half-life 2
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Rumor: Half-Life 2 on PSP?
The research people of Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc. are notorious for slipping future releases of games. In fact, they revealed the Xbox 360 version of Half-Life 2 a full three days before Valve admitted to working on it. Considering how Half-Life 2 is branching out to other platforms, is PSP next? Well, according to an IGN post by Nirvanakicks [Insider membership required], a new survey from Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc. seems to suggest "yes". While I'm skeptical, it would be an amazing addition to the PSP library, even without fancy HDR lighting.
Geek out with SiN Episodes: Statistics
Poor Ritual, they get out the door with their (admittedly pretty decent) episodic title first, only to get shown up by the superlative Half Life 2: Episode One a short while later. It's a little early to be declaring victors, especially when Ritual and Valve are allies in the fight for episodic content, but if you're eager to compare the two, now you can do so ... empirically.Following the 1.4 patch, SiN Episodes is collecting data automatically (but anonymously of course) so they're able to analyze this stuff and (purportedly) create a better game. So, using the recently released data from SiN Episodes: Emergence and the data released for Valve's HL2:E1, we can determine that, in fact, HL2: E1 is the longer game on average clocking in at 5h 23m versus SiN's 4h 49m. The other metrics don't match up as nicely, but there's plenty to geek out over. Hardest level: se1_highrise03. Killingest weapon: Magnum. You get the idea.
See Team Fortress 2 and Portal in action
Lest you missed the news on Joystiq, Valve is releasing Half-Life 2 for the 360. Not only that, but the game will be packaged with Episode One, Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. In celebration of this momentous news, we bring you precious trailers for Team Fortress 2 and Portal. Team Fortress 2 is, of course, the sequel to the original Team Fortress. You may view a trailer for it at Xboxyde. Portal, a first person puzzler in the vein of Lode Runner and Solomon's Key, may prove to be the most interesting of the bunch, and you can see a video of it embedded in this very post. I have just one word: gimme. Anybody else excited for this massive package of gaming goodness?
Team Fortress 2 is so 'incredibles'
Valve released this teaser trailer for Team Fortress 2 today. The game is definitely funked out with a Pixar-esque twist. Now couple this with what we saw in the Portal peek yesterday, throw in HL2 with Episodes 1 & 2 tacked on, and Valve looks to be on the verge of releasing an uber-impressive package for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 -- and hopefully in time for the holidays. Happy, happy. Joy, joy. A note from Valve PR: All the footage shown in this trailer was created using Source. Some of the effects, namely depth of field and motion blur, were applied via post-processing features built into the Source engine technology.
First trailer of Valve's Portal released
One of the announced games to be featured alongside the upcoming PC and console versions of Half-Life 2: Episode Two is one that promises to obliterate your concepts of traditional level design and generally assault your brain with a large rolling pin. It's called Portal and, should the name not be explanatory enough, it deals primarily with gaping holes in time and space which magically transport you to different locations. Where Human Head's Prey took you for a wacky ride through these portals, Valve's title equips you with a sterile looking gun and urges you to make your own entry and exit points with wild abandon. The trailer (embedded in the second part of the post) aptly demonstrates the powers of the portal gun, the dangers of getting caught in an infinite loop and, of course, how using rampant teleportation can enable you to solve puzzles involving crates of some kind. As they say, hilarity ensues.[Thanks Easy_G!]
Half-Life 2 gets a few episode boosts on PS3
Near the end of 2006 we can expect a lovely port of the more than lovely Half-Life 2 to the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3. But, we don't just get the great game, we also get the great two "episodes" also being released separately for the PC. The episodes are basically extensions to the story, sometimes explaining unclear parts of the main story. Oh, and they're insanely fun.PC players won't feel too bad about the consoles getting the two episodes included with their copy of the game. At the same time it's released on consoles, PC gamers will have two other games to choose from: Team Fortress 2 and Portal. Still, would a console gamer be able to handle all that awesome in one package? Spacing it out on the PC may have been necessary to save our lives.
Half-Life 2 confirmed for Xbox 360, PS3
Speaking at EA's annual summer press event, Valve's Gabe Newell revealed that Half-Life 2 would be headed to the Xbox 360 and PS3, bolstered with extra content and presumably, plenty of opportunities to kill people with high velocity toilets. The full console package will be comprised of Half-Life 2, Episode One, Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 (it still exists!) and an entirely new title, Portal. According to Gamespot, Team Fortress 2 now sports a cartoonish art style and a 60's spy feel akin to that of Monolith's No One Lives Forever -- certainly a description you'd never expect to be about a game from Valve. The developer is also trying new things with Portal, which incorporates a rather imaginative gun and encourages you to blast Prey-like portals into floors and walls for all manner of object shifting, puzzle solving hijinx. The console versions of Half-Life 2 (along with all the extra goodies) are expected to launch alongside the PC game's second episodic expansion. Barring unforeseen code thefts and other delays, that means they'll be out by the end of the year. [Thanks Easy_G and icemorebutts!] Previously: Internet survey lists Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360
Internet survey lists Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360
A recent survey (see above), conducted by Penn, Shoen, and Berlan Association Inc., included Half-Life 2 in a list of "soon to be released games for Xbox 360." While this is in no way official confirmation that a port is in the works, it's the second time we've seen Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360 listed -- EB Games & GameStop did it back in May.While Valve continues to remain tight-lipped, a Half-Life 2 port that includes multiplayer and expansion capabilities is the obvious candidate for the company's confirmed Xbox 360 project. That's not to say we wouldn't prefer a wholly original title instead; but, seeing as how it took Valve five years to craft the initial version of Half-Life 2, perhaps it's in the company's best interests to continue to milk the title for all its worth. After all, a game as superb as Half-Life 2 deserves proper console treatment -- that Xbox version just didn't cut it.
