Why Do We Love Valve?

Here's a thing, many games have been released by numerous companies over time. Some instant classics and unbelievably enjoyable others not so good. Many games have spanned different companies and genres and sometimes just been produced to death. Whilst some have been one hit wonders and never touched again. Why are Valve games the ones we keep coming back to time and time again to play?

As of this date Counter-Strike Source is the 4th "most played" game on X-Fire, only being beaten by the Call Of Duty franchise and World of Warcraft. All of Valve's major online games appear in the top twenty list. Surely now the Counter-strike horse has been beaten to death, the original game having been officially released ten years ago.
What is it about these games?

[villevalorox]

lol I don't love them. good games. but not in my top 5 dev.

[Domenikos]

I just feel a compbination of respect and recognition for their carreer and good ips, if you ask what do i love... i would answer Kojima (for example)

[Lifendz]

and I love Left 4 Dead, but it's hard to really get to respect them when I don't have a gaming PC and I don't own a 360. Left 4 Dead is fun, but it's hard to believe that it couldn't run on PS3.

[lord_of_balrogs]

It can run on the PS3 they just choose not to develop for it.

Valve really supports their fanbase and listens to their clients concerns. Free DLC and updates as well as great deals for those who have steam. Hell they offered Half Life for $0.98 on its 10 year anniversary. With their high sales games and revenue from developers for being able to put games on steam Valve is one rich company who have stayed humble and don't try to screw out their customers.

[Powertesties]

They do and we all know it. It is a shame they do not like Playstation though. Dang it, we are missing out on some quality gaming!

[Bnet343]

90% of the people here aren't here for games and to talk about them. Just talk trash and feel superior because you can't do it in real life. I'm not surprised people here don't like Valve. They are pioneers of PC gaming no doubt about it and care about their community. Cheap ass Orange Box port on PS3 (which was EA but its still Valve's fault right lol) and no Left 4 Dead on PS3, that's pretty much a target on your back here at N4G. No offense to non-biased PS3 gamers BTW. You kids (PS3 fanboys and 360 fanboys alike) never cease to amaze me. Well, I'll keep enjoying Team Fortress 2, the best FPS ever made (yes you read right). Free updates and maps and cheap prices for good games worth buying ($25 for L4D suck it 360 nubs) on Steam.

[Shepherd 214]

personally i love bungie the most. Even if you dont like Halo, you cant deny that they arent true to their fans.

deal worked with MS to make all map packs free after a few months? nice.

Multiplayer playlists consistently updated and changed every month to ensure a dynamic online experience? fantastic.

Super online protection that bans cheaters and idiots on a daily basis to make the experience better? Check.

Cold Storage Map for free on Halo 3 launch day anniversary? awesome.

A lengthy progress update ("Bungie Weekly Update") every single week on their website? very much appreciated.

7 maps already released for Halo 3 within a year, with 6 more on the way by the end of 2009, two years after Halo 3's release? Sweet.

A campaign expansion at the end of 09', 2 years after Halo 3's release? cant wait.

Superior website that effectively tracks extremely detailed match statistics, clan activities, and map details like hotspots, etc? Add in the fact that you can compare all of this with any player you want?

the fact that Bungie continues to support its games well after the release date shows that they are good to their fans, i even remember a few months before Halo 3 came out they released two final maps for Halo 2. Infinity Ward came out with one, 4-map pack for COD4 and pretty much ditched the game within a year, despite its huge fanbase that still chooses to play COD4 over WaW. Valve is good but Bungie is my favorite.

[stpiio]

"Well, I'll keep enjoying Team Fortress 2, the best FPS ever made (yes you read right)"

lol, im glad im not the only person who thinks that.

[Bnet343]

It's good to know I'm not the only one on N4G that thinks that. No one here can ever claim a better FPS.

[JsonHenry]

They make great games and have legendary product support.

Not to mention all the free content they release for their games years after the launch of the game.

[dand008]

i personally think that valve sucks

[hippo24]

If you don't like valve what do you like...

[dand008]

i like Bethesda, infinity ward, Kojima

[Vecta]

Oh yeah man I hate continues free updates for old quality games. Man Valve sucks.

[hippo24]

You like Infinity ward but hate valve?
Im assuming your referring to COD:4, a game whose foundation was laid by tactical FPS CS.

So either you hate originality and innovation, or you have some really odd standards.

I mean what do you look for in a game?

[TheIneffableBob]

Hahahahaha, Bethesda.

[jams_shop]

I do NOT love them in general just Half Life

[Arsenic13]

They believe that once a consumer buys their game, they are entitled to all DLC for free. Yay Valve.

[hippo24]

Yea I predict people talking about how Valve sucks because they didn't like the ps3 dev tools, or how they are run but fat people.

[DA_SHREDDER]

The only game that valve made that was decent is Left 4 dead. I do love Steam though. Valve should really think of better IP's to make soon. They are really falling far behind the competition.

[DelbertGrady]

With games like Half-Life 1&2 under your belt I think it's the competition that should worry about falling behind Valve.

