Half-Life News

Half-Life rebuilt as a brutal, fast-paced, Doom Eternal-style shooter

The opening section of Half-Life is iconic. In 1998, 'Anomalous Materials' revolutionized shooter design and narrative delivery in action games by impressing story rather than instant spectacle. You don't just spawn in, grab a gun, and start blasting - the tram ride introduces you to Black Mesa, and the opening walk through the lab gives you a concrete sense of your character, your companions, and why you're doing what you're doing. Smart and original, Half-Life's first level is one of the best, early examples of Valve's approach to writing. But I want you to imagine an alternate universe where that never happened, where instead of narrative and characterization, Valve's focus was on guns, kill streaks, and Gordon Freeman shouting "I have the power!" This is Half-Life by way of Doom Eternal. Welcome to Blood Mesa, the ultimate boomer shooter homage.

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Half-Life and Doom are finally together in a visionary new mod

Half-Life and Doom. I struggle to think of two games that have influenced me more. Between the iconic, flickering corridors of Valve's Black Mesa and the run-and-gun fury of id Software's defining FPS, my own taste in videogames is irredeemably shaped by these giants of PC history. Without Half-Life, there would be no Counter-Strike 2, no Portal, no Left 4 Dead - maybe even no Steam. Take Doom out of the equation, and the shooter as we know it might never have existed. Now, Gordon Freeman and Doomguy are finally united, thanks to an imaginative new Doom mod that incorporates the instantly recognizable sounds and effects from Valve's 1998 classic. It's not exactly Half-Life 3, but it's a heck of a substitute.

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Half-Life but with swords, dual pistols, and rock music, out now

The world of Half-Life is typically quite somber. Particularly in Half-Life 2, after the invasion of the Combine, there's an air of desperation and bleakness. Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance, G-Man - these iconic characters inhabit a world on the brink of collapse, a quasi-Soviet City 17 full of abandoned houses and festering sewer pipes. So imagine a totally different version of the Valve FPS game, with rock music, swords, dual wielding, and Gordon Freeman with his shirt off. Imagine Half-Life - the characters, the weapons, the enemies, even the dialogue - but with all the mechanics and style of Capcom's Devil May Cry 5. And imagine you could play it right now. Welcome to Devil May Crowbar.

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Half-Life smashes Steam world record, showing Valve we all still care

Half-Life will never die. Yes, Half-Life 3 has been in the mist for 16 years now. But the FPS game series that brought us Gordon Freeman, Black Mesa, Alyx Vance, and more will never be forgotten - and now there's cast-iron proof. As part of a huge community event, Half-Life Opposing Force has a dramatic new record for concurrent players on Steam, demonstrating that - in the 19 years since Half-Life 2, and with the wonderful addition of Half-Life Alyx - the fandom remains as strong as ever. I hope Valve is still working on a new Half-Life. The anticipation and love for the series continues to burn bright.

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Half-Life novel is 600 pages long and coming soon

Half-Life remains one of the great FPS game stories. From the dank, claustrophobic mystique of Black Mesa, to the expansive, sci-fi road trip of City 17 and Half-Life 2, Valve's shooter is a masterclass in packing narrative and character into the smallest visual details. Half-Life Alyx marked the first time in some 13 years that Valve officially expanded on the HL canon, but now, with Half-Life 3 possibly (hopefully) still on its way, PCGamesN has an exclusive interview with the author of a new Half-Life novel. A companion to Half-Life A Place in the West, the fan-made comic that launched on Steam back in 2016, Half-Life Phase Transition is a huge work of some 600 pages, and it's scheduled to arrive before the end of 2023.

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