Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 ( HL2 ) is a Video game of subjective shooting developed by Valve Software Corporation, left the November 16th 2004 after a development prolonged of more than five years. Very awaited continuation of the video game with success Half-Life , it received a very positive reception with respect to the specialized press, and collected 35 prices “Plays of the year”. Developed with the base for PC, Half-Life 2 has had for summer related to XBox and Xbox 360 (via the Orange Box) and would be also envisaged on PlayStation 3 for 2007.

Taking seat in the area of the fictitious city of Quoted 17 about 2020, the play makes it possible to the player to again follow the Scientifique Gordon Freeman in an environment dystopic, two decades after the incidental of Black Mesa, where the Ground is nothing any more but the shade of itself.

The driving of the play is the Source engine, which includes an altered version of the Moteur physique Havok. Half-Life 2 was often greeted for its advance in the fields of the Animation, of the Graphisme, the its, the Physique and the Narration. In 2006, four million specimens of the play had been sold in the world. The exact figures for Steam and the Retail business were not revealed, but that in general accounts for 25% of the sales turnover of Valve and is appreciably more profitable with the sold unit. In all, the frankness Half-Life , Counter-Strike and Day off Defeat included, ran out with more than 15 million sales.

History of the development

The imposing success of Half-Life made almost inevitable the development of a continuation. Half-Life 2 started to make speak about him in 2003, where the first images of the play started to circulate in the living rooms of video game (in particular with the E3). A great enthusiasm was caused and the play was even named Meilleur play of the living room.

The first coming out date is fixed at the September 30th 2003 but, about July, the first rumors of a possible delay arrive. It is necessary to wait the last days before the deadline so that the carryforward is officialized; the new date would be then the end of the year. At the beginning of October, Valve announces that the hacking of the source code ↓ will push back the exit of the play until at least April 2004. A little later again, the rumors of a carryforward, this time for the end of September, start again to circulate. In fact, the date remains fuzzy: even the online shops proposing pre-to order the play are not able to agree as for the fixed coming out date. Valve, which had been done discrete since the business of the source code, announces in February 2004 which if the play passes in Gold in August, it will be in the vats of the retailers in September. The players feared a scenario identical to the previous year but the play leaves finally the November 16th 2004.

Meanwhile, the main competitors of Half-Life 2 , Far Cry and Doom 3 , had successively left a few months before him.

Escape of the source code

Half-Life 2 remained a rumor until the presentation of the play in E3 in May 2003, which strongly raised the level of interest of all the players. The play was to then leave in September 2003, but was pushed back several times. This surely pushed pirate data processing by the means of a bug in Microsoft Outlook, to be interested in the development and finally to place at the disposal of all the unit of the source code of a branch of development of the play at the beginning of September. In October Gabe Newell publicly explains on the forum of HalfLife2.net what they had to endure since this escape of code, and requires of the assistance to find the delinquents.

This escape was initially regarded as a hoax, but a great number of anybody could realize of the authenticity of the sources by downloading them, and thus realize that Valve had been victim of a hacking. This version, although playable, contains parts of the play not finalized, such as the charts or even the source code; it contains thus many bugs not making it possible to take pleasure in the adventure.

This escape had a large impact on moral developers and on planning, even if Gabe Newell and Doug Lombardi announced that the exit announced for September 2003 was really very right and could not have been held even without the escape. Many players were not astonished by the delay, by taking for reference the first public mention of the play only four months before the date envisaged of its exit. Many thinks thus that the flight of the source code made it possible Valve to find a justification valid for its delay.

In June 2004, Valve software announces in a press release that the FBI stopped several people suspectées to have taken part in this business.

Conflict between distributers

The September 20th 2004, the public learns on GameSpot that Vivendi Universal Games is in legal battle with Valve Software on the distribution of Half-Life 2 in the Cybercafé S. This point is important for the Asian market of the play, because as connections Internet to broad band-width yet are not very established (except in South Korea and in Taiwan), the cybercafés are extremely popular to play network games.

