half-life 2
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Valve games come to Impulse
Valve, proprietor of Steam -- which is basically the Walmart of PC digital distribution -- now has its games available on Impulse. Your confusion is as great as ours, but here we are.The Impulse store, owned by GameStop, announced last week that Valve titles would become available on the service. Apparently, the shock of this caused almost everyone in the media not to report this fact for an awkward length of time.The Valve games available through Impulse right now are Portal 2, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, The Orange Box, and Half-Life Complete. Best part: the games still require Steam to play.
Dear Esther coming to Steam on Valentine's Day for $10
The broad, early 2012 launch window of the pretty little Half-Life 2 mod-turned-full Steam game Dear Esther has been narrowed down to a sleek, streamlined release date. The game's official website just announced the title will arrive on Steam February 14 -- that's Valentine's Day, lovers -- for a cool $10. Or a hot $10, or any other temperature bill you feel like forking over. The site also posted a handful of new screens, such as the one above. See, it's got candles! That just screams "romantic Valentine's Day plans" to us.
Boston Dynamics Alpha Dog makes Alyx Vance's pet look like a toy (video)
Boston Dynamics' BigDog is one of our favorite insane-level DARPA projects; a robotic pack-mule that can carry 400 pounds of kit for troops. At some point, the Massachusetts mechanics decided the bot would be far better if it was the size of a bull, or, you know, an SUV. The Alpha Dog loses the un-stealthy buzzing noise of its predecessor, has a range of 20 miles and can take much more punishment. If you check out the video after the break, you'll see two people unsuccessfully attempt a takedown on the monster -- Half-Life 2 diehards might experience a combat flashback at the mere sight of it. AT-AT Jr is expected to see field testing sometime next year when it won't have a test bed of rocks to contend with, but the US Marines. Mark our words: we expect 'em to appear in every nightmarish dystopia of the 2020s, and take a starring role in the forthcoming Robopocalypse.
Rumor: Dota 2 client leaked, contains 'ep3' code
You'll forgive us if we're highly speculative about code supposedly unearthed from the leaked beta client for Valve's upcoming action RTS, Dota 2. It supposedly includes information from a folder named "ep3." Now wait a minute, stop huffing -- we know, we know -- and hear us out. As reported by Valve fan site Lambda Generation, the Dota 2 beta client has apparently leaked via Vietnam, and eager fans datamined the code for info, apparently plundering a string of code regarding something called "ep3." As you might imagine, both the dataminers and gaming websites are saying the folder pertains to the comically nebulous Half-Life 2: Episode 3, with the code pointing to two weapons -- an ice gun and a flamethrower -- as well as three "weaponizers" (concrete, liquid, and metal). But wait, why would Valve leave code for another one of its projects in the beta code for Dota 2, especially a project that it refuses to acknowledge exists? In short, Valve's done some similarly cheeky things in the past to promote its games, albeit not nearly as deep as this would be. We've reached out to Valve for word, but don't expect to hear anything official.
The Stanley Parable is a thoughtful Half-Life 2 mod
"Cakebread," the creator of Half-Life 2 mod "The Stanley Parable," says the less you know about his experimental, story-driven game the better, and we're going to adhere to the spirit of that. Besides, if the trailer above doesn't make you want to play it, nothing we're going to say will help.
Half-Life 2 H.E.V. charging station case mod is without equal
We've showcased some PC mods here on our humble site before, but we're pretty sure we're ready to crown Overclock forum user Frenkie "King of the PC Mods" -- his Half-Life 2-inspired H.E.V. recharge station mod seen above is total pin-up material. As you read this, we're printing out the images he posted over on Overclock, throwing them all over the floor and just rolling around in them, trying to soak up the magnificence. Of course, the downside to all of this is that we're reminded of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 yet again ... and how much we need it.
Garry mods Garry's Mod to catch pirates
If you've been having trouble with Garry's Mod lately, specifically the error, "Unable to shade polygon normals," don't take it to the Steam forums. You can solve that issue rather easily -- by buying a copy of Garry's Mod. Creator Garry Newman tweeted yesterday that he enabled the error, which is designed to occur only in pirated copies. "Having fun watching people complain," he added, linking to a Google search for "Unable to shade polygon normals." The error code spits out a number, which happens to be the user's Steam ID. Posting the error code on the Steam forum gives Valve an easy way to find the user's Steam ID, compare to list of GMod owners, and then make with forum bans. "It's the simplest stupidest DRM possible, a phone home," Newman said on his blog. "It is not uncrackable. You could crack it with notepad. Or by disconnecting from the internet." The point isn't to make impenetrable DRM, he said. "Making it uncrackable isn't the motive here – laughing at [pirates] is."
