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'Half-Life 2' mod puts the sequel inside of the original
The chances of us getting Half-Life 3 or, hell, even Half-Life 2: Episode 3 seem about as likely as the Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl at this point. To help take some of that sting off, a group of enterprising fans crafted Half-Life 2: Classic, a mod that essentially runs the game in its prequel's "Goldsrc" engine. It serves as "a way to see what Half-Life 2 could have looked like in the limits of Goldsrc, if Valve never developed the Source engine," the listing page says.
Valve has no more 'Half-Life' writers left
Marc Laidlaw's departure from Valve last year was a shock. The author was responsible for single-handedly writing both Half-Life and Half-Life 2, and worked as the story lead on the latter's two episodic sequels. Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw, co-writers on Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two, stuck around however, meaning some of the series' writing talent still remained at Valve.
'Half-Life' writer Marc Laidlaw leaves Valve after 18 years
If you've been holding your breath for Half-Life 3 over the past 12 years, we have two questions for you: How are you still alive? Can you handle more disappointment? Marc Laidlaw, an 18-year veteran of Valve Software and the lead writer of Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and its two subsequent episodes, has left the company. News of his departure broke on Reddit after user TeddyWolf posted screenshots of an email exchange with Laidlaw (which Eurogamer has since verified). In the email, Laidlaw confirms his "retirement" from Valve.
'Half-Life 2' plus 'Hotline Miami' equals 'Half-Line Miami'
What's better than a pixelated, top-down gorefest set to frenetic synth music? A pixelated, top-down gorefest set to frenetic synth music with a gravity gun. Half-Line Miami is an unapologetic mix of Half-Life 2, Valve's massively popular 2004 first-person shooter, and Hotline Miami, the ultra-violent top-down action franchise from Dennaton Games. Both games have secured their places in video game history and they're now together at last in one free PC game, complete with a level editor.
Half-Life 2 crowbars its way out of Linux beta, brings Oculus Rift support with it
Valve's Half-Life 2 along with Episodes One and Two are out of beta and available for download on Steam for Linux, the company announced today. While we welcome any Half-Life news, it's hard to not get disappointed when the number three isn't involved. Gordon Freeman's last known appearance uses the new SteamPipe content delivery system and "numerous" community bug fixes have been implemented. That's not all! Oculus Rift (and other virtual reality device) support has been added as well. We aren't aware of any other VR units besides the Rift, but in March Valve told us it's pursuing hardware itself. Speculating about other VR systems isn't far from speculating about Half-Life 3's existence -- we don't know anything at this point. However, Linux gaming site Phoronix says to expect more good Valve Linux news in July. We reached out to Valve for more info and will update if we hear anything back.
Freeman on a free OS: Half-Life 2 now available on Steam for Linux
You already know that Half-Life 2 for Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and OS X is excellent, but have you tried it on Linux? Well, yes, technically speaking, you couldn't actually play that version until this week when it launched on Steam for Linux, but our question stands! Yeah, that's what we thought. Now that that's straightened out, we might warn you about the beta nature of HL2's Linux launch. Like other Valve titles recently released to Steam for Linux, Half-Life 2 is merely a beta for now. Should you already own a copy for another platform, it'll show up in your Steam library as available for download like any other crossplatform game. Of course, you're probably too tied up with Half-Life 2's recently added Oculus Rift support on PC to think about a plain old keyboard/mouse experience. And hey, we can't blame you for that. Interestingly, Valve's internal Steambox is powered by Steam's Linux version; it wouldn't be hard to imagine Valve scaling up its Linux game library ahead of the retail debut of various Steamboxes (or Steamboxen, if you will). That remains to be seen, of course, as Valve's made no official announcement regarding that project's availability.
Half-Life 2 officially supported on Oculus Rift, beta gets shipped to developers
Gordon Freeman, in your head. Well, that's the plan, with Oculus now offering official beta support for a headset-based Half-Life 2. There's a few known issues to iron out already, including an overly-dim UI and issues with the zoom. But even at this early stage, it appears to lack any gameplay deal-breakers we've seen elsewhere. As mentioned by Valve's Joe Ludwig on the Oculus developer forums, however, the current build is a bit rougher around the edges compared to the Team Fortress 2 beta that launched earlier this year. Developers with the necessary Rift hardware can pick up the files on Steam or follow the developments on Oculus' own forums -- but no comments about headcrab hats and wearables, okay?
Valve reportedly preparing second-generation Source engine, kinda explains the Episode Three delay
ValveTime has dug through the Source Filmmaker code to reveal references to "Source 2," reportedly a next-generation revamp of Valve's famous game engine. Given that the three major consoles are all due a refresh, it's unsurprising to see preparations being made. That said, however, the second (and major) launch title for the original Source was Half Life 2, so we're gonna be getting a complaint letter ready if we don't get some more time with Gordon, Alyx and Dog in a beautifully rendered future dystopia.
