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Half-Life Series |
This series of award-wining first-person action games consists of three main releases; Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force (add-on) and Half-Life: Blue Shift.
There are also related games: Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic (a free downloadable add-on, aka Team Fortress), Half-Life Counter-Strike (free downloadable add-on) plus Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms, two standalone games currently in development.
Half-Life 2 is unannounced and this full sequel is a popular topic for rumor, the latest being wraps off in May at E3 2002 for a game fairly close to completion.
There have also been several special editions and compilations released. Among these was Half-Life: Initial Encounter, released in November 1999. This budget release consisted of the first section of the main game plus Team Fortress Classic. It was intended to bring new converts to the franchise.
The original Half-Life was released for PC in December 1998. A Mac version was begun but subsequently canned, in 1998. A Dreamcast game was announced for release in fall 2000 but quietly cancelled the following spring with features incorporated into Half-Life: Blue Shift for PC, which was released in June 2001. An updated version of the original Half-Life was developed for PlayStation 2 and was released in November 2001.
Team Fortress Classic was released for PC only, in May 1999. Half-Life: Opposing Force was released, also exclusively for PC, in November 1999. Half-Life Counter-Strike was released in December 2000 (PC). Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms are due for release in Spring 2002, both for PC only.
The games are all published by Sierra (except where only available as download rather than retail release). The games were developed by Valve, apart from Half-Life: Opposing Force, Blue Shift and Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, developed by Gearbox.
In Half-Life the player took the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist turned soldier. The game opens on his first day working at the mysterious and isolated Black Mesa research facility and soon a terrible accident allows aggressive creatures from another dimension to overrun the facility. This triggers a government cover-up as the army is sent in to silence any witnesses. The stories of Opposing Force and Blue Shift overlap. In Opposing Force players take the role of a soldier, Corporal Adrian Shepherd and in Blue Shift, the main character is a Security Guard named Barney. The Half-Life story was written by Marc Laidlow.
The gameplay in these games involves exploration, shooting and limited puzzle solving. Players can find an extensive arsenal of weapons as the game progresses. Alongside conventional weapons, such as the sub-machine gun and rocket-launcher, there are some innovative alien weapons.
Rather than employing cutscenes to develop the story, the plot is developed almost entirely in-game. There are not even significant breaks between levels, with short loading stages taking place periodically. Also NPCs interact with each other and the player-character. These features make the games exceptionally immersive.
In addition to the strong plots, the games are very well designed, creating a real sense of drama. The cinematic qualities of the games, combined with the engaging gameplay make Half-Life franchise one of the strongest around. Another important aspect of their success is the lively online community. All the PC releases offer multi-player support for games via LAN or Net (up to thirty-two players).
The original Half-Life won many awards. Whilst clearly inspired by the likes of Doom, Quake and Castle Wolfenstien 3D, the game introduced strong plots, more varied gameplay and heightened atmosphere to the first-person shooter genre. The AI in Half-Life was also major improvement over previous games, with enemies displaying more sophisticated behavior such as working in teams and taking cover.
The first Half-Life employed an extensively modified Quake 2 engine for impressive graphics at the time of release. The engine has been tweaked in the subsequent releases.
As noted, the original Half Life was a massive hit and was universally acclaimed. Minor criticisms included those relating to the multi-player mode and hence the replayability value of the game. The multi-player mode did not offer as many options as had been promised, instead being limited to deathmatches. This was due to the fact that the game's release was already overdue. Valve dealt with this issue with the subsequent release of the free download Half-Life: Team Fortress.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game consisted of the main game together with a two-player deathmatch mode and a new set of levels, called Decay, for two-player cooperative action. The game employed the updated graphics developed for Blue Shift but still the graphics were not as impressive as other PS2 titles. However, the strength of the gameplay shone through and the game was also favorably reviewed.
Team Fortress Classic enhanced the multi-player mode of the main PC game, offering team-based cooperative and competitive game options. Various character classes featured, such as medics and engineers, making effective cooperation all the more important. Gamers and critics alike welcomed the enhancement.
Half-life: Opposing Force built on the strengths of the main game. It featured new areas, monsters and weapons and told the story from a new perspective. A new element was the ability to issue simple orders to the soldiers encountered including engineers, who could blowtorch open doors, and medics for healing damage. There were seven weapons, including new additions like the sniper rifle. Other new equipment included night vision goggles and a grappling device. A few new moves were added, most notably the ability to swing on ropes. This add-on was also well reviewed.
Half-Life: Counterstrike focused on online team-based action game. The premise was that one team took the role of terrorists and the other, the armed forces sent to thwart their plans. Each map had a goal that required teamwork to complete. Counterstrike evolved as a free downloadable mod that has led to the development of retail release; Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, treated below.
