Valve Software has revealed it's aiming for something pretty ambitious for the final chapter in the current Gordon Freeman storyline.
Its plan has emerged from a question put to Valve's David Speyrer on the absence of an Episode Three trailer at the end of Episode Two.
Explaining that one of the reasons for the lack of a trailer was to avoid diluting the ending of the second episode, Speyrer added that another reason "was to leave us open on Episode Three" in an interview on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
"We're going to try and do something pretty ambitious for that project", he continued on Episode Three. "We don't want to over commit."
"If you look at the Episode Two trailer that we shipped with Episode One there's some pretty radical difference between what you see there and see in finished game.
"That's really an artefact of making a trailer for a product that's still in heavy production. You just don't know where you're going to end up."
Im shur they will release it for 360 and PS3 and when they do i will be pulling my 4skin back and bashing 1 off and then cum all over gordan freemans ginger hair. braaap braaap. COD4 today .
Too much info
In the case of this report, not enough info Come on CVG put on a disguise and get in that Valve office 007 style. Take pics and come back and put them up
How about they stop milking the success of Half Life 2 and get development under way for Half Life 3 and try and 'wow' use all over again like they did with HL2? I played and completed HL2, Ep 1 and Ep 2 on 360 and I have to say the engine is showing its age, especially with the atmosphere destroying loading screens that pop in every 15 mins. So whats Ep 3 going to be like in another year or 2 when they release it?
I really hope that they release EP3 on the 360 either as DLC for the orange box or as a standalone product. It would be a shame to miss out.
My friend, by the time Episode Three is actually released the 360 will be old hat; the 720 (or whatever it ends up being called) will be out, thus requiring the complete HL2 .
Come on CVG put on a disguise and get in that Valve office 007 style. Take pics and come back and put them up
007?! You're living in the past, man. The Team Fortress 2 Spy would get much further, he's the coolest spy right now!
I just hope, this time, they don't have two other games on the go at the same time. As much as I love TF2 and Portal - and I love them more than ep2 itself - the quality (and release date) suffered way too much at the hands of those stretched resources. I was happy at how they did episode 1. Release it stand-alone, for $20. That was your intial vision and I'd like you to go back to it. I'm still p**sed off that I haven't found anyone to give (*cough*sell*cough*) my HL2 and Ep1 games to, because anyone I know who would like it already has the Orange Box. But that's a different discussion!
... I'm still p**sed off that I haven't found anyone to give (*cough*sell*cough*) my HL2 and Ep1 games to, because anyone I know who would like it already has the Orange Box. But that's a different discussion!
I'm still furious that the games WE paid top dollar for were given away buck-shee to the late adopters and us loyal "payers of valve wages" got nada.
For $30, which is completely ludicrous considering they said that all episodes would cost $20, and be released regularly! Plus for 26 dollars more (when I bought it) you could get Portal and Team Fortress 2 added in - both of which I was more eager to play. It's just not a nice feeling that you've basically been forced to buy something twice (if you're an avid fan of Half-Life - which I most definetely am). Valve have definetely f**ked up their pricing structures somewhere.
... I'm still p**sed off that I haven't found anyone to give (*cough*sell*cough*) my HL2 and Ep1 games to, because anyone I know who would like it already has the Orange Box. But that's a different discussion!
I'm still furious that the games WE paid top dollar for were given away buck-shee to the late adopters and us loyal "payers of valve wages" got nada.
remember hl2 is 3 years old now, you cant expect valve to sell it at top wack anymore. how many people would buy hl2 that dont already have it? i doubt it would be many.
For $30, which is completely ludicrous considering they said that all episodes would cost $20, and be released regularly!
I don't recall them ever saying that, and Ep1 certainly cost more than $20 when it came out. In fact, IIRC it was more than $30.
Plus for 26 dollars more (when I bought it) you could get Portal and Team Fortress 2 added in - both of which I was more eager to play. It's just not a nice feeling that you've basically been forced to buy something twice (if you're an avid fan of Half-Life - which I most definetely am). Valve have definetely f**ked up their pricing structures somewhere.
You know, I bet if the $56 bundle had only included Ep2, Portal, and TF, absolutely no-one would be complaining. Yet because they've been generous enough to also include the original HL2 and Ep1 for those few who haven't already got them, denizens of the 'net have one more thing to bitch about.
In other words, you are getting three outstanding brand new products for less than cost of a full price game, and two older products have been thrown in for good measure. You should be praising Valve for outstanding value for money, not whining.
I don't recall them ever saying that, and Ep1 certainly cost more than $20 when it came out. In fact, IIRC it was more than $30.
Definetely was $20. Clicky.
You know, I bet if Valve had released a pack with only Ep2, Portal, and TF for that exact same price (i.e. $56, or roughly £2, absolutely no-one would be complaining. Yet because they've been generous enough to include the original HL2 and Ep2 in the bundle for those few who haven't already got them, denizens of the 'net have one more thing to bitch about.