Couch co-op gives way to internet teamplay
Co-op mode in video games is often a very popular feature, probably because of the added intensity of competing with A.I. in partnership with a friend. Games like Halo and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory become entirely different (and better) games when played in co-operative mode. Of course, the early innovator was Contra, which, without a co-op mode, would have been just another side scrolling shooter. With the greats of the co-op gaming genre in mind, Vic over at Bits & bytes & pixels & sprites has written up a feature calling for a next-generation renaissance in co-operative games. Couch co-op has never been an assured feature with games, especially recently. Since 2000, developers on the PC platform have clearly ignored the co-op mode in favor of dedicated multiplayer modes with big name first person shooters like Half-Life 2, Doom 3 and Quake 4 skipping on the mode. Games with teamplay orientated multiplayer modes like Counter-Strike and Call of Duty have picked up the fundamentals of co-op based games and thanks to their easy accessibility over the internet, have become wildly popular as a result (especially in comparison to the limit of 2-4 players in a usual co-op game). There will always be developers that include couch co-op modes in their games (Bungie, Blizzard and Ubisoft come to mind), but there's unlikely to be a massive resurgence in the number of couch co-op games mainly due to an internet based takeover of team based gameplay. [Thanks, Daniel Zuccarelli]
Half-Life 2 half-confirmed for 360?
For what it's worth, Half-Life 2 showed up in a marketing survey on a list of soon to be released Xbox 360 games. This port pretty much maxed out the original Xbox's capabilities. Isn't it about time big bro got a shot?[Thanks Andy]
Play the news: kill Al Qaeda's al-Zarqawi
If you've recently witnessed the news on TV or your disagreeable neighbor's house getting blown to smithereens, you'd likely be aware that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a decisive US air strike earlier this month. If this is the first time you're learning of it, the news is reaching you in a way quite dissimilar to the way in which the people behind Kuma Reality Games want it to. Reaching you is just the beginning for them -- they want it to grab you by the arm and yank you into a Source-powered, 3D recreation.The goal of Kuma\War is elaborate and intriguing, though much like a minefield, it's also laced with topical traps that require careful movements to navigate successfully. For every major battle or newsworthy event that takes place in the ongoing war on terror, Kuma\War offers a free, downloadable counterpart, plunging you right into the war-torn boots of an American soldier and tasking you with carrying out the very same mission. Just a scant few weeks after al-Zarqawi's death, Kuma\War will be offering "players" the opportunity to call in the airstrike that killed him or, alternatively, rush his house with a group of comrades in tow.
Valve gets all Big Brother with HL2:E1 stats
Valve has been using their episodic superstar, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, to pry into the private lives of gamers everywhere. Hey, 19.05% of gamers who played through HL2:E1 on Easy! Yeah, Valve's got your number, n00b. All that 5 hours to beat it stuff? Bzzzt! Looks like most of us (especially the aforementioned 19.05%) are breezing through it in the 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hour range. (Note: the "Average completion time" is 5 hours exact due to some stragglers beefing that number up ... c'mon, 10 hours?)Actually, according to Valve, "Episode 1 ... includes a reporting mechanism which tells us details about how people are playing the game. We're sharing the data we collect because we think people will find it interesting, and because we expect to spot emergent problems earlier, and ultimately build better products and experiences as a result."Pretty cool stuff that supports one of the foundational tenets of the episodic manifesto: that they're already working on tweaking future episodes based on feedback, both automated and submitted. So, you've already played through Episode 1, what say ye, episodic gamer?[Update: corrected the percentages; apparently, nearly one out of five Episode One'rs did the deed on Easy while 6.69% played through on Hard -- some didn't even know it! Thanks for the numbers, Jon.]
