Half-Life series

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Contents
Articles
Overview 1
''Half-Life'' series 1

The games 8
''Half-Life'' 8
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 19
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 25
''Half-Life: Decay'' 32
''Half-Life 2'' 37
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 50
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 57
''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast'' 64
''Half-Life 2: Survivor'' 69
''Codename: Gordon'' 72
''Portal'' 76
''Portal 2'' 91
''The Orange Box'' 96
''Black Mesa 108

Characters 111
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 111
Alyx Vance 117
GLaDOS 122
G-Man 127
Gordon Freeman 133

Creatures 138
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 138
Combine 146
Headcrab 153
Vortigaunt 158

Other 164
Gravity gun 164
 Locations of ''Half-Life'' 167
''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' 174
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 176
''Half-Life: Escape from City-17'' 182
Still Alive 184

References
Article Sources and Contributors 187
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 192

Article Licenses
License 194
 1

Overview

''Half-Life'' series
Half-Life franchise

The series logo; the Greek letter lambda is a prominent symbol throughout the series.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation
Gearbox Software

Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment

Valve Corporation
Electronic Arts

Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3

First release Half-Life

1998

Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game series which consists of two full games, three
episodic games, and three third-party made expansions, as well as a number of demos featuring exclusive content.
The series has been ongoing since 1998. Most games and expansions in the series were developed by Valve
Corporation and published by Sierra Studios, although some expansions were produced by Gearbox Software.
Electronic Arts also took over distribution of the games in the series from Sierra from 2005 onwards. The series was
initially released for the PC, but console ports of most installments have also been released.
The main protagonist of the Half-Life series is Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist and employee of the Black
Mesa Research Facility. All expansion packs for the original game feature playable characters other than Freeman.

Plot
The Half-Life series begins in the first decade of the 21st century, at the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility in
New Mexico. Dr. Gordon Freeman, a recently employed theoretical physicist, is involved in an experiment analyzing
an unknown crystalline artifact; however, when the anti-mass spectrometer beam contacts the crystal, it opens a
dimensional rift between Black Mesa and another universe called Xen, causing monsters to swarm Black Mesa and
kill many of the facility's personnel. Attempts by the Black Mesa personnel to close the rift are unsuccessful, leading
to a specialist US Marines unit being sent in to silence the facility, including any survivors from the science team.
Freeman fights through the facility to meet with several other scientists, who decide to travel to the alien dimension
to stop the aliens. On Xen, Freeman eliminates the alien "leader" and is confronted by the G-Man, who offers
Freeman employment before putting him into stasis.[1] Back in Black Mesa, a second alien race begins an invasion,
but are stopped when a Marine corporal, Adrian Shephard, collapses their portal into the facility. The G-Man then
destroys Black Mesa with a nuclear warhead, and detains Shephard in stasis.
Nearly twenty years later,[1] the G-Man brings Freeman out of stasis and inserts him into a dystopian Earth ruled by
the Combine, another alien race that used the dimensional rift caused at Black Mesa to conquer Earth in the interim.
In the Eastern European settlement City 17, Freeman meets surviving members of the Black Mesa incident,
including Isaac Kleiner, Barney Calhoun, Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx Vance, and aids in the human resistance
''Half-Life'' series 2

against Combine rule. The Xen aliens, the Vortigaunts, who have been enslaved by the Combine, also assist the
resistance. When his presence is made known to former Black Mesa administrator and Combine spokesman Wallace
Breen, Freeman becomes a prime target for the Combine forces. Eventually, Freeman sparks a full revolution
amongst the human citizens. Eli Vance and his daughter are subsequently captured by the Combine, and Freeman
helps the resistance forces attack the Combine's Citadel to rescue them. Breen attempts to flee in a teleporter, but is
presumed dead after Freeman destroys the dark energy reactor at the Citadel's top. The G-Man then arrives to extract
Freeman before he is engulfed in the explosion, but is interrupted when Vortigaunts liberate Freeman from stasis and
place both him and Alyx Vance at the bottom of the Citadel. The two then attempt to stabilize the Combine's primary
reactor while the citizens evacuate the city, discovering that the Combine are attempting to destroy the reactor to call
for reinforcements from the Combine's native dimension. After downloading critical data, they move through the
war-torn city to the train station to take the last train out of the city. The Combine then destroy the reactor and thus
both the Citadel and the city; the resulting explosion causes the train to derail.
Freeman awakens in one of the wrecked train cars with Alyx outside, where a forming superportal is visible from
where the Citadel used to stand. They begin a journey through the White Forest to a resistance-controlled missile
base in the nearby mountains. Along the way, Freeman and Alyx are ambushed and Alyx is severely injured.
However, a group of Vortigaunts are able to heal her. They are able to reach the resistance base and deliver the data,
which contains the codes to destroy the portal as well as information on the Borealis, an enigmatic research vessel
operated by Black Mesa's rival, Aperture Science. The base then launches a satellite that is able to shut down the
superportal, cutting off the Combine from outside assistance. However, as Alyx and Freeman prepare to travel to the
Arctic and investigate the Borealis, they are attacked by Combine Advisors, who kill Eli Vance before being driven
off by Alyx's "pet" robot, DOG.

Games
The Half-Life series includes a core set of titles which carry the main storyline. These games were released in
chronological order, either portraying the events of one game from the perspective of a different character, or
following on from the events that are depicted in the previous title. As of May 2010, the main series consists of the
original video game and its sequel, as well as three expansion packs and two episodic games. A third episodic game
remains in development. In addition, several spin-off titles have been released. These vary in nature, consisting of a
platform game, technology demonstration, and a series of puzzle games. The original game and its expansions all use
Valve's GoldSrc game engine, a heavily modified Quake engine. The later games accompanying the sequel all use
Valve's proprietary Source engine.

GoldSrc games
Half-Life is the first title for the series, and was the debut title of Valve Software. First released on November 19,
1998, Half-Life follows Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist, after the Black Mesa Research Facility accidentally
causes a dimensional rift which allows the facility to be invaded by aliens. Freeman consequently attempts to survive
the slaughter and resolve the situation. The game was originally published by Sierra Studios and released for
Windows, although Gearbox Software would later port the game to PlayStation 2 in 2001.[2] Valve themselves later
converted the game to utilize their Source engine.[3] Half-Life received critical acclaim upon release, critics hailing
its overall presentation and numerous scripted sequences.[4] The game won over 50 Game of the Year awards[5] and
its gameplay has influenced first-person shooters for years to come. Half-Life has since been regarded as one of the
greatest games of all time.[6] [7]
Half-Life was followed by an expansion pack, Half-Life: Opposing Force, on November 1, 1999.[8] Unlike Half-Life,
Opposing Force was developed by Gearbox Software, although it was still published by Sierra Studios. Opposing
Force was first announced as a mission pack for Half-Life in April 1999, and was released for the Windows version
of the game.[9] The player no longer assumes the role of Gordon Freeman, but rather sees the later events of the first
''Half-Life'' series 3

game from the perspective of a US Marine corporal, Adrian Shephard. Shephard is initially assigned to cover up the
events at Black Mesa, but is soon left isolated and has to fight to survive against a new group of alien invaders and
black operations units. Opposing Force was received favorably by critics,[10] many citing the game as being as
influential on setting expansion pack standards as the original game had been in influencing the overall genre.[11] [12]
[13]
The game won the Computer Game of the Year Interactive Achievement Award of 2000 from the Academy of
Interactive Arts & Sciences.[14]
Gearbox later went on to develop Half-Life: Blue Shift, Half-Life's second expansion pack. Like Opposing Force,
Blue Shift was published by Sierra Entertainment. Announced in 2000, the game was initially developed as an
add-on for a Dreamcast port of Half-Life;[15] however, the port was cancelled and Blue Shift was instead released for
Windows on June 12, 2001.[16] [17] Blue Shift puts the player in the position of Barney Calhoun, a security guard
working at Black Mesa. The game takes place within the early parts of Half-Life, with Calhoun attempting to escape
the facility with a small group of scientists. Blue Shift also includes a High Definition pack, which upgrades the
quality of the models and textures in both Blue Shift and the preceding games in the series.[18] Critics gave Blue Shift
a mixed but favorable reception,[19] praising the game's atmosphere and the inclusion of the High Definition pack,
but criticizing the otherwise lack of new content and short length of the story.[20] [21] [22]
The third and final expansion for Half-Life was Half-Life: Decay. The game was again developed by Gearbox and
published by Sierra. However, unlike previous titles, Decay is only available with the PlayStation 2 version of
Half-Life.[23] Decay is unique within the Half-Life series as the only cooperative game—two players must work
together to progress through the game.[24] Decay focuses on two of Freeman's colleagues, Gina Cross and Colette
Green, as the two work with other scientists to counter the effects of the dimensional rift and ultimately attempt to
close it. Released on November 14, 2001, Decay received a weak but overall positive reception from critics, many
reviewers stating that it was fun to play through with a friend, but that the game's more puzzle-orientated gameplay
detracted from the overall experience.[25] [26] [27] An unofficial Windows port of the game was released in September
2008.[28]

Source games
On November 16, 2004, Valve released Half-Life 2, the sequel to the original game. The game had a six-year
development cycle, which saw several delays and the leak of the game's source code. Half-Life 2 returns the player to
the role of Gordon Freeman, now employed by the G-Man. Set twenty years after the original game,[1] Earth has
been occupied by the Combine, a transdimensional race that exploited the events of the first game to invade. The
G-Man inserts Freeman into City 17 in Eastern Europe to combat the Combine occupation. Half-Life 2 garnered
near-unanimous positive reviews and received critical acclaim, winning over 35 Game of the Year awards for 2004.
The game has been critically praised for its advances in computer animation, sound, narration, computer graphics,
artificial intelligence, and physics. Half-Life 2 was the first title to use Valve's Steam content delivery system, a
system that eventually led to Valve falling out with publisher Sierra Entertainment.
Following Half-Life 2, the series was continued using a trilogy of episodic games. Half-Life 2: Episode One was the
first of these, set around City 17 after the events of the original game, in which Freeman and Alyx Vance must
attempt to escape the city after a dark energy reactor core they damaged at the end of Half-Life 2 threatens to destroy
the city. Developed by Valve, the game was distributed online via Steam and through retail by Electronic Arts. It
was released on June 1, 2006, and introduced several new graphical effects including new lighting features and more
advanced facial animation. Episode One received a generally positive critical reaction, although the game's short
length was a point of common criticism.
The second episodic game, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, continues the story from where Episode One ended. It was
released on October 10, 2007, bundled with the games Portal and Team Fortress 2 as well as Half-Life 2 and
Episode One in the package The Orange Box, which was released for Windows PCs and the Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was again developed by Valve, and distributed using both Steam and Electronic
''Half-Life'' series 4

Arts. Continuing with Valve's policy of orienting each episode around a particular theme or set of technologies,
Episode Two focuses on expansive environments, travel and less linear play. As Gordon Freeman, the player travels
with Alyx Vance away from the ruins of City 17 into the surrounding countryside, pursued by Combine forces.
Episode Two's new technologies and gameplay features were praised by reviewers; however, the short length of the
game was again a point of criticism.
Half-Life 2: Episode Three is the third and final installment in the series of episodic expansions.[29] It is planned as
the last episode in the story arc, although not necessarily the end of the Half-Life franchise.[30] No release date or
other details have been announced, though some concept art has surfaced[31] [32] as well as the possible incorporation
of sign language into the game by including a deaf character.[33] In a March 2010 interview, Newell spoke of
"broadening the emotional palette" of the series, and how the third episode may return to "genuinely scaring the
player".[34]

Spin-off games
The success of the Half-Life series has spurred the creation of several spin-off games for Half-Life 2. Codename:
Gordon is a two-dimensional Flash sidescroller shooter produced by Nuclearvision Entertainment, and was released
over Valve's Steam online delivery system on May 17, 2004, as a promotional game for the then-upcoming Half-Life
2. The developer has since gone bankrupt, but the game itself can still be installed via a direct link to Steam, despite
not being listed in the store.[35] Codename: Gordon was well received by reviewers and the public, and attracted
over 600,000 players in the first three weeks after its release. Reviewers praised the game for its gameplay and
unique dialog style, but also criticized it for its improper optimization, and lack of opponent variety.
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is a technology demonstration, developed by Valve to display new high dynamic range
rendering and a variety of other features. Valve asked for feedback as to whether these features should be used in
their future games. The level was designed with a variety of appropriate environments to emphasize these effects.
Consisting of a single map, Lost Coast was originally to be part of Half-Life 2, but was dropped during development.
The game follows Gordon Freeman as he travels up a coastal cliff to destroy a Combine artillery launcher in a
monastery, which is firing on the town of St. Olga. Released over Steam on October 27, 2005, the level received a
generally positive reception, and there was consensus among fans that the new features should be implemented into
future games released by Valve.
Portal is a puzzle game set in the Half-Life universe, developed by Valve Corporation. It was initially released
alongside Episode Two in The Orange Box on October 10, 2007. The player controls a test subject named Chell as
she moves through the laboratories of Black Mesa's primary rival, Aperture Science, completing various tests with a
device that allows her to create linked portals in physical space. In the later stages of the game, the player battles
GLaDOS, a corrupt artificial intelligence computer that monitors her every move. The game is the spiritual successor
to Narbacular Drop, with many of the same team members working on the game. Portal has been acclaimed as one
of the most original games in 2007, receiving praise for its unique gameplay and darkly humorous story. An Xbox
Live Arcade expansion was released on October 22, 2008, whilst a sequel to Portal, Portal 2, has also been
confirmed.[36]
''Half-Life'' series 5

Development
The video game development company behind the Half-Life series, Valve
Corporation, was founded in 1996 in Kirkland, Washington by former
Microsoft employees Mike Harrington and Gabe Newell. They began
working on the first game of the series soon after the company's
formation, and settled on a concept for a horror-themed 3D action game,
using the Quake engine as licensed by id Software. The game was a hit at
the 1997 E3 convention, where its animation system and artificial
intelligence were demonstrated.[37] The game's success led to its first
expansion pack, Half-Life: Opposing Force, which was developed by
Gearbox Software, a then-new company based in Plano, Texas, and
announced on April 15, 1999.[38] Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford said
in an interview that he believed Valve gave them the opportunity to Valve's co-founder Gabe Newell (right) with
produce a sequel to Half-Life to allow Valve to focus on future titles.[39] marketing director Doug Lombardi
The game was demonstrated at the 1999 E3 convention, where new
locations, characters, and the story were revealed.[40]

The second Half-Life expansion pack, Half-Life: Blue Shift, was again developed by Gearbox Software and
announced by its publisher, Sierra Entertainment, on August 30, 2000.[41] Sierra intended to release Blue Shift for the
Dreamcast, and it was set to include higher detail models and textures[42] that were double the polygon count of the
models from Half-Life.[43] However, after several months of delays, Sierra terminated development on the
Dreamcast version of Blue Shift on June 16, 2001,[16] and the company instead released Blue Shift for the PC on June
12, 2001.[17] Afterward, Gearbox began working on a Half-Life game for the PlayStation 2. The game, titled Decay,
was showcased at E3 2001, where Gearbox demonstrated the game's use of new model sets,[44] which were around
twice as detailed as those in Blue Shift.[45]
For several years, Valve secretly worked on the sequel to the original Half-Life, titled Half-Life 2. For the game,
Valve developed a new game engine called the Source engine, which handles the game's visual, audio, and artificial
intelligence elements. The Source engine comes packaged with a heavily modified version of the Havok physics
engine that allows for an extra dimension of interactivity in both single-player and online environments.[46] In the
trilogy of episodic games that followed Half-Life 2, Valve made minor tweaks to the game's engine. In Half-Life 2:
Episode One, Valve modified Alyx's AI to allow her to react to the player's actions because of her significant
involvement in the game.[47] The game runs on an upgraded version of Valve's proprietary Source engine, and
features both the engine's advanced lighting effects, and a new version of its facial animation/expression
technology.[48]

Cultural Influence and reception

A short film based upon Half-Life, titled Half-Life: Uplink, was developed by Cruise Control, a British marketing
agency, and released on March 15, 1999. However, Sierra withdrew it from circulation, after itself and Valve had
failed to resolve licensing issues with Cruise Control over the film. The critical reception of the film was very poor.
The film's plot was that of a journalist attempting to infiltrate the Black Mesa Research Facility and discover what
was happening there.[49] [50] [51] [52]
In early 2009, the Purchase Brothers, a Toronto-based film company, released a five-minute film based on Half-Life
2: Episode One called Half-Life: Escape from City-17. The film combines live-action footage with 3D animation
created using the Source SDK for the video game.[53] It was well received by Valve.[54]
''Half-Life'' series 6

External links
• Half-Life series [55] at MobyGames
• Half-Life Saga Story Guide [56]

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[48] Bramwell, Tom (2006-06-06). "Opening the Valve" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=65345). Eurogamer. . Retrieved
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[49] "Half-Life: Uplink Movie" (http:/ / www. bluesnews. com/ cgi-bin/ board. pl?action=postmessage& amp;boardid=1& amp;id=0&
amp;threadid=115). Blue's News. 1999-02-17. . Retrieved 2006-12-16.
[50] "Half-Life: Uplink — Page 1" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=Reviews. Detail& id=1). Planet Half-Life.
1999-03-15. . Retrieved 2006-12-16.
[51] "Editors Note: Uplink Movie" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ fullstory. php?id=86718). Planet Half-Life. 1999-03-15. . Retrieved
2006-12-16.
[52] Brown, Michael (1999-02-17). "Half-Life: The Movie" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20000531231607/ http:/ / gamecenter. com/ News/
Item/ 0,3,0-2502,00. html). CNET. . Retrieved 2006-12-16.
[53] Walker, John (2009-02-13). "Escape From City 17: Part One" (http:/ / www. rockpapershotgun. com/ 2009/ 02/ 13/
escape-from-city-17-part-one/ ). Rock, Paper Shotgun. . Retrieved 2009-02-17.
[54] "Escape From City 17: Part One" (http:/ / www. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ message/ 2236/ ). Valve Corporation. 2009-02-13. .
Retrieved 2010-05-15.
[55] http:/ / www. mobygames. com/ game-group/ half-life-series
[56] http:/ / members. shaw. ca/ halflifestory/ index. htm
 8

