Valve's weekend sales on Steam are usually just one or two titles but this weekend its a boatload of games that are now just 50 percent off for this weekend only. All of them are part of the id Software Super Pack that was introduced last year during QuakeCon.That means all of the games in the Super Pack are really cheap via Steam; all the Doom, Wolfenstein, Quake, Heretic/Hexen titles and expansion packs are involved in this sale (except for Enemy Territory; Quake Wars and Quake IV, the latter of which for some reason has never been available for Steam download). If you want to get all of the games at once that's the best deal of all as the entire Super Pack, priced at an already resonable $69.99, is on sale this weekend only for just $34.99. That's 22 total games for less than the price for one regular retail new PC title....

You can add more more game that's now available via Valve's Steam download service. Funcom's fantasy MMO Age of Conan has now joined the growing line up of titles on Steam. As usual with introducing a new game, Steam is offering a 10 percent off sale for anyone purchasing Age of Conan before Sept. 11.Funcom recently announced plans for a commercial expansion pack for Age of Conan that will be released in 2009; they will also continue to expand the game with free content updates for its subscribers. They also plan to release a DirectX10 graphics patch for Age of Conan that should improve the title's visuals greatly. The big question: will the release later this month of Warhammer Online affect Age of Conan's subscriber base?...

X-COM: Complete Pack, a collection of the entire Microprose Software, Inc.-developed strategy game series, is now available on Steam, according to Valve's official Steam website.Featuring X-COM: Apocalypose, X-COM: Enforcer, X-COM: Interceptor, X-COM: Terror From the Deep and X-COM: UFO Defense, the Complete Pack is currently listed at a price of $13.49. Each game's individual price tag sits at $4.99, making the Complete Pack quite a bargain for X-COM enthusiasts.Beginning with X-COM: UFO Defense, Microprose's series introduced PC gamers to an eerie strategic setting which grew in popularity upon each subsequent series entry. For those who haven't yet experienced extra-terrestrial defense, take the plunge and purchase the entire package....

It's a game that's still played by the thousands online at any one time during the day even though it came out nearly 10 years ago. It's the original version of Counter-Strike, the multiplayer team shooter that started as a Half-Life mod and was then bought and expanded by Valve. Now that version of the game (commonly labeled as Counter-Strike 1.6) is getting a new version.Planet Half-Life has the details on how to try out a beta version of the new Counter-Strike 1.6 release. This new version adds support for Valve's Steam community features like tracking gameplay stats, chatting with friends, joining groups and more. There's no word on when the new version will be publicly released.[Via Blue's News]...

Comrade! It is good to see you. I see you have completed the gauntlet our wise commanders have given you. Da, I know. It was hard. But it was all for glorious Mother Russia! You may not have completed all of the tasks given to you, but our masters were generous. After 10 tasks, they gave you a delicious Sandvich. After 15 tasks, a glorious new minigun to mow down the dirty American Scouts. And at 22 tasks complete, you were given the K.G.B., a killing machine named after our most important government service. If you must still peruse the guide, though, it is divided into 5 parts, labeled, in the Russian tradition, plain and intelligently. Part one, two, three, four, and five are all freely available to you, and we wish you happy hunting. For Mother Russia!...

Have you had your cake yet? If you haven't then you haven't played the innovative and award winning puzzle-action game Portal from Valve. This weekend may be your time to find out what all the fuss is about as Portal is the subject of the regular weekend sale on Valve's Steam service.Portal is priced for this weekend only for just $9.99, a 50 percent cut for its normal price of $19.99. With that you get a game that, while extremely short, is still challenging and entertaining (and not without more than a little humor). Valve is reportedly working on a sequel to Portal but it may be a while before that's even officially announced....

Da, Comrade? Vat can we help you with? Oh, you haf your new orders? Glorious! Praise to Mother Russia in all her visdom! We heard you will be gettink new weapons to assist in your fight for one of the Amerikanski corporations. While we do not applaud you working for capitalist dogs, we do not question to visdom of the Motherland. So, in celebration of your new orders and weapons, we will give you this document. It details how to acquire your new armaments. Do not misuse it or distribute it to the enemies of Mother Russia, or we will be forced to inform the KGB of your treasonous actions! You may view parts one, two, three, and four of our guide as well....

