TheGamer - Half Life

Report: Half-Life's Einstein Scientist Is Actually Based On George Washington

James Troughton — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:34:48 GMT

Half-Life's scientists might be endless clones of one another thanks to memory limitations of the time, but that hasn't stopped them from taking on personalities of their own. 'scientist01' became Isaac Kleiner in the sequel, but in the '90s, he was dubbed 'Walter' by the community, even spawning fan-fic called "Walter's World" on the Planet Half-Life website. 'scientist02' meanwhile became known as Einstein, thanks to the striking resemblance, but concept and 3D artist Chuck Jones, who designed Gordon Freeman, says he was actually inspired by President George Washington.

Video Games That Have Realistic Physics

William Antonio Quick — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 23:45:18 GMT

We play games to escape the rules and laws that real life forces upon us. However, there's been a trend for some years now where games are trying to be as close to real life as possible. While this may defeat the purpose of gaming, it is no doubt impressive to see what programmers and designers can do to make digital experiences more realistic.

FPS: First-Person Shooter Is Only Really Definitive On The '90s

Andrew King — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:15:16 GMT

My biggest quibble with FPS: First-Person Shooter is that it doesn't live up to the claim in its tagline, included in its logo and in the film itself. Its creators have dubbed it "The Definitive FPS Documentary." A valuable resource? Sure. But not so much if you’re interested in learning much about anything that's happened in the shooter space after, say, 2004. And lacking much to say about the genre’s last two decades, it can’t say much definitively about the current state of the genre.

The Best PC Games Of All Time

Gabrielle Castania — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:30:16 GMT

We’ve come a really long way since the dawn of PC gaming. What began as a simple pixelated shooter with Space War in 1962 has evolved rapidly into the heavy-hitting fan-favorite series we’ve come to know and love.

20 PC Games With The Most Active Modding Communities

Ritwik Mitra — Sun, 04 Jun 2023 23:31:16 GMT

One of the joys of gaming on a PC is the access to a vast array of mods. With nearly every major release, you can bet that there'll be a dedicated subset of fans just waiting to alter the game in different ways. From performance-enhancing to purely hilarious, mods bring more playability to any game.

17 Years Later, Episode One Is Still Half-Life's Scariest Game

James Troughton — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:00:25 GMT

Half-Life excels at shoving us into tight spaces and scaring the pants off us. It begins with dimly lit ruins of an underground facility that feels inescapable, pushing us deeper and deeper into the heart of an unstoppable siege, each corner hiding something more treacherous than the last.

10 Games Turning 25 In 2023

Harjit Keanu Singh — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:00:15 GMT

Video games have been around for a long time. It's hard to believe that since video games first started working their way to the mainstream in the 1970s that it's been half a century since some of the very first and memorable games were made.

12 Gaming Villains Who Never Fight You Directly

Daniel Trock — Wed, 10 May 2023 20:30:15 GMT

Many villains are able to reach their villainous status by force, amassing armies or terrorizing the world with terrifying strength and abilities. Some villains, however, are more thinkers than doers. They may lead an antagonistic force, but only on presumed authority, with the villains themselves not having much in the way of fighting ability.

Counter-Strike 2 Adds A New Half-Life Easter Egg

James Troughton — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:37:53 GMT

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has long been full of Half-Life easter eggs - back in 2015, fans found graffiti of a number that, when Googled, led them to a zipcode reading 'Freeman'. Three years ago, fans also noticed a Black Mesa logo on the Professionals' sleeve buttons. Valve has been hiding Half-Life nods since CS:GO's launch, so it's only fitting that CS2 would feature some new references of its own.

Best Games Written By Popular Authors

Hilton Webster — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 14:30:15 GMT

Games are an interesting medium when it comes to writing stories because a lot of people don't quite seem to understand the intrinsic qualities of what makes games work. No matter how 'premium' you try to claim your story is, it won't quite work as a game if it's just emulating another medium.

Half-Life Fans Get Alyx Running On Steam Deck Without VR

James Troughton — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 12:31:13 GMT

Half-Life finally ended its 13-year dry period in 2020 with Alyx, but many were remis to be left out given that it required not only an expensive PC to play, but an expensive VR headset. If you're one of the fans who have been waiting for a chance to try it out, now you can, as modders have got it working without VR, and it even runs on Steam Deck.

Half-Life Fans Call MMod The "Best Way" To Experience Original Game

Sean Murray — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:49:35 GMT

We may be living in a bit of a retro shooter renaissance, but I'm sorry to say, the original shooters of old don't really hold up. Go back and play the original Half-Life and you'll be wondering why the firearms seem to have very little recoil, why the pistol is basically a laser with infinite range, and why Gordon Freeman has no feet if you look straight down.

Half-Life Fans Are Remaking Cancelled Game, Return To Ravenholm

Sean Murray — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 19:39:46 GMT

Valve licensed out the Half-Life IP only twice in its entire life. First was to Gearbox, who then made the Opposing Force expansion. The second time was to Arkane Studios for what would have been Half-Life 2: Episode 4 - Return to Ravenholm. The game would have taken place in the town of Ravenholm, which you visit briefly in Half-Life 2's sixth chapter, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...". The reason for that is that it's full of headcrabs and zombies.