[Leathersoup]

Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead are all awesome games.

[incogneato]

i hate valve. i think they are pretty much the most overrated dev ever

[hippo24]

Yea I also lost any respect for you opinions, because you dont support them.

WHY is Valve an overrated developer? May I kindly ask.

[Bnet343]

Don't bother with kids like him. I've been here long enough to realize when you have a good argument at N4G, it doesn't really matter.

[DelbertGrady]

Normal gamers like Valve because of their great games. PS3 fanboys hate them because they don't get to enjoy Valve's games.

Valve has done for the FPS gaming what Shigeru Miyamoto did for platform gaming.

[JD_Shadow]

Ahem...HE'S ENTITLED TO THAT OPINION!! Whether you like it or not.

Why is it that everyone that supports Valve has got to have this mentality that no one is allowed to not like them?

I mean, sure, they might make decent games, but the company is run by one of the biggest douchebags in the gaming industry. He has no viable reason to hate on a system like he does, he is so stubborn that he can't make even an UPDATE to the Source Engine (which is the most overrated engine ever).

Simply put, just because YOU LOVE them doesn't mean WE have to. If you're THAT concerned over whether or not people love Valve or else, then you really, REALLY need to get outside and find a hobby.

[Bnet343]

It's not about you loving them too, it's about giving credit where credit's due. Valve revolutionized the FPS genre and the simple minded fools here can't and will never comprehend that. Saying that Valve is overrated is nothing to shake a stick at.

[jessupj]

I can admit they make great games. Half life 2 was an amazing game, imo the best fps of it's day. It just had such a great atmoshpere.

However...

Thanks to valve's arrogant and stubborn behaviour, which is completely un called for, I have lost a great deal of respect for them and will only ever get second hand copies of thier games from now on.

I won't support developers that single out my console of choice without a justifiable reason and go even further as to bash it. Simple as that.

[Leathersoup]

Well if we're all entitled to our opinion....

I hate you. I hate that you feel that everyone's opinion must be heard even if they do not intend to quantify or explain their hatred of something. That you believe that everyone should be forced to view the textual diarrhea that some intellectual gnat decided that the world needs to see.

@jessupj You don't think that the cost of developing for the PS3 is prohibitive? Valve most likely isn't a huge developer and doesn't have the number of people required to "Just go make a PS3" port of their games maybe more than they'd be able to justify doing that. You say that you won't support developers who single out a console without a justifiable reason but you no doubt picked up MSG4 without losing any sleep.

[ElectricB]

I wouldn't as far as say an unjustifiable reason.. as alread pointed cost is a factor and i believe when he said what he said about the ps3 was a few years ago now let it go. Once again people are entitles to their opinions Gabe Newall included. In his opinion it is not cost effective for a small dev team to dedicate a portion for ps3 porting/development.

And DarkPower overrated engine? it is a beautiful engine the Xbox doesn't really do it justice compared to the PC. yes it is getting a little dated now but you think they can just knock out a new engine in a week? They've done alot of advancements to the engine since HL2 came out making the games look alot better. And I'm sure they'll make/complete a new engine soon, after the release of HL2 episode 3. finish the story arc put the engine to rest a nice life cycle.

[DA_SHREDDER]

No,, Bungie is the most overrated,, Epic is real close to them as well. Valve is tied third with Squeenix.

[lord_of_balrogs]

Hmm taking a shot at two developers who do 360 exclusives. Something fishy there. Sure there isn't bias?

[hippo24]

Dont worry about it Im sure Its just a coincidence, I don't think anyone on N4G would allow exclusivity to dampen their opinions of a game.

[DA_SHREDDER]

I just turned twenty eight today. I probably got kids as old as you. Also, my main reason why I dont like their games is because they are boring. Its not that they make bad games,, I just think the games they make aren't fun. They did a decent job with left 4 dead, but it surely wasn't worth 65 dollars, even with the new dlc I wouldnt pay that much. Is that good enough reason for you? If not sorry that you got so butt hurt.

BTW,, just so you know,, I dont judge games just because of what console they are on. I play eve, total war on the pc. I play COD(my favorite game this gen) on the 360 every day, but I will have to admit my favorite games are on my ps3. Thing is I play games from the ps1, ps2, and ps3, all of which are pretty much exclusive, but mostly single player experiences. I just got sf4 collecters addition for my ps3, and i will be picking up killzone 2 next week. I play some motorstorm 2 online, as well as burnout paradise I downloaded off the psn. Call me what you want though, I really do think im unbiased. Its all about the games to me and I dont care what system they are on.

BTW,, Valve really needs to start making games that will make me stop playing COD. Then maybe I will consider them a great developer.

[Raoh]

like = yes

love = no

They have earned gamers respect not their love

[TheBand1t]

I respect the company as a whole.

Don't care much for Gabe though.

[ftwps3]

Its inevitable, he pissed of the Ps3 owners and now they're out for blood.

