Next Half-Life 2 episode packs in extras

Half-Life 2: Episode Two will be released for Xbox 360 and PS3 - along with the PC version - this winter, and will come bundled with all Half-Life 2 back content to let console gamers get up to speed.

Episode Two will be released for the next-gen consoles with the original Half-Life 2 game and Half-Life 2: Episode One. The PC version, meanwhile, will pack in two new introductions to the Half-Life world - Portal and Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress 2 is the long-awaited team- and class-based online multiplayer add-on, which has been given a new look, ditching the gritty visuals for a more stylized aesthetic. Portal is a strange, almost puzzle-based game where players have the ability to create portals and teleport around obstacles.

Valve bossman Gabe Newell made this announcement at the all-singing, all-dancing EA Summer Showcase yesterday, and confirmed that Valve is happy with the way its episodic gaming model is working. Newell believes that it gives Valve the opportunity to experiment with new types of gameplay.

July 14, 2006