The Half-Life-Style Opening Gets A Drawn Out Riff It Atomic Heart

Andrew King — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 21:00:15 GMT

I love a good Half-Life-style opening. Despite the fact that I came to Gordon Freeman's first adventure decades after its initial release, the unassuming scientist's tram ride into the Black Mesa facility was just as effective for me in 2020 as I imagine it was for that crop of players discovering it for the first time back in 1998. The sense of immersion you get from entering Freeman's world at the same pace he does is still unmatched.

Half-Life Writer Says Sharing Episode 3 Story Was "Deranged"

Sean Murray — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:58:58 GMT

A few years ago, Half-Life and Half-Life 2 writer Marc Laidlaw published something... a little strange. Titled "Epistle 3," the short story was written as a letter from "Gertie Fremont" to someone named "Playa," and although all their names were changed, the letter clearly outlines events following Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Many fans assumed at the time that what Laidlaw had written was actually a summary of the plot of Half-Life 2: Episode 3, which naturally caused a bit of a stir.

Half-Life Released As A Browser Game Thanks To A Fan

Sean Murray — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 18:20:45 GMT

Half-Life is approaching 25 years old. While that means it certainly looks dated compared to new releases, it does mean that it’s becoming easier to play Half-Life in unexpected situations. The whole game is just 700 MB, after all, which is basically the amount of data you’d expect from streaming a full-length video.

This Week In Modding: Witcher 3 Fixes, New Vegas Vampires, And More

Rhiannon Bevan — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 18:47:07 GMT

This week, we saw huge mod releases for a bunch of familiar faces, from Half-Life to The Witcher 3. There’s also a theme of unofficial patches, as most of the mods we highlight implement fixes and improvements that fans have been wanting for ages. Who better to deliver them than the fans themselves?

Half-Life's Long-Awaited Ray Tracing Mod Is Out Now

Lu-Hai Liang — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 06:07:48 GMT

The original Half-Life remains an incredible experience. The pacing, the surprises, the ineffable sense of place and atmosphere that Valve created for the game. While the 1998 title was remade by third-party developer Crowbar Collective a few years ago, with the excellent Black Mesa, there is still something special about the original. And now a mod is available that transforms Half-Life into something that is that much more lit.

My Favourite Moment: Half-Life 2's Don't Step On The Sand

James Troughton — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 17:15:14 GMT

Half-Life is chock full of horror, so figuring out the ‘most terrifying moment’ is a toughie. It’s either the stalker train crash in Episode One or that horrifying headcrab bombardment at the start of Route Kanal. Seeing someone helplessly trying to wriggle one off their head before going limp while what looks like an undercooked rotisserie chicken continues pulsating gave me nightmares as a kid. The best (or perhaps, worst) is the stretch of sand where one wrong step will see you hounded by antlions lurking underneath. It’s not the same kind of body horror that normally makes Half-Life sickeningly creepy, it’s a tense kind of fear - the kind where you’re on edge the whole time, tiptoeing across a barren wasteland.

What Happened To The FPS Genre’s Obsession With Deagles?

James Troughton — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 16:00:15 GMT

Throw a rock at a ‘00s FPS game and you’ll hit a Deagle (not a beagle called Dean - I wouldn't throw a rock at Dean). Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Far Cry, Stalker, Half-Life, Serious Sam, Rainbow Six, Black - you name it, they have a Deagle. Some use different names like the Black Kite - to be fair, that’s far cooler - but the Deagle was the ‘00s answer to the Super Shotgun, the weapon that would make an appearance in nearly every FPS title of the era. Only the Deagle was less ordinary, being the equivalent of a hand cannon built entirely to rival the magnum, but that didn’t stop games like Far Cry and Half-Life: Opposing Force from slipping one into your hands from the get-go.

Half-Life 3’s Cancelled 2015 Build Was The Perfect Sequel

James Troughton — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 16:00:15 GMT

Last week, Valve reporter and prolific Half-Life leaker Tyler McVicker shared details on an alleged 2015 build of Half-Life 3 that was scrapped in favour of Alyx, and it’s significantly different from what we expected. Rather than venturing to the Antarctic in search of the Borealis with Alyx Vance following the death of her father, we would’ve awakened after a dream sequence to find ourselves 20 years in the future, with all of our friends dead. It ditches the cliffhanger entirely, choosing instead to tell a completely new story with a drastically different tone. That might have disappointed some, but it’s what I love about Half-Life.

Half-Life 2 Fans Are Porting Episode One To VR

James Troughton — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 11:01:09 GMT

Given how unique it felt to duck and weave behind cars while running from striders during Half-Life: Alyx's penultimate battle, firing off bullets at Combine soldiers while evading those giant stalk-like legs, it's no wonder that fans are itching to replicate that excitement with the classics. That's exactly what Source VR Mod Team is doing, porting Episode One to all SteamVR-compatible headsets.

Half-Life 3 Build Was Reportedly Canceled In 2015 Due To VR Push

James Troughton — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:27:58 GMT

After Half-Life 2: Episode 2, many of us expected a third and fourth episode to follow, continuing that gutwrenching cliffhanger. Neither did, but leaks began to trickle down regarding Half-Life 3, several different times with several different plots. Usually, they centred on the arctic and Borealis, as with Mark Laidlaw's Epistle 3, the penned letter to fans explaining what would've happened had that third episode been made. But this new leaked Half-Life 3 build was reportedly set in Aperture Science and the USA, taking place after a 20-year time skip.