The games

''Half-Life''
Half-Life

The box art for Half-Life shows the title on a rusted orange background, below the Greek lambda letter. And behind it you can see
the formula for half life.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Sierra Studios

Electronic Arts

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Writer(s) Marc Laidlaw

Composer(s) Kelly Bailey

Series Half-Life (series)

Engine GoldSrc

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows

PlayStation 2
Dreamcast (Unreleased)

Release date(s) Microsoft Windows:

[1]
November 19, 1998
PlayStation 2:
[2]
November 14, 2001

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single-player multiplayer

Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: M
PEGI: 16+

Media CD, DVD, download

System requirements 133 MHz processor

24 MB RAM
SVGA video card

Input methods Keyboard and mouse, gamepad

''Half-Life'' 9

Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Software and the company's debut
product. First released by Sierra Studios on November 19, 1998, the game was also released for the PlayStation 2 on
November 14, 2001.[2] In Half-Life, players assume the role of Dr. Gordon Freeman, a recent graduate theoretical
physicist who must fight his way out of a secret underground research facility, whose research and experiments into
teleportation technology have gone wrong.
Valve, set up by former Microsoft employees, had difficulty finding a publisher for the game, with many believing
that it was "too ambitious" a project. Sierra On-Line eventually signed the game after expressing interest in making a
3D action game. The game had its first major public appearance at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Designed for Microsoft Windows, the game uses a heavily modified version of the Quake engine, called GoldSrc.[1]
[3]

On its release, critics hailed its overall presentation and numerous scripted sequences, and it won over 50 PC Game
of the Year awards.[4] [5] Its gameplay influenced first-person shooters for years to come, and it has since been
regarded as one of the greatest games of all time.[6] As of November 16, 2004, Half-Life has sold eight million
copies.[7] As of July 14, 2006, the Half-Life franchise has sold over 20 million units.[8] In celebration of the game's
10th anniversary, Valve lowered the price of Half-Life to U.S. $0.98 on November 19, 2008 for three days.[9]

Gameplay
Half-Life is a first-person shooter that requires the player to perform
combat tasks and puzzle solving to advance through the game. Unlike
its peers at the time, Half-Life used scripted sequences, which ranged
from small events, such as an alien ramming down a door, to major
plot points. While most contemporary first-person shooters relied on
cut scene intermissions to detail their plotlines, Half-Life's story is put
forth entirely through scripted sequences, keeping the player in control
of his first-person viewpoint. In line with this, the game has no
cutscenes, and the player rarely loses the ability to control Gordon,
In this scene, the player must bypass a dam
who never speaks and is never actually seen in the game; the player
reservoir guarded by an Apache helicopter, a
group of soldiers, and a cannon emplacement. sees "through his eyes" for the entire length of the game. Half-Life has
no "levels"; it instead divides the game by chapters, whose titles flash
on the screen. Progress through the world is continuous, except for breaks for loading.[10]

The game regularly integrates puzzles, such as navigating a maze of conveyor belts. Some puzzles involve using the
environment to kill an enemy. There are few "bosses" in the conventional sense, where the player defeats a superior
opponent by direct confrontation. Instead, such monsters occasionally define chapters, and the player is generally
expected to use the terrain, rather than firepower, to kill the "boss". Late in the game, the player receives a "long
jump module" for the HEV suit, which allows the player to increase the horizontal distance and speed of jumps by
crouching before jumping. (The "long jump module" was first seen in the "Hazard Course" portion of the game.)
This is used for platformer-style jumping puzzles in the later portion of the game.[10]
For the most part the player battles through the game alone, but is occasionally assisted by non-player characters;
specifically security guards and scientists who fight alongside the player, assist in reaching new areas and impart
relevant plot information.[11] A wide array of enemies populate the game including alien life-forms such as
headcrabs, bullsquids, headcrab zombies and Vortigaunts. The player also faces human opponents, in particular
Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU) Marines and black ops assassins who are dispatched to contain the
alien threat and silence all witnesses.[12]
Half-Life has a large array of weapons the player can use. The iconic weapon of the game is the crowbar which can
be used for melee fighting as well as a tool for clearing obstructions and breaking apart boxes and crates, which often
''Half-Life'' 10

contain useful items. The game also features numerous conventional weapons, such as the Glock 17 pistol, SPAS-12
shotgun, MP5 submachine gun with an attached grenade launcher, Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver, and rocket
launcher as well as abnormal weapons ranging from a crossbow to alien weapons such as Snarks. Two experimental
weapons, the tau cannon (nicknamed the Gauss gun) and the gluon gun, are built by the scientists in the facility and
are acquired by the player late in the game.[10] With the installation of the High Definition Pack, the weapons'
appearances are substantially updated, mainly due to a larger number of polygons in the models. Although their
appearances have changed, they perform exactly the same as their original counterparts in terms of gameplay. The
Glock 17, MP5, and SPAS-12 are the only weapons to be completely changed in appearance, being replaced by the
Beretta M9, M4A1 carbine, and a version of the SPAS-12 with a stock, respectively.[10]

Synopsis

Setting
Most of the game is set in a remote desert area of New Mexico in the Black Mesa Research Facility, a fictional
complex that bears many similarities to both the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Area 51, at some point during
the years 2000 to 2009. The game's protagonist is the theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman, a graduate of the
Institute for Experimental Physics and the University of Innsbruck, in Innsbruck, Austria, and Doctor of Philosophy
in theoretical physics via MIT. Freeman becomes one of the survivors of an experiment at Black Mesa that goes
horribly wrong, when an unexpected "resonance cascade" – a fictitious phenomenon – rips dimensional seams,
devastating the facility. Aliens from another world—known as Xen—subsequently enter the facility through these
dimensional seams (an event known as the "Black Mesa incident").[10]
As Freeman tries to make his way out of the ruined facility to find help for the injured, he soon discovers that he is
caught between two sides: the hostile aliens and the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, a United States Marine
Corps Special Forces division dispatched to cover up the incident by eliminating the aliens, as well as Dr. Freeman
and the other surviving Black Mesa personnel. Throughout the game, a mysterious figure known (but not actually
referred to in-game) as "G-Man" regularly appears, and seems to be monitoring Freeman's progress. Ultimately,
Freeman uses the cooperation of surviving scientists and security officers to work his way towards the mysterious
"Lambda Complex" of Black Mesa (signified with the Greek "λ" character), where a team of survivors teleport him
to the alien world Xen to kill the Nihilanth, the creature keeping Xen's side of the dimensional rift open.[10]
The game's plot was originally inspired by the video games Doom, Quake (both PC games produced by id Software),
and Resident Evil (published by Capcom), Stephen King's short story/novella The Mist, and an episode of The Outer
Limits called "The Borderland".[13] It was later developed by Valve's in-house writer and author, Marc Laidlaw, who
wrote the books Dad's Nuke and The 37th Mandala.[14]

Plot
Gordon Freeman arrives late for work at the Black Mesa Research Facility, using its tram system. He acquires his
Hazardous Environment suit (or HEV suit) before proceeding to the test chamber of the Anomalous Materials Lab,
to assist in an experiment. He is tasked with pushing a non-standard specimen into the scanning beam of the
Anti-Mass Spectrometer for analysis. This creates a catastrophe called a "resonance cascade,"[15] opening a portal
between Earth and a dimension called Xen.[16] Freeman is sporadically teleported there and catches glimpses of
various alien life-forms, including a circle of Vortigaunts, shortly before blacking out.[16]
Freeman awakens in the ruined test chamber and surveys the destroyed lab, strewn with the bodies of scientists and
security personnel. Finding survivors, Freeman learns that communication lines to the outside world are completely
cut, and is encouraged to head to the surface for help, because of his suit. His journey consists of sidestepping Black
Mesa's structural damage and defending himself against hostile aliens randomly teleporting into the area. Other
survivors along the way claim that a rescue team has been dispatched, only to discover that the Hazardous
''Half-Life'' 11

Environment Combat Unit, which has taken control of Black Mesa, is killing both the aliens and the employees there
as part of a government cover-up.[17] Freeman fights the Marines before reaching the surface of Black Mesa, where
he learns that scientists from the Lambda Complex may have the means to resolve the problems created by the
cascade. Gordon travels to the other end of the facility to assist them.[17]
However, Gordon encounters several hurdles throughout the facility, such as reactivating a rocket engine test facility
to destroy a giant tentacle creature,[18] using an aging railway system in order to launch a crucial satellite rocket,[19]
and fighting a group of Black Ops soldiers,[20] before he is captured by Marines and dumped in a garbage compactor.
Gordon escapes safely and makes his way to an older part of the facility where he discovers an extensive collection
of specimens collected from Xen, long before the resonance cascade.[21]
Reaching the surface once more, Gordon finds that the area has become a warzone. The alien soldiers are
overwhelming the Marines, despite calling for reinforcements.[22] Through scaling the cliffs and navigating
destroyed buildings, Gordon reaches safety underground.[22]
The Marines begin to pull out of Black Mesa and airstrikes begin, while Gordon goes through underground water
channels and encounters alien soldiers picking off the remaining Marines.[23] Freeman arrives at the Lambda
Complex, in which scientists developed the teleportation technology that allowed them to travel to Xen in the first
place.[24] After meeting the remaining personnel, Gordon is told that the satellite he launched failed to reverse the
effects of the resonance cascade because an immensely powerful being on the other side of the rift is keeping it open.
Gordon must kill this being to stop the wave of Xen aliens. The scientists activate the teleporter and Gordon is
transported to Xen.[24]
At the border world, Gordon encounters many of the alien species[25] that had been brought into Black Mesa, as well
as the remains of HEV-wearing researchers that came before him. He fights against Gonarch, a giant headcrab with a
huge egg sac,[26] fights his way through an alien camp, and arrives at a huge alien factory, which is creating the
Alien Grunt soldiers.[27] After fighting his way through levitating creatures, he finds a giant portal and enters it.[27]
In a vast cave, Gordon confronts the Nihilanth, the creature who was maintaining the rift, and destroys it.[28] As the
creature dies, it explodes in a giant green blast which knocks Gordon unconscious. Gordon awakens, stripped of his
gear, in the presence of the G-Man, who has been watching over Gordon, appearing at least once in each chapter.
The G-Man praises Freeman's actions in the border world. He explains that his "employers", believing that Gordon
has "limitless potential", have authorized him to offer Freeman a job. He is also given a choice to refuse, but is told
that he will be given a battle where he has "no chance of winning". While this is taking place, the scenery they are
standing in warps to various Xen locales, ending in one of the tram cars from the beginning of Freeman's day, flying
through space. After accepting, the screen goes black and the G-Man is heard to say, "Wisely done, Mr. Freeman. I
will see you up ahead."[28] Players who decline G-Man's offer find themselves unarmed and surrounded by hordes of
hostile creatures, as G-man says, "No regrets, Mr. Freeman".

Development
Half-Life was the first product of Kirkland, Washington-based developer Valve Software, which was founded in
1996 by former Microsoft employees Mike Harrington and Gabe Newell.[29] They settled on a concept for a
horror-themed 3D action game, using the Quake engine as licensed by id Software.[30] Valve eventually modified the
engine a great deal, notably adding skeletal animation and Direct3D support;[29] a developer stated in a PC
Accelerator magazine preview that seventy percent of the engine code was rewritten. The company had difficulties
finding a publisher at first, many believing their project "too ambitious" for a studio headed by newcomers to the
video game industry. However, Sierra On-Line had been very interested in making a 3D action game, especially one
based on the Quake engine, and so signed them for a one-game deal.[31]
The original code name for Half-Life was Quiver, after the Arrowhead military base from Stephen King's novella
The Mist, which served as early inspiration for the game.[32] Gabe Newell explained that the name Half-Life was
chosen because it was evocative of the theme, not clichéd, and had a corresponding visual symbol: the Greek letter λ
''Half-Life'' 12

(lower-case lambda), which represents the decay constant in the half-life equation.[13] According to one of the
game's designers, Harry Teasley, Doom was a huge influence on most of the team working on Half-Life. According
to Teasley, they wanted Half-Life to "scare you like Doom did".[33]
The first public appearances of Half-Life came in early 1997; it was a hit at Electronic Entertainment Expo that year,
where they primarily demonstrated the animation system and artificial intelligence.[34] Valve Software hired science
fiction author Marc Laidlaw in August 1997 to work on the game's characters and level design.[32] Half-Life's
soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey.[14] Half-Life was originally planned to be shipped in late 1997, to
compete with Quake II, but was postponed when Valve decided the game needed significant revision.[35]
In a 2003 Making Of... feature in Edge, Newell discusses the team's early difficulties with level design.[36] In
desperation, a single level was assembled including every weapon, enemy, scripted event, and level design quirk that
the designers had come up with so far.[36] This single level inspired the studio to press on with the game.[36] As a
result, the studio completely reworked the game's artificial intelligence and levels in the year leading up to its
release.[36] At E3 1998 it was given Game Critics Awards for "Best PC Game" and "Best Action Game".[35] The
release date was delayed several times in 1998 before the game was finally released in November of that year.[37]
Two official demos for Half-Life were released. The first demo, Half-Life: Day One, contained the first one-fifth of
the full game, and was meant only for distribution with certain graphic cards.[38] The second demo was released on
February 12, 1999. Entitled Half-Life: Uplink, the demonstration featured many of the weapons and non-player
characters in Half-Life. Set 48 hours into the game, Uplink's levels are heavily revised variations of levels cut during
Half-Life's development phase, and are not present in the end version of the full game.

Name
The titles of Half-Life and its expansion packs are all named after scientific terms. Half-Life itself is a reference to
the half-life of a quantity (such as a radioactive material), the amount of time required for the quantity to decay to
half of its initial value. The Greek letter lambda, which features prominently on the game's packaging, represents the
related decay constant, as well as the Lambda Complex featured in the game. Opposing Force, while it could be
named because the player assumes the role of one of the enemies in the original game, is also a reference to
Newton's third law of motion, while Blue Shift refers to the blue shifting of the frequency of radiation caused by the
Doppler effect or Special Relativity, in a similar parallel reference to the name of the shift your character takes. In
Half-Life: Decay, the title again references the half-life equation with the lambda symbol being the decay constant. It
has also been speculated that the Lambda symbol was chosen as it somewhat resembles a very simple picture of an
arm holding a crowbar, the first weapon acquired by Gordon Freeman, and a weapon the Half Life series is famous
for.[10]

Ports
Half-Life was ported to the PlayStation 2 by Gearbox Software and released in 2001.[39] This version of the game
had a significant overhaul in terms of both character models, weapons, and more advanced and extended levels and
general map geometry (see Half-Life High Definition Pack for a model comparison). Also added in is a head-to-head
play and a co-op expansion called Half-Life: Decay that allowed players to play as the two female scientists Dr.
Cross and Dr. Green at Black Mesa. Another interesting feature allowed players to use a USB mouse and keyboard,
a feature previously unmatched on the platform.[39]
Versions for the Dreamcast and Mac OS were essentially completed, but never commercially released.[40] The
Dreamcast edition was eventually leaked onto the internet.[41] [42] The Dreamcast version uses the same models as
the Half-Life High Definition pack.
Gearbox Software was slated to release a port to the Dreamcast under contract by Valve and their then publisher
Sierra On-Line near the end of 2000. At the ECTS 2000, a build of the game was playable on the publisher's stand,
and developers Randy Pitchford and Brian Martel were in attendance to show it off and give interviews to the press.
''Half-Life'' 13

However, despite only being weeks from going gold, it was never commercially released; Sierra announced that
Half-Life on Dreamcast was canceled "due to changing market conditions" onset by third-party abandonment of the
Dreamcast.[43] That year Sierra On-Line showed a PlayStation 2 port at E3 2001. This version was released in North
America in late October of the same year, followed by a European release just a month later. Around the same time,
Half-Life: Blue Shift, which was intended to be a Dreamcast-exclusive side story, was released on Windows as the
second Half-life Expansion Pack.[44]
On March 8, 2010, Valve announced the upcoming availability of the Steam platform and their entire first party
library, including Half-Life, for Mac OS X, for release in April, 2010.[45] Steam's port was delayed until its release
on May 12, 2010.

