You can download the game via your Steam client if you didn’t have it already, or visit Teamfortress.com to get set up. The game is available on both PC and Mac OSX with cross platform play.

Should we do a Powet Game Night, or what?

You know what the coolest thing is about Half Life 2 (and by extension other Source powered games)? It’s physics system. As fun as it is throwing glass bottles at combine soldiers, how cool would it be if we could just play around with it without having to worry about some goal or plot? That’s what Garry’s Mod is. It’s a standalone title that requires at least one Source game (Half-Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, etc) to play. You basically have two guns: The Physics Gun, which allows you to pick up and move objects, and the Tool gun, which is used for various tasks, such as combining objects. Players can import objects from other source games, and can even download community made props from the web. Multiplayer play is also possible, as players can team up to build contraptions. A recent update allows players to download community-created objects in game via the Toybox. Players can even modify game scripts using the LUA programming language. Garry’s mod is a cool way to show off the capabilities of the Source engine, and it’s a fun distraction for gamers. If you have HL2, Portal, Team Fortress 2, or Left 4 Dead, check it out.

Times are tough, especially in the midst of this economic recession. That’s why we here at powet are proud to help bail gamers out of the hell of playing the same things over and over again. For the past 5 years, we have helped gamers like yourself find cheap ways to increase your gaming library. TO celebrate, we have formed this special stimulus package featuring 10 games that are available for $20 or less. Some of them are even available for free. So click after the jump, and check out some cheap gaming.
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Portal was really cool, and I’m sure Portal 2 will be fun. However, there was this nagging feeling in the back of my head that the sequel couldn’t be as good, that nothing would compare the the exploration and discovery of the first game.

Thankfully, this video puts some doubts to rest. Also, robots. If you want to see a bit more GameTrailers dedicated nearly their entire episode to Portal 2 this week.

Pre-order Portal 2

This week I guest starred on Evil Avatar’s Shotgun Podcast, a podcast about the wonderful world of video games! I first met up with Ben from Evil Avatar at PAX East 2010 when I tried to smash him over the head with a wrench while dressed as a Bioshock Splicer…

This latest episode covers games like Limbo, Lego Harry Potter, Infamous, Transformers: War For Cyberton and Deathsmiles.

Its the last day of E3, and all the publishers, studios, businessmen, designers, and artists have played their best hand of the year. There is no comparison in any other industry. Imagine if Hollywood showed a trailer for every movie of the next year on the same weekend. Thats crazy! And yet its E3.

In that spirit, those of us who follow at home don’t get hands on impressions, we just get 2 minute snippets of the games we’ll be playing from now until next E3. Who had the best?
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In 2007, Valve wrapped up three of its newest and top FPS games into one package. Along with Half-Life 2, its first two episodes, and the multplayer classic Team Fortress 2, FPS fans also got Portal, which was a puzzle game in FPS form. Playing as a woman named Chell, and taunted by a computer AI named GLaDOS, it’s your job to test out the Apeture Science Handheld Portal Device. You move through a series of rooms, and you’ll have to make use of the portal gun to make it through each room and avoid tha hazards. Many of the rooms will involve a cube which you’ll have to make use of. It’s hard not to get attached to the cube. Even though it’s a short game, the darkly humorous story and crazy physics make it fun to play. Portal: Still Alive, an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive version of the game contains the original game and several new challenge rooms. There isn’t much of an incentive for anyone who already played through the original version, but at 1200 MS points ($15) this is perfect for those who have yet to play it.

Note: The standalone version of Portal is also available on PC for $20, as is the Xbox 360 version of the Orange Box.

While Valve’s Source engine is no Unreal 3, it is capable of impressive graphics all on its own (as anyone whose played the Orange Box can tell you). Its software development kit is also a favorite of modders and game developers alive, as many projects, mods and independent game releases alike have made use of it. Outerlight’s The Ship is one of these projects. Originally designed as a mod of Half Life 2 (which is why its menus are similar), the developers made this game an independent release. This is probably for the best, because The Ship has many unique gameplay mechanics that help set itself apart from other first person shooter games.
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