Episode-Two
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'First' Orange Box demo hits 360 tomorrow, Episode Two dedicated
360 owners are in for a very special Thanksgiving indeed. As if the Halo theme hitting Guitar Hero III for free wasn't enough to be thankful for, Valve – purveyors of fine gaming software – have just announced that the "first demo for The Orange Box," dedicated to Half-Life 2: Episode Two, will be available on Xbox Live Marketplace starting tomorrow. Yeah, we were drawn to that particular language as well, since it infers there could be a second and, Gordon help us, even a third sample platter of zesty Orange Box goodness. Regardless, you shouldn't need holiday deal lists to tell you that Orange Box is a steal but, in the off chance you need more coaxing, this demo oughta do nicely.
Students snatched up to develop Portal
There's an interesting rags to finely rendered riches story to be found in an interview conducted with Valve's newest employees -- the DigiPen students responsible for Narbacular Drop, a crazy foray into transitive gameplay that now serves as the inspiration for Valve's mindbending Portal. Kim Swift, one of the developers on the project, notes how rapidly their run-in with Gabe Newell changed their careers and their lives:"Gabe watched our demo and basically hired us on the spot. It was kind of shocking. We stood around in the parking lot afterwards gibbering to ourselves for about 20 minutes."The rest of the interview clarifies some issues regarding the Half-Life 2: Episode Two companion, ruling out multiplayer (for now) and firmly labeling the game as a level-based adventure of puzzles and experiments gone awry. Swift was slightly lethargic in sharing information with regards to where exactly Portal fits into the Half-Life universe, though we'd bet a headcrab or two that the protagonist will be a Black Mesa alumni. Perhaps Adrian Shepherd has become an unwitting test subject for the Aperture Science Laboratories? That suggestion isn't too outlandish, at least not to the same degree as this response from Swift when she seemingly misunderstands a question about EA potentially purchasing Valve:"As far as I know, Valve has no plans of purchasing EA."Win-win scenario in an alternate universe: Valve-EA releases a Half-Life game on time, every year.Previously: Half-Life 2 confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3 First trailer of Valve's Portal released Team Fortress 2 is so 'incredibles'
Half-Life 2: Episode Two trailer; Alyx is hurt!
A clever h4xx0r has managed to extract the trailer for Half-Life 2: Episode Two from the recently released first episode. Notable points of the trailer: zOMG Alyx dies?! New baddie! An extemely potent looking and fast moving tripod. A voiceover by Dr. Eli Vance which goes as follows: "we're done running. This is our chance to take back out world, we're not going to lose it a second time." Episode Two should hopefully be out by the end of this year.
Half-Life 2: Episodes Two and Three confirmed
As we wait patiently for next week's release of Half-Life 2: Episode One, Valve has confirmed that Episode Two will ship by the end of the year, and will be the subject of a sneak peek included with the first expansion. Meanwhile, Episode Three is already in development and has been confirmed for a late 2007 release. How many of you have purchased SiN Episodes: Emergence, or BioWare's Neverwinter Nights premium modules? What other franchises would you like to see deliver episodic content? See also: HL2: Episode One site is up, with plot details, Half-Life 2 storyline cheat sheet
Half-Life 2: Episode Two confirmed by Valve
You didn't think it would end with Aftermath, did you? As a follow-up to Aftermath (now entitled Episode One), Valve has confirmed that Episode Two has been in development for quite some time ("about as long as Episode One," according to IGN). No other details are available right now, but it's safe to say that Episode One/Aftermath (whatever you wish to call it) will not be answering all of the questions left open by the Half-Life 2 ending. According to CVG, who will soon post an interview with Episode One designer Robin Walker, the initial release will offer around 5 hours of gameplay and will give more details as to the G-Man's involvement and the fates of the Breen and the Citadels. [Thanks, Jon D and the "almighty" Ludwig]