Expansions and sequels

Expansions
Two expansion packs by outside developer Gearbox Software have been released for the PC version: Half-Life:
Opposing Force (1999) and Half-Life: Blue Shift (2001). The former returns the player to Black Mesa during the
events of Half-Life's storyline, but this time from the perspective of Adrian Shephard, one of the Marines in the
Hazardous Environment Combat Unit sent to cover up evidence of the incident. It introduced several new weapons,
new non-player characters, both friendly and hostile and new, previously unseen areas of the facility. The expansion
is shorter than Half-Life, having 11 chapters to the original's 19.[44] [46]
Blue Shift returns the player to Half-Life's Black Mesa timeline once more, this time as Barney Calhoun, one of the
facility's security guards. The expansion was originally developed as a bonus mission for the canceled Dreamcast
version. Blue Shift came with the High Definition Pack, that gave the player the option to update the look of
Half-Life, Opposing Force, and the new Blue Shift content. Blue Shift had relatively little new content compared to
Opposing Force: aside from a few variations on existing models, all content was already present in the original
Half-Life.[44]
Half-Life: Decay was another expansion by Gearbox, released only as an extra with the PlayStation 2 version of
Half-Life. The add-on featured cooperative gameplay in which two players could solve puzzles or fight against the
many foes in the Half-Life universe.[47]
In 2000, a compilation pack titled the Half-Life: Platinum Pack was released, including (with their respective
manuals) Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress Classic, and Half-Life: Opposing Force.[48] In 2002, the pack
was re-released under the new titles Half-Life Platinum Collection and Half-Life: Generation. These new iterations
also included the Half-Life: Blue Shift expansion pack. In 2005, Half-Life 1: Anthology was released, containing
Steam-only versions of the following games on a single CD: Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force, Half-Life: Blue
Shift, and Team Fortress Classic.[49]
''Half-Life'' 14

Sequels
The sequel, Half-Life 2, was merely a rumor until it was finally revealed at E3 in May 2003, which ignited a
firestorm of hype surrounding the game. The player again takes the role of Gordon Freeman, this time several years
after the Black Mesa incident in the dystopic Eastern European "City 17" where he must fight as part of a rebellion
against an alien regime. After a series of controversies and delays, Half-Life 2 was released on November 16,
2004.[50]
To experience firsthand the processes mod-makers would have to go
through with the new engine, Valve ported Half-Life (dubbed
Half-Life: Source) and Counter-Strike to their new Source engine.
Half-Life: Source is a straight port, lacking any new content or the Blue
Shift High Definition pack. However, it does take advantage of vertex
and pixel shaders for more realistic water effects, as well as Half-Life
2's realistic physics engine. They also added several other features
from Half-Life 2, including improved dynamic lightmaps, vertex maps,
ragdolls, and a shadowmap system with cleaner, higher resolution,
The dam scene, as rendered on the Source engine
specular texture and normal maps, as well as utilization of the
in Half-Life: Source
render-to-texture soft shadows found in Half-Life 2's Source engine,
along with 3D skybox replacements in place of the old 16-bit color
prerendered bitmap skies. The Half-Life port possesses many of the Source engine's graphical strengths as well as
control weaknesses that have been noted in the Source engine. Half-Life: Source is available with special editions of
Half-Life 2, or separately on Steam.[51]

Half-Life: Source has been criticized for not fully utilizing many of the features of the Source engine found in
Half-Life 2, as it still uses textures and models from the original game. Due to this, a third-party mod remake called
Black Mesa is also under development.[52]
On June 10, 2005 Valve announced through their Steam update news service an upcoming port of Half-Life
Deathmatch, the multiplayer portion of the original game, much in the same fashion as the earlier released Half-Life:
Source. No exact release date was given, simply the words "In the coming weeks..." On July 2, 2005 Half-Life
Deathmatch: Source was released.[53]
On June 1, 2006 Half-Life 2: Episode One was released. It is part of a trilogy of episodes, of which the second was
released on October 10, 2007, as part of The Orange Box.[54]

Third-party mods
From its release in 1998, Half-Life saw fervent support from independent game developers, due in no small part to
support and encouragement from Valve Software. Worldcraft, the level-design tool used during the game's
development, was included with the game software. Printed materials accompanying the game indicated Worldcraft's
eventual release as a retail product, but these plans never materialised. Valve also released a software development
kit, enabling developers to modify the game and create mods. Both tools were significantly updated with the release
of the version 1.1.0.0 patch. Many supporting tools (including texture editors, model editors, and rival level editors
like the multiple engine editor QuArK) were either created or updated to work with Half-Life.[55]
An SDK for Half-Life has been released and is being used as a base for many multiplayer mods such as
Counter-Strike. Other multiplayer mods include Team Fortress Classic (TFC), Day of Defeat (DOD), Deathmatch
Classic (DMC), Adrenaline Gamer (AG) Action Half-Life, Firearms, Science and Industry, The Specialists, Pirates,
Vikings and Knights and Natural Selection. TFC and DMC were developed in-house at Valve Software.
Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, and others that began life as the work of independent developers (self-termed
"modders"), later on received aid from Valve. There was even a free team-based multiplayer mod called Underworld
''Half-Life'' 15

Bloodline created to promote the Sony Pictures movie Underworld.[56]

Numerous single player mods have also been created, like USS Darkstar (1999, a futuristic action-adventure onboard
a zoological research spaceship), The Xeno Project 1 and 2 (1999–2005, a two-part mod starting in Xen and again
including spaceships), Edge of Darkness (2000, which features some unused Half-Life models), Half-Life: Absolute
Redemption (2000, which brings back Gordon Freeman for four additional episodes and another encounter with the
G-Man), They Hunger (2000–2001, a survival horror total conversion trilogy involving zombies), Poke646 (2001, a
follow-up to the original Half-Life story with improved graphics), Someplace Else [57] (2002, Side story to the
original Half-Life), and Heart of Evil (2003, Vietnam war with zombies).[58]
Some Half-Life modifications eventually landed on retail shelves. Counter-Strike was the most successful, having
been released in five different editions: as a standalone product (2000), as part of the Platinum Pack (2000), as an
Xbox version (2003) as the single player spin-off, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (2004), and the newest addition,
Counter-Strike: Source, which runs on Half-Life 2's Source engine. Team Fortress Classic, Day of Defeat and
Gunman Chronicles (2000, a futuristic Western movie-style total conversion with emphasis on its single player
mode) were also released as stand-alone products.

Reception and legacy

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

Metacritic 96/100

Review scores
Publication Score

GamePro 5.0/5.0

GameSpot 9.4/10.0

IGN 9.5/10.0

PC Gamer US 97/100

Computer Gaming World [59]

Half-Life's public reception was overwhelmingly positive in terms of reviews, acclaim and sales. As of November
16, 2004, eight million copies of the game had been sold,[7] while 9.3 million copies had been sold by 2008.[60] The
game has won over 50 Game of the Year awards.[4] [5]
Half-Life was critically acclaimed, earning an overall score of 96% on review collection website Metacritic.[61]
Computer Gaming World's Jeff Green said that the game "is not just one of the best games of the year. It's one of the
best games of any year, an instant classic that is miles better than any of its immediate competition, and - in its
single-player form - is the best shooter since the original Doom".[59] IGN described it as "a tour de force in game
design, the definitive single player game in a first person shooter."[62] IGN has also respected the game as one of the
most influential video games.[62] GameSpot claimed that it was the "closest thing to a revolutionary step the genre
has ever taken."[63] GameSpot inducted Half-Life into their "Greatest Games of All Time" list in May 2007.[64] In
2004, GameSpy held a Title Fight, in which readers voted on what they thought was the "greatest game of all time",
and Half-Life was the overall winner of the survey.[65] In the November 1999, October 2001, and April 2005 issues
of PC Gamer, Half-Life was named "Best Game of All Time"/"Best PC Game Ever."[4] [5] [66] The popularity of the
Half-Life series has led way to an array of side products and collectibles. Valve offers Half-Life-related products
such as a plush vortigaunt, plush headcrab, posters, clothing, and mousepads.[67] [68]
''Half-Life'' 16

The immersive gaming experience and interactive environment was cited by several reviewers as being
revolutionary.[69] Allgame said "It isn't everyday that you come across a game that totally revolutionizes an entire
genre, but Half-Life has done just that."[69] Hot Games commented on the realness of the game, and how the
environment "all adds up to a totally immersive gaming experience that makes everything else look quite shoddy in
comparison."[70] Gamers Depot found the game engaging, stating that they have "yet to play a more immersive game
period."[71]
Despite the praise that the game has received, there have also been some complaints. The Electric Playground said
that Half-Life was an "immersive and engaging entertainment experience", but said that this only lasted for the first
half of the game, explaining that the game "peaked too soon."[72]
Guinness World Records awarded Half-Life with the world record for "Best-Selling First-Person Shooter of All
Time (PC)" in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008.
A short film based upon Half-Life entitled Half-Life: Uplink, was developed by Cruise Control, a British marketing
agency, and was released on March 15, 1999. However, Sierra withdrew it from circulation, after itself and Valve
had failed to resolve licensing issues with Cruise Control over the film. The critical reception of the film was very
poor. The plot of the film was that a journalist infiltrates the Black Mesa Research Facility, trying to discover what
has happened there.[73] [74] [75] [76]

External links
• Half-Life [77] at the Open Directory Project
• Half-Life [78] at MobyGames

References
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[2] "Half-Life" (http:/ / uk. ps2. ign. com/ objects/ 015/ 015631. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
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''Half-Life'' 17

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''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 19

''Half-Life: Opposing Force''

Half-Life: Opposing Force

The box art for Opposing Force depicts the game's protagonist, Adrian Shephard.
Developer(s) Gearbox Software

Publisher(s) Sierra Studios

Distributor(s) Sierra Studios (retail)

Steam (online)

Designer(s) [1]
Randy Pitchford

Writer(s) Stephen Bahl

Rob Heironimus
Kristy Junio
Randy Pitchford

Series Half-Life

Engine GoldSrc

Platform(s) Windows

Release date(s) NA
November 1, 1999
EU
November 15, 1999

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rating(s) ELSPA: 15+

ESRB: M

Media CD-ROM, download

System requirements Half-Life

133 MHz processor
24 MB RAM
SVGA video card

Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Half-Life: Opposing Force is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video
game Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sierra Entertainment on November
1, 1999. Opposing Force is the first expansion for Half-Life and was first announced in April 1999. Randy Pitchford,
the lead designer on the game, later noted that he believed Gearbox was selected to develop Opposing Force because
Valve wanted to concentrate on their future projects. Over the course of development, Gearbox brought in a variety
of outside talent from other areas of the video games industry to help bolster various aspects of design. The game
was released on Steam on September 28, 2005.[2]
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 20

Opposing Force returns to the same setting as Half-Life, but instead portrays the events from the perspective of a
U.S. Marine, one of the enemy characters in the original game. The player character, Adrian Shephard, is sent in to
neutralize the Black Mesa Research Facility after a scientific mishap causes it to be invaded by aliens, but quickly
finds that the Marines are outnumbered and slowly being beaten back by a second alien race and black operations
units. Opposing Force was received well by critics, many describing it as the new benchmark title for expansion
packs, in a similar fashion to how Half-Life revolutionized the first-person shooter genre. Other reviewers, however,
thought that the game still had many of the negative aspects of other expansion packs, although it was still regarded
as an exceptional add-on.

Gameplay
As an expansion pack for Half-Life, Opposing Force is a first-person
shooter. The overall gameplay of Opposing Force does not
significantly differ from that of Half-Life: players are required to
navigate through the game's levels, fight hostile non-player characters
and solve a variety of puzzles to advance.[3] The game continues
Half-Life's methods of an unbroken narrative. The player sees
everything through the first person perspective of the protagonist and
remains in control of the player character for almost all of the game.
Story events are conveyed through the use of scripted sequences rather
Opposing Force introduces new weapons and
than cut scenes. Progress through the game's world is continuous;
allows the player to command small squads of
soldiers although the game is divided up into chapters, the only significant
pauses are when the game needs to load the next part of an
environment.[4] Opposing Force also features an extended multiplayer, incorporating the various new environments
and weapons into the original deathmatch mode used in Half-Life.[5] After release, a new capture the flag mode with
additional levels, items and powerups, was created by Gearbox for the game.[6]

For the most part the player battles through the single-player game alone, but is occasionally assisted by friendly
non-player characters. Security guards and scientists will occasionally help the player in reaching new areas and
convey relevant plot information. However, Opposing Force also features fellow U.S. Marines who will assist the
player in combat to a far greater degree than security guards. Three types of Marines are featured in the game: the
soldier will simply provide fire support for the player with a submachine gun, shotgun or machine gun, the combat
medic is capable of healing the player and other non-player characters, while the engineer can cut through doors and
remove obstacles, allowing the player and their squad to proceed unhindered.[7] A selection of enemies from
Half-Life populate the game, including alien creatures such as headcrabs and Vortigaunts. A variety of new alien
non-player characters, labelled "Race X", appear in the game as well, often engaging in combat with the aliens from
Xen. The player also encounters human opponents in the form of a detachment of black operations units who have
been sent to destroy the base in the wake of the failure of the U.S. Marines to eliminate the alien threat.[8] A limited
selection of Half-Life's weaponry is allocated to the player to defend themselves with, although several new weapons
such as a sniper rifle, combat knife and a variety of alien weaponry are also present in the game.[9]
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 21

Synopsis

Setting
Opposing Force is set in the same location and timeframe as that of Half-Life, taking place at a remote New Mexico
laboratory called the Black Mesa Research Facility. In Half-Life, the player takes on the role of Gordon Freeman, a
scientist involved in an accident that opens an inter-dimensional portal to the borderworld of Xen, allowing the alien
creatures of Xen to attack the facility. The player guides Freeman in an attempt to escape the facility and close the
portal, ultimately traveling to Xen to do so.[10] Opposing Force, however, shows the events of Half-Life from the
perspective of a different protagonist. The player assumes the role of Adrian Shephard, a U.S. Marine Corporal
assigned to the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, a specialized unit sent in to Black Mesa by the government to
quell the alien threat and silence all witnesses. However, after Shephard becomes isolated from his fellow Marines,
he must ally with the Black Mesa personnel and attempt to escape the base.[8]

Plot
Opposing Force opens with Shephard riding on a V-22 Osprey with his
squad. His squad discuss their deployment, somewhat irritated that
they have not been told what they are being deployed for. However, as
they are nearing their Landing Zone at Black Mesa, airborne alien
creatures attack the Osprey formation, causing Shephard's Osprey to
crash land. Shephard regains consciousness in a Black Mesa medical
bay, tended to by the science team, learning that the Marines are being
steadily beaten by the alien forces from Xen and orders have come
through to pull out. Consequently, Shephard departs to reach an
The player encounters new "Race X" aliens in the
extraction point and escape the facility.[11] However, Shephard is
game, who are hostile to both humans and the
prevented from reaching the extraction point by the enigmatic G-Man, aliens from Xen
forcing the evacuation craft to leave without him.

Other Marines who have also been left behind team up with Shephard and attempt to reach another extraction point
near Black Mesa's Lambda Complex, but en route they come under attack from black operations units seeking to
thoroughly contain the situation and eliminate all survivors.[12] Shephard makes it to the Lambda Complex alive, and
briefly sees Gordon Freeman as the latter teleports to Xen in the final stages of Half-Life. To escape the teleportation
chamber, Shephard is forced to enter a separate portal, briefly taking him to Xen before depositing him in an entirely
different area of the facility. The facility is now heavily damaged, and it soon becomes clear that a new alien race,
Race X, has exploited the situation to mount a localized invasion, attacking both human and Xen forces in Black
Mesa indiscriminately.[13] Fighting between the black operations units and Race X quickly intensifies.

Shephard soon encounters more stranded Marine units in the wreckage of the base, and tries to break through the
black operations units to reach an escape point past the facility's storage unit, but meets heavy resistance from both
Race X and the black operations units.[14] A surviving Black Mesa security guard reveals to Shephard that the black
operators intend to detonate a tactical nuclear weapon in the base, thereby totally sealing it off and killing everything
in it.[15] After successfully neutralizing the guarding black operations unit, Shephard disarms the device and
proceeds to the nearby storage areas, intent on escape. However, the G-Man rearms the device as Shephard departs.
The storage unit has become a thick battleground between Race X and the black operation units, and although
Shephard manages to evade them, he is informed by another security guard that something very large is coming
through an alien portal blocking the exit path.[16]
At the portal, Shephard discovers a gene worm, a massive creature facilitating the Race X invasion. Shephard is able
to kill the creature, but just afterwards he is teleported onto an Osprey by the G-Man. As the G-Man congratulates
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 22

Shephard on his accomplishments, the nuclear device detonates in the background, destroying Black Mesa. The
game closes with the G-Man detaining Shephard someplace where he can tell no one of what he has seen and cannot
be harmed, pending further evaluation.[17]

Development
Half-Life: Opposing Force was first announced by developer Gearbox Software on April 15, 1999.[18] In their press
release, founder Randy Pitchford stated that "our number one goal is to preserve the integrity of Half-Life and
provide new experiences that expand upon the sensation of the original", and also announced that the expansion pack
would allow the player to play as one of the soldiers featured in the original game.[18] The name Opposing Force has
a double meaning, referring both to the fact that the player is now one of the enemies in the original game, as well as
to Newton's third law of motion.[18] In a later interview, Pitchford stated that he believed that Valve Software offered
Gearbox the chance to make a Half-Life expansion was from a wish "to focus on their future titles".[19] In addition,
Pitchford commented that Valve and Gearbox had agreed not to "severely modify" the game engine used by
Half-Life and Opposing Force as it "risks breaking all of the wonderful work" that the game's custom content
community was creating.[19] Substantial information on Opposing Force's development direction, as well as new
locations, characters and story were revealed at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo convention.[20] The official
website for Opposing Force, hosted by publisher Sierra Studios, was put online in July 1999.[21]
Over the course of the game's development, Gearbox acquired various outside talent to assist in designing some
aspects of the game. In June 1999, Gearbox announced that the successful level designer Richard Gray would be
assisting in developing the multiplayer aspects of the game.[22] Several other designers subsequently joined the
project in September 1999, with collective experience from the development of Daikatana, Quake II, Doom and
Shadow Warrior.[23] In the subsequent two months, media releases displaying a variety of screenshots were
unveiled.[24] The game was released on November 1, 1999.[25] Gearbox later released a multiplayer update in May
2000, adding a new capture the flag mode to the game, along with various new items to accompany the new mode.[6]
Opposing Force was later released on Valve Software's Steam content delivery system.[26] Opposing Force was also
published as part of Sierra's Half-Life: Generation compilation in 2002,[27] and as part of Valve Software and
Electronic Arts' Half Life 1: Anthology on September 26, 2005.[28]

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings [29]
86% (based on 30 reviews)

Review scores
Publication Score

Computer and Video Games [5]

9/10

Eurogamer [7]
7/10

GamePro [30]