ModDB removes 'School Shooter' Half-Life 2 mod to quell building controversy
A mod for Half-Life 2 called "School Shooter: North American Tour 2012" has been pulled from its hosting site, ModDB, after picking up some attention for its controversial nature. The mod allowed the player to explore a school-like environment in a first-person shooter context, with the option of attacking various unarmed NPCs. ModDB has posted a short statement about why it pulled the code, saying that although it feels "people should have the right to be creative and share what they want on a community / developer run site," the "confusion and hate" surrounding the project led to the removal. As you can see from a video of the mod posted on YouTube, there's another reason people don't need to share it around, and that's because it's just not very well made. The "Boring" effects are pulled from Bulletstorm's "Duty Calls" parody, but they fit this one just fine, too.
Retrospective follows the 2003 theft of Half-Life 2's code
Half-Life 2 was never destined to release on time. It is a Valve project, after all. However, Gabe Newell and company couldn't have predicted that -- months before its expected release -- the game's source code would be stolen and distributed on the internet. "Is this going to destroy the company?," a designer supposedly asked Newell when it happened in 2003. Eurogamer interviewed Axel Gembe, the young man responsible for breaching Valve's security and stealing the code. Gembe describes himself as a devoted fan of Valve, admitting that the original Half-Life was his favorite game. After his computer became infected with malware, he became inspired: instead of trying to remove the program, he reverse-engineered it to understand how it worked, and then began working on his own code. Hungry for details on the long-delayed Half-Life 2, Gembe knocked on Valve's virtual doors and found it "easy" to get access. After the breach, Valve struggled in finding leads on how the source code got stolen. But on February 14, 2004, Newell received a rather odd e-mail. Gembe was confessing to the crime, noting that he was "sorry for what happened." Naively, he asked Newell for a job at Valve, thinking it would be best for both parties involved. "I hoped for the best," although Valve was already coordinating with the FBI for his arrest. "I was not the brightest kid back then." After serving a two-year probation, Gembe eventually found work in the security sector, wisened from his experience. "I was naïve and did things that I should never have done," he told Eurogamer. "There were so many better uses of my time. I regret having caused Valve Software trouble and financial loss."
Gabe Newell speaks to a high school marketing class
Valve co-founder Gabe Newell recently discovered another thing he could do instead of releasing Half-Life 2: Episode 3 -- speaking to a high school class about the business of interactive entertainment. Check out a lengthy video of the teleconference below -- you might just learn a little something.
Dear Esther HL2 mod remake to be commercially released this summer
Selected in December as Mod DB's annual "Best Upcoming Mod," Dear Esther is actually a remake of a 2008 Half-Life 2 Source-engine mod by the same name. The original mod was developed by indie studio thechineseroom (at the University of Portsmouth, UK) and was "stumbled across" by Robert Briscoe, a former level designer at DICE who had worked on Mirror's Edge. While "far from perfect," Dear Esther had both intrigued and inspired Briscoe, he wrote in May 2009, describing it as "an interactive painting or story, told through the eyes of a dying man on a journey to try and make peace with his tormented mind." "The whole thing is enveloped in deep mystery and hidden meanings," he continued, "I had the idea of taking the groundwork for the mod and develop [sic] it into a fully fledged, production-quality product." Briscoe took his idea to the original creative director Dan Pinchbeck, who "was very enthusiastic about it, giving me his full support on the project." 21 months of steady development later and the Dear Esther remake is on track for a commercial release this summer on Steam. That's right -- Pinchbeck and Briscoe approached Valve, which was "impressed enough to grant a Source license for a full independent release," recounts today's announcement (oddly dated July 30, 2010) on the just launched dear-esther.com. "Rob was creating something so extraordinary," Pinchbeck told PC Gamer UK in the new issue (via Beefjack), "[that] it deserved a wider audience than we could give it as a mod." You can get a glimpse of Briscoe's recreation in the June 2010 test footage postead after the break. [Pictured: work-in-progress screenshot; source: Robert Briscoe's Devblog]
Natural Selection 2's closed beta starts tomorrow, new trailer today
As a fan of Natural Selection, one of the most popular Half-Life mods, you've had a tough go of it, having to wait eight full years for a follow-up to your beloved blend of FPS and RTS. You've heard about the four playable alien classes, each with their own unique abilities, that will battle it out with the weapon-savvy Marines. You've heard about how the dynamic environments will evolve over each map. But you've been living off a trickle of information, and you now find yourself positively parched. Well, allow your friends at Joystiq to provide a gigantic canteen full of Natural Selection 2-centric refreshment. Not only do we get to reveal that the closed beta of the game will finally launch tomorrow, we also get to pass on the good news that gaining entry is as simple as being among the first 10,000 to pre-order the game. (Those who have already pre-ordered are in.) ...What's that? Your thirst is still not slaked? Well, how about a new exclusive trailer, featuring the teleporting Fade class, that we've placed after the jump? Drink, friends! Drink! %Gallery-107748%
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]
Half-Life 2 Headcrab Zombie figure pre-orders open Oct. 4
Some people like coffee when they need a pick-me-up, some people like a snack -- heck, some people do sit-ups. But, for a select few, only mortal fear can motivate. So don't judge anybody who may be interested in pre-ordering Gaming Heads' Crabhead figurine on October 4, okay?
