I want to get HL2 for my brother-in-law as a present. Looking on Ebay, I see several Chinese sellers offering CD keys, some with over a thousand feedback, all of the same item. Is this legit? I’m jsut curious as to why the game costs around 50 Euros here in Germany, but 15 USD on Ebay.

And is this all i would need for him? I see that the game files themselves are downloadable, so I assume so. Am I correct in my assumption that I only need this CK key?

Also, I see that there is something called Steam, which appears to be Valve’s central server. Does this mean you only need a real CD key to play the game online but can use a hacked or fake CD key for single player use?

*Bump*

With all that’s written here about gaming, is there really nobody who knows about this? I thought Half Life2 was a big event…

The game keys are separate from the Steam IDs. However, they usually link the game keys to the Steam IDs, and you need an internet connection to play Half Life 2 w/ Steam: they’ll allow you to install Half Life 2 without registering online, however, before actual play commences, you have to update steam and get Steam-verified online.  So, my guess is that you’ll be sold a half life key already linked to a steam id, and given that as well.  are there any restrictions on usage? i’d like to see the actual auction.

in conclusion: i don’t think it’s legitimate, and just buy the game.  less headache for you overall.

~nox