Capcom may not have come to terms with Valve with putting Bionic Commando Rearmed on Valve's Steam service but others games certainly have no issues with getting a new life. Valve has just announced that two PC games in the classic Oddworld side scrolling action-adventure series are now available for download. The games, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, were developed by the now defunct Oddworld Inhabitants and were first published by GT Interactive (later bought by Infogrames).Both games can now be downloaded for $9.99 each or both for $14.99. Until September 4, Steam users can get these games for 10 percent off their regular prices....

Anyone could come up with a lot of reasons for why Valve is such a successful company. Ask any two people what makes Valve so successful and they'll probably point to different things. Some will say their cabal style game design and free content updates. While others will point to the Steam platform, mod support and integration of top mod designers. Some may even call out Gabe Newell himself. Oh and don't forget Doug Lombardi, either. We could go on and on about just what made (and continues to make) Valve so very special. Though I doubt it's any single one of those things as opposed to many of them at the right moments in the right way. Or in other words, a lot of chance, determination and some vision.What I do think can be gleaned from the success of Valve, is where PC gaming will -- or at least should be -- going over the next few years. Hit the image above to take a look at what I think their model of game design and business decisions has to offer the wider PC gaming market....

The folks at Valve continue to give Steam customers (at least those in North America) some cool package deals on games on their service. The latest is for the upcoming SimBin developed racing simulation GTR Evolution. This latest game is actually an extension of the previously released RACE 07 and contains nearly 50 cars, 19 different tracks and both a simulation and arcade racing mode.GTR Evolution actually contains the full RACE 07 game and Steam is offering people who pre-order GTR Evolution 10 percent off its regular $39.99 price before it launches on September 1. If you already own RACE 07 you can download GTR Evolution from Steam; it is also priced at 10 percent off its regular price of $19.99....

Da, Comrade? Vat can we help you with? Oh, you haf your new orders? Glorious! Praise to Mother Russia in all her visdom! We heard you will be gettink new weapons to assist in your fight for one of the Amerikanski corporations. While we do not applaud you working for capitalist dogs, we do not question to visdom of the Motherland. So, in celebration of your new orders and weapons, we will give you this document. It details how to acquire your new armaments. Do not misuse it or distribute it to the enemies of Mother Russia, or we will be forced to inform the KGB of your treasonous actions! You may view parts one and two of our guide as well....

We are not sure why other web sites are making such a big deal about this story but oh well. According to a new video interview of Valve head man Gabe Newell at Gamekings.tv, their zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has been delayed . . . but just for a few days. Instead of an early November release the game is now scheduled to appear on Nov. 20Considering that the game was supposed to be released several months ago, a tiny few days of a delay seems like not a lot to crow about. Indeed our just released list of our most anticipated PC games for fall 2008 lists the title as coming out in "mid-November" so we are nicely covered . . unless the game gets pushed back even more....

It's Friday which means it's time to kick back, go see a movie, hang with a significant other or maybe try out some new games. Valve's Steam service has two games in their line-up priced well below their regular price for this weekend only. One is Beyond Good and Evil, the acclaimed Ubisoft fantasy action-adventure title. It's priced at only $4.99 this weekend. Buy it and check out its goodness before Ubisoft releases its announced sequel to the game.The other game on sale at Steam this weekend is the indie music rhythm-racing title Audiosurf. For just a few days you can buy and download the acclaimed title for just $4.99, which is a near-perfect price to see what all the fuss is about....

Earlier this week we reported that Konami had plans to release a PC version of their upcoming survival horror game Silent Hill: Homecoming in September. At the time we noted that the only place Konami stated the PC version would be released would be via Valve's Steam service with no word on a retail release.Now comes confirmation (via out sister site Joystiq) that Konami indeed has no plan to ship the PC port of the game to retail stores. According to a statement from the publisher, "Steam is currently the only method of distribution for Silent Hill Homecoming PC." This has to be considered a major coup for Valve's download service and an interesting decision for Konami to bypass retail stores entirely for one of their major franchises....

You can never get enough high-intensity zombie blasting action, but we'll have to settle for watching trailers until Left 4 Dead finally releases. This trailer shows what it takes to take on a rush of zombies clamoring to rip you and your team apart, and the firepower it takes to take out a mutant boss. Left 4 Dead will let players team up as a group of survivors against waves of undead, but real players can also take control of the powerful bosses to wreak havoc. The game is currently scheduled to release this November, so players better learn to play together or die alone.Download Left 4 Dead HD Gameplay Video (255 MB)...