Dunedain1

I tried playing Half-Life II (the main single-player game) a few months back in this "offline" mode, I had my internet connection completely off (I unplugged my cable modem), just to see what would happen. I got an error because it couldn't establish an internet connection and it wouldn't let me play the game. So much for "offline" mode... If it wasn't for the fact that I like Half-Life II so much (I've been a fan since the original Half-Life came out), I wouldn't even play the game. But I buy all of my games, including Half-Life II and any expansion packs for it (like Aftermath/Episode 1), in the full boxed versions only. :)

Steam is garbage, they make you log into their servers to get permission to play a game that you own. If I want to play a game, I'll play it any time I want, even if my internet connection is off. You shouldn't have to get permission to play any game you bought. That's why I only buy the full boxed version of games, and I want a real printed manual, not some .pdf junk. Plus you have the actual game disk, you can install and re-install it and play it any time you want, no need to download anything, and without having to go to Valve and ask them if it's ok to play the game you already own.