Half-Life 2 Users Bitten By Bugs

Some who purchased copies at retail experience technical difficulties; Valve acknowledges troubles, addressing problems.

Several Half-Life 2 users who finally got the long-delayed game into their hands yesterday got exactly what they didn't want--more delays.

The Half-Life 2 forums have been busy with gamers saying online authentication delays have rendered their copies temporarily useless. Of note, no users who downloaded the copy directly from Valve's download service, Steam, have reported problems.

In a statement from Valve posted on its Web site shortly after 4:30pm PST, the company stated: "We've received a number of reports from people experiencing delays with Half-Life 2 authentication. We are investigating the issue and will update everyone as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and hope to have everyone in the game very soon."