GameSpot [8]
9/10

IGN [3]
7.5/10

PC Zone [31]
85%
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 23

Awards
AIAS Interactive Achievement
Award:
[32]
Computer Game of the Year, 2000

Opposing Force received a very favorable reception from critics, holding a score of 86% on the review aggregator
site Game Rankings.[29] Although figures for the game's sales on Steam have not been released, Opposing Force has
sold over 1.1 million copies at retail.[33] Computer and Video Games reviewer Kim Randell noted that "Gearbox has
obviously gone to great pains to provide a similar experience to the original". Praise was also given to the game's
multiplayer; Randell stated that the new additions for multiplayer made it the area of Opposing Force that "really
shines". Randall closed the review by concluding that Opposing Force is an "an awesome achievement".[5] Erik
Wolpaw, writing for GameSpot, noted that as most expansion packs were mediocre, "it's appropriate that Gearbox
Software's Opposing Force, the official expansion for the genre-redefining Half-Life, in turn sets a new standard of
quality for future action-game mission packs". Wolpaw praised the design of the single-player campaign,
commenting that "you can sense the designers' enthusiasm as one memorable scene unfolds after another, and it
compels you to keep playing". Although criticizing some elements of the game's artificial intelligence and describing
some of the new models as "merely window dressing", the review concluded that Opposing Force was an
"impassioned application of creative design".[8]
Other reviews echoed many of the positive aspects of the game. GamePro stated that "Gearbox has done one hell of
a job in creating not just an add-on for Half-Life, but a continuation of a masterpiece", praising both level design and
story elements, but noted that it was a little too short.[30] However, some critics dissented on the idea that Opposing
Force was as influential as other reviewers made out. PC Zone stated that "the taste left in the mouth is a bitter one",
noting that "Opposing Force is a few excellent ideas strung together by pedestrian Half-Life padding", but concluded
that "it was still a good weekend's worth of entertainment".[31] Eurogamer stated that Opposing Force still had
similar problems to other expansion packs, commenting that "X amount of new content has been created and it is
going to be cut into the old content in a linear way to make it look like an all new game", but noted that "fortunately
though the new stuff in Opposing Force... is pretty damn good". Although praising the level design as the game's
strongest point, the reviewer felt that "towards the end of the game... they were running out of development time".[7]
Reviewing for IGN, Vincent Lopez stated that the game "does a fantastic job of making you remember exactly why
you enjoyed the original so much", but criticized this as the biggest drawback, commenting that "you may find
yourself wishing for a more original experience", but concluded that "for good, and bad: it's good to be back".[3] The
game won several publication awards,[30] as well as the Computer Game of the Year Interactive Achievement Award
of 2000 from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[32]
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 24

External links
• Half-Life: Opposing Force official website [34], retrieved from archived version of January 24, 2001
• Gearbox Software official website [35]
• Half-Life: Opposing Force on Steam [36]

References
[1] "Half-Life: Opposing Force: Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ cg/ agg. dll?p=agg& sql=1:20055~T3). Allgame. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[2] http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ ?appids=50
[3] Lopez, Vincent (1999-11-24). "Half-Life: Opposing Force Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 161/ 161667p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-11-20.
[4] Bell, Joe Grant (1998-11-25). Half-Life : Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 0761513604.
[5] Randell, Kim (2001-08-15). "PC Review: Half-Life: Opposing Force" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=8519).
Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[6] "OpFor CTF Announced" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 078/ 078919p1. html). IGN. 2000-05-04. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[7] Samuel, Jason (1999-12-02). "Half-Life: Opposing Force Review" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=96). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[8] Wolpaw, Erik (1999-11-24). "Half-Life: Opposing Force for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeopposingforce/
review. html). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[9] "Half-Life: Opposing Force Weapons" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HLGameInfo. Detail& id=19& game=4).
Planet Half-Life. GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[10] "Half-Life: The Story so Far" (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-03-24.
[11] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: Welcome to Black Mesa. (1999) "HECU captain: Shephard, you're alive!
Listen, we've been cut off pretty bad and orders are coming out to pull out. Repeat: pull out! Apparently they've got other plans for Black
Mesa now, if you can make your way through the transit system you can probably reach the surface where we are pulling out! Good luck.
Over."
[12] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: Friendly Fire. (1999) "Black operator #1: Why do we always have to clean
up a mess the grunts can't handle? / Black operator #2: Tell me about it. I just want to deliver the package and get out of here. / Black
operator #1: Yeah, sooner or later the grunts are going to figure it out."
[13] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: Foxtrot Uniform. (1999) "HECU engineer: It's good to see you sir. It's a real
mess out there. I mean, these... things are just coming out of the damn walls. Ain't no way around them either, they just keep coming! We may
just have enough firepower to push through now. At the very least we can give it our best shot. / HECU soldier: I heard about some king of
big stand off at the dam up ahead. I say we make our break for it now. It ain't going to get any better, that's for sure, and I bet they could use
our help."
[14] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: The Package. (1999) "HECU soldier: Shephard! I don't know what those
black ops are up to, but it doesn't involve getting us out of here alive. We've got no choice but to fight our way out! Let's go!"
[15] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: The Package. (1999) "Security guard: N-now don't hurt me and I'll tell you
a secret! I've been hiding up here listening; these black ops have some kind of bomb! I think they're planning on blowing up the base! N-now
why do you think they would do such a thing?"
[16] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: Worlds Collide. (1999) "Security guard: I guess you're a good guy corporal.
Listen, you've got to get down below, there's something coming through and it's the nastiest looking thing yet. Some of your buddies went
down there a while ago, and I haven't seen them since. I've got some weapons I've piled up in here, you'd better take as much as you can carry,
'cause I think this is it. Good luck, corporal."
[17] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Opposing Force. PC. Level/area: Worlds Collide. (1999) "G-Man: I admit I have a fascination with those who
adapt and survive against all odds—they rather remind me of myself. If for no other reason, I have argued to preserve you for a time. While I
believe a civil servant like yourself understands the importance of... discretion, my employers are not quite so trusting and rather than
continually subject you to the irresistible human temptation of telling all, we have decided to... convey you somewhere where you can do no
possible harm, and where no harm can come to you. I'm sure you can imagine that there are worse alternatives..."
[18] "Half-Life Expands" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 067/ 067720p1. html). IGN. 1999-04-15. . Retrieved 2008-11-18.
[19] "Half-Life: Opposing Force interview" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=11174). Computer and Video Games.
2001-08-15. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[20] Blevins, Tal (1999-03-15). "Half-Life: Opposing Force Preview" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 131/ 131667p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-11-19.
[21] Lopez, Vincent (1999-07-06). "They're Alive! Or Just Live." (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 068/ 068711p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-11-19.
[22] "Use the Force, Gray" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 068/ 068460p1. html). IGN. 1999-06-15. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[23] "Oppose This" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 070/ 070270p1. html). IGN. 1999-09-10. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
''Half-Life: Opposing Force'' 25

[24] "Just Try To Oppose This" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 071/ 071716p1. html). IGN. 1999-11-01. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[25] "Half-Life: Opposing Force" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 50/ ). Steam. Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-11-19.
[26] Bramwell, Tom (2005-08-25). "Free Half-Life 1 Expansion" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=60659). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[27] "Half-Life: Generation" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifegeneration/ index. html?tag=similargames;img;3). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[28] "Half-Life 1: Anthology" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife1anthology/ index. html?tag=similargames;img;5). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[29] "Half-Life: Opposing Force Reviews" (http:/ / www. gamerankings. com/ htmlpages2/ 149551. asp?q=Opposing Force). Game Rankings. .
Retrieved 2008-11-18.
[30] "Review: Half-Life: Opposing Force" (http:/ / eforall. gamepro. com/ article/ reviews/ 3231/ half-life-opposing-force/ ). GamePro.
2000-11-24. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[31] "PC Review: Half-Life: Opposing Force" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=3046). PC Zone. Computer and
Video Games. 2001-08-13. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[32] "AIAS Annual Awards: 3rd Annual Awards" (http:/ / www. interactive. org/ awards/ annual_awards. asp?idAward=2000). Academy of
Interactive Arts & Sciences. 2000. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[33] Remo, Chris (2008-12-03). "Analysis: Valve's Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises" (http:/ / www. gamasutra.
com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=21319). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2009-02-01.
[34] http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20010124062100/ www. sierrastudios. com/ games/ opposingforce/
[35] http:/ / www. gearboxsoftware. com/
[36] http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 50/

''Half-Life: Blue Shift''

Half-Life: Blue Shift

The box art for Blue Shift, depicting protagonist Barney Calhoun
Developer(s) Gearbox Software

Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment

Distributor(s) Sierra Entertainment (retail)

Steam (online)

Designer(s) [1]
Randy Pitchford

Writer(s) Rob Heironimus

David Mertz
Randy Pitchford

Series Half-Life

Engine GoldSrc

Platform(s) Windows

Release date(s) [2]

June 12, 2001

Genre(s) First-person shooter

''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 26

Mode(s) Single-player

Rating(s) ELSPA: 15+

ESRB: M

Media CD-ROM, download, DVD

System requirements 500 Mhz processor
96 MB RAM
16 MB video card

Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Half-Life: Blue Shift is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video game
Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sierra Entertainment on June 12, 2001.
Blue Shift is the second expansion for Half-Life, originally intended as part of a Dreamcast version of the original
game. Although the Dreamcast port was later cancelled, the PC version continued development and was released as a
standalone product. The game was released on Steam on August 24, 2005.[3]
As with Gearbox's previous expansion pack Opposing Force, Blue Shift returns to the setting and events of the
original game, but portrays the story through the eyes of a security guard, Barney Calhoun, employed by the Black
Mesa Research Facility. After a scientific mishap causes Black Mesa to be invaded by aliens, Calhoun must fight his
way to safety. The game received mixed although mostly positive reception. Many reviewers were critical of the
short length of the game and the lack of new content, although the inclusion of a High Definition pack that upgraded
the models and textures in both Blue Shift and the preceding Half-Life games was praised.

Gameplay
As an expansion pack for Half-Life, Blue Shift is a first-person shooter.
The overall gameplay of Blue Shift does not significantly differ from
that of Half-Life: players are required to navigate through the game's
levels, fight hostile non-player characters and solve a variety of puzzles
to advance.[4] The game continues Half-Life's methods of an unbroken
narrative. The player sees everything through the first person
perspective of the protagonist and remains in control of the player
character for almost all of the game. Story events are conveyed through
the use of scripted sequences rather than cut scenes. Progress through
Blue Shift is the first game in the Half-Life series
the game's world is continuous; although the game is divided up into
to feature consistent interaction with a single
non-player character, Dr Rosenberg chapters, the only significant pauses are when the game needs to load
the next part of an environment.[4]

The player battles through the game alone, but is occasionally assisted by friendly non-player characters. Security
guards and scientists will occasionally help the player in reaching new areas and convey relevant plot information.
Blue Shift also includes a substantial section dedicated to keeping a major character in the story safe from enemy
characters, and escorting him to a specific location.[5] A selection of enemies from Half-Life populate the game,
including alien creatures such as headcrabs and Vortigaunts. The player also encounters human opponents in the
form of a detachment of US Marines who have been sent to eliminate the alien threat and silence any witnesses.[6]
As Blue Shift does not elaborate on the storyline in Opposing Force, no enemy characters from the preceding
expansion pack appear in the game. Likewise, none of the new weapons introduced in the expansion can be used by
the player, they are instead given access to a limited selection of Half-Life's weaponry to defend themselves with in
the game.[5]
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 27

Synopsis

Setting
Blue Shift is set in the same location and timeframe as that of Half-Life, taking place at a remote New Mexico
laboratory called the Black Mesa Research Facility. In Half-Life, the player takes on the role of Gordon Freeman, a
scientist involved in an accident that opens an inter-dimensional portal to the borderworld of Xen, allowing the alien
creatures of Xen to attack the facility. The player guides Freeman in an attempt to escape the facility and close the
portal, ultimately traveling to Xen to do so.[7] As in Opposing Force, Blue Shift shows the events of Half-Life from
the perspective of a different protagonist. The player assumes the role of Barney Calhoun, a security guard working
near the labs where the accident takes place. Calhoun is responsible for the preservation of equipment and materials
and the welfare of research personnel, and after the accident plunges Black Mesa into a warzone, he must work with
Dr. Rosenberg, a high-ranking scientist involved in the experiment, to evacuate the facility.[8]

Plot
Blue Shift begins in a similar manner to Half-Life, as Barney Calhoun rides a tram through the Black Mesa facility to
reach his place of work. After reporting for duty, Calhoun is instructed to assist in maintenance on a malfunctioning
elevator.[9] As Calhoun finishes repairs, however, Freeman's experiment takes place and results in a "resonance
cascade", causing massive damage to the facility and teleporting alien creatures into the base. The elevator is badly
damaged and fails, sending Calhoun plummeting into the depths of Black Mesa.
Calhoun regains consciousness at the bottom of the shaft and begins to fight his way to the surface to escape.
Emerging near Black Mesa's classification yards, Calhoun learns that a Dr. Rosenberg and his colleagues plan to
escape the facility using teleportation technology.[10] After freeing Rosenberg from the captivity of the US Marines
detachment sent to silence the facility, Calhoun escorts him to a decommissioned prototype teleportation laboratory,
where several Black Mesa employees have already gathered. Rosenberg then teleports Calhoun to the Xen
borderworld to calibrate research equipment needed to pinpoint a teleport destination outside of Black Mesa.[11]
Upon his return, Rosenberg informs Calhoun that the teleporter's battery power has been exhausted, and contact has
been lost with a team sent to acquire a new power cell.
Calhoun travels to the power generators on a lower level to find a fresh power cell while firefights rage between the
Marines and the forces of Xen. After returning with a new power cell, Calhoun assists Rosenberg in evacuating the
few surviving personnel through the teleporter. Calhoun is the last to enter the portal and as he does so, Marines
breach the laboratory and fire on him, causing the teleporter to explode. As a result of the teleporter's destruction,
Calhoun enters a "harmonic reflux", causing him to be rapidly teleported to a variety of locations in the facility. At
one location, he witnesses Freeman's capture by Marines mid-way through Half-Life, before eventually stabilizing at
the intended teleport location with Rosenberg at the outskirts of Black Mesa, where they then escape the facility in a
company SUV.[12]
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 28

Development
A second Half-Life expansion pack, revolving around a security guard
in the facility, was first announced in the second quarter of 2000 as
part of an upcoming Dreamcast version of Half-Life. Although the
main Dreamcast port was to be developed by Captivation Digital
Laboratories, the new expansion was to be developed by Gearbox
Software, the same studio who developed Opposing Force.[13]
Publisher Sierra Entertainment later officially announced the expansion
on August 30, 2000, revealing the name as Blue Shift. As with
Opposing Force, the name Blue Shift has a double meaning, referring
to both the blue shift light phenomenon, and the name of the shift that
The High Definition pack placed higher quality
the protagonist is assigned to.[14] The Dreamcast version of the game models in the game, doubling the number of
was set to include higher detail models and textures[15] that were polygons used in the original models
double the polygon count of Valve Software's original Half-Life
models.[16] At the European Computer Trade Show in September 2000, information about Blue Shift's story and
development direction was revealed, along with a release date of November 1, 2000, for the Dreamcast version of
Half-Life.[16] The game was delayed by Sierra to ensure the "high expectations of consumers" were met, anticipating
release by the end of the year.[17] Further media, gameplay and story information was released in the following
weeks and months.[8] [18] Despite this, the Dreamcast version of Half-Life still did not emerge, and speculation in
May 2001 suggested the game would be cancelled.[19] On June 16, 2001, Sierra terminated development on the
Dreamcast version of Half-Life, citing "changing market conditions" in a press release.[20]

Although the Dreamcast version of Half-Life was cancelled, Blue Shift persevered. Prior to the cancellation of the
Dreamcast version, Sierra announced on March 29, 2001, that Blue Shift would be released for PC as well.[21] The
game would be released as a standalone expansion pack, a product that does not require the original Half-Life to
run.[22] The new models developed for the Dreamcast version of Half-Life would also be included in the PC version
as the Half-Life High Definition pack. In addition, Gearbox announced that the High Definition pack would not be
exclusive for Blue Shift, but could be applied to both Half-Life and Opposing Force as well.[23] At the Electronic
Entertainment Expo in 2001, Gearbox announced that development of Blue Shift had been completed,[24] and
exhibited a playable version of the end product.[25] The game was released on June 12, 2001.[2]
Blue Shift and the High Definition pack were initially absent from the launch of Valve's content delivery system
Steam in September 2003, despite the presence of both Half-Life and Opposing Force on the system.[26] The game
was released on Steam on August 29, 2005 along with the High Definition Pack.[27] Blue Shift was also published as
part of Sierra's Half-Life: Generation compilation in 2002,[28] and as part of Valve Software and Electronic Arts'
Half Life 1: Anthology on September 26, 2005.[29]

Critical reception
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 29

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings 68% (based on 36 reviews)[30]

Metacritic [31]
71% (based on 19 reviews)