According to Vivendi Universal Games, the contract of distribution which they signed with Valve included the cybercafés. That means that only Vivendi Universal Games could sell the play with the cybercafés and not Valve. The November 29th 2004, judge Thomas S. Zilly of the federal court of the United States, the district of Seattle, interdict with Sierra, Vivendi Universal Games or any other subsidiary company, to distribute (directly or indirectly) the plays of Valve to the cybercafés, in accordance with the agreement of edition in force. Moreover, Zilly judge pleads in the favor of Valve and concedes that the damage can be retroactive.

The April 29th 2005, the two parts announce that an agreement was found. Vivendi Universal Games ceases distributing all the versions packed to the detail of the Valve plays the August 31st. It was recognized by justice that only Valve had the right to distribute its plays to the cybercafés.

Cut contents

During its long development, many elements of Half-Life 2 partially or were completely removed.

Many enemies considered were not implemented in the play. An enemy who appears on the first images of the play is the hydre, a gelatinous and fluorescent blue creature whose physics and algorithms of the movements were analyzed for six months. But progressively of its programming, the developers found that, if the hydre were perfect when it was a question of tackling the others, it were not amusing to fight directly and finally had to remove it. Also, King Fourmilion was to be an enemy even larger than Strider located in the undergrounds of the den of swarm but, to measurement of the development of the upper part of the level, underground spaces were reduced and there was no more place for the King.

Gordon would have had to fight at the sides of a character resembling Odessa Cubbage, but under a different name and in a different place, just like it was to meet certain Colonel Vance who then amalgamated with Eli to become the Doctor Eli Vance. Moreover, the way which the player was to follow is singularly different from that of the final version.

Among the weapons removed, OICW and two models different from the gun anti-gravity; three weapons which one could see on some vidéos of E3, also depicting a cut passage of Ravenholm (named “Traptown then”). Freeman was to also use a Fusil of precision, but the weapon was replaced later by the crossbow. Side of the vehicles, the play envisaged to make lead to the player a Jet-ski.

It remains unknown if the majority of these elements are definitively removed or if they could appear in the continuations to come but that were already seen: just like Half-Life: Uplink benefitted from a removed level of the first Half-Life , Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is based on a passage which was cut in Half-Life 2 .

It should be noted that a MOD called Missing Information was developed by basing on the escape of the source code of Half-Life 2 . In addition to introducing several removed weapons, the MOD also includes visible levels in the demonstrations of E3 as well as a passage proceeding on a failed ice-breaker.

Gameplay

The Gameplay of Half-Life 2 remains rather similar to that of its elder. The player evolves/moves in linear levels by eliminating the enemies on his passage. As for Half-Life , the rate/rhythm of the play is sometimes intersected with series of basic Casse-tête; however, the originality lies in the specific intervention of the Moteur physique in the resolution of certain problems.

The use of physics extends in the engagements thanks to the gun anti-gravity. This single weapon plays a crucial role in the play, making it possible to make léviter objects and enemies and/or to project them. This function makes it possible to the player up to that point to show a creativity without precedent in the use of its environment: any object becomes potentially a projectile or a cover, can be useful in the construction industry of a bridge, the grenades can be turned over to the sender, the inaccessible ammunition can be caught…

The Véhicule S have also a big role. The player is brought to drive two vehicles in the play; a Hydroglisseur with which Gordon sails in the canal system of City 17, and a buggy that Gordon uses to skirt the littoral. The hydroplane is initially without weapon, but it is equipped later with the gun with a helicopter with the shot down Trust. The buggy is armed with a " Tau Cannon" in any point identical to the weapon of the same name of the first Half-Life .

So that the player familiarizes himself more quickly with the mechanisms of the play and the handling of the weapons, of the sequences of drive are integrated in the axis of the history itself, in addition to instructions on controls of the play which are posted sometimes with the screen (but, contrary to his predecessor, there does not exist any more level of drive distinctly separated from the countryside solo). This kind of drive integrated into the history is seen, for example, when a soldier of Civil protection orders to the player to collect a quill with ground and to throw it in a dustbin, or when Alyx presents to Gordon the gun anti-gravity in Black Mesa Is and organizes a play of “correction” with Chien.

