Gaming News Round-Up: February 7th, 2005

Today's round-up includes concerns for Valve over German authorities and Half-Life 2's box, plus Nintendo's retooling of it's New York-based Pokémon Center into something altogether more all-encompassing. - The German Consumer Association has ruled that the system requirements on the retail packaging of Half-Life 2 are misleading, and have ordered Vivendi to either change the packaging or disable the Steam requirement, or face a fine. The group found that the box's listing of an Internet connection under the 'Other' category did not paint an accurate picture of how vital the connection was to play the game; a validation with the online Steam service is required to play even the single-portion of the game, let alone the online multiplayer aspects. - Nintendo's remodeling of its Pokémon Center in New York's Rockefeller Plaza would seem to be the beginning of a complete repurposing for the space; the store will be converted into a retail outlet for all of Nintendo's products, not just Pokémon, according to currently posted job applications on Nintendo's site. These retail postings indicate that Nintendo will show off much of its new games and technology -- including possibly its upcoming Revolution console, when the time comes for public demonstrations -- at the retail outlet.