Valve celebrates Half-Life 2 for OS X with a nod to Apple's '1984'

Apple's "1984" commercial has become the stuff of legend -- a symbol of breaking free from what was then an IBM-dominated market. But in a stroke of irony, Valve has released its own parody of the ad to celebrate the launch of Half-Life 2 on OS X (praise be to Steam), about five and a half years after the highly acclaimed game originally debuted on PC. Better late than never, we suppose, and like always, Valve's marketing hits just the right pitch. Video after the break, along with Apple's original and another parody near and dear to our hearts.

Half-Life 2


Macintosh

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[BigJayDogg3 Posted May 26th 2010 2:33PM]

I never do this, but

FIRST ON A BRAND NEW SITE!!!

[BigJayDogg3 Posted May 26th 2010 2:36PM]

@BigJayDogg3

Maybe its just me, but I find the Apple "1984" commercial a /bit/ ironic.

[werty1432k Posted May 26th 2010 3:08PM]

@BigJayDogg3 gotta post on the first article of a new site!

[RincewindWiz Posted May 26th 2010 3:08PM]

@BigJayDogg3 Indeed, indeed.

[abedinthehouse Posted May 26th 2010 3:20PM]

@BigJayDogg3
Lol

Who would have guessed the site article would also be an Apple related article..

[viper24 Posted May 26th 2010 3:25PM]

@BigJayDogg3
Oh Apple, how you have changed, err.. I mean Engadget.

[gargle Posted May 26th 2010 3:26PM]

HL2 after 5 years STILL looks good.. sharp graphics, incredible gameplay, gravity gun.. best shooter of the decade imo.

[nikeairj Posted May 26th 2010 3:29PM]

@BigJayDogg3
I guess this is the ONLY time you will be forgiven for being the first!

[Edmunn Posted May 26th 2010 4:32PM]

More importantly, achievements! :D

[naz Posted May 26th 2010 5:07PM]

@BigJayDogg3

Seeing that you were truely first, we'll let you off this one

[Michalis Posted May 26th 2010 5:28PM]

@BigJayDogg3 and what better than an apple post 1st LOL

[skatergeek Posted May 26th 2010 10:04PM]

@BigJayDogg3

I knew someone was going to do that... and for this instance only... I applaud you.

[Old fogie late bloomer Posted May 27th 2010 12:36AM]

@BigJayDogg3

Under any other circumstances, I'd downrank you, but all things considered, I have to congratulate you. Mostly as an excuse to comment on the first post of a new site.

[Johnny Rockets Posted May 26th 2010 2:35PM]

WOAH WHERE AM I

[derekdevine Posted May 26th 2010 3:17PM]

@Johnny Rockets Yeah, it takes a few seconds is soak in and then it's refreshing.

[AlexCull Posted May 26th 2010 3:17PM]

@Johnny Rockets

You're traveling through another dimension - a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: Alt.Engadget.

[E30 Kid Posted May 26th 2010 2:36PM]

Second.

[MechEMark Posted May 26th 2010 3:06PM]

@E30 Kid To fail maybe.

[NeoJew Posted May 26th 2010 2:43PM]

Why's the Futurama one in... not English?

[Level 5 Posted May 26th 2010 2:57PM]

I mean cool, but why is this newsworthy, HL2 is 5 years old. Because it's on a Mac and it has a hat tip to a 25 year old Mac commercial? Quick, let me make a Linux version of Commander Keen and do a Ballmer Monkey Dance to it and film it. Then can I be awesome too??

[RincewindWiz Posted May 26th 2010 3:09PM]

@Level 5
No.

[Level 5 Posted May 26th 2010 3:13PM]

@RincewindWiz

Thanks, buddy; you're obviously PhD material of the highest caliber.

[Johnny Rockets Posted May 26th 2010 3:30PM]

@Level 5

How about because Half-Life (and Valve) are awesome!

[benjgvps Posted May 26th 2010 4:18PM]

@Level 5 It's the fact that they've ported the game and it's complex engine to a platform that most companies have ignored. Porting a few of their source engine powered games to Mac will likely be an ear flick to other large developers, letting them know that there is actually a market over there.