Review scores
Publication Score

Eurogamer [32]
6/10

GameSpot [33]
7/10

GameSpy [6]
70%

IGN [4]
7/10

PC Zone [5]
78%

Blue Shift received an overall positive reception from critics. The game holds a 68% score[30] and a 71% score[31] on
the review aggregator sites GameRankings and Metacritic, respectively, and has sold around 800,000 copies at retail;
this figure does not include later sales on Steam.[34] In a review for IGN, critic Tal Blevins noted that Blue Shift's
gameplay "is pretty much what we've come to expect out of Half-Life" by blending action and puzzle solving, stating
that the latter "were all logical and well done, although some of the jumping puzzles were frustrating". Though IGN
praised the game for maintaining the "epic" feel of the original, Blevins was critical of the relatively short length of
the game.[4] GameSpot reviewer Greg Kasavin agreed with many of IGN's criticisms, stating that "it's not that the
game is easy so much that it's extremely short" and that Blue Shift "doesn't amount to much on its own terms". In
addition, Kasavin described the graphical enhancements brought about by the High Definition pack as "helpful", but
noted that "they still don't make Half-Life look like a new game—nor are many of the changes themselves very
noticeable".[33]
Other reviews echoed complaints about the similarity of Blue Shift to previous games. GameSpy's reviewer Jamie
Madigan stated that "what really pulls the game down is the 'more of the same' factor". Although writing that the
game "feels like just a few more levels for the original game", he noted that this is what Blue Shift was designed to
be, given its origins as an add-on for a Dreamcast version of Half-Life. Madigan described the single-player
campaign as "decent" and commented that the High Definition pack made the game "worthy of consideration".[6]
Eurogamer echoed criticism on the game's length; reviewer Tom Bradwell commented that "although I'm hard
pressed to criticize what you get, the complete absence of everything we've learnt from the likes of Counter-Strike
and everything since is frankly bizarre". Bradwell did, however, criticize the game's artificial intelligence and the
occasional bug that caused a player to get stuck on a wall.[32] PC Zone's Mark Hill was more lenient in his
comments, praising the game's artificial intelligence as "intelligent as you could hope an AI enemy to be". In
addition, Hill praised the game for showing more activity in the base, noting that "a whole world goes on around
you, with people eating at a canteen and scientists doing their laundry. The complex is more alive than ever before".
Hill also praised the focus "on a greater interaction with scientists as proper people rather than the two or three
models that were cloned throughout the facility who kept repeating the same phrases", describing this as Blue Shift's
"greatest achievement". PC Zone's review closed by commenting that "as a Dreamcast extra it works perfectly, but as
a standalone PC title there's not nearly enough to it."[5]
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 30

External links
• Gearbox Software official website [35]
• Half-Life: Blue Shift on Steam [35]
• Half-Life High Definition pack on Steam [36]

References
[1] "Half-Life: Blue Shift Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ cg/ agg. dll?p=agg& sql=1:34557~T3). Allgame. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[2] "Half-Life: Blue Shift" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ objects/ 016/ 016257. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[3] http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ ?appids=130
[4] Blevins, Tal (2001-06-12). "Half-Life: Blue Shift Review" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 166/ 166257p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[5] Hill, Mark (2001-08-13). "PC Review: Half-Life: Blue Shift" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=3790). PC Zone.
Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[6] Madigan, Jamie. "Reviews: Half-Life: Blue Shift" (http:/ / archive. gamespy. com/ reviews/ June01/ blueshift/ index. shtm). GameSpy. .
Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[7] "Half-Life: The Story so Far" (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-03-24.
[8] "Half-Life Week, Day 2: The Half-Life Blues Shift" (http:/ / dreamcast. ign. com/ articles/ 094/ 094304p1. html). IGN. 2001-05-08. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[9] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Blue Shift. PC. Level/area: Insecurity. (2001) "Security guard: Uh oh, now what? Looks like some people are
having problems with the main access lift in Sector G. Why don't you go over there and see what you can do?"
[10] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Blue Shift. PC. Level/area: Captive Freight. (2001) "Harold: The military is rounding up everyone and
everything they can find, and either killing them or bringing them up here for questioning. So much for a rescue. A colleague and I came up
with our own plan for escape, and we were on our way to one of the old prototype labs when we ran into them. But listen to me: if you still
want to get out of here alive your only hope may be to find my friend. If you can get past the soldiers, find Dr. Rosenberg. With him you may
have a chance to get out of this place..."
[11] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Blue Shift. PC. Level/area: Focal Point. (2001) "Dr. Rosenberg: Some of the more promising research on the
matter led to a device that could be attached to the strange crystalline structures we found on this borderworld. Now this device could then be
used as a focal point and a relay to aid in the teleportation. Well, in theory that is. We lost contact with the survey group shortly after the
device was in place. We later discovered other methods of aiming the field, but all of the equipment in this lab uses the older technology. In
order for any of us to get out of here alive, someone will have to go to the borderworld to activate the device. I'm afraid you're the only one
who can do this, seeing as how everyone else is needed to operate the equipment."
[12] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Blue Shift. PC. Level/area: A Leap of Faith. (2001) "Dr. Rosenberg: Thank God you made it! I was worried
that a malfunction occurred at the last moment and you might have been caught in an infinite harmonic reflux. If that's the case then you're
lucky to be standing here! Then again, we're all lucky. Thanks to you, however, we were actually able to pull off this half-brained idea. We
made it Mr. Calhoun, we made it!"
[13] Kirchgasler, Chris (2000-06-25). "Half-Life Preview" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2606931&
mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[14] Trueman, Doug (2000-08-30). "DC Half-Life Includes Blue Shift" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/ halflife/ news.
html?sid=2621501& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[15] Stahl, Ben (2000-09-05). "ECTS Half-Life Dreamcast Hands-On" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/ halflife/ news.
html?sid=2624258& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[16] "ECTS 2000: Hands-On With Half-Life" (http:/ / dreamcast. ign. com/ articles/ 084/ 084495p1. html). IGN. 2000-08-01. . Retrieved
2008-10-26.
[17] Satterfield, Shane (2000-11-09). "Sierra Explains Half-Life Delay" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/ halflife/ news.
html?sid=2651756& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[18] Stahl, Ben (2008-10-26). "Half-Life Feature Preview" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2653878&
mode=all). .
[19] "Half-Life For Dreamcast Is Canceled?" (http:/ / dreamcast. ign. com/ articles/ 095/ 095363p1. html). IGN. 2001-05-30. . Retrieved
2008-10-26.
[20] Satterfield, Shane (2001-06-16). "Half-Life for the Dreamcast officially cancelled" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ dreamcast/ action/
halflife/ news. html?sid=2776155& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[21] "Ready to Jump Back into the Black Mesa Research Facility?" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 092/ 092908p1. html). IGN. 2001-03-29. .
Retrieved 2008-08-26.
[22] Walker, Trey (2001-03-30). "Half-Life: Blue Shift announced" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeblueshift/ news.
html?sid=2703247& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[23] "Half-Life: Blue Shift Q&A" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeblueshift/ news. html?sid=2716373& mode=all). GameSpot.
2001-05-03. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
''Half-Life: Blue Shift'' 31

[24] Ajami, Amer (2001-05-18). "E3 2001: Half-Life: Blue Shift goes gold" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeblueshift/ news.
html?sid=2762024& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[25] Ajami, Amer (2001-05-18). "E3 2001 Hands-on Half-Life: Blue Shift" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeblueshift/ news.
html?sid=2762022& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[26] Bramwell, Tom (2005-08-25). "Free Half-Life 1 Expansion" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=60659). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[27] "Steam Client Update Available" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ 438/ ). Valve Corporation. 2005-08-29. . Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[28] "Half-Life: Generation" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifegeneration/ index. html?tag=similargames;img;3). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[29] "Half-Life 1: Anthology" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife1anthology/ index. html?tag=similargames;img;5). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2008-10-26.
[30] "Half-Life: Blue Shift Reviews" (http:/ / www. gamerankings. com/ htmlpages2/ 475304. asp?q=Blue Shift). GameRankings. . Retrieved
2008-10-27.
[31] "'Half-Life: Blue Shift (PC: 2001): Reviews" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ games/ platforms/ pc/ halflifeblueshift?q=Blue Shift).
Metacritic. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[32] Bramwell, Tom (2001-06-16). "Half-Life: Blue Shift Review" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=1699). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[33] Kasavin, Greg (2001-06-08). "Half-Life: Blue Shift for PC Review" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflifeblueshift/ review.
html?om_act=convert& om_clk=gssummary& tag=summary;read-review). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[34] Remo, Chris (2008-12-03). "Analysis: Valve's Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises" (http:/ / www. gamasutra.
com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=21319). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2009-02-01.
[35] http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 130/
[36] https:/ / support. steampowered. com/ kb_article. php?ref=3157-QDVN-1426
''Half-Life: Decay'' 32

''Half-Life: Decay''
Half-Life: Decay

The logo for Decay

Developer(s) Gearbox Software

Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment

Designer(s) [1]
Randy Pitchford

Writer(s) Matthew Armstrong

Brian Hess
Randy Pitchford

Series Half-Life

Engine GoldSrc

Platform(s) PlayStation 2

Release date(s) [2]

November 14, 2001

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Cooperative multiplayer

Rating(s) ESRB: M

Media CD-ROM

Input methods Gamepad

Half-Life: Decay is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction, first-person shooter video game
Half-Life. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, Decay was released as part of the
PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life released on November 14, 2001. It is the third expansion pack for Half-Life, and
like its predecessors, Decay returns to the setting and timeline of the original story, albeit portraying the story from
the viewpoint of a different set of protagonists: two scientists working in the Black Mesa Research Facility. Decay is
a cooperative multiplayer game, designed to be played by two people working together to pass through the game's
levels.
Decay was not a critical success, but was received with some positivity by journalists in the video games industry.
Many reviewers felt the game was fun to play through with a friend, but that its more puzzle-orientated gameplay
somewhat detracted from the overall experience. A number of reviews stated that game simply felt little more than
an extra add-on for the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life. In September 2008, a group of Ukrainian developers
ported the game to Windows as a modification of the PC version of Half-Life.
''Half-Life: Decay'' 33

Gameplay
As is the case with the other games in the Half-Life series, Decay is a
first-person shooter. Like the original title it is based on, Decay
requires players to engage in combat with hostile non-player characters
and complete various puzzle solving tasks to advance through the
game. However, Decay differs from Half-Life and its first two
expansion packs, Opposing Force and Blue Shift, in that it is designed
for cooperative multiplayer gameplay. This requires players to work
together to progress through the game's levels and complete puzzles as
they arise in-game. Although intended to be played by two people in
The only cooperative game in the series, Decay is split screen mode, Decay can still be played by a single player.[3] In
played in a split screen mode.
this case, the player can only control one character at a time, and can
switch between the two characters quickly. When not in use, a
character has sufficient artificial intelligence to defend themselves, but otherwise does not move from where they
have been left by the player.[4]

In Half-Life, players usually fight alone and only occasionally encounter friendly non-player characters who assist
them, such as security guards and scientists. While Decay still features levels where this is the case, significant
sections in Decay are dedicated to working with friendly non-player characters, usually escorting them to various
objectives and protecting them in firefights.[3] An array of enemy characters from Half-Life populate the game,
including alien lifeforms such as headcrabs and Vortigaunts, as well as human soldiers sent in to contain the alien
threat. The players have access to a limited selection of Half-Life's weaponry to assist them in the game.[3] Although
developed after Opposing Force, no non-player characters or weapons from the earlier expansion appear in Decay.
The game is unique in the context of the Half-Life series in that it is the only game divided into separate missions,
each with a specific objective to pursue, instead of consisting of a single unbroken narrative. How players perform in
each mission is ranked at the conclusion of the level as a grade from "A" to "F". This score is based on each player's
accuracy with weapons, the number of kills they acquired and the amount damage they sustained during the course
of the mission. Should players successfully complete the game's nine missions with "A" grades on every level, they
are given access to a bonus cooperative mission, in which they can play as a pair of Vortigaunts, as well as the
ability to play through the PlayStation 2 version of the original Half-Life as a Vortigaunt.[5]
''Half-Life: Decay'' 34

Synopsis

Setting
Decay is set in the same location and timeframe as Half-Life. Half-Life
takes place at a remote laboratory called the Black Mesa Research
Facility, situated in New Mexico. In Half-Life, the player takes on the
role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist involved in an accident that opens
an inter-dimensional portal to the borderworld of Xen, allowing the
alien creatures of Xen to attack the facility. The player guides Freeman
in an attempt to escape the facility and close the portal, ultimately
traveling to Xen to do so.[6] Like the previous expansions, Decay
shows the story of Half-Life from the perspective of a different set of
protagonists. In Decay, players assume the roles of Colette Green and
Gina Cross, two doctors who work in the same labs as Freeman,
analyzing anomalous materials and specimens retrieved from Xen in
Colette Green and Gina Cross in Decay; the
prior teleportation experiments. After the experiment that causes the models used in the game were of a significantly
alien invasion takes place, Green and Cross must work with two higher quality than in previous Half-Life titles.
ranking members of the science team, Dr. Richard Keller and Dr.
Rosenberg, to contain and stabilize the deteriorating situation in Black Mesa.[7]

Plot
Decay begins with Gina Cross and Colette Green arriving at the Anomalous Materials Labs at Black Mesa and
reporting to Dr. Keller, who is readying the day's analysis of an unknown specimen. Despite the objections of Dr.
Rosenberg to pushing the analysis equipment beyond its design capacities, Cross and Green are assigned to assist
setting up the experiment for Gordon Freeman.[8] When Freeman inserts the specimen into the scanning beam,
however, it triggers a "resonance cascade", causing mass damage to the facility and teleporting alien creatures into
the base. Keller and Rosenberg agree that Black Mesa cannot deal with the situation on its own, and so decide to call
for military assistance.[9] Cross and Green escort Rosenberg to the surface, where he sends a distress signal to the
military. However, the military are ordered not only to contain the situation, but to silence the base by killing its
employees. Rosenberg, who elects to stay behind to meet with the military on arrival, is captured as Cross and Green
return to Keller.
Once reunited with Keller, Cross and Green work to seal the dimensional tear to stop the invasion. After resetting
key equipment to prevent a second dimensional rift, the two are tasked with preparing a satellite for launch. The
satellite, which is launched by Freeman in Half-Life, is used in tandem with ground-based equipment to significantly
weaken the effects of the resonance cascade.[10] Keller tasks Cross and Green with activating this set of prototype
equipment, a displacement beacon, which through the satellite may be able to seal the dimensional rift. However,
after activating the beacon, both characters are caught up in a "harmonic reflux", a distortion caused by the rift.
Despite this, Cross and Green are able to return safely and Keller congratulates them on their success.[11]
The unlockable vortigaunt mission provides background information explaining how the orange crystals used by the
rift-sealing machine in Half life: Decay are acquired and used by the Nihilanth during the final boss battle in Half
Life. The two player-controlled vortigaunts battle through marines and black ops in the underground Black Mesa
complex to find the orange crystals in the back of a military van. At this point the screen fades and the mission is
declared a success; it is presumed that the Nihilanth warps them back to Xen and installs the crystals in his cave.
''Half-Life: Decay'' 35

Development
A cooperative Half-Life game was first alluded to by publisher Sierra Entertainment in November 2000 with the
announcement of a PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life. At the time, however, it was unclear how a cooperative
version of Half-Life would be implemented; the developers, Gearbox Software, were still experimenting with finding
the most balanced amount of players to build a cooperative game around.[12] By E3 2001, the game had acquired the
title Decay, named after the scientific concept of exponential decay for consistency with the scientific names used by
previous Half-Life titles. While the E3 convention only provided a demonstration of the main Half-Life PlayStation 2
game, further details were released relating to Decay's premise and story, as well as confirming that the cooperative
mode was to be designed for two players.[13] The game's use of new model sets were also showcased. These new
models were updated versions of Gearbox's High Definition pack for Blue Shift, featuring higher numbers of
polygons and animation features such as facial expressions.[14] The enhanced models were around twice as detailed
as those in the High Definition pack, which itself was of a much higher quality than the original models in
Half-Life.[15] Media updates through the months following E3 showed various screenshots and the trailer to the
game.[14] [16] On August 18, 2001, Sierra announced that Decay was nearly complete, and would been submitted to
PlayStation 2 manufacturer Sony for verification within days.[17] The entire Half-Life for PlayStation 2 package
achieved gold status on October 30, 2001,[18] and the game was released on November 14, 2001.[19]
In October 2005, work was begun by a group of Ukrainian developers to port Decay over to Windows, as a
modification for both the old World Opponent Network and current Steam versions of Half-Life. The port relied on
the discovery of a method that allowed Decay's PS2 game files to be deciphered, thereby allowing the files to be
ported to Windows.[7] The port went into the beta development stage in December 2007 and was released publicly
on September 23, 2008.[20] The port was received well by the journalists in the industry; GameSpy site Planet
Half-Life noted that it was a shame that an official PC version of Decay never emerged,[21] while British journalist
Alec Meer stated that it was "fantastic to have this short but sweet lost Half-Life episode on PC at last, and it even
has something the PS2 version didn't—online play".[22]

Critical reception
Decay received a weak but overall positive reception from the video games industry's critics. Writing for GameSpot,
Doug Radcliffe argued that Decay was "impressive", praising the design of puzzles required players to work
together, as well as the way in which the ranking system discouraged players from competing against each other.[3]
GameSpy reviewer David Hodgson was more reserved in his views of the game; although describing it as "great
fun", he noted that it could become "tedious, with one member waiting for minutes at a time, while the other
scratches their head, then completes an objective". In addition, Hodgson felt that the more puzzle-orientated nature
of Decay left the action elements "a little muted compared to Gordon's single player quest".[4] The site Allgame
described Decay as an "added bonus" for the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life, but noted that as the game was
designed for two players, it significantly suffered when a single player attempts to play it by switching between two
characters,[23] a point that both GameSpy and GameSpot agreed on.[3] [4] In his review for IGN, critic Doug Perry
felt that Decay was "neat in its own limited way", but that it was more of a distraction from the main game, "a
complementary cup of vegetable soup than a piping hot main dish of New York steak".[24] While The Electric
Playground reviewer Steve Smith stated that the control scheme for the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life "is about
the best we have seen on the PS2 or any console", he concluded that although Decay was a "nice add-on", it was "no
reason to buy this port".[25]
''Half-Life: Decay'' 36

External links
• Gearbox Software official website [35]
• Half-Life: Decay Windows port [26]

