“Dr Freeman, I presume?”
Sitting in Metacritic’s “highest scoring games of all time” category, touting aggregate scores of 96%, Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are two of gaming’s most critically acclaimed. Forged from the legendary fires of Valve’s workshop and tempered on the anvil of the smith-god Gabe Newell, the Half-Life series has, on both occasions, completely rewritten the FPS genre, and given us a memorable plot to boot. Indirectly spawning other titans like the Steam digital distribution service, spiritual spin-off Portal, headcrab plushies, and the hero cult of Alyx Vance, the bespectacled Gordon Freeman’s HEV antics are cornerstones of the industry.
Except, when we talk about Half-Life, we inevitably must get rather sad. You see, it’s been eight years since the last full game and five years since its second follow-up episode. The enigmatic, illusive, perhaps entirely non-existent Half-Life 3 has been the reason behind many a pair of crossed fingers and hastily uttered prayers at E3s and Gamescoms for more winters than we’d like to count, and the Valve team have done a scarily good job of keeping their top secrets secret.
The BnBGaming team is fed up. We’ve been trolled in the past, and it’s finally got to us: we simply have to talk about Half-Life 3. In this week’s Friday Roundtable, the panel is going to let it all out; it’ll be therapeutic. Join Editor-in Chief Martin Watts; Sony/PC correspondent Chad Morelock; and Indie/PC correspondent Armand Kossayan as they discuss their hopes, wishes, desires and disturbing fantasies for Valve’s missing titan.
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"More Dog, pl0x," says Martin.
Martin:
There are two things I want to see happen with Half-Life 3:
Firstly, I want something fresh. I can see why Valve has held off developing another game for so long; because, let’s face it, the genre is getting a little stagnant. Half-Life is the series that comes in and causes more than a little stir; it essentially revolutionises the genre once more with its creative brilliance. What do I want to see exactly? Well, there’s the tricky part – like with most great games, I don’t know what I want until I see it. In short, I’m hoping Valve have something up their sleeves which will blow me away.
Otherwise, the continuation of the story is important for me. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 had a spectacular, harrowing ending and I’d hate it if we were suddenly jettisoned into the future without witnessing the aftermath of the last episode’s tragic events.
Oh, and more Dog too. That thing knew how to blow shit up.
"Do not want," says Chad.
Chad:
There’s a definite need for something fresh. Both Half-Lifes have come to market with something new to offer – the original offering cinematic set pieces that were, at the time, unlike anything we’d seen in a shooter (whereas these things are bog standard in 2012), and the second debuted the Source engine with its (mostly) realistic physics, as well as Steam, which, as we all know, is the digital distribution service. In the meantime, Valve has made some excellent, fun, and even groundbreaking games within the Source engine.
However, if there’s one thing that bugged me about Half-Life 2, it’s that it didn’t really change up the Half-Life formula at all. There were more scripted events, more puzzles interspersed with fights – the only really new feature were the vehicle sections, and those were my least favorite part of the game. It was a milestone game in many ways, but I think for the next installment, Half-Life needs to innovate again – move beyond scripted events, give the game a more unpredictable feel. Valve has been able to do this with the AI Director in both Left 4 Dead games, a clever piece of code which will randomize the enemies from playthrough to playthrough. I’d like to see Half-Life 3 take this to the next level with multiple paths, solutions to puzzles, and spur-of-the-moment changes in the script.
Half-Life has a lot of pressure on its shoulders to set the standard. I don’t doubt that Valve is up to the challenge, though.
Armand:
At this point, I don’t even need them to do anything fancy. If they released a three-hour Episode 3 that simply takes care of the major story threads, and gives us some sense of closure, I’ll be satisfied. I mean, I could be get hit by a random meteor tomorrow and never get to know what happens after the conclusion of Episode 2! I just want closure!
What now, Valve?
Martin:
I certainly agree with finding out what happens, Armand! I want it so bad, I’ve even dreamed about Episode 3!
Chad, you raise an interesting point concerning scripted events. While I no doubt enjoyed these in previous games (e.g. the terror felt as that poor security guard is yoinked through the air vent in Half-Life and quickly turned into prime beef steaks), I think you’re right that Valve need to rely on this a little less or, rather, make it feel less guided. Having a more unpredictable playthrough, where, say, even the slightest events can have a significant impact, could provide some pretty unique yet engaging experiences.
For example, say there’s a squad of resistance fighters you come across that you choose not to help out, and they all die. It might not seem like an issue at the time, but later you find out the squad was on a mission intertwined with your own and now it could be a lot harder without them.
Shepard Commander?
Chad:
I think my own dream version of Half-Life 3 would basically include a combination of a lot of things Valve has done to date. I figure it could include all kinds of stuff: Left 4 Dead’s four player co-op (can we bring back Opposing Force’s Adrian Shepard to man a machine gun or something?) with some Team Fortress 2-styled class distinctions; add to that both the gravity and portal guns, and the Half-Life series’ signature puzzle solving. The only problem is that this game I’m imagining would be too amazing to happen. It wouldn’t reinvent the shooter genre, though – it would effectively end it. Where would there be to go from there?
Martin:
I think the only way they could take it further after that, Chad, is if they had Freeman riding a rainbow-shitting unicorn through the cosmos with a gold-plated crowbar.
You raise an interesting point though: if Valve were just to incorporate a lot of great gameplay features and create an incredibly comprehensive experience, and it were fun, then why not? Of course, Valve are probably looking for critical acclaim, not because they’re egotistical, but because they are innovators. Half-Life 3 is a game that, unfortunately, will be hyped to hell and will need to live up to that hype in order to not only sell well, but to maintain the franchise’s excellent reputation.
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Share Your Thoughts: We’ve shared our thoughts and now it’s your turn. What would you like to see in Half-Life 3? Would you prefer Half-Life 2: Episode 3? Are we long overdue either?