[GiantEnemyFlop]

valve suck

[Scelestus]

They created some of the best mods for Quake 1, but they certainly can't be called "developers". If you check the wiki page for the Source engine you'll see that it's basically a souped up Quake engine. That also explains why it wont run on PS3, or indeed any non-PC architecture.
Hire some real programmers, Valve.

[hippo24]

What?
Valve doesn't have any programmers?
How did they make all the games they have then?
Did they steal those?
Im too confused.
Since when did the developers of half-life become no actual "developers"

[Scelestus]

Fine, I'll do the research for you.
Both the GoldSrc and Source engines are modified versions of the Quake engine from 1996. Easy enough to recompile for xbox, but probably a bit harder to re-write for 6 SPEs.
So my message to Valve: Write an engine for current gen hardware, I dare you.

[OSIRUSSS]

You want a reason? Cause they have not made a Game that screams buy a 360 for this game!!! I think that pretty much sums it up!!!

[mastiffchild]

Sucks is way over the top! They created one of the best game series ever in HL and deserve respect for that(but also the derision for allowing half arsed ports like the EA OB debacle)though, imo, L4D just wasn't up to a similar grade-yeah it's fun but it's pretty limited and short lived fun at that even with more free maps I doubt it'll hold my attention much more than it did originally.
I do hope Gabe gets off his high horse about deving for PS3 for the next HL installment though as his comments were both ill advised(given his MS heavy background he should have known what people would say), ott and basically not needed. Just get on with HL3 and quit the chatter big fella! And make it good for us all while your at it cos my PC gaming chair is dying on me and I fear I'll need the PS3 version!(it is a VERY old and lucky chair which I love deeply and PC gaming will not be the same without it. In fact I may retire when it carks it finally)*drifts off to sleep dreaming of the hours spent with his lovely chair-what a lovely chair sooo comfy*

[Gantrfaxx]

Who?

[Trebius]

I spent countless hours playing the Half-Life games, Counterstrike, and a variety of other mods that succeeded and didnt.

Valve has had an impact on my gaming career and I havent seen them do any shady business.

For now they have my support...but they really need to get on the ball with a new defining experience for this Gen.

[DelbertGrady]

I love Valve because they always nail what's most important in games. The gameplay.

[vlazed]

I have no love for any developer. They all get complacent at some point and they are only as good as their last game. As far as valve goes, and most pc developers in general, they rely too heavily on the mod community to fix their broken games.

[lelo]

Half Life 1 and 2, Half Life 2 episode 1, Half Life 2 episode 2, arrival of Half Life 2 episode 3 in the future, Team Fortress 1 and 2, Portal, Left 4 Dead, etc....

Great games from a great company. Enough said.

[Jerk120]

I love Valve because Valve does not love the Suckstation 3.

Valve knows how much of a crappy console it is and how unworthy it is of being able to play any games made by Valve.

[EnglishPatriot]

I will only love Valve if they bring back Cpl. Adrian Shephard from Opposing Force.

[Hitmaker]

Bethesda - Horse Armor - $5
Capcom - Alternate Costume Packs - $20
Valve - 10 (and counting) new weapons, 2 new gameplay modes, new offical maps, and a slew of bonus content - free

We love valve because valve loves us

(I disliked L4D, however)

[LFC1EE]

While i like halflife but dislike there outspokeness at rubbishing other companys hardware such as the ps3 what right does gabe newel have too say these things, theres nothing wrong with the ps3.

[xabmol]

I loved Portal, but Valve? No.

[xodee48]

I have much luv for Valve i have spent a good chunk of my gaming life playing there products and still play Counter-Strike to this day.

[THE_BATTLERAGER]

There is no such thing as overrated, it is just that were millions of people like something and you don't, and you are so arrogant you think your opinion counts for more.

How on earth do people think things become 'overrated'. Because they are good and lots of people enjoy it. Therefore no Valve game is overrated, Valve is not overrated, they are just great innovators. I wonder if it's mostly console owners who think otherwise.

[manwich25]

Half life was the game that got me gaming. I was 16 when it released for PC. The whole thing seemed so mysterious then. I had almost forgotten about Valve until HL2 was released for the XBOX. I was so blown away by it, I went back to replay HL1 for my pc but I had lost the CD key for re instillation. To my surprise, I had found that HL1 was ported to the PS2 as almost a launch title. Clearly one of the best bargain bin buys I have ever made.

[RadientFlux]

simple they make killer games that are fun to play and innovate.

With Half-Life they innovated the FPS genre by developing a FPS with a great storyline and staged events. With Half-Life2 they continued to innovate the FPS genre with physics based problem solving and physics based weapons.

Most of the people that dislike Valve are PS3 fanboys

[DFresh]

The only Valve game I've ever liked was Left 4 Dead the other games I just didn't get into.
-Half-Life series literally no action for like an hour. (Boring.)
-Portal= Wow it's a 1st person puzzle game. (Lame.)
-Team Fortress = Great Online but bad textures and animation for a next gen game and every single foe looks the same.
-Left 4 Dead = Awesome Game w/ amazing story, co-op, online, and graphics. (Played it on my friend's Xbox 360.)