“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve.

“Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

Don’t get too excited just yet as the app is now in closed beta but by downloading and logging into the app you’re added to a list for the closed beta which will eventually get invited.

Steam goes mobile with Android and iOS apps originally appeared on GamingOgre on January 26, 2012.

Chet says that there are no official clues about Half-Life 3 and that “there is no ARG” despite some highly convincing websites out there. Whether or not this statement is truth or just another ploy to take people off their scent, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this all pans out.

Valve debunks Half-Life 3 rumors originally appeared on GamingOgre on December 30, 2011.

While DotA2 will be available for Steam, the exact plans for monetizing the game haven’t been ironed out yet.

“We don’t have a plan,” Newell said. “IceFrog has a bunch of testers he’s worked with as long as he’s been doing development. The first thing we’ve been working with is addressing their concerns. We’ve been through four or five different versions of the user interface, getting it to the point where we’ve addressed the feedback we’ve got from those guys.

“For us now, this tournament is a really good step. A bunch of the features we’re building in the design of Dota 2 related to being able to put on a tournament like this. There’s a bunch of stat stuff. There’s a bunch of website development, support for simultaneous, four-language broadcasting.”

Could this be a sign that Valve is considering going the TF2 route and giving out DotA 2 for free and adding a MannCo. store onto it? League of Legends does something similar with their various skins for the champions and hordes of players have flocked to the game. We will just have to wait until 2012 to see how it all comes together.

DotA 2 won’t launch until 2012, possibly F2P? originally appeared on GamingOgre on August 18, 2011.

From the Steam store listing:

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more.

“Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999,” said Doug Lombardi at Valve. “For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS’ award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac.”

Launch window is set for early 2012.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is officially announced originally appeared on GamingOgre on August 12, 2011.

Just spend all day playing the new Counterstrike Global Offensive #CSGO at the #Valve HQ ! God I love my job.. oh and yeah… its that good!

Which could have been passed off, until we saw this, which is Cliffe correcting the name for a poster. I doubt very seriously we’d see anyone from Valve chime in unless it were real, so keep your ears open and your eyes on Twitter for the #CSGO hashtag for more info from playtesters.

More info from Reddit:

Much more like Source, it’s made on a newer version of the Source engine.

There are molotov grenades which create a fire blanket that slows players are little. It sounds crazy, but it actually played really well, I think, even though the size/dmg might need a bit tweaking. The other new nade is a decoy nade that can play firing sounds, so it can be used to fake that a player is in a position. Not sure how usable it is, but the idea is pretty nice, I think.

“It is a mix really, it has wall spamming which is more like 1.6, but it is on the source engine, so the feel of it is more (but not exactly) like source. The flashes are also more like 1.6, where turning your back to them will make you a lot less flashed than looking straight at them, but they also have the sound from source. The smokes are like they are in the current source. There is also more tagging than in source, but the tagging also depends on the damage you’re being dealt, so you won’t be pinned to the ground by being hit by a glock, for example

We’ll be sure to update if / as soon as it’s officially announced.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive could be a real thing originally appeared on GamingOgre on August 12, 2011.

Although I feel a bit torn about TF 2 being entirely micro-transaction driven (with it’s Mann Co. shop), I can only express joy and praise for Valve’s new short, Meet the Medic. If you’re unfamiliar with these videos, they are a series of shorts that provide a lively, and oftentimes hilarious, look at the personalities and lives of the 9 playable character classes. The quality of Meet the Spy and Meet the Medic reminds me of a Pixar movie (in terms of animation, writing, and comedy gold), albeit quite a bit bloodier and foul-mouthed. I can say with no exaggeration this is by far Valve’s best, and anyone with even a passing interest in TF 2 should be taking a gander around.

Specially with the bevy of new items added in the days leading up to the Free to Play announcement.

Team Fortress 2 now Free to Play, and Meet the Medic! originally appeared on GamingOgre on June 23, 2011.

Back in 2007 Valve released what is still on of the best video gaming deals, the Orange Box. It packed in a whopping 5 games for the price of one. One of the games included was  Portal. A funny little game which solely focused on the player solving various puzzles and got the player thinking with Portals.

We’re no three years on from the Orange Box and Valve has finally graced us with a proper sequel to the 2007 hit game.

Portal 2 takes place after an undisclosed amount of time has passed since the events of GLaDOS in the first game. You’re playing as the same mute female protagonist from the first game, Chell. You’re back at Aperture Science but time has not been kind to the facility and it’s look a little run-down and neglected.