Creatures and characters

Although Gordon most of the time only fights, it is sometimes assisted by allies. The majority are human members of the Résistance, but Gordon is also helped by the Vortigaunt S and later by the Fourmilions, two extraterrestrial species resulting from Xen. Fourmilions is creatures insectoïdes met at the beginning as an enemy, but which become then allies when Freeman manages to use their phéromones. Vortigaunts are creatures humanoïdes very advanced, enemy well-known of the first Half-Life able to launch powerful energy beams, which joined human resistance. With many recoveries, Gordon also fights at the sides of important characters like Alyx Vance, Barney Calhoun (hero of the extension Half-Life: Blue Shift ) and the robot Dog.

Many enemies of Half-Life make their return in this play, like the crabs of head and the Barnacle S, but the principal enemies are, this time, the forces of the Cartel. Contrary to the creatures of Xen, these enemies form a true intelligent and organized army made up of soldiers transhumains, of biomechanical machines, of robot-like weapons, using even crabs of head as a biological Arme.

Weapons

Many weapons placed at the disposal in Half-Life 2 were imported of Half-Life , including traditional the Pied-de-biche, the rifle with pump SPAS-12, the Revolver .357 Magnum (which resembles a Colt Python), the crossbow, the grenade with fragmentation, and the Lance-roquette to which one can add the Canon de Gauss or " Tau Cannon" , an experimental rifle with particle which is assembled here on the buggy.

Weapons of the first opus were also substituted. Thus, the Pistolet H&K USP Match replaces the Glock 17 and the machine-gun H&K MP-7 PDW replaces MP5. In the new fictitious weapons, rifle with plasma of the Trust, the phéromones are which make it possible to control to them Fourmilions, and especially, the gun anti-gravity.

The weapons are classified of categories in the inventory and the majority include a secondary shooting.

Bandage

All the tracks were composed by Kelly Bailey. The edition “Gold” of the play offered (inter alia) audio CD practically containing all the band of the play, like three tracks no-claims bonus.

Tracks 16,18 and 42 are the exclusive tracks no-claims bonus with audio CD. Tracks 44 to 51 are tracks of the play which do not appear in CD of music.

To note that the majority of these pieces famous and were transferred since the band of Half-Life ; the names between brackets are those of the original titles. Tracks 32,34,41 and 42 are remixes.

Multijouor

Universe of the Play

Prolog

The first Half-life occurs in the Research center of Black Mesa, a gigantic secret scientific complex located in the desert of the New Mexico. During an experiment, the researchers of Black mesa accidentally cause a “resonance chains some” which opens a gate towards an extraterrestrial world : Xen. The creatures of this world cross the gate and invade Black Mesa, killing all the human ones on their passage. The player incarnates Gordon Freeman, one of the scientists who took part in the experiment responsible for the disaster, and guides it in its attempt to escape from the center. At the end of the play, Gordon is téléporté on Xen and eliminates the creature which seems responsible for all this at first sight, the Nihilanth; but a mysterious character, known under the name of G-Man, impressed by his prowesses proposes in Gordon to work for him.

The gun of Half-Life implies that Gordon Freeman accepted, voluntarily or not, the offer of G-Man. This one then places Freeman in a state of damning up of which it will arise only for the events of Half-Life 2 . Thus, Half-Life 2 begins when G-Man leaves Freeman its state of damning up which awakes on train on the way towards a city called Cité 17. A number unspecified of years ran out since the incident of Black Mesa, the official sources are conflict on top and the period varies between one to two decades.