HL2: E1 for $8 means you have to buy it
One of the primary tenets of episodic distribution is a lower price for a shorter game. In the case of Half-Life 2: Episode One that means $20 for about 5 or so hours of Gravity Gun-wielding fun. Err, rather, that meant $20 for 5 hours but, if you cash in on the current promotion at retailing box-store Circuit City, you'll nab it for the low, low price of $8! That's like $1.60/hour if you're good. If you suck, you're talking about a pretty phenomenal dollar to hour investment. The jig is up June 17th, and it isn't available online, so you best get going before the eBayers start grabbing em all. Indeed, at this stage in their evolution, they can smell a deal; their senses are acutely tuned to major retail discounts. For anyone who's already purchased a copy, don't feel bad ... cause you got to play yours earlier, right? Alright, you can feel bad.[Thanks, Andy; via Insane Central]
Halo 3 has a happy ending, or how I learned to love YTMND
The animated .gif addicts over at YTMND have been very busy lately revealing the truthiness behind recent video game rumors. Here are some of those OMIGOD NEWS FLASH! announcements from YTMND's gaming posse: The PS3's 100% official start-up screen REVEALED! Nintendo's bunker busted REVEALED! Halo 3 ending REVEALED! World of Warcraft in space REVEALED! Shiggy's secret N64 formula REVEALED! Half-Life 2's plotline REVEALED! (take that, suckas) YTMND's formula is never going to get old, simply because there will never be a shortage of fanboy ideas and rumors to make fun of. [Via Xbox360Fanboy] More: The Wii zeitgeist, via YTMND, Wiill Ferrell tests Wii accelerometer technology and Dick Hunt!
UK sales charts, May 28-June 3: Double top for Hitman
This week's UK charts look suspiciously similar to last week's, despite the impending World Cup. Since we English can't walk down a street without seeing at least five St George's Crosses, perhaps all those who would buy football games are already playing them. Noticeable changes this week are merely the slight ascension of The Sims 2 and the new arrival of Half-Life 2: Episode One at number eight. 1. Hitman: Blood Money2. FIFA World Cup Germany 20063. Tomb Raider: Legend4. Pro Evolution Soccer 55. X-Men: The Official Game6. Animal Crossing: Wild World7. The Sims 28. Half-Life 2: Episode One9. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis10. Championship Manager 2006
Metareview - Half-Life 2: Episode One
With the advent of Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace and other digital download services, developers now have multiple avenues for extending our favorite franchises beyond the core games. Many of our readers have commented favorably on the industry's shift toward episodic content, as it provides inexpensive and more frequent opportunities to engage your game of choice. However, in a world of blogs, podcasts, and easily digestible content, thin isn't always in. Gamers still expect a lot of bang for their gaming buck.So what does $20 get you for Half-Life 2: Episode 1? Valve had a tough act to follow in the bestselling HL2, with considerably less time than the six years they used to produce what many consider the best shooter of all time. As a result, you'll see a great deal of familiar territory in Episode One, but with some new gameplay twists in the aftermath of City 17. The critics weigh in: EuroGamer (90/100) enjoyed this "fat-free" installment: "Set across five contrasting chapters, it's a wonderfully balanced affair that rarely dwells on one element too long. The focus on action and combat is sensibly weighted, there are no vehicle sections at all, no time-wasting exploration required, and a more satisfyingly logical approach to puzzles. All round, the gameplay feels tighter and more refined." GameSpot (87/100) appreciated Alyx's brains and brawn: "There's a wonderful new team dynamic at work in Episode One, thanks to the fact that Alyx battles alongside you throughout most of the episode. It's refreshing to have a companion by your side...and she's often the difference between victory and defeat in many encounters, as she'll cover your back while you're busy trying to sort out the puzzle." IGN (85/100) was looking for more of HL2's "wow" factor: "There's a long list of neat things that HL2 did, and Episode One doesn't feel as fresh as a result, since it largely reuses previous content, and it doesn't advance the story as much as a four-hour experience should." See also: Half-Life 2: Episodes Two and Three confirmed
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: Episode One now playable
Valve has opened the virtual doors to Half-Life 2: Episode One: that's right, the first episode of the new series that follows the aftermath of Half-Life 2 is now playable on Steam. Rumors suggesting that the game would be pushed back until June 30th have fortunately turned out to be false. Up until now, pretty much all we knew about the plot of Episode One was a mysterious little blurb found on the official site that says "in Half-Life, the G-Man made you. In Half-Life 2, he used you to defeat Dr. Breen and start the Resistance. In Episode One, he's lost control." So, loyal Joystiq readers, get to it! We want to hear first impressions of the storyline, graphics and, most importantly, whether or not the G-man's immaculate suit has been torn as a result of him "losing control".
Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360 could be in the works
Recently erected EB Games and Gamestop listings of Half-Life 2 for Xbox 360 have ignited rumors that Valve's acclaimed sequel is again headed to a Microsoft console. Despite a somewhat stripped-down version of the game being released for Xbox last November, an Xbox 360 version would presumably include added features akin to the upcoming PC 'Platinum' edition (also scheduled for February 2007), which is said to contain Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Counter-Strike: Source, and Day of Defeat: Source. In addition, Valve could use the Xbox Live service to deliver the long awaited expansion episodes*, just as we speculated back in April.In responding to the listings, Valve would not confirm the project, stating, "We've only announced development for 360. No specific titles to reveal just yet, but folks can expect to hear more before the end of this year." *See: Half-Life 2: Episode 1 set for June release; Half-Life 2: Episodes Two and Three confirmed
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
