It was Just a Joke! An April Fool’s Day Joke!

Like I has to explain last year, and will every year: the thing about Half-Life 2: Episode 3 was just a joke; an April Fool’s Day joke! HL 2: E3 is still is still in development, or development hell, as far as I know.

I just thought I’d send out a little note today after yesterday, seeing as that post got some attention – more than I thought it would.

You know, some people choose not to play April Fool’s Day jokes or pranks. They say it’s improper for a news outlet to do so. But then again a lot of other people do it. I think those who don’t and are all sour about the day should just lighten up, and actually take a look at the calendar, and realize that likely some things, or a lot of things are going to be false – all in the spirit of this fine day.

Anyway, you all know that AAA isn’t a news outlet. There are some news posts, but there is a lot of other crazy stuff as well.

It was Just a Joke! An April Fool’s Day Joke!

Half-Life 2: Episode 3 has been Cancelled [Shocker]

Yes, that’s what it says, bright, wide-eyed readers. The third instalment in the Episodes for Half-Life 2, known also as Half-Life 2: Episode 3, has been cancelled. It was confirmed by Gabe Newell, head of Valve Corporation, himself recently.

Reasons as to why this has happened aren’t very clear, but Gabe Newell says that it’s not the end of Half-Life at all. The series will continue, but probably as the true sequel in the series: Half-Life 3.

“A lot has gone on in the last few years, since Episode 2 came out in 2007, and much of it we’ve kept under wraps. And it’s all for a good reason.

We here at Valve have been working on Half-Life 3 for longer than anybody else thinks, even while the episodes were in development. The episodes will end with Episode 2, but the series is far from over.”

Half-Life 2 was released in 2004, with Episode 1 following in 2006, and E2 in 2007. It’s been about two and a half years since then, and no sign of Episode 3, after many expected to see it at E3 last year. And it looks like now we’ll not see it at all.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, as the effort that has been put in to Episode 3 is not lost. It will just be incorporated into Half-Life 3… probably. Details of Episode 3 have been scarce over the years, with a news piece last year revealing details about a deaf character appearing in the game, which will be Alyx Vance’s long lost friend, and eventual lover. Apart from that and a few pieces of concept art: not much else.

 

                          

Although there was talk from Gabe recently who said he wanted Half-Life to return to the days of scaring people. Mission accomplished, after you read the headline of this post I suppose.

One thing that can be said about the whole situation, is that episodic content, a great idea years ago, seems to have failed after all, especially when applied to major titles, such as Half-Life 2.

I don’t know what Valve will do about HL 3 and the Source engine. It’s aging now, and I don’t really expect they can use it for much longer, especially not with HL 3. It might be time to say goodbye, and think of switching to a new engine. Unreal Engine 3, anyone?

Source: “Gabe Confirms Episode 3 Cancelled” [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

Half-Life 2: Episode 3 has been Cancelled [Shocker]

Half-Life 2 Actor, Robert Culp, Dies at Age 79 [News]

The actor who played the egomaniacal villain, Dr. Wallace Breen in Half-Life 2, Robert Culp, has passed away.

He apparently died after taking a fall just this week in his home in Los Angeles, reportedly on the 24th – my birthday of all days. He was 79 years of age. Culp was taken to hospital, but later pronounced dead.

One of Culp’s most memorable appearances to many people was in the 60’s show, I Spy. And I saw this mentioned on Twitter accounts like that of Tom Hall’s, but I didn’t even know what I Spy was, or who Robert Culp was, admittedly. That was way before my time.

But no doubt gamers all know Dr. Breen, the main antagonist in HL2 who was the administrator of City 17, much like he filled the same title at Black Mesa Laboratory, although you didn’t see him much in the first game, if at all. You heard about him though early on in Half-Life.

He played a major role in Half-Life 2, though, taking the blame for ending the 7 hour war, selling out humanity, which led to their imprisonment on their own planet. The last we ever saw of Breen was in Half-Life 2: Episode 2, where one of those big, ugly Advisor things killed Eli Vance, but spared Gordon Freeman and Alyx.

It didn’t look like him, but you’ll remember that near the end of Half-Life 2, when Breen was fleeing, he was offered a host body by the Combine. This host body also made an appearance in Episode 1. It’s my feeling that this is Breen, albeit transformed.

Robert leaves behind his wife, five children and five grandchildren.

You see Valve? This is what you get when you don’t hurry up with Episode 3! How many more people have to suffer? How many more people have to die? *Sob*
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Source: Half Life’s Dr. Breen Dead at 79 [LazyGamer]

Half-Life 2 Actor, Robert Culp, Dies at Age 79 [News]

Portal 2 Officially on the way, Some Details Floating Around

 

                                   April Issue Cover of Game Informer

Portal is a sequel of sorts to Narbacular Drop, which was developed by a bunch of college kids, before they were typically recruited by Valve, famous for employing modders and the likes, and the game was released in the form and under the name it’s known as today.

It was released in the Orange Box, along with Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2 Episodes 1 and 2. The game was praised as a witty, humourous, and ingenious take on the puzzle game genre, and although it lacked guns of any sort, besides the portal gun, it still managed to win over many fans.