And I agree, kinda. The thing is, they did announce a pack that would be just that (The Black Box) and they even said that would be cheaper than The Orange Box. That's why people are p**sed off. Valve inexplicably cancelled The Black Box and left people with the choice of only getting The Orange Box, which after the announcement of The Black Box, just seemed like greediness. They knew people would buy The Orange Box simply because of how much they wanted those three games, and took advantage of that. The loyal fans now feel cheated, and, to be honest, I can't see them actually being able to pull it off again without losing all credibilty with their (long-term) fans.
They'd better do something ambitious with Ep3. Much as I love these games Ep1 was just a bit more HL2 and Ep2 doesn't add a great deal. Sticky bombs, hunters and 1 big environment. Overall it was a bit short.
So by ambitious I hope they mean different enemies, a couple of new weapons and bit more game.
Ooh and how cool would it be to be able to fight one of those advisors...
While were on endings WTF happened between the cliff hanger ending of episode 1(litrally) and the start of Episode 2. The have yet to produce a good ending to any of these tales. Half-life 2 was the best of a bad anti-climactic bunch. For innovative ready more of the same. Episode 2 felt short and tired, just the same old same old. A few new monster are not an innovation. It is still an corridor based shooter. The world has moved on.
I think 'ambitious' here means 'you thought Episode 2 took a long time? Just you wait (and you'll have to) for Episode 3!'
Ambitious as in, "Yes, you'll have to buy our Super-Duper Valve Rainbow Box for $200, featuring every game we've ever made that you alredy own, plus Episode 3..." ambitious.
I loved the ending of episode 2, certainly the best ending out of any of the half life's for me so far. I can't wait to see what they do with episode 3.
Well, Barney's pretty much got to make another appearence yet, as he didn't show at all in Ep2. Plus there better be a HL3, as at the moment, we haven't really got much of a story:
HL1, Blue Shift & Opposing Forces: Bad s**t (TM) happens, Gordon is a noob and Black Mesa goes t**s up, shortly followed by the rest of the world (we assume) in the Seven Hour War.
HL2: Gordon and company decide to go funk s**t up in City 17, and blow it all to pieces.
HL2 Ep1: The escape from the city, Barney still working incognito for the Combine as far as we know.
HL2 Ep2: Still escaping city, on run to White Mountain, where the beginnings of a plan to at least hinder the Combine is put into action.
Not much of a story so far, looking at it broadly. There's a hell of a lot to cover still. Plus I'd like to see some more Blue Shift and Opposing Forces style packs, with alternative veiws of the events of HL2 and/or the Episodes. Nobody else seems to have done anything like that at all since HL1.
First of all, I just cannot understand how can someone say that Episode 2 had nothing new (innovative) in it (except for "the hunter, sticky bomb and one outdoor location". Are you serious?
- Awesome vortigaunt sequences - Atmospheric mines / bug caves - The whole Alyx-endangerment part (first 3 chapters), with its thrill and shockingness - The Riding Shotgun part where you spend extended amount of time in a car. - Probably the most epic battle sequence in a first-person shooter (the final battle), which lasts for some 15 minutes and is very exciting. - Prelude to Advisor combat - Cinematic Physics (initial bridge collapse, the weighted bridge puzzle, Neighbourhood destruction sequences...) - Very very very powerful story elements (Alyx wounded, the healing sequence, Alyx's revenge on hunters, first advisor encounter, ambush at the inn, the delivery of Gman's message, the final scene)
Also, Ep2 is more than 1 hour longer then Ep1, check the statistics.
======== Now, about Episode 3: Assuming the sales will be good (which I have no doubts about), Half-Life 3 will get produced. The most probable scenario I can think of is Gordon going to the Combine World to stop the invasion to Earth, and if that is the case, then Episode 3 has to provide justification (reason) for such trip. So, the most probable contents of Episode 3 is Borealis containing teleportation technology that the Combine will ultimately grasp and/or steal, so, talking about HL3, that there will be only limited time before additional reinforcements arrive.
Episode 3 will certainly include the Rescue of J.M., some underwater/under-ice scenes, extended search of Borealis, probably some caves/mines sequences and likely some forest combat as well (Presumably, it will take some time before A. and G. reach Borealis, and to obscure it from view, we will probably have to pass through some vegetation or mountains). The destruction of Borealis equipment may be very cinematic-effects-heavy part, and who knows, maybe for the first time in HL, we will actually be given a choice that will make a difference...
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Too much info 
Come on CVG put on a disguise and get in that Valve office 007 style. Take pics and come back and put them up 
.
, absolutely no-one would be complaining. Yet because they've been generous enough to include the original HL2 and Ep2 in the bundle for those few who haven't already got them, denizens of the 'net have one more thing to bitch about.
OMG BEST HL EVER?