Half-Life: Blue Shift was an 'expansion style' game that did not require a copy of the original game. It was released at an ultra-budget price and offered another take on the events that unfolded in Half-Life. There were new scripted events, weapons and monsters. It incorporated upgrades to the graphics that could be applied to the previous releases (the Half-Life High Definition pack).
Blue Shift was generally well received by critics. However, the graphics were now starting to look dated. Despite the improvements, the Half-Life engine was by now some five years old.
Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero will be a stand-alone game that focuses on team-based action with a strong single-player mode as well as offering multi-player support. General improvements will be made to the game engine, whilst it will remain compatible with the current version of Counter-Strike.
As in the downloadable Counter-Strike, the basic premise will be that terrorists are clashing with anti-terrorist forces. There will be up to forty single-player missions conducted on sixteen large maps. Up to ten objectives per mission will feature, although it will not be necessary to complete them all to progress. The better player does, the more cash they'll get. Cash will be spent on the recruitment of computer-controlled teammates, training and equipment.
Gameplay will combine stealth and tactical combat. Some ten new weapons will feature, including petrol bombs, LAW rockets and chemical gas grenades. New equipment will include a ballistic shield and a gas mask. Bot AI promises to be advanced.
It'll be possible to play the missions in the multiplayer mode and a spectator mode will enable people to view games without participating. Real-time voice chat will be supported.
Team Fortress 2 will be another stand-alone title. It will focus on multi-player, squad-based gameplay. Up to sixteen players will be supported. The game will offer a selection of challenging missions for two competing teams that are awarded points for completing mission objectives. There will be a good choice of large levels, with some 20 featuring in all.
Cooperative play will be important, since characters will be divided into classes each of whom is best suited to certain tasks. They'll include sniper, heavy weapons expert, spy and medic. Objectives will be varied, including capture-the-flag, escort and intelligence-gathering missions. There is also going to be a resource-gathering component enabling players to create specialized character classes. Missions will require planning and careful execution. Notably, the game will incorporate both land and air vehicles and an extensive selection of high-powered weapons.
Bob Richmond, April 18, 2002
Game information, previews, reviews, hints, cheats, demos, patches, walkthroughs and retail links updated March 2002 from GamesUp dynamic web database. Daily news stories from GamesUp NewsCrawler. Retail products now or recently available to order or pre-order for PC (Windows). Copyright (c) 2000-2002 GamesUp.Com. All trademarks for games, web sites and other products acknowledged.
This series of award-wining first-person action games consists of three main releases; Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force (add-on) and Half-Life: Blue Shift.
There are also related games: Half-Life: Team Fortress Classic (a free downloadable add-on, aka Team Fortress), Half-Life Counter-Strike (free downloadable add-on) plus Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms, two standalone games currently in development.
Half-Life 2 is unannounced and this full sequel is a popular topic for rumor, the latest being wraps off in May at E3 2002 for a game fairly close to completion.
There have also been several special editions and compilations released. Among these was Half-Life: Initial Encounter, released in November 1999. This budget release consisted of the first section of the main game plus Team Fortress Classic. It was intended to bring new converts to the franchise.
The original Half-Life was released for PC in December 1998. A Mac version was begun but subsequently canned, in 1998. A Dreamcast game was announced for release in fall 2000 but quietly cancelled the following spring with features incorporated into Half-Life: Blue Shift for PC, which was released in June 2001. An updated version of the original Half-Life was developed for PlayStation 2 and was released in November 2001.
Team Fortress Classic was released for PC only, in May 1999. Half-Life: Opposing Force was released, also exclusively for PC, in November 1999. Half-Life Counter-Strike was released in December 2000 (PC). Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms are due for release in Spring 2002, both for PC only.
The games are all published by Sierra (except where only available as download rather than retail release). The games were developed by Valve, apart from Half-Life: Opposing Force, Blue Shift and Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, developed by Gearbox.
In Half-Life the player took the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist turned soldier. The game opens on his first day working at the mysterious and isolated Black Mesa research facility and soon a terrible accident allows aggressive creatures from another dimension to overrun the facility. This triggers a government cover-up as the army is sent in to silence any witnesses. The stories of Opposing Force and Blue Shift overlap. In Opposing Force players take the role of a soldier, Corporal Adrian Shepherd and in Blue Shift, the main character is a Security Guard named Barney. The Half-Life story was written by Marc Laidlow.
The gameplay in these games involves exploration, shooting and limited puzzle solving. Players can find an extensive arsenal of weapons as the game progresses. Alongside conventional weapons, such as the sub-machine gun and rocket-launcher, there are some innovative alien weapons.
Rather than employing cutscenes to develop the story, the plot is developed almost entirely in-game. There are not even significant breaks between levels, with short loading stages taking place periodically. Also NPCs interact with each other and the player-character. These features make the games exceptionally immersive.