Context

Shortly after the events of Black Mesa, the Trust, a powerful extraterrestrial organization, took the control of the Earth during a lightning war known under the name of Guerre the Seven Hour old. Very quickly, the Trust started has to adapt and exploit the resources of the Earth. The human ones were parked in cities like Cité 17, under the narrow monitoring of the Overwatch, a ultra-repressive militia made up soldiers transhumains, fruits of the crossing between the human organism and the technology of the Trust. The former administrator of Black Mesa, Doctor Wallace Breen, was declared representing of humanity that it directs from its office at the top of the Citadel, a gigantic structure in the center of City 17.

The Trust having used Xen as gate for its invasion, all the creatures of Xen were off-set on the Earth with them. The dominant species of Xen, the Vortigaunt S, were tiny room to slavery with the human ones while the less advanced species were established in the ecosystem terrestrial and destroyed the majority of already existing fauna. In-outside Cities, the remainder of the Earth is invaded by these hostile creatures.

To avoid any resistance, Breen set up a solid dictatorship which holds in various points:

an omnipresent propaganda: the speeches of Breen are diffused on giant screens laid out everywhere in the street and the public buildings. Crushing the presence of the Citadel remains the supreme representation of the domination of Breen.
a strong repression: any opponent or considered as such is punished by the deprivation and the force. The extreme cases are sent in the terrible prison of Nova Prospekt to be tortured, questioned and transformed into Stalker.
a total deprivation: a special device prevents the human beings from reproducing by removing their cycle of reproduction. The strict rationing of food allows a total influence on the population.

Tally

Contrary to its predecessor, the exact area where is held Half-Life 2 is not specified but the architecture of City 17 resembles however that of the towns of Europe of the East. Victor Antonov, the artistic director of the play which also passed its childhood in Bulgaria, indicates that the choice of Eastern Europe as decoration of the play comes owing to the fact that it is able to combine architectures old and modern, making it possible to create a city with a history.

The decoration of the play frequently shows signs and graffiti written in the Cyrillic alphabet (and in language Bulgare). The old cars met in the play are common models of Soviet manufacture in Eastern Europe (Moskvitch S, Zaporozhet S, Volgas (GAZ-24), Latvias (RAF-2203), ZIL-130s). During the play, a base of resistance is called “New Little Odessa”; Little Odesse is the nickname of a Russian community of Brighton Beach, where many immigrants of the ex-USSR were established (true the Odessa is a big city of Ukraine littoral). The Grégori Father has a common noun in the Slavic countries and an accent (at least in the original version of the play) who is stereotypic of over there, moreover it was identified like an orthodoxe priest, the prevalent religion of many countries of Eastern Europe.

History

Chapter I: Insertion point

The introduction of the play is a kind of dream strange in which G-Man speaks in Freeman about the role that it soon will play, right before leaving this one its state of damning up. The whole Earth passed under the control of the Trust, a mysterious organization whose soldiers make reign the order in an extremely severe way. At its entry in station, Gordon finds quickly Barney Calhoun, a former colleague of Black Mesa, and becomes acquainted then with an young woman, Alyx Vance. The two characters make in fact resistant part of an small group of which fights against the tyranny of the Trust.

Chapter II: One day memorable

Taken in hunting by the Civil protection, Alyx and Barney take it along in the secret laboratory of the Doctor Kleiner where this one tries téléporter Gordon towards their principal den: Black Mesa Is where it will be able to meet the father of Alyx, the Doctor Eli Vance. But, if the teleportation of Alyx succeed, the domestic Crabe of head of Kleiner, Lamarr, interferes at the time of the teleportation of Freeman which fails and alarm the Trust of its presence in Cité 17. Barney then proposes in Gordon to take the channels of the city to go to Black Mesa Is.

Chapter III: Kanal route

On the way towards the channel, Gordon is again continued by the militia of the Trust. It crosses the sector of the railways to a rebellious outpost; at this point, it becomes increasingly obvious that the exploits of Freeman with Black Mesa gave him a reputation of legendary hero, its Messianic return almost gives again courage with Resistance and worries the Trust more and more. The rebels entrust a Hydroglisseur to him with which Gordon begins its crossing of the channel.

Chapter IV: Watery danger

After a frantic track race with the forces of the Trust, the hydroplane arrives finally at an old hydroelectric station. In the undergrounds, the scientific team of Resistance established her principal laboratory, Black Mesa Is.