Garry's Mod hits the Mac, 50% off
The versatile Garry's Mod is available now for Mac. To celebrate, the app will be $5 for the next week -- that's 50 percent off the regular price. Though, remember, if you own the PC version, you automagically own the Mac port. The one caveat with Garry's Mod is that you need to own another Source Engine game before use. In the right hands, the mod can be used to make engaging Machinima like "The Jacknife Chronicles." In our hands, it would be used to make the umpteenth version of Gman doing "Banana Phone."
Fan-made Half-Life 2 movie trailer leaves us wanting more
While not the first fan-made trailer for the Half-Life 2 movie which never-will-be, animator Marco Spitoni's stab at cinemafying the beloved shooter might be the best one to date. Watch the all-CG trailer posted after the jump, and join us in furiously wishing for a full feature film in this style.
Left 4 Dead 2 fan campaign drops the survivors in City 17
Valve's latest featured fan campaign for the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2 should be instantly familiar to anyone who's enjoyed the developer's seminal Half-Life series. The five-chapter campaign is set on the streets of Half-Life 2's police-state metropolis, City 17, where the oppressed citizens have been replaced by zombies, and the totalitarian Combine have been replaced by zombies, and ... yeah, just about everyone's been replaced by zombies there. As with all its featured community levels, Valve's temporarily hosting servers running the City 17 campaign. If you feel up for a romp through your ol' crowbaring grounds, you should take advantage of this delightful opportunity.
The best Garry's Mod-chinima we've ever seen: Jacknife Chronicles
Do you feel like taking a break from the toils of your day to watch an action-packed blockbuster, but don't really feel like dedicating ninety minutes to watching a film? There's an easy solution to that: check out YouTube user Kitty0706's "The Jacknife Chronicles," a twelve-minute, remarkably violent revenge story created entirely within Garry's Mod for Half-Life 2. We anticipate that it will it satisfy your action cravings in a fairly efficient manner. The short film, which borrows more than a few locales and soundtrack clips from Mirror's Edge and Portal, can be found in its entirety after the jump. It's a little NSFW -- especially if you happen to work as a security guard in a high-tech compound.
Beyond Black Mesa fan film trailer looks pretty amazing
Half-Life has proven itself to be a pretty popular universe for fans to set their fan films within -- but that doesn't mean we're not hungry for more. We recently got our fix from the trailer for Beyond Black Mesa, a short film chronicling the adventures of a small band of anti-Combine rebels.
Crazy summer Steam sale includes some fantastic Mac games
The PC gaming community has long enjoyed the ridiculously awesome Steam sales Valve loves to break out during holidays and at other fun times of the year. The sales deliver game bundles for crazy cheap prices, even on AAA current titles. Steam's summer sale kicked off a couple of days ago. For the first time, Mac gamers get to join in on the fun thanks to Steam's recent adoption of OS X. While there are hundreds of Mac & PC titles on sale through July 4th, most of the best deals are found on a few select games featured each day. Today's sales have two good selections that Mac gamers may want to check out. For strategy fans Paradox Interactive's deep historical real-time strategy game Europa Universalis III lets the player control a European nation and rewrite history between 1453 and 1820 AD. For adventure gamers, a bundle of all five episodes of the previously mentioned Telltale Games' Tales of Monkey Island is also available at a great price. The clock is ticking -- but thankfully Valve offsets the time for most US timezones so you can get a chance to pick them up in the morning. If those two games don't belong to any of your favorite genres, there are a bunch of other titles included in the full sale. Right now is a great time to pick up any of Valve's growing list of games released for OS X with first-person shooters Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike: Source, Portal and Half-Life 2. Better yet, grab the Valve Complete Pack for all of them so you're ready to go when Left 4 Dead 2 arrives on OS X.
