half-life
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NVIDIA’s RTX Remix tool is finally available as a free open beta
NVIDIA’s long-awaited RTX Remix tool is now available as an open beta. This software lets modders add ray-tracing and AI-upscaled textures to older games, like the unofficial remaster of Half Life 2.
'Half-Life 2' is getting an unofficial RTX remaster
'Half-Life 2' will get an RTX upgrade thanks to the community and NVIDIA.
‘Half-Life: Alyx’ mod adds four hours of single-player content
Levitation is free to download for all owners of Half-Life Alyx.
Fan-made mod turns ‘Half-Life 2’ into a fully playable VR game
Pick up that can... in VR.
Valve made a free Portal spinoff for the Steam Deck
Become a product inspector in 'Aperture Desk Job' on March 1st.
JJ Abrams says the 'Portal' movie is still in the works
JJ Abrams says the 'Portal' movie is still very much in development, although there's still much more work to do.
'Half-Life: Alyx' update adds three hours of developer commentary
Go on a deep dive of Half-Life Alyx's development with the team that worked on the VR title.
Watch footage of Arkane's unreleased Half-Life spin-off
After years of rumors and leaks, Half-Life fans can finally see footage from Arkane's cancelled Half-Life spin-off 'Ravenholm'.
The first 'Half-Life: Alyx' update makes it easier to turn
Now that people -- who have the proper VR-ready gaming setup -- can actually play Half-Life: Alyx, it's inevitably time to ask for more features and tweaks. While our reviewer Devindra Hardawar preferred using teleportation-style movement through the game to avoid motion sickness, players who used its immersive "smooth locomotion" mode that lets you glide the world guided by the analog stick complained about its turning.
'Half-Life: Alyx' is proof Valve answers to no one
Valve is like an eccentric billionaire uncle who isn't allowed to babysit any kids in the family. He lives alone in a mountaintop mansion stocked with exotic animals, vintage pinball machines, water slides and homemade potato guns, and strange sounds flow into the valley below at all hours of the night. He disappears for months at a time and returns with suitcases full of loose candy and unmarked pills. It's not that this uncle has ever hurt anyone or done anything illegal -- it's simply clear that really, he could do anything. Valve can do anything. It's unknown just how much money the studio pulls in each year, since it's a private entity and doesn't have to publicly disclose its finances, but estimates of its annual revenue begin at $4 billion. Valve founder Gabe Newell is personally worth $3.5 billion, according to Forbes. The company's main money fountain is Steam, which has been the top PC-gaming platform for more than a decade, with 1 billion registered accounts and an average of 90 million monthly active users.
'Half-Life: Alyx' will launch on Monday at 1 PM ET
After years of waiting, a new Half-Life game is almost here. While everything else is getting canceled or rescheduled, the release of Half-Life: Alyx will happen on March 23rd. Valve tweeted tonight that the game will go live at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. For gamers whose PCs are properly prepared, it will be available for preloading via Steam starting on Friday.
'Half Life: Alyx' gameplay videos showcase gravity gloves and more
With just a couple of short weeks before Half-Life: Alyx comes out on March 23rd, Valve has shared three new trailers from the upcoming game. If the game's first trailer left you wanting more, these provide a more in-depth look at Alyx's setting and gameplay without spoiling any of its story beats.
'Black Mesa,' the fan-made 'Half-Life' remake, finally has a release date
Black Mesa has had a lengthy development journey, to say the least. In 2006, fans of Half-Life decided to port the game to the then-new Source engine (upon which Half-Life 2 was based). Valve had actually done so itself, but the results were poor. Crowbar Collective aimed to make a version of Half-Life that offered the same level of polish as its 2004 sequel. But as a small team, updates have been sporadic. Finally, 14 years after the first Black Mesa mod was released, the full version of the game will launch on March 5th via Steam.
'Half Life: Alyx' will hit Steam on March 23rd
Unlike many other publishers who've delayed big games in recent months, it appears as though Valve is actually sticking to the March release window it set for Half Life: Alyx. Even better, the VR prequel to Half-Life 2 now has an actual release date: March 23rd.
Half-Life games are free on Steam until March
With the first Half-Life game in more than a decade set to come out in March, series creator Valve has made every game in the franchise free to play for the next two months. As long you have Steam installed on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, you can play all of Gordon Freeman's adventures, including Half-Life and its excellent Opposing Force expansion, as well as Half-Life 2 and its two subsequent DLC episodes.
Valve has made me believe in Half-Life again
Just over two years ago, I left Valve's Half-Life franchise for dead. It had been ten years since Half-Life 2: Episode Two left fans with a massive cliffhanger that it seemed would never be resolved. But three days ago, Valve revealed that the story wasn't over, not quite: Half-Life: Alyx would be a full-fledged new entry into the series, built from the ground up for VR. Perhaps even more surprising was yesterday's reveal that the game is basically done and set to arrive in March of 2020.
'Half-Life: Alyx' is a VR prequel set before the events of 'Half-Life 2'
After more than 12 years, Valve is officially returning to the Half-Life universe. Half-Life: Alyx is a "full-length" VR entry into the series -- but if you were thinking we'd finally find out what happened after the events of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, I have some extremely disappointing news. Alyx will take place between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. For those of us who've been waiting for Valve to return to these games, it's a bit of a bittersweet moment -- the company undoubtedly knows how to make an excellent game, and the screenshots Valve shared certainly should get fans excited. But if you're looking for closure after the mega-cliffhanger that was Episode Two, you'll have to keep waiting.
Valve will unveil its 'Half-Life: Alyx' VR game on Thursday
No, your eyes aren't deceiving you: after 12 years, Valve has announced a new Half-Life game. The company has confirmed swirling rumors with word that it will reveal Half-Life: Alyx, its "flagship VR game," on November 21st at 1PM Eastern. It didn't provide any details about the game itself, but this backs claims that the game will switch attention to Alyx Vance, the resistance fighter and Gordan Freeman ally who played a key role in Half-Life 2.
Fan-made 'Half-Life' remake 'Black Mesa' is nearly complete
Want to feel old? The original Half-Life has turned 20. Valve released its definitive shooter on November 19th, 1998, both stretching the possibilities of the genre (both in technology and storytelling) and laying the groundwork for the company's gaming empire. But it's not Valve celebrating the momentous occasion -- instead, it's up to the fans. Crowbar Collective has released a trailer for the final portion of its Black Mesa remake, introducing its take on the strange Xen dimension that ends the first Half-Life game.
After 10 years, I've finally accepted that 'Half-Life' is dead
Ten years ago today, Valve released Half-Life 2: Episode Two. It was the second of three announced games that directly continued the story that started in 2004's heavily lauded Half-Life 2. Episode One and Episode Two were released in 2006 and 2007, respectively, with the second ending on a major cliffhanger. Unfortunately, this is where the Half-Life universe ends. The first Half-Life and its sequel had endings that wrapped up the main story in each game, though both games left players with plenty of unanswered questions. Episode Two, on the other hand, had a very Empire Strikes Back ending that begged for resolution. Throughout one full game and two episodes, protagonist Gordon Freeman is accompanied by all-around badass Alyx Vance, who has worked with her father, Eli, to help humanity resist the aliens that have enslaved the species. At the end of Episode Two, Freeman, Alyx and Eli experience a temporary victory, closing a portal that traps the Combine aliens on Earth and giving humanity a last shot at freedom. The success is short-lived, however -- two nightmarish aliens capture and kill Eli and are about to kill Freeman and Alyx until a last-minute rescue leaves them safe but devastated as the game fades to black.