CHIP-8 emulation comes to Half-Life 2, you can finally retire your Telmac 1800 (video)
We've seen quite a few programming projects lately, from CPUs built in the world of Minecraft to a full-blown Game Boy emulator in JavaScript. And now? Wiremod forum member Techni has taken the CHIP-8 virtual machine and got it up 'n running in the Garry's Mod sandbox for the Source game engine. Sure, CHIP-8 has been around since the 70s, and since it's small and easy to program it has a following that persists to this day -- but that said, we never expected to see it running Space Invaders from inside a game of Half-Life 2, in all its 8-bit glory. That's what we call progress! Or at least a satisfying hack. See it in action for yourself after the break. [Thanks, Jason]
Phoenix Wright, Half Life 2, and Chocobo Panic available now
Here's some quick hits on a few big name releases across Apple platforms. First up, the funny and addictive DS hit Phoenix Wright has made its way to the iPhone, and you can pick it up for US $4.99. While it's kept the two-screen gameplay from Nintendo's handheld, it's still a great time. Square Enix has released another original title for the iPad; Chocobo Panic is a cute little puzzle/action game in which you grab and release the Final Fantasy-famous birds. Those expecting anything deeper will be disappointed, but if you want a fun touchscreen game with the slimmest of Final Fantasy ties, I hear it's fun. Finally, as announced yesterday, Half Life 2 is now available for the Mac via Steam. And it tuns out that Episodes 1 and 2 have been released as well. The game itself is a jaw-dropping $7, and you can get the two add-ons for $5.59 each. If you already own them on Steam, they're all available via Steam Play, so that means you already own them on the Mac, too; just head into Steam and download away. AAA companies releasing games natively on Apple platforms? Man, it's a great time to be a Mac gamer.
Valve celebrates Half-Life 2 for OS X with a nod to Apple's '1984'
Apple's "1984" commercial has become the stuff of legend -- a symbol of breaking free from what was then an IBM-dominated market. But in a stroke of irony, Valve has released its own parody of the ad to celebrate the launch of Half-Life 2 on OS X (praise be to Steam), about five and a half years after the highly acclaimed game originally debuted on PC. Better late than never, we suppose, and like always, Valve's marketing hits just the right pitch. Video after the break, along with Apple's original and another parody near and dear to our hearts.
Half Life 2 out on Mac tomorrow
The always impressive folks at Valve have released the trailer above, which will be familiar if you've ever seen a very popular Apple commercial before. And at the end, you'll also see why they've done this: Half Life 2 is coming to the Mac tomorrow, May 26, 2010. That's pretty much all we have to say -- the first-person shooter is one of the best-reviewed and best-selling games of all time, and it'll be running natively on the Mac thanks to the Steam for Mac release from a few weeks ago. If you've never played Half-Life 2, you're in for a treat, even if you never played the classic first title in the series. We haven't yet heard about a price (the PC version is currently at $20, though Valve has a history of dropping prices unexpectedly -- Portal was free for its Mac release), and while a few outlets are saying the two episodic followups to the game will be out tomorrow as well, we don't yet know that for sure. Stay tuned, as one of the biggest classics in PC gaming finally arrives on the Mac.
Case modder crams PC into homegrown Team Fortress 2 sentry
We find it impossible to think that anyone in attendance of a local LAN party wouldn't be awestruck when this rig waltzed in, and truthfully, we'd be a little distracted by its boyish good looks all the while. TiTON -- the same mastermind that brought us the Team Fortress 2 Dispenser -- has recreated a TF2 sentry that (unfortunately) fires no real shells at enemies. On the upside, it does pack enough hardware to enable gamers to light up rebel forces within a digital realm, but just like your 16th birthday cake, this one may be too pretty to indulge in. Tap the read link for lots more images and a breakdown of the build.
Portal 'First Slice' extended demo free for NVIDIA customers only
Have any NVIDIA hardware installed on your machine? If so, you're entitled to a free extended demo of Portal, the best game of 2007. Entitled Portal: First Slice, the demo features more content than the normal demo, and is available free to all NVIDIA customers through a new partnership between Valve and the hardware manufacturer.The offer is accessible through Steam, which will scan your computer to confirm the presence of NVIDIA hardware before making the offer available (creepy). Game|Life also reports that in addition to the Portal: First Slice, demo, NVIDIA customers can also download Peggle Extreme, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, and Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast for free through the same offer. Not too shabby.
