Having already been stung by piracy problems, Valve is taking measures to protect Half-Life 2 from further thefts. Taking the lead from Microsoft’s online XP activation, players will need to register each copy before they can enjoy the action. Valve’s Doug Lombardi issued the following statement:

"All versions require an Internet connection upon installation. This is for authentication/anti-piracy purposes. Once this has been completed, the owner of either the retail or the Steam version can play Half-Life 2 single player in offline mode."

It does seem like a sensible move; although it’s sure to upset the three people in the world who own PCs powerful enough to run HL2, but without internet access. After such a calamitous build-up to release, Valve certainly doesn’t deserve any more misfortune; so with any luck, this precaution ought to shake off a few of those pesky demons.

The long-awaited FPS is still on course to ship at some point during mid-November. We’re certainly looking forward to finally getting our mitts on it.