References
[1] "Half-Life Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ cg/ agg. dll?p=agg& sql=1:33217~T3). Allgame. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[2] "Half-Life" (http:/ / uk. ps2. ign. com/ objects/ 015/ 015631. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[3] Radcliffe, Doug (2001-10-15). "Half-Life for PlayStation 2 Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ review.
html?om_act=convert& om_clk=gssummary& tag=summary;read-review). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[4] Hodgson, David. "Reviews: Half-Life (PS2)" (http:/ / archive. gamespy. com/ reviews/ november01/ halflifeps2/ index. shtm). GameSpy. .
Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[5] "Half-Life Q&A" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2812076& mode=all). GameSpot. 2001-09-13. . Retrieved
2008-10-23.
[6] "Half-Life: The Story so Far" (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-03-24.
[7] "About Decay" (http:/ / decay. half-lifecreations. com/ ?content=article& action=view& sub=general). Half-Life: Decay PC Port. Half-Life
Creations. . Retrieved 2008-09-26.
[8] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Decay. PlayStation 2. Level/area: Dual Access. (2001) "Rosenberg: I've been talking with Harold, he seems to
be under the impression you're planning on running the anti-mass spectrometer at greater than 90 percent. You realise there is a reason for the
safety buffer. / Richard Keller: I understand your concern doctor, but the administrator was quite clear. / Rosenberg: The administrator is a
bureaucrat, not a scientist! I did not design this equipment to be run at such high intensity! / Richard Keller: This is not your decision! Now if
you want to stay and monitor the experiment, so be it, otherwise you can go back to your little labs by the trainyard."
[9] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Decay. PlayStation 2. Level/area: Dual Access. (2001) "Rosenberg: Well, we've got to get everyone out of
here! Reach the surface, call for help, something! / Richard Keller: No! We've got the deal with the problem! We can't expect anyone else to
understand the importance of resetting those dampening fields. Without those in place the dimensional gash could tear so wide it may never be
repaired. / Rosenberg: Its too dangerous! If we fail, who will warn everyone else? We can have soldiers here in two hours to secure the
facility and bring everyone to safety. Our concern must be for the people of Black Mesa. / Richard Keller: Perhaps you're right. Dr. Cross and
Dr. Green may have survived, if so they can help us."
[10] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Decay. PlayStation 2. Level/area: Domestic Violence. (2001) "Richard Keller: The dimensional rift between
here and the alien world must be sealed! We'll need to have a satellite in orbit in order to orchestrate a resonance reversal. The signal room for
the satellite is nearby. Unfortunately the delivery rocket cannot launch without the all-clear codes. Now, any security guard in this dorm
complex should have the codes we need. Go through the dorms and find a security guard, I'll take the tram around to the north side where we
can pick you up."
[11] Gearbox Software. Half-Life: Decay. PlayStation 2. Level/area: Rift. (2001) "Richard Keller: Gina? Colette? You'll be alright. You were
caught for a moment in a harmonic reflux. Its one the swirling eddies in the space between two displacement event currents, although I can't
imagine who was creating the other current. But it doesn't matter now! Rest my friends, we did it!"
[12] "Sierra Delivers Half-Life to PlayStation 2" (http:/ / uk. ps2. ign. com/ articles/ 087/ 087979p1. html). IGN. 2000-11-17. .
[13] Fielder, Joe (2001-05-18). "E3 2001 Hands-on Half-Life" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2761914&
mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[14] "Half-Life Preview" (http:/ / uk. ps2. ign. com/ articles/ 135/ 135631p1. html). IGN. 2001-09-19. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[15] Ajami, Amer (2001-09-11). "Half-Life Updated preview" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2811529&
mode=all& page=1). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[16] "Half-Life Hi-Res Trailer (PS2)" (http:/ / uk. insider. ign. com/ teasers/ 302/ 302245. html). Insider. IGN. 2001-08-11. . Retrieved
2008-10-23.
[17] Ahmed, Shahed (2001-08-18). "Half-Life: Decay nears completion" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news.
html?sid=2805397& mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[18] Ahmed, Shahed (2001-10-30). "Half-Life PS2 goes gold" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2820992&
mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[19] Ahmed, Shahed (2001-11-07). "Half-Life PS2 ships next week" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ ps2/ action/ halflife/ news. html?sid=2822828&
mode=all). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-23.
[20] "Half-Life: Decay - It's released!" (http:/ / decay. half-lifecreations. com/ ?content=news& sub=archive). Half-Life Creations. 2008-09-23. .
Retrieved 2008-09-26.
[21] "Half-Life: Decay Released" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ fullstory. php?id=153971). Planet Half-Life. GameSpy. 2008-09-24. .
Retrieved 2008-10-24.
[22] Meer, Alec (2008-09-28). "Half-Life: The Lost Chapter" (http:/ / www. rockpapershotgun. com/ 2008/ 09/ 28/ half-life-the-lost-chapter/ ).
Rock, Paper, Shotgun. . Retrieved 2008-10-24.
[23] "Half-Life Review" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ cg/ agg. dll?p=agg& sql=1:33217~T1). Allgame. . Retrieved 2008-10-24.
[24] Perry, Doug (2001-11-16). "Half-Life Review" (http:/ / uk. ps2. ign. com/ articles/ 165/ 165631p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-24.
''Half-Life: Decay'' 37

[25] Smith, Steve. "Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. elecplay. com/ reviews/ view/ ?article=7478& full=1). The Electric Playground. .
Retrieved 2008-10-24.
[26] http:/ / decay. half-lifecreations. com/

''Half-Life 2''
Half-Life 2

One of three covers for Half-Life 2. This cover shows the series' protagonist, Gordon Freeman; the others show Alyx Vance and the
G-Man.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment (expired)

Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Composer(s) Kelly Bailey

Series Half-Life

Engine Source engine

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mac OS

[3]
X

Release date(s)

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+

Media CD-ROM(5), DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download

System requirements 1.2 GHz processor, 256 MB RAM, DirectX 7 level graphics card, Internet connection (broadband or better
recommended)

Input methods Keyboard, mouse (a joystick is also supported on PC), gamepad

Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life.
It was developed by Valve Corporation and was released on November 16, 2004, following a protracted five-year,[4]
$40 million[5] development cycle during which the game’s source code was leaked to the Internet.[6] The game uses
the Source game engine, which includes a heavily modified version of the Havok physics engine and was also the
first video game to require online product activation.[7] [8] Originally available only for Windows-based personal
''Half-Life 2'' 38

computers, the game has since been ported to the Xbox, and was a part of The Orange Box compilation for Xbox
360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles.[9]
Half-Life 2 takes place in a dystopian world in which the events of Half-Life have fully come to bear on human
society, which has been enslaved by a multidimensional empire known as the Combine. The game takes place in and
around the fictional City 17 and follows the adventures of scientist Gordon Freeman who must fight against
increasingly unfavorable odds in order to survive.
The game garnered near-unanimous positive reviews and received critical acclaim,[10] [11] receiving praise for its
advances in computer animation, sound, narration, computer graphics, artificial intelligence (AI), and physics
simulation. The game won over 40 PC Game of the Year awards for 2004,[12] and several publications have since
named it as game of the decade.[13] [14] [15] [16] As of December 3, 2008, over 6.5 million copies of Half-Life 2 have
been sold at retail.[17] Although Steam sales figures are unknown, their rate surpassed retail in mid-2008[18] and are
significantly more profitable per-unit.[17]
Two episodic additions to the game, Half-Life 2: Episode One, and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, were released
(respectively) in June 2006 and October 2007 as a continuation of the storyline and the events following the original
Half-Life 2, with a third and final episode in the story arc in development.

Gameplay
Half-Life 2 is a first-person shooter, following similar mechanics
from its predecessor, Half-Life. The gameworld is always
presented from Gordon Freeman's perspective. A heads-up display
at the bottom of the screen shows the player's health, energy, and
ammunition status, while a toggle screen shows available weapons
at the top. Health and energy can be replenished by picking up
medical supplies and energy cells respectively, or by using
wall-mounted charging devices.[19] The player navigates through a
set of levels that advance in the story, fighting off transhuman
troops known as the Combine as well as hostile alien creatures.
A screenshot of the player engaging a group of
antlions. Along the bottom of the screen the player's
Puzzles and sequences involving vehicles are interspersed
health, suit damage mitigation level and ammunition throughout the game.[20]
are displayed.
The player defeats enemies with an assortment of weapons. The
game's available arsenal consists of modern-day projectile
weapons, including a ubiquitous pistol, shotgun, and submachine gun, though more elaborate, fictional weapons are
available, such as a crossbow that shoots hot metal rods, a pheromone pod that guides certain previously hostile alien
creatures, and a pulse rifle that can also launch "Dark energy balls," that disintegrate enemies on contact. The Source
engine's physics capabilities extend into combat via a special device called the Zero-Point Energy Field
Manipulator, or "gravity gun." Using this device, the player can pick up objects and either hurl them at enemies or
hold them in place to create a makeshift shield.[21] The gravity gun can also perform a variety of non-combat
functions, such as grabbing out-of-reach supplies and forming bridges across gaps.[22] The gravity gun is often used
for solving puzzles based on the game's physics engine. For example, one puzzle requires the player to either turn a
seesaw-like lever into a ramp by placing cinder blocks at one end, or to stack wooden crates to form a crude
stairway.[23] Another puzzle has the player clear a highway by using the gravity gun to push numerous abandoned
vehicles out of the way.[24]
''Half-Life 2'' 39

Multiplayer
Half-Life 2 was released without a multiplayer component, and was instead packaged with Counter-Strike:
Source.[22] A few weeks later, Valve released Half-Life 2: Deathmatch on Steam.[25] The goal of the game is to kill
as many other players as possible, using a variety of means, in either free-for-all or team-based matches.[26] A
subsequent update to the game added an additional map and three new weapons.[27] The Xbox release of Half-Life 2
contains no multiplayer component,[28] however the re-release of Half-Life 2, packaged as The Orange Box for the
PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, also includes the multiplayer game Team Fortress 2, a puzzle game called Portal,
and the two Half-Life 2 expansion packs.[29] [30]

Synopsis

Setting
The original Half-Life takes place at a remote civilian and military laboratory called the Black Mesa Research
Facility. During an experiment, researchers at Black Mesa accidentally cause a "resonance cascade" which rips open
a portal to an alien world, Xen. Hostile creatures from Xen flood into Black Mesa via the portal and start killing
everyone in sight. The player takes on the role of Gordon Freeman, one of the research scientists who had been
involved in the accident and who now must escape the facility. Gordon manages to terminate Nihilanth, the creature
holding the portal open. At the end of the game, a mysterious figure colloquially known as the G-Man extracts
Gordon from Black Mesa and "offers" him employment. Gordon is subsequently put into stasis.[31]
Events between the two games are revealed over the course of Half-Life 2. As a direct result of Nihilanth's death, the
Earth is invaded and quickly conquered by an extraterrestrial civilization, the Combine. Maintaining a police state
across the globe, the Combine isolate the remaining humans into numerous cities, and use an energy field to prevent
human reproduction, while using their technology to prevent alien wildlife from infesting the cities. The former
administrator of Black Mesa, Wallace Breen, responsible for negotiating a peace agreement between the Combine
and humans, becomes the ruler of the Earth, working with the Combine to keep the humans in check. However, an
underground resistance force, including scientists from Black Mesa, maintains a quiet presence to avoid Combine
capture while working on ways to defeat them.[32] Official sources differ on the actual length of the intermission
beteween the two games; a story fragment written by author Marc Laidlaw for the development team puts the
intermission at ten years,[33] while Half-Life 2: Episode One's website puts this intermission as "nearly two
decades".[34]
The environments in Half-Life 2, in accordance with the game's story, all have a distinct post-apocalyptic theme, yet
in design they are varied, and include the Eastern European-styled City 17, the zombie-infested Ravenholm; the
coastal Nova Prospekt prison and the alien interiors of the Citadel. [35] Viktor Antonov, the art director of Half-Life
2, wrote that the developers consciously modeled Half-Life 2's setting on Eastern Europe, more particularly Prague,
because they were fascinated by the region's gothic style, which was used to develop the mood of the game.[36]

Plot
At the start of the game, the G-Man speaks to Gordon Freeman in a hallucination-like vision as he pulls Gordon out
of stasis and places him on a train going to City 17. When the train arrives, Gordon gets off and proceeds through the
Combine's security checkpoints where he is detained by a civil protection officer. Once in an interrogation room, the
officer reveals himself to be Freeman's former co-worker and colleague, Barney Calhoun, and helps Freeman to get
to Dr. Isaac Kleiner's laboratory. After meeting Alyx Vance, Freeman is instructed by Kleiner to step into a
makeshift teleporter so that he can be safely extracted to the anti-Combine resistance base Black Mesa East along
with Alyx, headed by her father, Dr. Eli Vance. However, Kleiner's pet headcrab Lamarr disrupts the machine, and
Freeman finds himself — after briefly appearing in several different locations — just outside Kleiner's lab. With the
Combine now alerted to his presence, Freeman works his way through the drained canal system,[37] avoiding enemy
''Half-Life 2'' 40

forces and using the help of human resistance fighters [38] to safely arrive at Black Mesa East.
Dr. Vance and Dr. Judith Mossman debrief Freeman on events since the incident at Black Mesa. As Alyx is
introducing Freeman to Dog, her pet robot, and showing him how to use the new Zero-Point Energy Field
Manipulator ("gravity gun"), the lab is attacked and Dr. Vance is captured. Freeman is separated from Alyx, but she
explains that he must travel to Nova Prospekt, a former prison, in order to save her father.[39] Along the way,
Freeman encounters other allies, including Father Grigori in the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm,[40] and
Colonel Odessa Cubbage and his forces. After making his way across an Antlion-infested beach, Freeman reaches
Nova Prospekt and begins to search for Dr. Vance.[41] Alyx eventually reaches him and joins in his search. Together,
they discover that Dr. Mossman is a spy for the Combine, but before they can stop her, she teleports herself and Dr.
Vance back to the Combine headquarters known as the Citadel using the Combine teleporter.
Freeman and Alyx follow, and the facility is destroyed by a teleporter malfunction. They materialize in Kleiner's lab
one week later, discovering that their actions in Nova Prospekt have inspired the human resistance to mount a
full-scale rebellion, turning City 17 into a battlefield.[42] Alyx helps to assist Dr. Kleiner and civilians to escape the
city, while Freeman joins with the human resistance to dispatch the Combine forces. As the resistance gains the
upper hand, Alyx is captured by the Combine and taken to the Citadel.[43] Freeman enters the Citadel to rescue Alyx.
After fighting through many Combine soldiers with only an upgraded Gravity gun, Freeman eventually reaches Dr.
Breen's office, where Dr. Mossman is also waiting. As Alyx and Eli Vance are brought in, Dr. Breen attempts to
threaten them and convince Freeman to work for him, but Judith Mossman has a change of heart, confronts Dr.
Breen and releases Gordon. Dr. Breen fires the Gravity Gun, releasing all the prisioners and escapes to the Dark
Energy Reactor at the top of the Citadel and attempts to teleport away from Earth. Freeman pursues him and attacks
the reactor.[44] As the reactor explodes a few yards away from Freeman and Alyx, time stops and the G-Man
appears. He comments on Gordon's successful endeavors and then places him back into stasis.

Narrative
Throughout the entirety of Half-Life 2, Gordon never speaks, and the player views the action through his eyes only.
There are no cut scenes, nor are there any discontinuities or jumps in time from the player's point of view. Some
critics have criticized these design decisions as narrative holdovers from Half-Life,[45] that effectively limit how
much of the back-story is explained. Due to the lack of cut scenes, the player never directly sees what happens in
Gordon's absence.
The ending of Half-Life 2 is also very similar to that of the original: after completing a difficult task against
seemingly overwhelming odds, Gordon is extracted by the G-Man, who congratulates him and informs him that
further assignments should follow. The fates of many of the major characters, such as Alyx, Eli, and Judith, go
unexplained. Very few of the questions raised by Half-Life are answered, and several new ones are presented. The
identity and nature of the G-Man still remains a mystery. A number of these issues are addressed, however, in the
sequel games, Episode One and Episode Two.[31] [46] [47] [48]
''Half-Life 2'' 41

Production

Development
For Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation developed a new game engine
called the Source engine, which handles the game's visual, audio,
and artificial intelligence elements. The Source engine comes
packaged with a heavily modified version of the Havok physics
engine that allows for an extra dimension of interactivity in both
single-player and online environments.[49] The engine can be
easily upgraded because it is separated in modules. When coupled
with Steam, it becomes easy to roll out new features. One such
example is high dynamic range rendering, which Valve first A square in City 17, showing the Source engine's
demonstrated in a free downloadable level called Lost Coast for lighting and shadow effects
[50]
owners of Half-Life 2. HDR is now part of all Valve games.
Several other games use the Source engine, including Day of Defeat: Source and Counter-Strike: Source, both of
which were also developed by Valve.[51] Also using Source is Dark Messiah, and the upcoming game The Crossing,
both developed by Arkane Studios.[52]

Integral to Half-Life 2 on the Windows platform is the Steam content delivery system developed by Valve
Corporation. All Half-Life 2 players on PC are required to have Steam installed and a valid account in order to
play.[53] Steam allows customers to purchase games and other software straight from the developer and have them
downloaded directly to their computer as well as receiving "micro updates." These updates also make hacking the
game harder to do and has thus far been somewhat successful in staving off cheats and playability for users with
unauthorized copies.[54] Steam can also be used for finding and playing multiplayer games through an integrated
server browser and friends list, and game data can be backed up with a standard CD or DVD burner. Steam and a
customer’s purchased content can be downloaded onto any computer, as long as that account is only logged in at one
location at a given time. The usage of Steam has not gone without controversy.[55] Some users have reported
numerous problems with Steam, sometimes being serious enough to prevent a reviewer from recommending a given
title available on the service. In other cases, review scores have been lowered.[56] Long download times, seemingly
unnecessary updates, and verification checks are criticisms leveled by critics of the system’s use for single-player
games such as Half-Life 2.[57] [58] Regardless of whether or not a customer intends to use any multiplayer features,
the computer on which the game was installed must have Steam and an Internet connection to verify the transaction.
The book, Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, revealed many of the game’s original settings and action that were cut down
or removed from the game. Half-Life 2 was originally intended to be a darker game with grittier artwork, where the
Combine were more obviously draining the oceans for minerals and replacing the atmosphere with noxious, murky
gases. Nova Prospekt was originally intended to be a small Combine rail depot built on an old prison in the
wasteland. Eventually, Nova Prospekt grew from a stopping-off point along the way to the destination itself.[33]
Half-Life 2 was also originally intended to be more diverse in settings. The book mentions how originally, the player
was to follow a different journey from what is in the final release.