In addition to the strong plots, the games are very well designed, creating a real sense of drama. The cinematic qualities of the games, combined with the engaging gameplay make Half-Life franchise one of the strongest around. Another important aspect of their success is the lively online community. All the PC releases offer multi-player support for games via LAN or Net (up to thirty-two players).
The original Half-Life won many awards. Whilst clearly inspired by the likes of Doom, Quake and Castle Wolfenstien 3D, the game introduced strong plots, more varied gameplay and heightened atmosphere to the first-person shooter genre. The AI in Half-Life was also major improvement over previous games, with enemies displaying more sophisticated behavior such as working in teams and taking cover.
The first Half-Life employed an extensively modified Quake 2 engine for impressive graphics at the time of release. The engine has been tweaked in the subsequent releases.
As noted, the original Half Life was a massive hit and was universally acclaimed. Minor criticisms included those relating to the multi-player mode and hence the replayability value of the game. The multi-player mode did not offer as many options as had been promised, instead being limited to deathmatches. This was due to the fact that the game's release was already overdue. Valve dealt with this issue with the subsequent release of the free download Half-Life: Team Fortress.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game consisted of the main game together with a two-player deathmatch mode and a new set of levels, called Decay, for two-player cooperative action. The game employed the updated graphics developed for Blue Shift but still the graphics were not as impressive as other PS2 titles. However, the strength of the gameplay shone through and the game was also favorably reviewed.
Team Fortress Classic enhanced the multi-player mode of the main PC game, offering team-based cooperative and competitive game options. Various character classes featured, such as medics and engineers, making effective cooperation all the more important. Gamers and critics alike welcomed the enhancement.
Half-life: Opposing Force built on the strengths of the main game. It featured new areas, monsters and weapons and told the story from a new perspective. A new element was the ability to issue simple orders to the soldiers encountered including engineers, who could blowtorch open doors, and medics for healing damage. There were seven weapons, including new additions like the sniper rifle. Other new equipment included night vision goggles and a grappling device. A few new moves were added, most notably the ability to swing on ropes. This add-on was also well reviewed.
Half-Life: Counterstrike focused on online team-based action game. The premise was that one team took the role of terrorists and the other, the armed forces sent to thwart their plans. Each map had a goal that required teamwork to complete. Counterstrike evolved as a free downloadable mod that has led to the development of retail release; Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, treated below.
Half-Life: Blue Shift was an 'expansion style' game that did not require a copy of the original game. It was released at an ultra-budget price and offered another take on the events that unfolded in Half-Life. There were new scripted events, weapons and monsters. It incorporated upgrades to the graphics that could be applied to the previous releases (the Half-Life High Definition pack).
Blue Shift was generally well received by critics. However, the graphics were now starting to look dated. Despite the improvements, the Half-Life engine was by now some five years old.
Half-Life Counter-Strike: Condition Zero will be a stand-alone game that focuses on team-based action with a strong single-player mode as well as offering multi-player support. General improvements will be made to the game engine, whilst it will remain compatible with the current version of Counter-Strike.
As in the downloadable Counter-Strike, the basic premise will be that terrorists are clashing with anti-terrorist forces. There will be up to forty single-player missions conducted on sixteen large maps. Up to ten objectives per mission will feature, although it will not be necessary to complete them all to progress. The better player does, the more cash they'll get. Cash will be spent on the recruitment of computer-controlled teammates, training and equipment.
Gameplay will combine stealth and tactical combat. Some ten new weapons will feature, including petrol bombs, LAW rockets and chemical gas grenades. New equipment will include a ballistic shield and a gas mask. Bot AI promises to be advanced.
It'll be possible to play the missions in the multiplayer mode and a spectator mode will enable people to view games without participating. Real-time voice chat will be supported.
Team Fortress 2 will be another stand-alone title. It will focus on multi-player, squad-based gameplay. Up to sixteen players will be supported. The game will offer a selection of challenging missions for two competing teams that are awarded points for completing mission objectives. There will be a good choice of large levels, with some 20 featuring in all.
Cooperative play will be important, since characters will be divided into classes each of whom is best suited to certain tasks. They'll include sniper, heavy weapons expert, spy and medic. Objectives will be varied, including capture-the-flag, escort and intelligence-gathering missions. There is also going to be a resource-gathering component enabling players to create specialized character classes. Missions will require planning and careful execution. Notably, the game will incorporate both land and air vehicles and an extensive selection of high-powered weapons.
Bob Richmond, April 18, 2002
Game information, previews, reviews, hints, cheats, demos, patches, walkthroughs and retail links updated March 2002 from GamesUp dynamic web database. Daily news stories from GamesUp NewsCrawler. Retail products now or recently available to order or pre-order for PC (Windows). Copyright (c) 2000-2002 GamesUp.Com. All trademarks for games, web sites and other products acknowledged.