.

I've been checking out Portal, and it is indeed very cool. A lot of my friends are PC gamer nerdz who have raved about it for years.

I still prefer consoles, just because sitting at my desk in front of my big machine feels like I'm at work. And, I'm admittedly much more casual than the typical "gamer".

That's why I used the word "most" rather than "all".

Having said that, show me your Mac Pro running Crysis 2 with all the eye-candy on with frame rates above 15fps.


P.S. Console's suck at First Person Shooters.
blood5150
05-20-2010, 07:52 AM
That's why I used the word "most" rather than "all".

Having said that, show me your Mac Pro running Crysis 2 with all the eye-candy on with frame rates above 15fps.


P.S. Console's suck at First Person Shooters.

Or Crysis 1 for that matter...
GovernorSilver
05-20-2010, 08:24 AM
I'm not much of a gamer, but I'll give Portal a try on my MBP
mnjordan
05-20-2010, 08:32 AM
That's why I used the word "most" rather than "all".

Having said that, show me your Mac Pro running Crysis 2 with all the eye-candy on with frame rates above 15fps.


P.S. Console's suck at First Person Shooters.

Can any computer do that? Not being snarky, I'm really asking. I remember "Will it run Crysis?" becoming quite the meme for a while there. If an 8 core, 12 gig RAM machine with a decent video card can't run it, something is wrong. I know there are better video cards out for PC hardware than for my Mac, but still - it's silly. This thing has hardware to spare.

I know the PC/console war is eternal. I prefer consoles, just because I like to be on my couch rather than at my desk. I did play Bioshock on my big computer, and it was really enjoyable.
Ibanez_Guy
05-20-2010, 09:18 AM
P.S. Console's suck at First Person Shooters.

Oh lordy is that ever true for me.

I even once tried Call of Duty 3 on a Wii.... it was ridiculous. Anyways, consoles and their joysticks/pads just don't have the feel, control, and precision that a mouse has. Of course.... they don't seem to have hackers on consoles...
voorhiessa
05-20-2010, 10:18 AM
^I wouldnt let the Wii judge how enjoyable FPSs on consoles are......
tfunster
05-20-2010, 10:37 AM
Downloaded it yesterday and am already hooked. My girlfriend is not pleased.
GovernorSilver
05-20-2010, 12:37 PM
I even once tried Call of Duty 3 on a Wii.... it was ridiculous. Anyways, consoles and their joysticks/pads just don't have the feel, control, and precision that a mouse has. Of course.... they don't seem to have hackers on consoles...

The Sony PS3 fanboys at my old workplace cited similar thoughts in arguing for the company to invest in a PS3 for the company game room, which already sported a Wii. PS3, they reasoned, had the superior graphics hardware.
Boobala
05-20-2010, 05:48 PM
Can any computer do that? Not being snarky, I'm really asking. I remember "Will it run Crysis?" becoming quite the meme for a while there. If an 8 core, 12 gig RAM machine with a decent video card can't run it, something is wrong. I know there are better video cards out for PC hardware than for my Mac, but still - it's silly. This thing has hardware to spare.

I know the PC/console war is eternal. I prefer consoles, just because I like to be on my couch rather than at my desk. I did play Bioshock on my big computer, and it was really enjoyable.

With my old 2.4 Ghz QuadCore (Q6600), 4GB RAM, and Dual EVGA Nvidia 8800GT's I was getting high 20's/ low 30's frame rates (@ 1200x1600). And this was with "secrete" effects ("god rays" and other Volumetric Effects) enabled through the config files.

My current desktop i7-920 system could probably double that.
Boobala
05-20-2010, 05:51 PM
The Sony PS3 fanboys at my old workplace cited similar thoughts in arguing for the company to invest in a PS3 for the company game room, which already sported a Wii. PS3, they reasoned, had the superior graphics hardware.

Both the PS3 and Xbox360 have superior graphics.

It's not a "fanboys" thing, it's an empirical fact. They are both AT LEAST one generation of ahead of the Wii in terms of graphical capability.
GAD
05-20-2010, 05:52 PM
Back to the topic at hand, I played Portal for over an hour on my MBP yesterday and it was a great experience. Only downside is that using the MBP with the performance graphics on, and actually using it in Portal made the left side of the case uncomfortably hot.

Seeing as how this is the first time in a year I've ever felt the need to turn the performance graphics on, it's a limitation I can live with. :)
GovernorSilver
05-21-2010, 08:58 AM
Both the PS3 and Xbox360 have superior graphics.

It's not a "fanboys" thing, it's an empirical fact. They are both AT LEAST one generation of ahead of the Wii in terms of graphical capability.

"Fanboys" was a dig at my workplace buddies who tried to get me to contribute to the "buy a PS3" office fund, not at you or others who own a PS3 and/or Xbox360.

Anyway, I'm sure you understand the context - somebody brought up how Call Of Duty sucks on the Wii, therefore all consoles suck, etc.