Half-Life News

Canceled Half-Life games explored in concept art treasure trove

New concept art and details for long-known canceled Half-Life games have been revealed, as there have been many spin-offs in the Valve FPS game series that haven't seen a proper release over the last two decades. These canceled Half-Life games never saw the light of day for vastly different reasons, but getting even just a little bit of new information about them is absolutely incredible.

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Half-Life remade as a roguelike, approved by Valve, and playable now

Half-Life is starting to feel like its own, dedicated art scene. From the original Valve FPS game, to the expansion packs Blue Shift and Opposing Force, and beyond, we've seen YouTube machinima series, datamined re-releases of beta versions, and a mod that makes Gordon Freeman carry a cardboard box throughout the whole of Black Mesa (we'll come back to that later). But this is something new. Half-Life Loop remakes the sci-fi shooter as a top-down, twin-stick-style shooter with roguelike elements. It's been approved for Steam by Valve itself, and you can play it right now. If Gordon Freeman ever said a word, he'd be looking at this and screaming 'heck yeah.'

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Half-Life fan remake overtakes Valve's original on Steam

Half-Life fan remake Black Mesa is now bigger on Valve's own storefront Steam than the original release from 1998. The FPS game remake has even more overwhelmingly positive reviews than Valve's landmark shooter, even if not by much, cementing Black Mesa as not just one of the best games you can play on Steam, but a true Half-Life remake as well.

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Half-Life 2 still has a perfect opening, and we can prove it

It's redundant now to declare Half-Life 2 one of the best PC games of all time. It's like saying, "The Godfather; good movie, right?" Two decades on from Half-Life 2's initial release, this remains as true as it ever was.

Replay it in 2023 - the year in which the FPS game itself is set - and you'll be treated to countless iconic, hair-raising moments and set pieces each underlined by the stunning technical achievement of Source engine, freshly unveiled alongside Half-Life 2. Beyond the groundbreaking advancements, visuals, and gameplay is the story, itself expertly crafted as if created by some master of dystopian science fiction.

Amid all this, it's all too easy to forget that Half-Life 2's opening chapter, Point Insertion, was - and is still - perfect. And you don't just need to take our word for it: we have the evidence.

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Counter-Strike 2 is hiding a very secret Half-Life reference

Counter-Strike 2 and Half-Life - two pillars of the PC FPS game. While the long-awaited sequel to CSGO is expected to arrive later this year, Half-Life 3 remains a myth, an essence, a shooter that exists only in theory, and embodies all of our departed videogame dreams. But it seems that Valve hasn't forgotten Half-Life and its silent hero Gordon Freeman entirely, as Counter-Strike 2 seemingly contains a very subtle, very secret reference to the world of City 17 and Black Mesa. All you have to do is look very, very closely.

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