Best Environmental Hazards In Games

Lex Luddy — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 02:30:14 GMT

A key part of almost any video game is dispatching enemies. However, as the hours of shooting, stealth-ing, and platforming go by, sometimes the traditional means begin to feel somewhat trite. Yes, we could shotgun the nine millionth nameless soldier, choke out yet another guard, or jump on the head of another defenseless animal, but what if there was a more elaborate way to say goodbye to the baddies?

Modder Puts Mario In Half-Life With Block Mesa 64 Rom Hack

Sean Murray — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 11:00:13 GMT

Let’s be honest, Mario is about as far removed from Half-Life’s silent protagonist as you can get. And yet, this didn’t stop one modder ring from bringing Mario and Gordon Freeman together in the strangest possible way.

Every Game Needs A Half-Life Gnome Achievement

James Troughton — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:00:13 GMT

I’ll never forget the satisfaction of finally dragging that ugly gnome all the way through the antlion caverns, at the start of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. At that point, the journey has only just begun. Every gunfight runs the risk of it being blown away, leaving you scrambling around on the floor like Velma as she tries to find her glasses if her glasses had been hurled into the void beyond the map boundaries. Then you have to bring it with you in the jeep as helicopters shoot at you, all while it refuses to stay put. It’s worth it, though, because it’s a game-long challenge that fundamentally changes how you play, keeping everything fresh with a task as simple as carrying an inanimate object.

Half-Life Fans Are Confused About What Gordon's Sticking In Health Machines

James Troughton — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 13:14:15 GMT

25 years after Half-Life's launch, fans have found a new topic to discuss, and it isn't who the G-Man really is, a hidden Easter Egg that has just been discovered all these years later, or an interesting bit of lore that has been overlooked - it's the health charger, and what exactly Gordon sticks in it to heal. Get your mind in the gutter for this one.

Valve's 61GB Leak Should Worry Us

James Troughton — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 18:31:14 GMT

Whenever Valve leaks trickle out, the community is ecstatic. There’s a sense of celebration as the infamously silent game developer is dragged into the light and forced to spill all its secrets, and often these secrets are a string of meaningless words players try to decipher, like Citadel or Neon Prime. Now, it’s a full-blown 61GB leak spanning across all Source games, maybe even dethroning the notorious Half-Life 2 leak that led to someone being arrested for causing up to $250 million in damages.

Portal And Half-Life Connected Universe, Explained

Adam Arter — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 17:00:14 GMT

The universe of Valve’s classic first-person puzzler Portal reveals itself as you progress through a series of increasingly complex puzzle rooms using the iconic Handheld Portal Device. Both the rooms and the device are creations of an in-universe company known as Aperture Science — an organisation that shares a universe with Valve’s other popular first-person shooter series, Half-Life.

My First Time With Half-Life 2: Painting Ravenholm Red And White

James Troughton — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 17:00:15 GMT

Steam was one year old when Half-Life 2 launched, in its military green hued infancy, but me and my dad didn’t bother with it right away. So, when I wanted to play Half-Life 2, I’d open one of those awkward CD cases that would take some pressure to click into place, and feel loose in your hands when the cover was swung open. I can’t remember if there was a manual or any art on the CD, but I remember the cover showcasing Ravenholm, the town everyone says you don’t visit, but we end up at anyway.

Half-Life Is Still Fresh After 25 Years Thanks To Bunnyhopping

James Troughton — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 15:00:14 GMT

I’ve been playing Half-Life for as long as I can remember, revisiting the original game nearly every year for two decades. As a kid, I used to play around in the pre-disaster levels with cheats, spawning zombies to see how the scientists would react, or layering trip mines down the corridors to catch them off guard during scripted walks. I got more serious with it as I got older, perfecting my runs to the point that I can now beat it in under two hours, and that’s without trying to speedrun. But as much as I love revisiting it, it was getting stale - over 20 playthroughs will do that. So, I finally caved, and tried something I’ve been putting off for years - learning to bunnyhop.

Someone Is Demaking Infamous Fan-Made Half-Life Game Hunt Down The Freeman

Sean Murray — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 12:00:15 GMT

There are a lot of great fan-made Half-Life games out there, which is great since Valve doesn’t seem too interested in giving us a Half-Life sequel outside a VR game (which admittedly might just be the best VR title ever made). However, not every Half-Life game can be a Black Mesa. Some of them turn out to be Hunt Down The Freeman.

The Most Stoic Characters In Video Games

Yolly del Prado — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 19:05:14 GMT

Do you have a favorite video game character, someone you connect with or simply enjoy playing as? Attaching yourself to a protagonist makes the experience more entertaining and memorable. However, there are characters who display little to no emotions throughout their games, yet still manage to captivate us.

Half-Life: Source Leakers Finally Uncover G-Man Death Sequence

Vaspaan Dastoor — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 09:51:17 GMT

Half-Life left us with many unanswered questions, like who or what was the G-Man? Just how many experiments was Black Mesa running? How did one science nerd defeat a literal army with tanks and helicopters? Are all the security guards clones? Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll ever get the answer to any of these questions. While we could extrapolate a bit more about the G-Man from the sequels and Half-Life: Alyx, he is still an enigma. However, we have learnt a few more details about him thanks to a leak of the Half-Life: Source assets.