Chapter V: Black Mesa Is

There, Gordon meets Doctor Eli Vance and Doctor Judith Mossman, joined by Alyx. They entrust to him a weapon developed by their care called “gun anti-gravity,” Alyx is given the responsability to learn in Gordon the handling with this weapon with the assistance from Chien, a powerful robot designed by his/her father to protect it, when the laboratory is taken by storm by the Trust, forcing Gordon to flee by borrowing a driving abandoned tunnel from Ravenholm.

Chapter VI: Ravenholm

Following a massive bombardment of the Trust, Ravenholm became a phantom city. The whole population was transformed into zombie by the crabs of head which invaded the city, only survived the Père Grégori left in crusade against the monsters which trail in the streets of the city. The Grégori Father helps Freeman to leave Ravenholm and the guide towards the shipyard to the periphery of City 17.

Chapter VII: Highway 17

Freeman is then alerted by radio by Alyx which his/her father was captured by the Trust during the attack of Black Mesa Is and is taken along to the prison Nova Prospekt. To reach Nova Prospekt, it must skirt this area of the littoral called the Coast by borrowing Highway 17. Informed, Resistance places at its disposal a buggy which enables him to force the many stoppings of the Trust. On the way, it carries assistance at a base of the resistance, named New Little Odessa, ordered by the colonel Odessa Cubbage, to contain the attack of a helicopter of the Trust.

Chapter VIII: Sand traps

Further, Freeman joined a headlight reconverted in outpost of resistance, where a battle prepares at the end which it leaves its buggy there. Forced to cross the sand dunes to join Nova Prospekt, Gordon must face the Fourmilions, of the frightening creatures insectoïdes of Xen hidden in sand. Brought to eliminate a Fourmilion Guard, Freeman uses the Phéromone S of the creature to order the others Fourmilions which then do not represent any more one threat and which will become a support of choice.

Chapter IX: Nova Prospekt

Engaged in the meanders of Nova Prospekt, Gordon Freeman notes that them Fourmilions that it attracted with him are submerging the guards of Nova Prospket. In this chaos, only some pockets of resistance remain, and Gordon Freeman early made dissolve them to cut through a path increasingly deeper in the prison.

Chapter IX (a): Quantum correlation

With the assistance of Swarmed, Freeman takes by storm Nova Prospekt. Joined by Alyx, they end together up finding Eli Vance and Judith Mossman. Mossman, which proves to be a Espion Trust, creates a diversion and removes Eli by using the teleportor located in-depth in the prison. Driven back, Gordons and Alyx must reconfigure the teleportor to be able to flee towards the laboratory of Doctor Kleiner. However, malfonctionnement of the equipment an enormous explosion involves which destroyed Nova Prospekt and on their arrival in the laboratory of Kleiner, one week is in fact past! Kleiner explains why during this week, the fall of Nova Prospekt was so much symbolic system which it started a massive Révolte in Cité 17 which is since the theater of true a urban war. It also informs them that Eli Vance would be held in top of the Citadel, the absolute bastion of the Trust.

Chapter X: Anticitoyen One

Dog opens the way with Freeman towards the Citadel while Alyx and Kleiner escape from the laboratory. City 17 is with fire and blood, and Freeman must cut through a path in the middle of the engagements, joined without hesitation by all the resistant ones which it meets becoming one of the leaders of this revolution. When finally, Alyx joined it, they work in concert to decontaminate a generator of the Trust in order to open an access; but once the crossed gate, whereas Alyx seeks an exit, it is captured by the soldiers.

Chapter XI: Follow Freeman

Gordon has other choices only to continue its progression but he learns that Barney is driven back by embusqués gunners. Once the released road, Barney and its troops join it and they move towards an old administrative building which is being a refuge for the militia, and a target of choice to weaken the Trust. Gordon carries on its way in direction of the Citadel whereas the urban guerilla reaches its paroxysm, with the arrival of the Striders. While it makes it possible resistant to take the control of the periphery of the Citadel, it arrives to the enclosing wall, that Chien the assistance to be crossed.

