Half-Life, developer Valve's multimillion dollar baby, has inevitably been targeted by movie-making hit-sniffers in the past. And with good reason - the series is a powerfully crafted chain of adventures, with real atmosphere and character. The problem, though, is Gordon. "[A movie] project always crashes up against the hard reality that Gordon Freeman is a conduit for the player's senses," explains Marc Laidlaw, one of Valve's longest serving writers. "As soon as you try to turn him into an ...
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15 Jun 2007

Valve Confirms Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 & Portal Launch Dates

360 News from N4G | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

360 - Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Valve Confirms Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 & Portal Launch Dates

Last night, Valve representatives confirmed to Shacknews that the studio's upcoming trio of Source-powered games will ship for all announced platforms on October 9, 2007. The suite, sold at retail and through Valve's Steam download service, will consist of the shooter sequel Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the team-based multiplayer game Team Fortress 2, and the action/puzzle game Portal. Valve is handling development of the games on PC and Xbox 360, with EA UK's Chertsey, Surrey office bringing the titles to PlayStation 3.
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21 May 2007

Half-Life 2 Black Box canned

360 News | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Half-Life 2 Black Box, which contained Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2, was intended for those who didn't want to shell out for Half-Life 2 and Episode One. Looks like they don't have a choice now. "The Black Box has been cancelled," Doug Lombardi, Valve's director of marketing, said to IGN. "We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC ($49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 ($59.99). In addition to the three new products - Portal, Team Fortress 2, and ...
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5 May 2007

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 update with new concept images

360 News from N4G | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

360 - Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Half-Life 2: Episode 2 update with new concept images

The weekly Steam news post has an update on the development of Valve's first person shooter Half-Life 2: Episode 2 along with some concept artwork for the game:
"Right now, we're working hard on putting the final parts of Episode Two together. Early on during development we spent a lot of time working on concept art of key areas of the game, so that everyone on the team could share a vision of what the final game would look like. The three pieces below are some examples of that work. Once the game is released you'll be able to see how these concept pieces were eventually turned into the final product."
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12 Apr 2007

HL2: Episode 2 In September?

360 News from N4G | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

360 - Half-Life 2: Episode Two - HL2: Episode 2 In September?

Chatting with IGN, Doug Lombardi and Robin Walker have said they're looking at a "September-ish" release date and, interestingly, that date might not be simultaneous across all platforms. If some versions are ready before others, they'll go out.
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9 Mar 2007

Valve: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Will Be Longer

360 News from N4G | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

360 - Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Valve: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 Will Be Longer

According to Doug Lombari, director of marketing at Valve, the next Half-Life 2 episode will be noticeably longer than the first. "Episode 1 was about six hours of gameplay, and Episode 2 will be closer to eight hours of gameplay," Lombardi said. Valve also said that despite the delay of Episode 2, the development cycle for the episodic content was getting shorter.
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7 Feb 2007

Half-Life 2: Episode Two delayed AGAIN

360 News from N4G | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

360 - Half-Life 2: Episode Two - Half-Life 2: Episode Two delayed AGAIN

Get the hankies ready folks - Half-Life 2: Episode Two has been delayed. Again. It was originally expected to be released this summer - a delay from a previously announced early 2007 date - but it's now due this winter.
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7 Feb 2007

Half-Life: Episode Two release date pushed back

360 News | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Get the hankies ready folks - Half-Life 2: Episode Two has been delayed. Again. We were expecting it in summer - a delay from a previously announced early 2007 date - but it's now due this winter. News of the new release date was sneaked in at the bottom of a press release announcing details on the Orange Box and Black Box versions of Half-Life 2: Episode Two that'll be released to retail. HL2 Black Box is for PC and includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2, while the ...
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28 Sep 2006

Half-Life 2 and Portal shots

360 News | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

The fresh Half-Life 2: Episode Two images just have us foaming at the mouth again in anticipation of the eagerly awaited second installment in Gordon Freeman's episodic adventures. Click here [PC, 360, PS3] to see them all. We've also got new screens of Portal [PC, 360, PS3], and we can't stress enough how amazing this subgame is going to be when it comes packaged with Half-Life 2: Episode Two on PC and next-gen machines next March-ish. Of course, if you've already seen the trailer [PC, 360, ...
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11 Sep 2006

More moving pictures of Half-Life 2

360 News | Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Clearly, popping City 17 in the face has its drawbacks. We figured that the Combine would be out for revenge in Half-Life 2: Episode Two, but this video blows our expectations out of the water with a bazooka. Our hero, Gordon Freeman, will face multiple walkers, airships, and his newest enemy - the Hunter - all at once. Prepare for the onslaught with the fifth in the series of videos that reveal Gordon's struggle in the great outdoors. Haven't seen one through four? Hit the Movie tab up there ...
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