Half-Life 2 Gets Fan-Made Expansion Where You Flee From Combine In The Woods

James Troughton — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:33:58 GMT

It has been 16 years since we last stepped foot in White Forest, but Evac Dev. Team is bringing the spirit of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 back with its mod, Evacuation.

The Biggest Gaming News For January 5, 2023

Joshua Robertson — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 03:02:25 GMT

Your first working week of 2023 is almost over, so why not celebrate with a healthy dollop of big ol' gaming news? We've got some juicy stories for you today, including the news that the second season of HBO's The Last of Us will probably adapt the sequel.

New Valve Listing Sends Half-Life Fans Into Speculation Frenzy

James Troughton — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 13:06:36 GMT

We're five days into 2023 but the Half-Life rumour mill is already up and running. SteamDB has a new listing called "Valve Event Upload" containing a config file, something that can only be added by Valve itself. This could indicate a sale, but according to Tyler McVicker, formerly Valve News Network, this is something "specifically done for large releases".

Half-Life's G-Man Mystery Should Never Be Answered

James Troughton — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 16:31:13 GMT

Half-Life’s most elusive mystery is a bloke in a blue suit with a briefcase. For a series about interdimensional alien conquerors that defy space and time, it might seem a bit mundane. But G-Man has captured the imagination of fans since his debut in 1998 thanks to his unsettling sightings across Black Mesa, culminating in a finale where he plucks us from battle and gives us an ultimatum in a tram floating through the void. Nobody knows who he is, his motives, who his employers are, or even his species. That’s what makes him work.

Protagonists In Video Games That Deserved Better Backstories

Brandon Wayne Hansen — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 17:30:15 GMT

Sometimes video game designers are purposely non-descriptive of their player characters. This is sometimes to make the character feel as bland as possible, so the player assumes the identity. Half-Life did this even though they named the player, Doom is the epitome of this, and... well we can't complain about Pac-Man because they actually gave him a backstory.

Half-Life Fans Are Remaking PS2 Expansion Decay

James Troughton — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:42:36 GMT

Half-Life got a PlayStation 2 port that came with a Gearbox-developed exclusive expansion called Decay. It's a co-op campaign featuring Gina Cross and Colette Green, both of whom are wearing the missing HEV suits from the base game - there're still no clues as to where Gordon Freeman's helmet is, mind. Jump ahead 22 years and fans are aiming to give it the Black Mesa treatment with its very own remake.

Garry's Mod's TTT Is The King Of Murder Mystery Games

James Troughton — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 20:25:13 GMT

I love Among Us, Town of Salem, and Project Winter, but none of those come close to Garry’s Mod’s Trouble in Terrorist Town. The premise is pretty much the same - a bunch of you are the ‘innocent’ terrorists, and one or two of you are traitors. But, rather than holding meetings to suss out who the imposter is, you have to figure it out during the game, killing those you suspect. However, you need enough solid evidence, or you can get banned for random acts of murder. Even with solid evidence, you might kill an innocent, sparking a shootout that does the traitors’ work for them. That’s what’s so great about it, it has the one thing Among Us lacks - complete chaos.

More Games Need A Half-Life Tram Ride

James Troughton — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 21:00:14 GMT

Half-Life came out at a time when FPS’ were mostly arcade-style arena shooters with little story that threw you into enemies for the fun of it. Instead of following the mold, Half-Life reshaped what an FPS could be, starting you on a tram ride where you take in the scenery of Black Mesa before all it goes to shit. You get to see scientists tapping away on their computers, big robots lifting heavy cargo, and, in Blue Shift, employees hanging out at the cafeteria. All this paves the way for the moment in which everything collapses, with the bright lights swapped out for dingy backups, the scientists now cowering, dead, or zombified, and the whole facility in ruins as it continues to fall apart.

9 Video Game Characters Underqualified For Their Jobs

Brandon Wayne Hansen — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 19:05:14 GMT

Whether they lied on their resume or overpromised on what they could deliver, there are some video game characters who make you wonder: how the heck did they get here? Sometimes it's a normal every-level enemy that seems a little underpowered, or a stage boss that isn't menacing at all. Sometimes these characters simply don't fit the role they are supposed to be playing, or that everybody around them is overpowered.

Half-Life 2 Fans Discover That Corpse Model Was Ripped From Real Medical Book

James Troughton — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 10:29:00 GMT

18 years on from its release, Half-Life 2 fans have made a fairly morbid discovery about one of its models. Corpse01.mdl, which is also now a popular skin in Garry's Mod, was ripped nearly 1:1 from a real medical book. The only difference is that both eyes are missing in Half-Life 2's model, otherwise, it looks exactly the same.

Portal RTX Adds Random Half-Life Easter Eggs To Cameras And Radios

James Troughton — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 11:01:13 GMT

Portal RTX is a free remaster from Valve and Nvidia that adds ray-tracing and updated textures, but there are some other secrets that fans have started to uncover, like hidden QR codes taking people to a Google search of "blackmesa".