PS3's Orange Box confirmed for US and Europe Dec. 11
December is looking to be a most excellent month for PlayStation 3 owners keen on shooting things from a first-person perspective, with both Unreal Tournament III (shipping December 10th) and The Orange Box stepping onto the platform, albeit a bit later than expected. An EA press release politely reminds us that the latter will be released on December 11th in both the US and Europe, with French and German versions following in 2008. In the unlikely case that you've not been exposed to Valve's Orange Box and currently envision it as a crate full of citrus fruit, allow us to point out that it contains Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal... too. One can only hope the tech people at EA used their 11th hour to rid the port of its alleged framerate issues.
Rumor: New achievements coming to older Valve games
Aside from, you know, things that will actually make your life any better, there's little more satisfying than achievements. Some of the Steam achievements from Orange Box were especially gratifying, like the one that required blasting a lawn gnome into space. Now, if some posters on Valve's official forums can be believed, achievements are going to be rolled out to some older games on the Steam service before year's end.Forum poster "slugz" (not his real name) says he received the following note from Valve staffer Erik Johnson in response to a fan letter: "We're planning on adding achievements to all of our games you touched on in your mail [Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source]. We're just now coming out of the post-shipping haze, so these should start showing up on Steam pretty quick here. We're also planning on adding a bunch more to TF2, starting with an achievement pack for the Medic in the next week or so." Another poster says they got a similar email later in the thread. We've emailed Valve for verification, but it certainly seems plausible enough. What achievements would you like to see in those Valve games?[Via CVG]
Readers pick best webcomic: parental guidance is advised
By quite a large margin, Scott Ramsoomair's VG Cats took the top spot in the webcomic wrapup this week -- but is it a love for Valve's amazing game Portal or a fascination with endangered infants that drove our readers en masse to vote?Second and third place go to Penny Arcade and 2P Start, respectively. Thanks to everyone who voted; be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Half-Life in 60 seconds by cheeky Germans
Are you the type of person that could care less about narrative? Did you skip Half-Life, pick up The Orange Box, skip Half-Life 2, and go straight for the episodes? Still want to know what happened in the non-episodic games? If so, and you just can't be bothered to go and actually play them, above we have a 60-second version of everything you need to know about the series.Created by Simon Krãtschmer and Jakob Rompkowski, the little vignette seems to sum up Half-Life quite nicely. We know it's really nothing special, but the sprinkles of German are what really make it pop. We actually wouldn't mind seeing more by Krãtschmer and Rompkowski in the future -- plus, those two names strung together sound cool.
Zero Punctuation likes Orange Box, but loves Portal
We've gotten used to the saucy Brit named Yahtzee hating whatever he reviews in his Zero Punctuation pieces for the Escapist; so imagine our surprise when a little ray of sunshine crept into the latest video (found after the break). This week Yahtzee tackles The Orange Box and generally seems dismissive of the whole thing -- except for Portal, which he loves. Yes, even ornery Yahtzee has sold out and is having a love-fest with the game, just like many on the Joystiq staff.Regarding Portal, the typically acid tongued Yahtzee says, "[Portal is] the most fun you'll have with your PC until they invent a force feedback codpiece." The Orange Box seems to have a little something for everyone, even for people like Yahtzee. Now how long will it be before the Portal theme song becomes a spontaneous geek sing-along anthem at every gaming convention?
Metareview: The Orange Box (PC, Xbox 360)
Valve may have the most deficient understanding of episodic gaming EVAR(!), but they are masters of smoke and mirrors marketing. Valve made us completely lose focus on Half-Life 2: Episode 2 being in The Orange Box (YAY!) by bundling so much gaming goodness in the package, that instead of us cracking jokes about their episodic incompetence, we end up calling The Orange Box the gaming value of the year -- 'cause it is with Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. Sure, if you've played Half-Life 2 on your PC it might not be such a fantastic value, but for console owners (minus those that played Half-Life 2 on the original Xbox) this is their first go at HL2 and its episodes. GameTap (100/100): "If your PC isn't quite up to snuff, the Xbox 360 version is a good substitute. Occasional framerate hitches, plus one minor gaffe with the gamepad (weapon selection) are the only things dragging down the 360 version. That, and it has freaking 99 Achievements spread across all five games. Due to the delay of the PS3 version, we haven't played it yet, but we'll update you when we do." Team Xbox (96/100): "So, is The Orange Box the best bargain in gaming? While there might be longer games (Oblivion, for example) or games that pack more titles onto a single disc (any of the 'classic' compilations), this is a near-perfect blend of varied games. ... Although this is undeniably one of the must-own games for the Xbox 360, we have a few questions. Will we be getting Episode Three over Xbox Live? And where's our Counter-Strike: Source?" IGN (95/100): "There's nothing else available on any console like The Orange Box. Though you could argue that Half-Life 2 is old news by now, there are still four components of the Box brand new to consoles. That so much great content is offered at the standard single-game price is astonishing ... And all on one disc. While Portal and TF2 may not be strong enough to stand on their own, coupled with the Half-Life titles, The Orange Box really is one of the best games ever released."
