i fell into a burning ring of fire

good lord, i can't wait for this to arrive in the mail so i can get my grubby little paws on it. yes, that's the real cover, not a photoshop. at least that's what i'm praying, and i choose to let myself believe it at this point. supposedly the uk version of the magazine is already out, with the review score being a 96%! it's also very likely that the game will come out in november. apparently that month CAN get better. in my opinion half-life 2 coming out then would overshadow else in november. yes even halo 2.

...except for jess' birthday, of course.

here's an interview from halflife2.net interviewing Chuck Osborn from PC Gamer, who got to review half-life 2:

Icarus: What was your reaction when you found out you would be the first to review Half-Life 2?
Chuck Osborn: It was a mixture of excitement and trepidation, because of the responsibility of being the first one to review it.

Icarus: Was it worth the wait?
Chuck Osborn: Absolutely

Icarus: How long is the review?
Chuck Osborn: Nine pages, plus we have a four page story telling you what you need to know about running Half-Life 2 on your system.

Icarus: Did it seem dated?
Chuck Osborn: Not at all.

Icarus: Are there any spoilers in the review?
Chuck Osborn: There are some mild spoilers, because you can’t review it without giving away something. I say very clearly when to stop reading if you don’t want to know anything. If you read the entire review, there are a lot of surprises I don’t talk about, because I want you to be surprised. This is not a spoiler review.

Icarus: Does it have multiplayer, if so what are they?
Chuck Osborn: Counter-Strike Source is the multiplayer.

Icarus: Only CS:S, no Deathmatch?
Chuck Osborn: Only CS:S

Icarus: Has it (CS:S) changed any from Beta?
Chuck Osborn: It’s what they say it’s going to be, but with a few surprises

Icarus: Who did you get to play it with?
Chuck Osborn: Valve as well as playing in within our own offices

Icarus: Did you get to play HL Source?
Chuck Osborn: Yes.

Icarus: Can you tell me anything about HL:Source?
Chuck Osborn: Nope

Icarus: Is it (HL:S) included in the review?
Chuck Osborn: Yes, it's discussed in a sidebar along with a few screenshots.

Icarus: Anything you want to say the users before I go?
Chuck Osborn: I'm just glad I don't have to keep my playing Half-Life 2 a secret anymore! It was killing me. Trust me...you won't be disappointed.