Half-Life 2 Fans Are Using Portal RTX To Add Ray-Tracing

James Troughton — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 10:20:56 GMT

A lot of Source games share parts of each other, meaning that you can load up Frankenstein-mixes of differrent Valve titles using console commands. Take Portal - it has a lot of Half-Life 2 levels buried beneath the surface, which previously let players access Half-Life 2 on the Nintendo Switch through Portal's port, and the same is being done again for Portal RTX on PC.

Valve References And Easter Eggs In Video Games

Sachi Go — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:05:15 GMT

Valve is an iconic part of the gaming industry, creating unforgettable games, changing the way the industry operates, and becoming notorious for not releasing the third installment in beloved series. Because of its place in the hearts of developers and gamers alike, it’s a name that stays relevant to this day.

Half-Life And Portal Writers Have "Actual Ideas" For Sequel

James Troughton — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 14:17:46 GMT

"Valve can't count to three" was a tired joke by 2012, but it remains true ten years later. Half-Life came back, but it was a prequel-sequel called Alyx - not 3 - and Left 4 Dead ended up getting a spiritual successor separate from Valve called Back 4 Blood, while Portal's most recent outing is a spin-off called Aperture Desk Job. We don't have a three for any of the big dogs.

Adaca Is Great, But It’s Making Me Realize That There's Nothing Like Half-Life 2

Andrew King — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 15:45:13 GMT

Adaca, a great new FPS from independent developer Siris Pendrake, manipulates game gravity to maneuver Half-Life 2 and Halo into the same orbit.

Half-Life Fan is Recreating Game In Doom Engine

Sean Murray — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:27:30 GMT

It’s hard to think of a more seminal pair of shooters than Half-Life and Doom (except for maybe Unreal Tournament). Both have inspired hundreds, perhaps even thousands of mods and fan creations, some of which have even turned into full games in their own right.

This Week In Modding: JBMod Returns, Skyrim Goes To Valenwood, And More

James Troughton — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 18:00:14 GMT

Modders are still toying with the original Half-Life, the inspiration behind Garry’s Mod has resurfaced, and Skyrim - expectedly - has a fairly ambitious mod in the news.

NPCs That Continuously Show Up

Daniel Trock — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 20:05:12 GMT

Have you ever visited a chain coffee shop with a friend, and they idly comment about how those shops seem to be everywhere? What if every one of those coffee shops was the same shop, moving around and following you wherever you go? That's what it's like dealing with a certain subset of video game characters.

ADACA Is A Must For Half-Life Fans

James Troughton — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 15:30:13 GMT

Being a Half-Life fan is a lot like going through the five stages of grief on a loop. It starts with denial - there’s no way it’s over. Half-Life: Alyx isn’t it! We will see Gordon again. Then comes anger. Where’s 3? Scrambling to internet forums to voice frustration at a cliffhanger left lingering for over a decade, now stuck with a new ending. And bargaining - we make our own games and our own indies inspired by it. Black Mesa and Codename: Loop continues its world while Industria and now ADACA take its lessons to make new ones. That’s where we are, and I plan to stay here for as long as possible before I reluctantly hit acceptance again and finally say - definitely for the last time - “It is what it is, the next game will come when it comes… if it comes.”

Original Half-Life Gets VR Mod Later This Month

James Troughton — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 14:00:13 GMT

Half-Life 2 isn't the only game getting the VR treatment from fans - from October 20, you'll be able to head into the Black Mesa facility to crowbar headcrabs, read someone's private emails, and push all those elevator buttons in VR.

Unofficial Rogue-Lite Half-Life Game Is Coming To Steam

James Troughton — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 11:00:13 GMT

Half-Life is getting a rogue-lite game thanks to fans - it's called Codename: Loop, a top-down twin-stick shooter set in the Black Mesa facility, drawing from the original's art and models. And now it's making its way to Steam, meaning you'll be able to pick it up and slot it in your library alongside Valve's official Half-Life games.

New Half-Life Leak Shows Full Extent Of Eli Vance's Injury

Sean Murray — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 20:42:47 GMT

A few weeks back, we got to see Half-Life 2’s Gravity Gun in prototype form courtesy of leaker Richter Overtime. The prototype weapon had a more ‘60s sci-fi feel than the eventual Gravity Gun, with more exposed and rounded wiring to better suit the original concept art of Eli Maxwell. This cut character would eventually fuse with another cut character to form the lovable Eli Vance.

Game Characters Who Are Only Known by Their Professions

Daniel Trock — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 16:30:13 GMT

A name is a powerful thing, carrying weight and attribution. To be able to name someone is to apply things to them, to identify them. On the flip side, though, those who have no names are inexorably more powerful than those without them. When you don't have a name, you become much harder to track, to pin down — and if your enemies can't find you, they can't kill you.

#RememberFreeman Half-Life Event Starts Today

Rhiannon Bevan — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 13:54:22 GMT

Update 16:30 GMT: They did it! The Half-Life community managed to more than double the previous record for the most fans playing the original Half-Life at once. The new all-time peak player record is now 12,310. The original report follows.

PlayStation VR 2 Needs To Launch With Half-Life Alyx

Jade King — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 14:00:15 GMT

PlayStation VR2 is going to be big. Its predecessor was already the biggest mainstream headset on the market before Oculus Quest 2 came along, offering a clunky yet affordable way to jump into a new reality with a healthy collection of games to choose from.

