• Half-Life 2: Episode One trailer two (WMV, 17.3MB)

Friday 26 May 2006
Valve, the creator of Half-Life, recently zipped us across the globe to its plush headquarters, where we were given an exclusive session with one of the most anticipated games of the year, Half-Life 2: Episode One. We'll have a review for you next Thursday when the game goes live on Steam. But, until then, we've got a wodge of Half-Life content for your eyes to look at.

Episode One is the first in a trilogy of new adventures for Gordon Freeman, Half-Life's bespectacled hero. Throughout the action you'll be accompanied by Alyx, who you can see zombie-hunting in the new trailer above. She's no slouch in the combat department and, though she's not invincible, you won't have to work hard to keep her alive - she is, after all, a survivor.

Valve has given Alyx some crunchy moves, and she's always aware of what's going on around you both. Knock an Antlion on to its back with the grav gun, for example, and Alyx will concentrate her fire on it. And, if you blast her out of trouble, Alyx makes sure you know she's grateful. It's this sort of co-op team play that really impresses us about Episode One, which gives every encounter a little bit of extra spice.

We can also report that Episode One successfully revives Half-Life 2's superb atmosphere. You'll see a lot of familiar faces, but the game has a bevy of surprises in store, you lucky gamer, you. Brilliantly, Episode One also ramps up the action, challenging not just your sharp shooting skills, but your tactical abilities too.