Half-Life 2 News

Half-Life 2 RTX ruined Ravenholm, but those big lighting problems just got fixed

It seems like rumors pointing to Half-Life 3's existence are reaching a new fever pitch lately, but, as has been the case for more than a decade now, it's probably better to focus your attention on games in the series that actually exist until an actual launch date is announced. For anyone looking for newer versions of those games, there have been projects like the series' VR iteration, Half-Life: Alyx, the first game's remaster as Black Mesa, and, most recently, a demo section of Half-Life 2 remastered under the title of Half-Life 2 RTX. The latter of these options, HL2 RTX, was fairly underwhelming when it came out in March, but now, as the result of a new update, one of its biggest problems has just been fixed.

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Valve only wants to make new Half-Life games if they push the medium forward, but what could it push forward next?

When asked to explain why Valve never made Half-Life 2: Episode 3 for the recent 20th anniversary documentary, Gabe Newell said that he "couldn't figure out why doing Episode 3 was pushing anything forward."..
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Half-Life 2's 2003 beta reveals the mystery behind a City 17 river that once led players to the foot of the Citadel

There are various unfinished versions of Half-Life 2 that have come to light over the years, all of which reveal interesting things about how Valve's plans changed over time as it painstakingly refined and pruned one of the PC gaming greats...
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Arkane was 'devastated' by its cancelled Half-Life 2 Ravenholm game, but the masterclass it got from late visionary artist Viktor Antonov 'was pivotal to what would become Arkane later'

One of the most unfortunate missed shots in gaming is that of Arkane's cancelled Ravenholm game—in case you're unfamiliar, circa 2007-2008, Arkane was working on a standalone spin-off that would see players returning to Half-Life 2's zombie-infested Ravenholm...
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Half-Life 2 RTX is struggling on Steam, as players face performance woes

Half-Life 2 is one of the best loved FPS games in the genre's history, even with its cliffhanger story still unresolved nearly two decades since its last episodic expansion launched. Unsurprisingly, then, fans of Valve's shooter series have been eager to see its most recent, non-VR entry return in any form. Following projects like Half-Life 1 remake Black Mesa and spin-off Half-Life: Alyx, Half-Life 2 returned with fresh updates from Steam celebrating its 20th anniversary last autumn and, as of yesterday, a section of the game received a glossy RTX-enabled remix. Sadly, performance issues have marred the experience for many users so far.

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