This Week In Modding: Take-Two Goes After Modders, Mass Effect 2 Gets Harder, And More

Rhiannon Bevan — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 21:00:14 GMT

It’s been a busy week in modding, with new creations from a wide variety of games being shared this week. A whole lot of them caught our eye, such as a recreated suicide mission for Mass Effect 2 and a standalone successor to an old Half-Life mod.

Half-Life Snow War Mod Is Now A Standalone FPS

Lu-Hai Liang — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 14:27:48 GMT

Half-Life is legendary. Its sequel too. Some of the spin-offs, such as Portal, have become greats in themselves and have mod origins. Valve's seminal shooter has spawned many gaming experiences and Snow War happens to be one of them (via Rock Paper Shotgun).

Valve Should Make An Open-World Half-Life

Andrew King — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 17:00:12 GMT

Valve's developers have a very particular set of skills. From the original Half-Life in 1998 through Half-Life: Alyx in 2020, the Seattle-based studio has defined, then refined, a specific kind of game. Despite shooters generally following the narrative model that Valve set with Gordon Freeman's crowbar-toting trek through Black Mesa, few narrative shooters come anywhere near the unique blueprint that Valve established 24 years ago and continues to perfect.

The Best FPS Games With Platforming

Michael Abayomi — Mon, 23 May 2022 14:05:13 GMT

First-person shooters have evolved quite a bit since the rudimentary days of classic Doom, where the player couldn't even aim up or down. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have players display great feats of mobility that wouldn't be out of place in a fully-fledged platformer.

Main Characters With Minimal Backstories

William Antonio Quick — Thu, 19 May 2022 13:05:12 GMT

When it comes to a new game, people always want to know who they're going to be playing. Will they be a hero, a villain, a nobody, an indifferent, a custom avatar, or something else entirely? Depending on the answer to the question, you'll get a chance to play some very colorful characters with some real weight to them, as well as a background to really flesh out their personality.

Half-Life Mod Lets You Play As A Black Mesa Scientist

Justin Reeve — Mon, 16 May 2022 01:46:03 GMT

Players wondering what it would be like to work in a top secret science laboratory now have something to satisfy their curiosity. Someone going by the name of Danys007 is currently working on a Half-Life mod which lets you assume the role of a Black Mesa scientist.

Best Underground Games

Michael Abayomi — Thu, 05 May 2022 21:16:13 GMT

Video games often take players on sprawling adventures that take place across a variety of landscapes. But every now and then, we have games where the action is largely confined to an underground setting.

Stasis Is What You Get When You Cross Half-Life With Inscryption

Khee Hoon Chan — Mon, 02 May 2022 15:00:13 GMT

Stasis, in plainest terms, is the hit card game Inscryption, but wrapped in the familiar veneer of Valve’s Half-Life. It’s essentially a homage to the ingenuity of Inscryption’s deck-building mechanics, and the melancholy of Half Life’s dreary, alien universe; even its developer has suggested that you give Inscryption a shot first before trying this out, so that you wouldn’t be spoilt by the unexpected twists and turns of the original game. Trapped in G-Man’s stasis after the events of Half Life, the entity has decided to ease his boredom with several rounds of the macabre card game; after all, eternity can probably feel pretty dreadful. The penalty for losing? Death, of course. But that’s not really as surprising as how Stasis eventually plays out, the more rounds you experience.

This Week In Modding: Lots Of Mass Effect, A Surprising Half-Life Crossover, And More

Rhiannon Bevan — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:26:52 GMT

We had a lot of Mass Effect mods to cover this week, as fans continue to perfect the Legendary Edition remasters that launched last year. From romance mods to complete overhauls, it’s been a good week to be a fan of BioWare’s space opera RPG series.

Half-Life Is More Than Just Gordon Freeman

James Troughton — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 19:31:14 GMT

When you think of Half-Life, you probably think of orange, an ambiguous silent protagonist, and the clean white underground facility under siege from aliens. It has a distinct aesthetic like any other game - the signifiers that sell it immediately. But they shouldn’t shackle what it can be. Gordon Freeman isn’t Half-Life and he never was.

6 Games From The Year I Was Born That I Should Probably Play

Sam Hallahan — Sun, 17 Apr 2022 16:30:16 GMT

1998 was a fantastic year for video game releases, though I don't remember it on account of me being only just being born. However, while I have delved into some of the great games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, there are still a fair few classics that I just... didn't play.

Codename: Gordon Was Valve's Marketing Peak

James Troughton — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 16:00:18 GMT

It’s 2003. Hair gel is in short supply, double denim is all the rage, and Half-Life 2 is a year away from release. The beta has been leaked in its entirety, it’s slated by the community and pushes Valve back to the drawing board. Delays spark, faith dwindles, but anticipation is still incredibly high. The fans and the industry at large are eager to see what the sequel to the revolutionary ‘90s FPS will look like. Codename: Gordon, a flash sidescroller, debuts to market Half-Life 2. It’s a fun distraction but as quickly as it appears, it fades into obscurity, becoming a gem remembered by few.

