Valve announced today that the third phase of the closely-watched Half-Life 2 preload has begun. Subscribers to the company's Steam distribution service will now preload a majority of the game's models, though of course in encrypted form. Previous phases of the preload have included other fixed assets in the game, including textures, music, and audio.
Of course, there's no word yet on just when Half-Life 2 will be released, or go gold for that matter. However, Valve explains that preloading the game will ensure that Steam subscribers who purchase Half-Life 2 will be able to unlock the game as soon as it's released. Not a bad way to avoid a mad mob at the store.
News source: ign.com
