Valve must know that they have some of the most patient customers in the industry. Valve's name is a parody of time manipulation but also a synonym for quality. I mean come on, Halo 3 was like .75 Valves and Earth Defense Force was somewhere near 1.21 GigaValves. Seriously, being compared to Valve is one of the highest honors I can give something. I've played through Half-Life 2 and Portal so many times I know the dialog.
All things considered, Valve is really stingy about the information they release to their salivating fans because the instant they do, every single syllable is searched for a cryptic meaning or metaphor somehow connected the Black Mesa events to the destruction of GlaDOS. This could be the reason that it's been ages since we've heard anything about the assumed dead Half-Life 2: Episode 3 or been given zero information about Half-Life 3.
This obscurity may be why many fans were greatly excited for the episodic releases of the Half-Life games. More Half-Life to rage over sooner right? BUT THEN something called Portal became extremely successful and so did another title called Left 4 Dead. Now the fans that would normally sit and wait patiently found themselves wondering if their beloved developer had abandoned them. Episode 2 was like taking a stroll down HINTington Avenue or down WinkWink Boulevard. Then at the end it became the biggest building in the video game metropolis known as CliffHangersburg.
Now the poor and beaten fans are watching Left 4 Dead, its sequel, Portal 2, and DOTA 2 come out before even hearing about a new Half-Life. Now these games are fantastic in typical Valve fashion, but come on, poor Alyx is still crying, it breaks my heart. Now onto my article!
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Starting where Half-Life 2 left off, you are immediately reintroduced to two of the most lovable characters of the HL2. Alyx and DØg. You have to once again save City 17 from certain destruction and complete tasks well beyond the physical abilities of most theoretical physicists. This is the first episode to use HDR lighting and was by far one of the best looking games of the time. The story is this game was much more driven and focused. It used cooperative AI in a way that made Alyx a welcome teammate that never got annoying.
There were not really any new gameplay tweaks or differences from the original game which is actually a good thing. It is familiar and solid the whole time. It is short but ended up being my favorite game in the Half-Life series.
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
I will keep my story descriptions low in this section to prevent posting any spoilers. This episode most notably involves covering a lot ground. You find yourself in a vehicle for a great amount of time. Zombies are becoming a smaller and smaller part of the Half-Life games at this point and the bigger and badder Combine are attacking full force. You really feel like you're at a disadvantage here. The Ant Lions also make a pretty big return here. I don't generally condone baby killing, but for 2HP each, I'll relax my morals a bit.
This is by far the most important episode for story telling and there really isn't too much to tell you beyond that. It's great and if you like any of the previous game you'll love this one.
Images from store.steampowered.com and blackmesasource.com
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