Games I Have Lied To My Friends About Playing

Gabrielle Huston — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:06:15 GMT

We all have a gaming backlog. That's perfectly normal. It's like readers who have a shelf full of books they haven't read, or a knitter with ten unfinished projects hanging around. Some of us, though, lie about what's in our gaming backlog.RELATED: Ways Dungeons And Dragons With My Kids Has Me Fearing For My LifeI'm the kind of person who spends several hundred hours in a game before moving on. I get obsessed. There are games I still own that I've been playing off and on for almost a decade. Needless to say, my gaming backlog runs pretty deep, and a lot of those titles are ones that every other gamer in the world seems to have played.

This Week In Modding: Half-Life: Alyx Expansion, Unofficial Game Of Thrones RPG, And More

Rhiannon Bevan — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 20:01:13 GMT

It’s been a huge week in the modding community, with plenty of exciting releases and updates to get through. From a Half Life: Alyx expansion, to a full-blown Game of Thrones RPG, there’s been no shortage of impressive fan projects to talk about.

Half-Life Modder Demakes Stanley Parable For GoldSrc

Sean Murray — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 20:14:19 GMT

The Stanley Parable first got started as a Half-Life 2 mod way back in 2011. Now, over a decade later, The Stanley Parable is also a Half-Life 1 mod.

Half-Life: Alyx Mod Adds A Brand New Campaign To The Game

James Troughton — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 10:10:48 GMT

Half-Life has one of the most dedicated modding communities out there whether it's fans piecing together old betas, creating whole new games around short stories, or remaking the originals. VR is no different. Now, one team has put together a four-to-five hour DLC for Alyx.

10 Best Half-Life 2 Mods

Chris Birsner — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 17:15:12 GMT

Mods in video games sometimes find a way to become as popular as the game itself. With Half-Life 2 and the release of Valve's Source engine, those that love tinkering with games were given a completely new platform to enjoy. The results led to some of the most popular mods of all time across all games.

Half-Life Port Turns PS2 Co-Op Game Decay Into A Solo PC Experience

James Troughton — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:02:23 GMT

Before Borderlands, Gearbox helped Valve with a few Half-Life spin-offs - Opposing Force, Blue Shift, and Decay. The latter was a PS2 exclusive co-op game that has been ported to PC by fan sbefore, but you still need a second person otherwise it's a nightmare to get through. But now, one fan has put together a solo overhaul, letting you enjoy it alone.

Interview: Half-Life 2's Beta Is Inspiring A New Generation Of Developers

James Troughton — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:30:13 GMT

Almost 20 years ago, an entire build of Half-Life 2 leaked online before release - the amount revealed was on a scale that hasn’t been seen since. The version that eventually arrived barely resembles the leaked build. In the leak, City 17 had an LA-esque skyline, children worked in factories, manhack arcades were controlled by unknowing citizens, there was the all-knowing Consul, Eli Maxwell, Captain Vance heading the Conscripts, and the Arctic. In the Half-Life 2 that launched, Eli and Vance combined, the Consul became Breen, and the LA-esque skyline can only be seen from the Citadel as a leftover of development while everything else became Eastern European.

Best Beards And Mustaches In Gaming, Ranked

Cameron Miller — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 18:05:12 GMT

Just about everyone that’s ever picked up a video game has at least one character they’d consider their favorite. Whether it be because of their in-game actions, the voiceover performance, or just how much fun you had playing them, there’s a character for everyone to latch onto. While those may be the usual metrics to determine a favorite or even the best character, there are some other odd metrics.

Half-Life Alyx Might Have The Best Ending In Video Games

Jade King — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 16:00:13 GMT

I still think about the ending of Half-Life: Alyx all the time. It is one of the single bravest moments in video game storytelling I’ve ever seen, willing to usurp the impact of a cliffhanger we’d been hoping to see addressed for over a decade.

Half-Life Modders Give The Original '90s Shooter A Facelift

James Troughton — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 11:00:12 GMT

The Half-Life modding community is one of the largest, most sustained communities in gaming. It spawned Counter-Strike, Team Fortress, Garry's Mod, and the fan-made remake, Black Mesa. But if you can't run Black Mesa or just prefer the older gunplay of the original, then Half-Life Hidef might be the solution.

Horror Games Where We Prefer The Antagonist

Staci Srebro — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 16:50:13 GMT

The perfect horror game follows a formula that will make the game timeless and keep gamers coming back for more playthroughs. The best horror games have legitimately frightening plots and (debatably) more importantly: creepy and unforgettable antagonists.

10 Most Unlikely Video Game Heroes

Daniel Trock — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:40:12 GMT

When the call to stand up and be a hero rings out, some brave men and women are quick to accept it. Others, however, aren't exactly interested in being heroes. They may be lacking in skills, have other motives, or simply don't feel like throwing themselves into danger.

What The End Of Half-Life: Alyx Means For Half-Life 3

Andy Kelly — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:02:57 GMT

Along with everyone else, I played Half-Life: Alyx expecting a standalone prequel that would expand on the series' mythology, but in a way that didn't step on the toes of a potential sequel to Half-Life 2. Then, as the credits rolled, I realised that Valve had just set the gears in motion to continue the story of Gordon Freeman. Where the series goes next—and whether it'll be the fabled Half-Life 3—remains to be seen, but Alyx's finale could mean big things for the series.