Well, if you’re not the sort of person who was bored to death by the game, then you’ll be pleased to know that a sequel, Portal 2, has officially been announced by Valve, and Game Informer is the lucky one to get the first details on it in their magazine. The April edition will have a cover story on the title [1].

Some details that have been leaked so far include "a stand-alone, full-price retail release" (unlike the preqeul), "new gameplay mechanics, storyline, and some surprising new twists."

Details were also deciphered in some Morse code messages hidden in updates for Portal 1, and have revealed that the baddie in the game will be one Cave Johnson [4].

GameStop says that the game will feature separate two-player cooperative campaign, as well, and the retail price will be $60 for the console version, and $50 for the PC one [2].

“Coming this holiday. Portal 2 is the sequel to 2007's Game of the Year and draws from the award-winning formula of innovative game play, story, and music that earned the original over 70 industry accolades. Features single and multiplayer co-op modes.

The single-player portion of Portal 2 introduces a cast of dynamic new characters, a host of fresh puzzle elements, and a much larger set of devious test chambers. Players will explore never-before-seen areas of the Aperture Science Labs and be reunited with GLaDOS, the occasionally murderous computer companion who guided them through the original game. The game's two-player cooperative mode features its own entirely separate campaign with a unique story, test chambers, and two new player characters. This new mode forces players to reconsider everything they thought they knew about portals. Success will require them to not just act cooperatively, but to think cooperatively.”

Portal 2 should be out this holiday season (November, early December, probably), 2010, and it will be available on PC, Mac, and Xbox 360 [3].

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Source: [1] Game Informer - [2] Kotaku - [3] Eurogamer – [4] MTV

Portal 2 Officially on the way, Some Details Floating Around

Apocalypse Then: Half-Life 2

5 Years of Half-Life 2

Well, it’s hard to believe, but it has indeed been five years since the release of one of the most critically acclaimed FPS titles ever, Half-Life 2. It’s the sequel to yet another well-known and loved game, Half-Life.

Half-Life 2 was developed by the renowned and lately somewhat controversial Valve Corporation, and was released on November 16, 2004 for the PC, after being in development nearly since the original game came out over five years before it, with console versions of the game following lin years later. It was the first in a line of controversial Steamworks games; titles which involve Steam, Valve’s online digital distribution service, and require online product activation. This caused a lot of public outcry, especially for players without a broadband connection. The game was later included in The Orange Box compilation pack along with Team Fortress 2, Portal, and the Half-Life 2 Episodes. Half-Life 2 continued the science fiction story of the mute scientist known as Gordon Freeman, as awakens from approximately twenty year of stasis and he finds himself in City 17, a strange Eastern European-looking place in the future under alien control; the Combine having assembled forces consisting of transhumans, as well as other methods of maintaining compliance, like using headcrabs as part of their biological warfare arsenal. You remember those from Half-Life, right? Gordon found himself yet again being manipulated by the mysterious G-man, and fighting alongside resistance members as well as some old friends from Black Mesa to take on the powers that controlled the City, as well as possibly many other cities of its kind across the world. Dr. Wallace Breen was one of the chief enemies in the game.

Half-Life 2, although arguably not the most graphically advanced game in the world at the time years ago, was still beautiful, and a marvelous game, with great AI and revolutionary physics, animation, gameplay, and story, and was applauded for its immense use of technology, unlike one of its main competitors of that year, Doom 3. It won numerous Game of the Year awards. If people thought that Half-Life was great, then Half-Life 2 was excellent, and is on many lists of greatest FPSs of all time, and its protagonist, Gordon, has been voted as one of the best heroes of any game, despite being a man of very few words, if any at all.

I have played this game at least a few times over the years, as well as the Episodes. When I originally got it, I couldn't wait until Christmas- I had to play it then and there. I remember for a whole few days during the summer holidays of 2004 I was stuck there playing it, just glued to the screen.

There was an expansion pack rumoured in 2005, called Half-Life: Aftermath, but this turned out to be a series of addons called the Episodes, which so far consists of Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Episode 2, and the yet to be released Episode 3, which is still in development. These episodes were part of a supposed revolutionary concept called "episodic content", which means that the masses don’t have to wait for the next game in the series, which in this case would be Half-Life 3. In a sense, the episodes are Half-Life 3, although some argue that Valve would have been able to develop and release a proper sequel in the last five years, and that the episodic content idea, although promising, hasn’t worked too well. In addition to the episodes, another addon called Lost Coast was also released for the game.

Besides this, Half-Life 2, using the Source engine has inspired many games which use the same technology, a lot of which Valve or teams hired by them, has made, as well as fan-made mods, including a remake of both Half-Life (Black Mesa Source), and the expansion, Opposing Force (Operation Black Mesa).

Games that used the Source engine include Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, SiN Episode 1: Emergence, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, as well as a Source engine version of They Hunger, called They Hunger: Lost Souls, which is yet to be released. They Hunger was an excellent three part mod for Half-Life.

So Valve, come on and hurry up with Half-Life 2: Episode 3 all ready!

Apocalypse Then: Half-Life 2