2003 leak
Half-Life 2 was merely a rumor until a strong impression at E3 in May 2003 launched it into high levels of hype
where it won several awards for best in show. It had a release date of September 2003, but was delayed. This
pushing back of HL2’s release date came in the wake of the cracking of Valve's internal network[59] through a null
session connection to Tangis which was hosted in Valve's network and a subsequent upload of an ASP shell,
resulting in the leak of the game's source code and many other files including maps, models and a playable early
version of Half-Life Source and Counter-Strike Source in early September 2003.[60] On October 2, 2003, Valve CEO
''Half-Life 2'' 42

Gabe Newell publicly explained in the HalfLife2.net [61] forums the events that Valve experienced around the time
of the leak, and requested users to track down the perpetrators if possible.
In June 2004, Valve Software announced in a press release that the FBI had arrested several people suspected of
involvement in the source code leak.[62] Valve claimed the game had been leaked by a German black-hat hacker
named Axel Gembe. Gembe later contacted Newell through e-mail (also providing an unreleased document planning
the E3 events). Gembe was led into believing that Valve wanted to employ him as an in-house security auditor. He
was to be offered a flight to the USA and was to be arrested on arrival by the FBI. When the German government
became aware of the plan, Gembe was arrested in Germany instead, and put on trial for the leak as well as other
computer crimes in November 2006, such as the creation of Agobot, a highly successful trojan which harvested
users' data.[63] [64] [65]
At the trial in November 2006 in Germany, Gembe was sentenced to two years' probation. In imposing the sentence,
the judge took into account such factors as Gembe's difficult childhood and the fact that he was taking steps to
improve his situation.[66]

Contract dispute
On September 20, 2004, the gaming public learned through GameSpot that Sierra's parent company, Vivendi
Universal Games, was in a legal battle with Valve Software over the distribution of Half-Life 2 to cyber cafés. This
is important for the Asian PC gaming market where PC and broadband penetration per capita are much lower (except
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan). Therefore, cyber cafés are extremely popular for
playing online games for large numbers of people.[67]
According to Vivendi Universal Games, the distribution contract they signed with Valve included cyber cafés. This
would mean that only Vivendi Universal Games could distribute Half-Life 2 to cyber cafés — not Valve through the
Steam system. On November 29, 2004, Judge Thomas S. Zilly, of U.S. Federal District Court in Seattle, WA, ruled
that Vivendi Universal Games and its affiliates, are not authorized to distribute (directly or indirectly) Valve games
through cyber cafés to end users for pay-to-play activities pursuant to the parties' current publishing agreement. In
addition, Judge Zilly ruled in favor of the Valve motion regarding the contractual limitation of liability, allowing
Valve to recover copyright damages for any infringement as allowed by law without regard to the publishing
agreement’s limitation of liability clause.[68]
On April 29, 2005, the two parties announced a settlement agreement. Under the agreement, Vivendi Universal
Games would cease distributing all retail packaged versions of Valve games by August 31, 2005. Vivendi Universal
Games also was to notify distributors and cyber cafés that had been licensed by Vivendi Universal Games that only
Valve had the authority to distribute cyber café licenses, and hence their licenses were revoked and switched to
Valve's.[69]

Soundtrack
All listed tracks were composed by Kelly Bailey.[70] Purchasers of the Gold Package of the game were given (among
other things) a CD soundtrack containing nearly all the music from the game, along with three bonus tracks. This CD
is available for separate purchase via the Valve online store.
Tracks 16, 18 and 42 are bonus tracks that are exclusive to the CD soundtrack. Tracks 44 to 51 are tracks from the
game that did not appear on the soundtrack CD. Many of the tracks were retitled and carried over from the Half-Life
soundtrack; The names in parentheses are the original titles. Tracks 34, 41, and 42 are remixes.
''Half-Life 2'' 43

Half-Life 2 track listing

No. Title Length

1. "Hazardous Environments (Valve Theme [Long Version])" 01:22

2. "CP Violation" 01:43

3. "The Innsbruck Experiment" 01:05

4. "Brane Scan" 01:38

5. "Dark Energy" 01:30

6. "Requiem for Ravenholm" 00:31

7. "Pulse Phase" 00:45

8. "Ravenholm Reprise" 00:50

9. "Probably Not A Problem" 01:24

10. "Calabi-Yau Model" 01:44

11. "Slow Light" 00:42

12. "Apprehension and Evasion" 02:15

13. "Hunter Down" 00:13

14. "Our Resurrected Teleport" 01:09

15. "Miscount Detected" 00:46

16. "Headhumper" 00:06

17. "Triage at Dawn" 00:43

18. "Combine Harvester" 01:23

19. "Lab Practicum" 02:52

20. "Nova Prospekt" 01:55

21. "Broken Symmetry" 00:53

22. "LG Orbifold" 02:50

23. "Kaon" 01:09

24. "You're Not Supposed to Be Here" 02:39

25. "Suppression Field" 01:01

26. "Hard Fought" 01:13

27. "Particle Ghost" 01:38

28. "Shadows Fore and Aft" 01:24

29. "Neutrino Trap (Hurricane Strings)" 01:33

30. "Zero Point Energy Field (Cavern Ambiance)" 01:40

31. "Echoes of a Resonance Cascade (Space Ocean)" 01:36

32. "Black Mesa Inbound (Vague Voices)" 02:11

33. "Xen Relay (Threatening Short)" 00:37

34. "Tracking Device (Credits / Closing Theme)" 01:01

35. "Singularity (Traveling Through Limbo)" 01:17

36. "Dirac Shore (Dimensionless Deepness)" 01:24

37. "Escape Array (Electric Guitar Ambiance)" 01:24

''Half-Life 2'' 44

38. "Negative Pressure (Steam in the Pipes)" 01:55

39. "Tau-9 (Drums and Riffs)" 02:03

40. "Something Secret Steers Us (Nuclear Mission Jam)" 02:00

41. "Triple Entanglement (Sirens in the Distance)" 01:30

42. "Biozeminade Fragment (Alien Shock)" 00:30

43. "Lambda Core (Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar)" 01:44

44. "Entanglement" 00:39

45. "Highway 17" 00:59

46. "A Red Letter Day" 00:29

47. "Sand Traps" 00:34

48. "CP Violation (Remix)" 01:45

49. "Trainstation PT. 1" 01:30

50. "Trainstation PT. 2" 01:12

51. "Radio" 00:39

Release

Distribution
A 1 GB portion of Half-Life 2 became available for pre-load through Steam on August 26, 2004. This meant that
customers could begin to download encrypted game files to their computer before the game was released. When the
game’s release date arrived, customers were able to pay for the game through Steam, unlock the files on their hard
drives and play the game immediately, without having to wait for the whole game to download. The pre-load period
lasted for several weeks, with several subsequent portions of the game being made available, to ensure all customers
had a chance to download the content before the game was released.[71]
Half-Life 2 was simultaneously released through Steam, CD, and on DVD in several editions. Through Steam,
Half-Life 2 had three packages that a customer could order. The basic version ("Bronze") includes only Half-Life 2
and Counter-Strike: Source, whereas the "Silver" and "Gold" (collector’s edition) versions also include Half-Life:
Source (ports of the original Half-Life and Day of Defeat mod to the new engine). The collector’s edition/Gold
version additionally includes merchandise such as a T-shirt, a strategy guide, and a CD containing the soundtrack
used in Half-Life 2. Both the disc and Steam version require Steam to be installed and active for play.[72]
A demo version with the file size of a single CD was later made available in December 2004 at the web site of
graphics card manufacturer ATI Technologies, who teamed up with Valve for the game. The demo contains part of
the opening level of the game, and also part of the chapter "We Don't Go To Ravenholm." In September 2005,
Electronic Arts distributed the Game of the Year edition of Half-Life 2. Compared to the original CD-release of
Half-Life 2, the GOTY edition adds Half-Life: Source.[73]
On December 22, 2005, Valve released a 64-bit version of the Source game engine that theoretically takes advantage
of x86-64 processor-based systems running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64,
Windows Vista x64, or Windows Server 2008 x64. This update, delivered via Steam, enabled Half-Life 2 and other
Source-based games to run natively on 64 bit processors, bypassing the 32-bit compatibility layer. Gabe Newell, one
of the founders of Valve, stated that this is "an important step in the evolution of our game content and tools," and
that the game benefits greatly from the update.[74] The response to the release varied: some users reported huge
performance boosts, while technology site Techgage found several stability issues and no notable frame rate
improvement.[75] 64-bit users have widely reported bizarre in-game errors including characters dropping dead, game
''Half-Life 2'' 45

script files not being pre-cached (i.e., loaded when first requested instead), map rules being bent by AI, and other
glitches.[76]
An Xbox port published by Electronic Arts was released on November 15, 2005. While subject to positive reception,
critics cited its lack of multiplayer and frame-rate issues as problems, and the game received somewhat lower scores
than its PC counterpart.[77]
During Electronic Arts’s summer press event on July 13, 2006, Gabe Newell, cofounder of Valve Corporation,
announced that Half-Life 2 would ship on next-generation consoles (specifically, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3)
along with episodes One and Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal[9] in a package called The Orange Box. The
Windows version was released on October 10, 2007 as both a retail boxed copy, and as a download available through
Valve’s Steam service. The Xbox 360 version was also released on October 10, 2007. A PlayStation 3 version was
released on December 11, 2007.[78]
The popularity of Half-Life 2 and the Half-Life series has led way to an array of side products and collectibles. Valve
offers Half-Life-related products such as a plush vortigaunt, plush headcrab,[79] posters, clothing and mousepads.[80]

Critical response

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings [10]
96%

Metacritic [81]
96%

Review scores
Publication Score

Edge [82]
10/10

GamePro [83]
10/10

GameSpy [84]

IGN [85]
9.7/10

Maximum PC [86]
10/10

PC Gamer US [87]
98%

The Cincinnati [88]

Enquirer

The New York Times [89]

Positive

Half-Life 2’s public reception was overwhelmingly positive in terms of reviews, acclaim and sales. As of 2008, 6.5
million retail copies have been sold, but this does not include Steam purchases, which would most likely put the
game at an estimated 8.3 – 8.6 million copies sold.[90] The game became one of the most critically acclaimed video
games in history. It received an aggregated score of 96% on both GameRankings and Metacritic.[10] [81] Sources
such as GameSpy,[84] The Cincinnati Enquirer,[88] and The New York Times[89] have given perfect reviewing scores,
and others such as PC Gamer[87] and IGN[85] gave near-perfect scores, while the game became the fifth title to
receive Edge magazine’s ten-out-of-ten score.[82] Critics who applauded the game cited the advanced graphics and
physics[89] [83] Maximum PC awarded Half-Life 2 an unprecedented 11 on their rating scale which normally peaks at
10, and named it the "best game ever made".[86]
''Half-Life 2'' 46

Several critics, including some that had given positive reviews, complained about the required usage of the program
Steam, the requirement to create an account, register the products, and permanently lock them to the account before
being allowed to play, along with complications making it difficult to install and lack of support.[89]

Awards
Half-Life 2 earned over 40 Game of the Year awards,[12] including Overall Game of the Year at IGN, GameSpot’s
Award for Best Shooter, GameSpot’s Reader’s Choice — PC Game of the Year Award, Game of the Year from The
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, and "Best Game" with the Game Developers Choice Awards, where it was
also given various awards for technology, characters, and writing. Edge magazine awarded Half Life 2 with its top
honor of the year with the award for Best Game, as well as awards for Innovation and Visual Design. The game also
had a strong showing at the 2004 British Academy Video Games Awards, picking up six awards, more than any
other game that night, with awards including "Best Game" and "Best Online and Multiplayer."[91]
Guinness World Records awarded Half-Life 2 the world record for "Highest Rated Shooter by PC Gamer Magazine"
in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. Other records awarded the game in the book include,
"Largest Digital Distribution Channel" for Valve's Steam service, "First Game to Feature a Gravity Gun", and "First
PC Game to Feature Developer Commentary".[92] In 2009, Game Informer put Half-Life 2 5th on their list of "The
Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that "With Half-Life 2, Valve redefined the way first-person shooters were
created".[93]
Half-Life 2 was selected by readers of The Guardian as the best game of the decade, with praise given especially to
the environment design throughout the game. According to the newspaper, it "pushed the envelope for the genre, and
set a new high watermark for FPS narrative". One author commented: "Half Life 2 always felt like the European
arthouse answer to the Hollywood bluster of Halo and Call of Duty".[13]
Half-Life 2 won Crispy Gamer's 'Game of the Decade'[14] tournament style poll. It also won Reviews on the Run's[15]
and IGN's[16] best game of the decade.

Expansions and modifications

Since the release of Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation has released an additional level and two additional "expansion"
sequels. The level, "Lost Coast," takes place between the levels "Highway 17" and "Sandtraps" and is primarily a
showcase for high dynamic range rendering (HDR) technology. The first "expansion" sequel, Half-Life 2: Episode
One, takes place immediately after the events of Half-Life 2, with the player taking on the role of Gordon Freeman
once again and with Alyx Vance playing a more prominent role. Half-Life 2: Episode Two continues directly from
the ending of Episode One, with Alyx and Gordon making their way to White Forest Missile base, the latest hideout
of the resistance. A further "episode" is set to be released in the future, dubbed Episode Three; being the last
expansion, "in a trilogy."[94] In an interview with Eurogamer, Gabe Newell revealed that the Half-Life 2 "episodes"
are essentially Half-Life 3.[95] He reasons that rather than force fans to wait another six years for a full sequel, Valve
Corporation would release the game in episodic installments.[95] Newell admits that a more correct title for these
episodes should have been "Half-Life 3: Episode One" and so forth, having referred to the episodes as Half-Life 3
repeatedly through the interview.[95]

Third-party mods
Since the release of the Source engine SDK, a large number of modifications (mods) have been developed by the
Half-Life 2 community. Mods vary in scale, from fan-created levels and weapons, to partial conversions such as
Rock 24, Half-Life 2 Substance and SMOD (which modify the storyline and gameplay of the pre-existing game),
SourceForts and Garry's Mod (which allow the player to experiment with the physics system in a sandbox mode), to
total conversions such as Dystopia, Zombie Master or Iron Grip: The Oppression, the latter of which transforms the
game from a first-person shooter into a real-time strategy game. Some mods take place in the Half-Life universe;
''Half-Life 2'' 47

others in completely original settings. Many more mods are still in development, including Lift, The Myriad,
Operation Black Mesa, and the episodic single-player mod MINERVA. Several multiplayer mods, such as Pirates,
Vikings and Knights II, a predominately sword-fighting game, Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat, which focuses
on realistic modern infantry combat and Jailbreak Source have been opened to the public as a beta.[96] [97] As part of
its community support, Valve announced in September 2008 that several mods, with more planned in the future,
were being integrated into the Steamworks program, allowing the mods to make full use of Steam's distribution and
update capabilities.[98]

External links
• Quotations related to Half-Life 2 at Wikiquote
• Official Half-Life 2 website [99]
• Valve Developer Community [100]
|}

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''Half-Life 2'' 49

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''Half-Life 2: Episode One''

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Engine Source engine

Platform(s) Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Release date(s) June 1, 2006

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single-player

Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 51

Media DVD, Blu-ray Disc, digital download

System requirements Minimum

[1]
1.2 GHz processor, 256 MB RAM, DirectX 6 compatible card, Internet connection
Recommended
[1]
2.4 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9 compatible card, Internet connection

Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a trilogy of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter
video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called
Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One after Valve became confident in using an
episodic structure for the game. Similar to Half-Life 2, Episode One also uses the Source game engine. The game
debuted new lighting and animation technologies, as well as AI 'sidekick' enhancements.
The game's events take place immediately after those in Half-Life 2, in and around war-torn City 17. Episode One
follows scientist Gordon Freeman and his companion Alyx Vance as they fight in humanity's continuing struggle
against the transhuman race known as the Combine. When the story begins, Gordon wakes up outside the enemy's
base of operations, the Citadel, after being left unconscious from the concluding events of Half-Life 2. During the
course of the game, Gordon travels with Alyx as they attempt to evacuate the city. As the game comes to an end,
Gordon and Alyx are caught in a major accident, and both of their fates are revealed in the sequel, Episode Two.
Valve views episodes One through Three as tantamount to a standalone release. Episode One is available as part of a
bundle package known as The Orange Box, which also includes Half-Life 2, Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and
Portal. Episode One received a generally positive critical reaction, and the co-operative aspects of the gameplay
received particular praise. A common criticism of the game was its short length, leading several reviewers to say that
the game's four to six hours of gameplay do not justify its price.