11 Games With Physics Mechanics

Gabrielle Huston — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 15:05:11 GMT

In physics games, the gameplay mechanics involve, well, physics! As the player, you'll probably have to carry things, toss things, jump around, and more. Gamers love these games for their challenge and (usually) their realism.RELATED: The Best Free PS4 Games You Can PlayThe special thing about physics games is that they're all unique. Each one of the games listed below use physics in a unique way, different from the others, in order to provide a challenge for the player. The results are games quite unlike any others.

Half-Life Mod Adds Ray-Tracing To Original '90s Game

James Troughton — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 09:30:39 GMT

One modder is adding RTX to Half-Life, giving the game a lick of paint almost 20 years after its launch. They've just released a trailer, showing side-by-side comparisons and gameplay with ray-tracing turned on.

The Biggest Gaming News For November 29, 2021

Sam Watanuki — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:00:12 GMT

Today’s stories feature updates on titles including Halo Infinite, Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition, and Cyberpunk 2077, as well as a rumored new entry into the Half-Life universe.

Xbox Game Pass Is Teasing Something "Orange" Coming Later This Week

Joshua Robertson — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 21:35:24 GMT

Xbox Game Pass has been teasing fans on Twitter with an upcoming announcement, the only clue being that it will be "a bit...orange". It's unclear whether this announcement will be a new game coming to the service or a possible color scheme swap, but we'll find out what it is at some point this week.

10 Best Melee Weapons In Video Games, Ranked

Richard Horton — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 15:15:21 GMT

Shooters are great fun but sometimes you just want the satisfaction of fighting your opponents up close and personal. That's where melee weapons come in. Whether you play fantasy games like The Elder Scrolls or sci-fi shooters like Halo, it's a challenge not to find a melee weapon in a combat game.

5 Games So Good They've Been Remade More Than Once

Adam Carr — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 00:55:11 GMT

Remakes, remasters, and reimaginings are commonplace. Everything from Final Fantasy 7 to The Last of Us has seen some brand of spit and polish applied to it. What's not so common, however, are games that have been remade more than once. We aren't talking simple rereleases here, no. These are full, from the ground up, remakes done several times.

10 Story-Driven Xbox 360 And PS3 Games That Need A Remaster

Jason Wojnar — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 20:50:11 GMT

As time goes on, more and more games from the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation receive remasters. It is especially helpful for narrative-driven games to have this treatment. When older tech is upgraded it lets newer generations of gamers more comfortably enjoy incredible stories.

Team Fortress 2'Two Biggest Mods Have Been Disabled Due To "An Arrangement With Valve"

Vaspaan Dastoor — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 10:54:38 GMT

Two of the biggest mods for Team Fortress 2, Open Fortress and TF2Classic have gone offline. However, fans have nothing to fear, as the developers have mentioned that they have only been temporarily disabled due to some sort of “arrangement” with Valve.

6 Games You Never Knew Were Sequels

Jacob William Close — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 23:15:27 GMT

Videogames are a lot like medieval kings: they rely on loyalty, command a ton of money, and invariably have a ton of illegitimate kids. Some of these children are readily adopted into the family, whereas others are relegated to toil as spinoffs away from the main court. And occasionally, they're banished far away in the hopes that nobody will ever know their true parentage.RELATED: The Best Video Games Of All Time, According To MetacriticBut where gamers are concerned, no secret successor is safe. Some of gaming's best titles have sequels hidden deep within their lore or written onto their very DNA. Whether they're disowned by their parent companies or morphed into another franchise entirely, there's no denying where they came from. So follow us, as we jump into the world of videogame genealogy and see who some of our favorite properties write Father's Day cards to.

Half-Life: Amazing Mods We Still Remember

Charles Burgar — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 17:15:27 GMT

Half-Life was the pioneer of interactive storytelling, allowing players to remain in full control of their character while engaging in memorable dialogue that would typically be relegated to a cutscene.

Valve Hasn't Found A Game The Steam Deck Can't Run

George Foster — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 09:48:02 GMT

Valve says that it hasn't found a game yet that the Steam Deck can't run.

Valve Is Making Steam Deck "As Quickly As We Are Able"

George Foster — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 16:10:26 GMT

Valve has responded to the issues with Steam Deck availability saying "we are making them as quickly as possible".

Valve Comments On Joy-Stick Drift, "We Didn't Want To Take A Risk On That"

George Foster — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 10:57:44 GMT

Valve has commented on the worry about control stick drift, saying that it "didn't want to take a risk on that".

Valve's Steam Deck Handheld: Pre-Order Times And Where To Buy

George Foster — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:18:54 GMT

Valve's newly-revealed Steam Deck is soon going to be available for pre-orders. Here's when you can get them, what time they'll be available and what you'll have to do to ensure you can get one.

Pricing The Steam Deck Was "Painful" Says Gabe Newell

George Foster — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:58:32 GMT

Gabe Newell has discussed the pricing of the Steam Deck, calling it "painful" but "critical".

Cyberpunk And Half-Life Content Coming To Death Stranding PS5

George Foster — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 13:06:27 GMT

The Half-Life and Cyberpunk 2077 content that was previously exclusive to the PC release of Death Stranding will be included as part of the upcoming Director's Cut.