No I’m not joking. Valve Software is offering Games for free.

What’s the Catch? I hear you say. You’ve got to have a Steam Account and a copy of Steam software. Steam Accounts and software are FREE to register. For one game, you need to act before the 24th May. The other you need NVidia hardware for it.

Portal

Free Portal Trailer voiced by your instructor GLaDOS.

It’s classed both as a First Person Shooter, and a Puzzle game. Your weapon is a Portal Gun, a “weapon” that allows does no damage, but allows create a pair of portals. You could jump in one Portal and you fly out of the other one. You don’t have to throw yourself in it, you can and sometimes required, to throw other stuff in it as well.

It’s quite fun to play. When you complete the game more challenges are available if you want to play. PC owners can also download a fan made map packs. I don’t know about the Mac as it’s only just out.

Also, there is also an Achievement system, and some hidden data for the sequel Portal 2.

It’s currently available for both Mac and Windows PC free until May 24th. You can also buy it for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Download the game here: http://store.steampowered.com/freeportal/

Half Life 2: Deathmatch/Half Life 2: Lost Coast/Portal: First Slice Pack

Half Life 2 was one of the first games to have a more realistic physics engine, Meaning if you bumped in an unstable folding Bench, it would wobble. It a CRT Monitor was on that bench, the monitor could fall on the floor. Actually, that was one of the videos in an early Half Life 2 Promo Reel, which contain lots elements that didn’t make it in to the current game. The same engine was used as the basis of Portal engine.

One of the Most Prominent “Weapons” was not the Crowbar, but the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator. If you have trouble with that almost everyone uses its informal name of The Gravity Gun. Its basic function is to Pick up and throw stuff across the room, or you can drop stuff without sending it flying. One common example: Find a Live grenade? Throw it back! Got no ammo, but lots of heavy items, throw it at them. You can throw them almost anything, including the sink!

Lost Coast is a single player Tech Demo. It was to show case HDR, a rendering technique. It was based a small area of “Deleted” content as a result has a story. This area lets you try all the weapons against computer controlled bad guys, as part of your mission.

Deathmatch pits you against other people to see who gets more kills or frags. You get to choose your character from most common ally units or enemy units. Except for your taunts everything is nearly identical. This game allows you use the Gravity gun, and it’s ability to throw stuff.

Portal: First Slice is actually a demo of Portal. It contain slice of the first part of the game. If you have Portal already, you will not get this.

There is a catch! You need to have a Windows PC that has Nvidia hardware. This allows you get these games for free. Click here: http://www.steampowered.com/nvidia/

As I type this no game in this collection is available on the Mac, partly due to Portal being Free, and the Mac software is has been released for a day or two.

So am I getting this deal?

No, I am not. I’ve got all the games via the Orange Box. See I can’t get them!

By the way, if you want to play with me you may want this: http://steamcommunity.com/id/MikeSharpeWriter

The main Catch is that to play any of these games you need a Steam account and a copy of Steam software, which is free, and to download the games which can take a few hours or longer. The other is that you need to connect to the internet before you can play, however there is an Offline mode and a Cyber café mode.

EDIT: This was a Limited Time Offer which has now ended. Copies of Portal (and now Team Fortress 2) obtained during the Free Periods can not obtain Zombie Panic Source.