Chapter XII: Our Benefactors

Gordon enters the Citadel by an underpass and emerges of the tunnel towards a gigantic pit in which the Citadel is established. Whereas it engages in the Citadel, all these weapons are destroyed by a defense system (a kind of “field of confiscation”) except for the gun anti-gravity which, on the contrary, is reinforced by the field. Freeman manages thanks to that to advance in the Citadel and returns in a container which is locked and all in top of the Citadel brings it, directly in the office of Wallace Breen.

Chapter XIII: Black energy

Breen is held at the sides of Judith Mossman, Eli and Alyx is imprisoned in containers similar to that which retains Gordon. After a long discussion between the five protagonists, Mossman is taken remorse and is turned over against Breen, releasing its three prisoners. Breen manages to escape to the “engine to black energy” from the top from the citadel with the intention to open a gate for téléporter far from the Earth. Gordons and Alyx leave to its continuation, and succeed in destroying the engine, preventing the escape of Breen. That starts a gigantic explosion in which Alyx and Gordons are taken.

Epilog

Immediately after the destruction of the engine, time slows down and stops. G-Man appears, congratulating the exploits on Gordon without being concerned with Alyx, and decided well to again place it in damning up. The play finishes exactly as it started, by a black dissolve. The continuation of the history is discovered in Half-Life 2: Episode One .

Narration

Following the example first Half-Life , Gordon Freeman never speaks during all the play, but is satisfied to observe what it occurs around him and to obey the directives of its allies. The action is seen only through its eyes (i.e. without any kinematic) and it does not have there no discontinuity in the course of the history (from its point of view).

This narrative choice was sometimes the object of criticism since it appreciably limits the possibilities of a basic history. Because of the absence of kinematics, the player can never directly see what it occurs in the absence of Gordon. The apparent passivity of Gordon Freeman vis-a-vis the events ended up aggravating many players. Since the commencement of the series, the developers were ensured that the experiment of Gordon and that of the player is the same ones in order to reinforce the immersion.

The tail-of-fish end of Half-Life 2 also strongly points out that of the first opus and divides as much the opinion of the players: after having achieved many feats of ingenuity against enemies apparently largely higher, Freeman sees G-Man reappearing, greeting its performances and announcing to him that other tasks should follow. The destiny of the other characters like Alyx, Eli and Judith remains as dubious as the fate of Gordon. Few the questions left outstanding in Half-Life find finally an answer in this play, while many other interrogations appear. The identity and the nature of G-Man, one of the enigmas which impassions more the fans, remains a complete mystery.

Technology

Engine of play

Steam

Distribution

The August 26th 2004, a portion of 1 GB of Half-Life 2 was partially available in pre-remote loading on Steam. I.e. the players could start to download the encrypted files of the play on their computer before his exit. With the coming out date, the players had the possibility of buying the play since Steam, thus freeing the files on their hard drives and of playing play immediately, without having to await the complete remote loading of the play. The period of pre-remote loading lasted several weeks, with parts of the play made successively available, to make sure that all the players had the possibility well of downloading the contents of the play before this one did not leave.

The real exit of Half-Life 2 is ridge simultaneously on Steam, CD, and DVD through several editions. The editions in store being distributed by Vivendi and that on Steam being managed by Valve, the contents and the prices were relatively variable.

On Steam, the version “Bronze” includes only Half-Life 2 and Counter-Strike: source (adaptation of the MOD of the first Half-Life with the engine Source) while the editions “Silver” and “Gold” (edition collector) also include Half-Life: Source and Day off Defeat: Source (adaptations of the first Half-Life and its MOD Day off Defeat ) as well as the right to download all the preceding plays of Valve since Steam. The edition collector adds several derivative products like a T-shirt, the official guide of the play or CD containing the Bande-son play. Steam is in all the obligatory cases to play. To note that Day off Defeat Source became available only starting from the September 26th 2005, that is to say one year after these offers.