You’re woken up from stasis by a new character in the game named Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant. He’s also the co-writer and co-director of The Office as well as co-writing, co-directing and co-starring in Extras. He introduces you to the new game and tells you a little bit about what’s been going on at Aperture Science while you’ve been in stasis.

Already you’re probably thinking that Portal 2 is much more of a structured, story-focused affair than it’s predecessor and you would be right. Valve isn’t riding on the coat tails of the many memes that were spawned from the first game. They’ve thrown them all out and instead thrown in a plethora of new characters and a new setting to keep things fresh.

The story takes you into some surprising places and your journey takes you deeper into Aperture Science testing facility than ever before. You’re introduced to some new characters like Cave Johnson, as well as meeting some older faces like GLaDOS.

I’m hesitant to talk about the story much more as that’s kind of the special thing about Portal 2. You keep playing and wondering, “how deep does the rabbit hole go?”. I won’t say anymore as it’s something you should be discovering for yourself.

The first Portal game was a fairly short game. Portal 2 is in fact significantly longer than the first game, weighing in at around 7-8 hours if you’re playing at average pace and trying to absorb everything the story and Aperture Science has to offer.

As well as your trusty Aperture Science Handheld Portal gun to help you take on the puzzles, there are also a handful of new toys and mechanics introduces that are required to be used in specific rooms.

You’ll soon become familiar with the idea of Gels. Each of these gels have their own unique features and effect surfaces in different ways. One of these is the Propulsion Gel, which lowers the friction on surfaces and allows you to move across them extremely quickly.

These new mechanics in the game certainly to keep the puzzle formula feeling fresh and you never really become tired of a puzzle because there is such a range toys that have to be used to solve them.

Overall I found the puzzles in Portal 2 to be slightly easier than in the previous game but that could be because I’m familiar with the various tricks and as Valve puts it: “thinking with Portals.” Don’t fret too much when you finally complete the single player campaign as Valve has seen fit to include a separate two-player co-op mode.

These puzzles in the co-op mode even take the difficulty up   a notch but it’s a very rewarding experience when you and a buddy take on a challenge and complete them.

As I mentioned briefly, the co-operative mode consists of you and a buddy playing as Aperture Science robots Atlas and P-Body, conducting more tests with the Portal Gun and under the ever-watchful eye of GLaDOS.

One of the ways things get a little tricky is that both Atlas and P-Body have their own Portal gun and some of the puzzles require 4 portals to be used to communication and coordination with your buddy is highly important. Valve has included the ability to mark areas where a portal should be placed if your buddy doesn’t have a microphone.

Valve has been using the Source Engine since the release of Half-Life 2 and you may have thought it might be showing its age. While the game isn’t a graphical showpiece like Crysis it has moments when you’ll be in awe and what you’re seeing.

The game has a nice contrast between the cold, synthetic world of Aperture Science and the natural, organic vegetation that has managed to creep into some of the rooms in Aperture Science.

Aperture Science is dilapidated and often the puzzles are being rebuilt just as you enter them and you’ll be amazed at the physics as seemingly hundreds of panels from the room are re-assembled right before your eyes.

The sound production in the first Portal was second to none and the same is true here. Ellen McLain returns to voice GLaDOS as well as Stephen Merchant providing the voice of Wheatley and J.K. Simmons gives life to Cave Johnson. All the voice acting in the game is extremely well done and I can’t find a single thing that pulls audio down.

For almost the entire campaign you’ll always have someone talking to you whether it be Wheatley, GLaDOS or of course the fantastic Cave Johnson. It never becomes tiresome and it really brings the game to life.

Music plays a much larger part in this game with an excellent soundtrack from Mike Morasky. You’ll find yourself quickly running down a suspended walkway and suddenly the music will kick in and take the whole experience to another level.

Valve being Valve they’ve even released the soundtrack for you to download for free.

Portal 2 is a fantastic game and you’d be silly not play it. One downside I found with the game is the load times. The load times aren’t long but they still happen every puzzle and when it can become a bit of an annoyance when you can burn through some of the puzzles. It’s nothing major but it is there.

We’re done here.

Review: Portal 2 originally appeared on GamingOgre on May 31, 2011.

Valve to be absent from E3 originally appeared on GamingOgre on May 18, 2011.

Valve is sending out.. something.. to Tech related sites originally appeared on GamingOgre on April 8, 2011.

The hats are available until April 4th and will make your character look like the snazziest one on the block…that is, unless someone else bought one too. Do your part and put on your charity hat while you still can.

Team Fortress 2 raises money for quake relief with sexy hats originally appeared on GamingOgre on March 30, 2011.