[Level 5 Posted May 26th 2010 4:48PM]

@benjgvps

Yeah see, the problem with that argument is that HL2 has been out on OSX natively for a year and a half. Look closer at the ad, it doesn't have Valve anywhere on it. Why?

The community has been playing HL2 on OSX via Cider legally for YEARS. You could had honestly bought a copy of HL2 as cheap or cheaper years ago, and played it on any Intel Mac for the most part.

Honestly, Macs are x86 compatible machines, and have been for about 5 years, why are game companies SO LAZY as to not port a game which would sell for that long?

[richtyn Posted May 26th 2010 2:59PM]

I think I'm going to enjoy this site. Even more to help the boredom at work. Hahaha

[benr Posted May 26th 2010 3:00PM]

@richtyn
Exactly!

[benr Posted May 26th 2010 3:00PM]

Bout time! Better be free for those that have already purchased it for PC and have it added to our steam account too!

[f314 Posted May 26th 2010 6:06PM]

@benr
To quote Steam Update news: "Already own it on Steam for PC? Now you also own it for Mac."

[slipdisc Posted May 26th 2010 3:04PM]

No offense Ross, but, isn't this just regurgitating the Giz post?

[d0mth0ma5 Posted May 26th 2010 3:07PM]

@slipdisc Or it's reporting the same news. Which Giz does all. the. time.

[slipdisc Posted May 26th 2010 3:10PM]

@d0mth0ma5 You're right. Good point.

[Girish Posted May 26th 2010 3:08PM]

I paid money for HL2, then bought a new PC and Steam just won't let me play it anymore.
I wish Steam would fix their bugs

[Jaylittles531 Posted May 26th 2010 3:11PM]

Still waiting for TF2

[Rebajas Posted May 26th 2010 3:25PM]

@Jaylittles531 - I wish they just stop sodding around and get episode 3 out the door!

[NNtech Posted May 26th 2010 3:20PM]

irony of this apple computing way more uniformed than pc's. just had to mention that.

[Abhi9 Posted May 26th 2010 3:22PM]

Whoa! What's going on here? It's an all new weird world.

Good Luck! Team Engadget.

[MegaJapan Posted May 26th 2010 3:25PM]

Good to see Max is getting some life :D.

[michaspi Posted May 26th 2010 3:28PM]

Hello World.

Anyway, Apple has become what they fought so hard against.

[wooooooow Posted May 26th 2010 3:32PM]

AAAAALT

[Johnny Rockets Posted May 26th 2010 3:33PM]

Google should put out the same ad, with an apple logo on the big screen.

Pretty accurate.

[sweet greggo Posted May 26th 2010 3:48PM]

Cue Apphole lawyers in 3... 2...

[Professor Hubert J Farnsworth Posted May 26th 2010 4:06PM]

@sweet greggo
Doubtful, if Apple sued Steam, then steam would be all like:
"OH NO YOU DIDN'T, FU."
Then Apple would be like:
"Oh noes, now we can't act all smug about our great 'gaming computers'."
Then I would be all like:
"Ha."

[gcpenn Posted May 26th 2010 4:29PM]

@sweet greggo

I am amazed that anyone would think that Apple would have an issue with this. A (loving) tribute to their classic ad that also celebrates Half Life coming to the Mac!

People are so eager to paint Apple as villains that they have lost all common sense.

[andymac Posted May 26th 2010 4:00PM]

I totally gotta give a shout out on the first post on the new site. (although HL2 still shows unavailable on my current platform - Commodore 64)

[Teerim Posted May 26th 2010 4:17PM]

The font color of the hyperlinks is really hard to read.

[FriedYoda Posted May 26th 2010 4:23PM]

Toasting in an epic bread! Bon fortuna to you, Engadget Alt!

[raystevensii Posted May 26th 2010 4:25PM]

IN HONOR of "ALT"..... everyone should hit "ctrl - ALT - del" and shutdown for the day!!!!

[Lowest Ranks Posted May 26th 2010 4:29PM]

I guess Alt is not a virgin anymore ;)

[Otto MCR Posted May 26th 2010 4:35PM]

HUZZAH!