[MikeDubreuil]

I purchased Half-Life 2 retail at the Best Buy at Landmarke Center in Boston for $55 + tax. When I got it home I installed it. First Steam was installed and then Half-Life.

It took approximately 20 minutes to install all 5 CDs. Then it took an additional 30 minutes as I waited for my CD key to be authorized against the overloaded Steam servers. You can not play the game until you are authorized.

I've only played the game for about an hour but can tell you I absolutely love it. I like how you interact with the other characters. How you can pick up a bottle off the ground and throw it at a guard and he'll angrilly come after you with his electric stick. The graphics seem great, the physics are unmatched, and the AI seems smart.

Occasionally the game does get slightly choppy. Especially when you just enter a level. Other than that, I highly reccomend the game.

My Specs:
Athlon XP 2400
512 MB DDR SDRAM
30 GB SATA WD Raptor
Geforce 4 Ti4600
Comcast Cable Internet Connection