> I was thinking of getting HL2 once and for all (never played it yet) and then it
> hit me that I could just download the whole thing, legally...
>

Fuckin' a

> Steam's silver offer is very interesting, I probably won't play all the other
> titles but I will try to finish HL1 this time :-)
>

Half Life Source is pretty fucking sweet with the new physics model and such. You can play through the classic version, which is in some ways superior (gibbing bodies NEVER gets old in the original) but Half Life Source's new visual effects and physics are totally tits, even with the simple map geometry and textures (which still looks pretty damn good)

> It seems I get a steam ID and then I can install the game on as many PCs as I
> want, just not run it more than one at the same time (MMORPG style), which is
> pretty interesting.
>

Word

> Does the Steam subscription expire in time?

Nope, once you buy it, you have it for life. When you buy the game retail, you still have to sign up for a Steam Account and it still needs to connect to the server to unlock it..downloading it saves you the time of having to go to the store and buy it :)

Plus you get Half Life Source for free and Day of Defeat Source for free when it comes out. Half Life, Counter Strike, Condition Zero, and Opposing Force are all free when you buy it, and you can always install all of your classic Half Life mods (usually without having to make any changes). Seriously, HL2 Silver is the best damn investment you can make on a game :)

I had my worries about it early on, but after the smooth launch and the no-worries patching, I'm a total fucking believer