Mr Biffo: Half-Life 2’s freakish endurance, and why we need to let Half-Life 3 go

By Mr Biffo

It’s been 12 years since Half-Life 2 was released, and nine years since we had any official Half-Life product from Valve; Half-Life 2: Episode Three has become the very definition of vaporware. It was announced officially, expected to follow close on the heels of Episode Two, and then vanished.

In the time since, others have taken it upon themselves to fill the hole – Prospekt, the latest return to the Half-Life universe, courtesy of indie developer Richard Seabrook, releases this month. Featuring 13 slick levels with new enemies, story elements, music and voice acting, it could almost pass for an official entry into the franchise. (Valve giving its rare blessing to the mod means that it is, sort of.)

Even add-ons that don’t pretend to be part of Half-Life’s story, such as the terrifying Episode 2 mod Nightmare House 2, feel like they could in some way be related to Gordon Freeman’s adventures if you use your imagination, such is the familiarity of Valve’s Source engine.

By taking a step back from Half-Life 2 and giving indie developers the keys to the engine, Valve effectively granted a license for others to continue …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Gaming