In the versions boxes, two editions were proposed: an edition equivalent to the version “Bronzes” and a version collector, only available starting from the December 10th 2004, which contained in more Half-Life: source, a tee-shirt and a booklet of easy way.

In September 2005, Electronic Arts distributes the Game edition off the Year of Half-Life 2 including Counter Strike: source and Half-Life: source.

Partnership with ATI

As from October 2003, after having succeeded in preceding Nvidia, the graphics cards of the manufacturer ATI êtaient delivered with, as a Bundle , a coupon on which was entered a key for Half-Life 2 . There was not then more but with the enregister on Steam to be able to download the play. But Half-Life 2 being made wait, ATI and Valve decided to allow to the owners these coupons to reach the “Valve Pack First” which contained Half Life and its mods ( Counter Strike , TEAM Fortress Classic , Deathmatch Classic , Opposing Force and Ricochet ). Finally, the play left one year later and the coupon gave access the equivalent of the pack “Bronze”.

A version demonstration was then available in December 2004 on Internet site of ATI. The demonstration contains part of the first level of the play, and part of the chapter “Ravenholm”.

The December 22nd 2005, Valve leaves a version 64 bits the engine Source which benefits from the processor AMD64 turning on the version 64 bits of Windows. This update, delivered via Steam, allows Half-Life 2 and the other plays using the engine Source to function with the processors 64 bits, and in particular the AMD Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX, without passing by the emulator 32 bits of Windows. Having to ensure a priori of better performances, several user regretted of big problems despite everything.

Ports

A version XBox published by Electronic Arts left the November 15th 2005. Although the reception is good, criticisms underlined the absence of multijouor mode and the problems of frame spleen; the notes of the play are thus slightly lower than its counterpart PC.

At the time of the conference of summer of Electronic Arts, the July 13rd 2006, Gabe Newell announces that Half-Life 2 will be adapted on the consoles of new generation, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. It will be about a pack, named The Orange Box , also envisaged on PC, which will include Half-Life 2 , Episode One , Episode Two , TEAM Fortress 2 , and Portal . This pack left in October 2007 on PC and XBox 360 and should leave in 2008 on PS3.

Reception

The exit of Half-Life 2 , pushed back on several occasions, often was worth to him to be catalogued like Vaporware , and the technological innovations which it was then supposed to bring made meanwhile their appearance in other recent plays (in particular Far Cry and Doom 3 left the same year).

Nevertheless, at its exit, the reception in term of criticisms, rewards and sales was largely positive. In 2006, four million copies of Half-Life 2 had been past in the world. It is about half of the sales of the first Half-Life but the sales of this continuation remained relatively stable from its exit.

Criticisms

The press overall received very positively Half-Life 2 and was seldom noted by the specialized press in lower part of 90% of the maximum note. IGN and PC Gamer grants practically the maximum note to him while Half-Life 2 becomes one of the five titles to receive Edge one 10/10. The French press does not make exception, the play obtains 18/20 on Jeuxvideo.com, 95% on PC Plays, 9/10 on Gamekult.

The principal quality recognized with the play is its force of immersion. The universe of Half-Life 2 , primarily thanks to its scenarisation its design and its ryhtme constant, was unanimously greeted for its single environment, judging that it largely compensated for the traditional gameplay play. The graphics, though sometimes slightly judged in decaf of Doom 3 and Far Cry , were appreciated but it is rather the exploitation of the physical engine, in particular in the resolution of puzzles and especially thanks to the gun anti-gravity, which was applauded. The phéromones, “arms” which makes it possible to control swarmed them, also were appreciated much, just as the passages in the vehicles offering an additional freshness although sometimes found a little long.

The play is however far from being free from criticisms. If the environment of the play achieves the unanimity, the scenario divided. The critics regret in general that the history is not really developed and even less clearly not clarified . In the same way, the dumbness of the main character astonishes, Gamekult deplores the passivity of the character: the experiment lived by the hero is more that of fugitive, anxious to save its skin and without real influence on the course of the events, that of the hero of the resistance which one seeks to sell to us in beginning and end of adventure.

