More on Half-Life Beta: Ivan the Space Viking, and Company

Do you remember that picture that was on Digg a while back, which showed a model of Gordon Freeman from Half-Life, in his early stages?

 

Well, I was doing a search the other day for Half-Life stuff, like one does, and came across this.

There’s Ivan again

Surprisingly, unlike the first image, which got much more publicity, this one above was only dugg once on digg, and yet according to the dates on deviantart, where I saw it, it looks like it was added sometime in 2008.

Here’s some comments from the guy:

“1.The guy holding the gun is what Gordon Freeman looked like in the early betas.
2.The girl is a character from Half-Life Decay.
3.The small purple thing is a Chumtoad (Only seen in Blue Shift).
4.The thing that looks like a penis is A ACTUAL ALIEN PENIS! When it attacked you it would knock off Gordon's glasses and tentacle rape him (FOR REAL).
4.It is the beta version of a Advisor.”

In any case, that monster on the far right looks as though it would have been some scary sh!t to face off against. Certain parts of it remind me of Madonna! I remember seeing some images like these in a Half-Life review in NAG magazine years ago, just when the game was released, and long after Valve had gone past the beta stage.

I decided to search more for Half-Life beta stuff, and found a thread that’s started a few years ago that contains some interesting stuff on Half-Life Beta, with pictures of several character and all the stages they went through before the final version. Read this thread. It’s awesome. I promise…apart from the constant cursing all the time. But hey, forums, you know.

Mainly I decided to post about this, even though it’s nothing new, because I’m going through a Half-Life stage at the moment. I think I might actually play the games for the first time in years. By that I mean Half-Life, Opposing Force, and Blue Shift.

You can even check out some stuff about the Half-Life 2 beta on wikia while you’re at it.

More on Half-Life Beta: Ivan the Space Viking, and Company

Apocalypse Then- Half-Life: Opposing Force

All Saints Day



On this day in gaming, Half-Life: Opposing Force was released on the PC, in 1999. This marks the tenth anniversary of the first expansion for Half-Life, developed by Gearbox Software, with some help from outsourcing of talent, and published by Sierra Studios.

I played it numerous times years ago. I first played the demo that was available on a NAG CD in 2000, although I later bought Blue Shift, which included "OpFor". I personally sent a letter to NAG, requesting them to review the game in late 1999, and the review was published in early 2000.

Opposing Force is a FPS title that sees you play in the same universe as the original game, except that you are a soldier, Corporal Adrian Shephard, like the ones sent to contain the events at Black Mesa Research Facility, and to eliminate the alien invasion. But soon the marines are overcome by numerous foes, even ones unexpected, like another alien race, Race X, as well as black ops.

Like Half-Life was revolutionary for the FPS genre, Opposing Force was considered an above average expansion by many. It introduced new weapons, enemies, and NPCs, including Senior Drill Instructor Dwight T. Barnes, a character meant to be modeled after R. Lee Ermey's Gunny from Full Metal Jacket. Of course the mysterious G-Man makes an appearance in the game too.

In Opposing Force there was one notable difference, playing as a marine, and that was that unlike Half-Life, you didn't have to kill the scientists, or the security force. In Opposing Force you can save them, and more often that not, they will aid you in parts of the game. Kind of like a "we're in the same boat" kind of situation.

Opposing Force was also available with Blue Shift, the second expansion, along with the High Definition Pack, which enhanced the look of the game's characters and weaponry, with the MP5 submachine gun notably changing into the M4 assault rifle.

At the end of the game, a similar situation with the G-Man unfolds, and the player is detained. Up until now, there have been no real confirmations that Adrian Shepard will ever be seen or be playable in a Half-Life title again, althought rumours still persist.

A fan-made mod is in development, Operation Black Mesa, with the aim of recreating Opposing Force in the Source engine, much like Black Mesa Source.

Just on a personal note: There was a sound when using the barnacle as a grappling hook to stick onto things, which made me "excited".

Apocalypse Then- Half-Life: Opposing Force