The artificial intelligence is also blamed, décriant the lack of reaction of the enemies. The lifespan was as a whole described as a little short. Jeuxvideo.com underlines loadings inopportune which very frequently occurs . In appendix, the obligatory activation of the play on Internet and the absence of handbook were also sometimes deplored, like some astonishing gaps (impossibility of leaning, possibility of holding a weapon with two hands fixed on a scale…).

Rewards

Half-Life 2 received 35 rewards “Play of the year”, including the Overall Game off the Year of IGN, the GameSpot' S Award for Best Shooter , the GameSpot' S Reader' S Choice , PC Range off the Year Award and the Game off the Year of the Academy off Interactive Arts and Sciences, and decreed “better play” by the Game Developers Choice Awards, with various rewards for the technology of the play, the characters and the history. The play also gained six prices with BAFTA Games Awards 2004, that is to say more than any other play, including that of the “best play” and that of the “best online game and multijouor”.

Extensions and modifications

After the exit of Half-Life 2 , Valve Corporation left an additional level, Lost Coast , free available, which takes seat between the chapters “Highway 17” and “sand Traps” and is used especially as support to post the technology HDR Source engine.

June 1st 2006 leaves an extension (paying) the play, Half-Life 2: Episode One (initalement entitled Half-Life 2: Aftermath ), whose history begins again exactly where that of Half-Life 2 stops. The player always incarnates Gordon Freeman, contrary to the extensions of the first Half-Life which made it possible to incarnate other protagonists. Without major change in the gameplay , this episode proposes the role of Alyx which accompanies the player during the majority by the play. Two other additional episodes should see the day, logically entitled Episode Two and Episode Three in order to form a trilogy. According to Gabe Newell, these three episodes would make in some office kinds of Half-Life 3 , admitting even that a more correct title for Episode One would have been Half-Life 3: Episode One . The interest of a system of sale by episodes would be to thus avoid with the fans waiting six years additional to have a continuation.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is accompanied by two new mods: Portal and TEAM Fortress 2 .

In April 2006, the development of Half-Life 2: Episode Four is confirmed, marking the beginning of new an act of the history. Moreover, this extension would be programmed by a third studio placed under the supervision of Valve Corporation.

Mods not-official

See also: List of the mods of Half-Life 2

After the provision by Valve of the Source SDK, a Kit of very complete development, many mods amateurs started to be developed by the community Half-Life 2 . Those can go from the simple creation of levels and additional weapons to the Total conversion for most ambitious.

All the mods are not inspired inevitably by the universe of Half-life : GoldenEye: source considers a complete recasting of the famous play of the Nintendo 64 GoldenEye 007 while Resident Evil: Twilight is based on the series of the Resident Evil .

Some mods move away even from the principle of Jeu of subjective shooting as Garry' S MOD which makes it possible to the player to have fun with the physical engine or Empires which is a Strategy game in real-time.

Many a mods is still under development. Black Mesa is surely one of the most ambitious project of not-official MOD, its goal being to entirely recreate the first Half-Life by using all the capacities of the engine Source all while maintaining the history and the Level original design . Indeed, Half-Life: source had disappointed many fans because this one was satisfied to be a direct conversion of the original play to the engine Source. Black Mesa thus proposes to be to some extent what the fans hoped for Half-Life: source.

Derivative products

The success of the series led to the creation of several derivative products like Peluche S (vortigaunt or crab of head), Poster S, Habit S and Tapis of mouse.

PRIMA Ranges published two guides for Half-Life 2 . The first is the guide of official play which contains detailed charts of the levels of the play, strategies, easy ways and indices on the scenario of the play. The second, heading Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar is a book homage on the series including of the interviews of the development team, a history of the genesis of the series and discussions on the universe Half-Life , the whole illustrated by hundreds of drawings. This book would have been published in French under the title Half-Life 2: With the attack .

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