Gameplay
In Episode One, a first-person shooter video game, players make their way through a linear series of levels and
encounter various enemies and allies. The gameplay is broken up between combat-oriented challenges and
physics-based puzzles.[2] Episode One also integrates tutorial-like tasks into the story to familiarize the player with
new gameplay mechanics without breaking immersion.[3] A head-up display appears on the screen to display the
character's health, energy, and ammunition.[4] Throughout the course of the game, the player accesses new weapons
and ammunition that are used to defend the character from enemy forces.[5] Also, in the beginning of the game, the
player gains a unique weapon, the gravity gun, which plays a crucial role and allows the player to use physics to
manipulate objects at a distance in both combat and puzzle-solving scenarios.[3]
The artificial intelligence (AI) for Alyx Vance, Gordon's companion, was designed specifically for co-operative play
in Episode One to complement the player's abilities. The developers described Alyx's programming for Episode One
as a "personality code" as opposed to an "AI code", emphasizing the attention they gave to create a unique and
believable companion. In addition, she was specially programmed to avoid performing too many mechanical or
repetitive actions, such as repeating lines of dialogue or performing certain routines in combat situations.[6]
Examples of this co-operative gameplay include combat in underground levels. In this scenario, the player can
conserve their ammunition by using a flashlight to help Alyx spot and kill oncoming enemies.[7] Similarly, Alyx will
often take up strategic positions and provide covering fire to keep the player safe while they travel to a certain area
or perform certain actions.[8]
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 52

Synopsis

Setting
The original Half-Life takes place at a remote laboratory called the Black Mesa Research Facility. The player takes
on the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist involved in an accident that opens an inter-dimensional portal to the world
of Xen and floods the facility with hostile alien creatures. After the player guides him in an attempt to escape the
facility and close the portal, the game ends with a mysterious figure who offers Freeman employment. The
protagonist is subsequently put into stasis by this mysterious character known as the "G-Man".[9]
Half-Life 2 picks up the story, in which the G-Man takes Freeman out of stasis and inserts him on a train en-route to
City 17 an indeterminate number of years after the events of the first game, with Earth now enslaved by the
transhuman forces of the Combine. The player guides Gordon to aid in humanity's struggle against the Combine and
their human representative, Dr. Wallace Breen. He oversees the occupation from his base of operations in the
Citadel, a monolithic building at the heart of City 17. Fighting alongside Gordon is an underground resistance led by
former colleague Dr. Eli Vance, as well other allies including Dr. Vance's daughter Alyx Vance and the enigmatic
Vortigaunts, an alien species. Half-Life 2 ends with a climactic battle atop the Citadel that inflicts critical damage to
its dark fusion reactor. When it seems as if Alyx and Gordon are to be engulfed by the explosion, the G-Man appears
once more. After giving a cryptic speech, he extracts Gordon from danger and places him in stasis once again.[9]

Plot
Episode One begins after the explosion of the reactor
from which Gordon was extracted by the G-Man and
where Alyx Vance was left behind. Time suddenly
freezes, and several purple Vortigaunts appear and
rescue Alyx from the blast. After she is rescued, the
Vortigaunts appear before the G-Man and stand
between him and Gordon. They teleport Gordon away
from the scene, much to the G-Man's displeasure.

Gordon wakes up outside the Citadel, and reunites with

Alyx, who is relieved to see him. Alyx contacts Eli
Alyx talks with the resistance leaders outside the Citadel. The new
Vance and Isaac Kleiner, who have escaped the city, HDR rendering and Phong shading effects are visible.
and is informed the Citadel's core is at risk of exploding
at any moment.[10] Kleiner states the explosion could be large enough to level the whole of City 17, and the only way
for them to survive is to re-enter the Citadel and slow the core's progression toward meltdown. Eli reluctantly agrees
when he sees no other option.[11]

Alyx and Gordon re-enter the now-decaying Citadel to try to stabilize the core and are successful in re-engaging the
reactor's containment system, which delays the explosion. Alyx discovers the Combine are deliberately accelerating
the destruction of the Citadel to send a message to the Combine's homeworld. She makes a copy of the message,
which causes the Combine to prioritize them as targets.[12] Alyx then locates and downloads a transmission from Dr.
Judith Mossman describing a certain project she has located, before being cut off by a Combine attack.[13]
Afterwards, Alyx and Gordon board a train to escape the Citadel.

The train derails en-route, forcing the duo to proceed on foot. As they fight through the disorganized Combine forces
and rampant alien infestations, Kleiner appears on the screens Breen once used to pass out propaganda, and gives out
useful updates to the evacuating citizens about the latest turn of events as well as reiterating the Citadel's imminent
collapse.[14] Alyx and Gordon eventually meet up with Barney Calhoun and a group of other survivors who are
preparing to move on a train station to escape City 17.[15] Alyx and Gordon provide cover for the passengers as they
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 53

board.[16]
To keep the survivors safe, Alyx and Gordon opt to take a different train.[17] They manage to escape just as the
reactor begins to detonate; the energy sends out the Combine's message.[18] Several pods containing Combine
Advisors are ejected from the Citadel as it detonates. The resulting shockwave catches the train, derailing it. The last
thing the player hears is the twisting of metal and Alyx whispering Gordon's name. The fate of Alyx and Gordon is
revealed in the sequel, Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Development
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a trilogy of episodes serving as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter
video game Half-Life 2.[19] In February 2006, Valve announced that they would be releasing a trilogy of episodes
covering the same story arc. While the plots and dialogue of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were written solely by Valve's
in-house writer Marc Laidlaw, the "Half-Life 2 Episodes" were collaboratively written by Laidlaw, Chet Faliszek,
and Erik Wolpaw, with Laidlaw retaining overall leadership of the group.[20]
Valve explained that the focus of Episode One was character development, in particular that of Gordon's female
sidekick and friend Alyx, because she accompanies the player for virtually the entire game.[21] Project lead Robin
Walker discussed the reasoning behind this approach in an article announcing the game in the May 2005 issue of PC
Gamer UK, saying, "It's kind of ironic that despite so much of the theme of Half-Life 2 being about other characters
and other people, you spent most of the game alone."[22] Lead writer Marc Laidlaw expanded further on the game's
premise, saying,
Episode One deals with the events and issues set in motion during Half-Life 2. You've done critical damage to
the Citadel. The whole place is going to go up, taking out City 17 and what's in its immediate radius. You and
Alyx are leading the flight from the city getting up close and personal with some of the creatures and sights
from the end of the game.[22]
It was later confirmed that players would reprise the role of Gordon Freeman, unlike the original Half-Life expansion
packs which all dealt with different characters. Valve decided to develop Episode One in-house, as opposed to
working with outside contractors as with previous expansions, because they were already comfortable with the
technology and construction tools of Half-Life 2.[23]
Because of Alyx's significant involvement in the game, Valve made modifications to her AI that allowed her to react
to the player's actions. Modifications include commentating on objects the player manipulates or obstacles they have
overcome. She also acts as an important device in both plot exposition and directing the player's journey, often
vocalizing what the player is required to do next to progress.[24] The developers explained that a large part of their
focus was creating not only a believable companion for the player, but also one that did not obstruct the player's
actions. They wanted to allow the player to dictate their own pace and method of overcoming any challenges faced
without being hindered. This meant that Valve often had to scale back Alyx's input and dialogue during the player's
journey so they would not feel pressured to progress and consequently object to her presence.[24] The developers also
placed what they described as "hero moments" throughout the game, which allow the player to single-handedly
overcome obstacles such as particularly challenging enemies, during which Alyx takes the role of an observer and
gives the player praise and adulation for their heroic feats.[24] Play testers were used extensively by the developers
throughout the entirety of the game's creation in order for Valve to continually gauge the effectiveness of in-game
scenarios as well as the difficulty.[25]
The game runs on an upgraded version of Valve's proprietary Source engine, and features both the engine's advanced
lighting effects, and a new version of its facial animation/expression technology.[25] Upgrades to enemy AI allow
Combine soldiers to utilize tactics previously unavailable to them. For example, Combine soldiers were given the
ability to crouch while being fired upon in order to duck underneath the player's line of fire.[24] The game's
soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey.[20] The music is used sparingly throughout; it plays primarily during
scenes of major plot developments or particularly important action sequences such as large battles or when
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 54

encountering a new enemy.[24]

While no new locales were introduced in Episode One, large alterations were made to the appearance of both City 17
where the game takes place and the Citadel from the end of Half-Life 2 to reflect the changing shape of the world
and remind the player that their actions have major effects on the storyline.[26] The Citadel has degenerated from the
cold, alien, and imposing fortress of the previous game into an extremely unstable state. This provides a visual cue to
the player of the catastrophic damage they inflicted, and it allows for the introduction of new gameplay elements that
accentuate the dangers which come with the Citadel's imminent collapse. In addition, it serves a thematic purpose by
highlighting the weakening of the Combine's dominance in City 17. Likewise, City 17 has been altered to reflect the
aftermath of the resistance's open rebellion, with vast swathes of destroyed buildings, and the introduction of foes
previously kept outside its confines in Half-Life 2 to emphasize the scale of the uprising.[24]

Release and reception

Reception
Aggregate scores

Aggregator Score

GameRankings [27]
86%

Metacritic [28]
87%

Review scores
Publication Score

Edge [29]
80%

Game [2]
75%
Revolution

GameSpot [8]
87%

GameSpy [30]
90%

IGN [31]
85%

PC Gamer UK [3]
90%

PC Gamer US [32]
85%

Upon release, Episode One was sold in both retail stores[33] and Valve's online Steam distribution system, where it
was sold at a discount price.[34] The game was also distributed by Electronic Arts as both a standalone release and as
part of Half-Life 2: Platinum Collection.[35] It was available for pre-load and pre-purchase through Steam on May 1,
2006, with Half-Life Deathmatch: Source and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch immediately available for play as part of the
package.[36] Episode One is available as part of a bundle package known as The Orange Box, which also includes
Half-Life 2, Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal; and is available for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.[37]
[38]
About 1.4 million retail copies of Episode One have been sold by 2008.[39]
Response to Episode One was generally positive, and reviewers praised the game for having more intricate,
well-paced gameplay than Half-Life 2.[8] [40] The game's interactivity, particularly in the form of Alyx and her
reactions to the player's actions and the events of the game, was also singled out for praise.[30] PC Gamer
commented that "while this inaugural episode may not be the essential FPS that Half-Life 2 is, I can't imagine any
shooter fan who'd want to miss it."[32] In its review, PC Gamer UK directed particular praise to the balance between
puzzle-oriented and action-oriented challenges throughout the game.[3] In Australia, the magazine PC Powerplay
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 55

awarded the game with a 10/10.[41] Edge praised the "deftness" with which the game was able to direct the player's
eyes, and the strength of Alyx as a companion, concluding, "... in an interactive genre bound to the traditions of the
pop-up gun and invisible hero, it simply doesn’t get more sophisticated than this."[29] Episode One earned a scores of
87% and 86% on review aggregators Metacritic[28] and Game Rankings respectively.[27] IGN awarded Episode One
with the title of "Best PC FPS of 2006" and described it as a "great bang for the buck using Valve's new episodic
plan", although it did not offer "the complete experience that Half-Life 2 was".[42] GameSpy ranked Episode One
ninth on its 2006 "Games of the Year" list, and it also noted the implementation of Alyx as a believable and useful
companion.[43]
A common criticism of the game is its short length. Episode One takes roughly 4–6 hours to complete, which raises
the issue of whether the game justifies its price.[8] Computer Games Magazine argued the futility of reviewing the
game due to its episodic nature; as the first part of a three-part story arc, it is difficult to judge it when divorced from
the final product.[44] Game Revolution expressed disappointment at a lack of new features such as environments and
weapons.[2]

External links
• Quotations related to Half-Life 2: Episode One at Wikiquote
• Official Half-Life 2: Episode One website [45]

References
[1] "Steam — Half-Life2: Episode One" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 380/ ). Steam. . Retrieved 2008-04-09.
[2] Colin (2006-06-21). "Episode One review" (http:/ / www. gamerevolution. com/ review/ pc/ half_life_2_aftermath). Game Revolution. .
Retrieved 2007-04-29.
[3] "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One". PC Gamer UK. July 2006.
[4] "Basics (Half-Life 2)" (http:/ / guides. ign. com/ guides/ 492830/ page_2. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[5] "Basics (Half-Life 2: Episode One)" (http:/ / guides. ign. com/ guides/ 740555/ page_2. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-27.
[6] Lee, Garnett (2005-08-29). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?cId=3143168). 1UP.com. . Retrieved
2007-10-12.
[7] Berghammer, Billy (2006-05-26). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Hands-On, Details, And Extensive Video Interview" (http:/ / www.
gameinformer. com/ News/ Story/ 200605/ N06. 0526. 1422. 35562. htm). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2008-05-12.
[8] Ocampo, Jason (2006-06-02). "Episode One review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ review. html). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2007-04-28.
[9] "Half-Life: The Story so Far" (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-03-24.
[10] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Kleiner: Our remote sensors indicate the process is
accelerating toward a dark-energy flare. Anyone left in the vicinity will be subjected to energetic events whose effects are beyond my powers
of speculation!"
[11] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Kleiner: Well...nothing short of a direct intervention
could possibly retard the reaction."
[12] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Alyx: I can't tell what the packet contains, but it's
important enough that they're willing to sacrifice the whole citadel to send it off. We need to get it back to my dad and Doctor Kleiner at the
outpost right away. I've been pulling down a copy. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it's bad news for all of us."
[13] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Mossman: I'm fairly sure I've pinned down the
location of the project. It's hard to say how much of it might have survived intact or if there is anything remaining that could compromise our
work; if it were discovered by the Combine. We'll need to take a close look at it, of course, but I should be able to give a better opinion within
a few hours. If the site is where we think it is, it should be no more than... I'm gonna have to cut this short, we may have been spotted."
[14] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Kleiner: Therefore, I repeat, evacuate City 17 at
once if not sooner! I cannot state this without enough undue emphasis."
[15] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Barney: You guys know about the evacuation trains,
right? Alyx: Yeah. Barney: Yeah, well, we've been planning to make a push on the train station."
[16] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Barney: If you can keep them safe and provide
cover, we might actually stand a chance of reaching the escape trains Alyx: Sounds good."
[17] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Barney: You guys coming? Alyx: Go on Barney!
They're not after you. Gordon and I will draw their attention while you get the others away from here."
[18] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. (Valve Corporation). PC. (2006-06-01) "Alyx: Oh my God! The transmission is going out."
''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' 56

[19] Bokitch, Chris (2006-05-22). "Valve press release" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ 629/ ). Steam. . Retrieved 2007-04-29.
[20] "The Valve team (staff bios)" (http:/ / www. valvesoftware. com/ people. html). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2007-04-29.
[21] Porter, Will (2006-04-13). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=137598&
skip=yes). Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2007-04-29.
[22] "Preview: Half-Life 2: Aftermath". PC Gamer UK. May 2005.
[23] "Half-Life 2 Aftermath Q&A" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ preview_6128325. html). GameSpot. 2005-06-29. .
Retrieved 2007-05-03.
[24] Half-Life 2: Episode One, Chapter V: Exit 17, Developers commentary. [DVD]. 2006.
[25] Bramwell, Tom (2006-06-06). "Opening the Valve" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=65345). Eurogamer. . Retrieved
2007-04-29.
[26] Adams, Dan (2006-04-27). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Interview" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 703/ 703602p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-12.
[27] "Half-Life: Episode One on Game Rankings" (http:/ / www. gamerankings. com/ htmlpages2/ 927314. asp?q=episode one). Game Rankings.
. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
[28] "Half-Life: Episode One on Metacritic" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ games/ platforms/ pc/ halflife2episodeone?q=episode one).
Metacritic. . Retrieved 2007-04-28.
[29] "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One". Edge. August 2006.
[30] Accardo, Sal (2006-06-01). "Half-Life 2: Episode One review" (http:/ / uk. pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ half-life-2-episode-1/ 710990p1. html).
GameSpy. . Retrieved 2007-05-01.
[31] McNamara, Tom (2006-06-01). "Half-Life 2: Episode One" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 710/ 710967p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-12.
[32] "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One". PC Gamer. August 2006.
[33] Dahlen, Chris (2006-06-13). "Half-Life 2: Episode One" (http:/ / www. avclub. com/ content/ node/ 49481). The Onion. . Retrieved
2008-10-19.
[34] "Buy Half-Life 2: Episode One" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 380/ ). Steam. . Retrieved 2008-10-19.
[35] "Half Life 2: Episode One (PC-DVD)" (http:/ / www. amazon. co. uk/ Half-Life-Episode-PC-DVD/ dp/ B000E4YKNA). Amazon.com. .
Retrieved 2007-04-30.
[36] "Half-Life 2: Episode One Pre-Loading Now" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ 609/ ). Steam. . Retrieved 2007-04-29.
[37] Thorsen, Tor (2006-08-24). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two pushed to 2007?" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ xbox360/ action/ halflife2episode2/
news. html?sid=6156496). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2007-04-30.
[38] Ocampo, Jason (2006-07-13). "The Return of Team Fortress 2 and Other Surprises" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ ps3/ action/
halflife2episode2/ news. html?sid=6154006). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2007-08-25.
[39] Remo, Chris (2008-12-03). "Analysis: Valve's Lifetime Retail Sales For Half-Life, Counter-Strike Franchises" (http:/ / www. gamasutra.
com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=21319). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2008-12-03.
[40] Dahlen, Chris (2006-06-13). "Episode One review" (http:/ / www. avclub. com/ content/ node/ 49481). The Onion. . Retrieved 2007-05-03.
[41] "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One". PC Powerplay. August 2006.
[42] "Best of 2006" (http:/ / bestof. ign. com/ 2006/ pc/ 7. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2007-04-28.
[43] "2006 Games of the Year" (http:/ / goty. gamespy. com/ 2006/ overall/ index6. html). GameSpy. . Retrieved 2007-05-01.
[44] "Half-Life 2: Episode One review". Computer Games Magazine: 57. September 2006.
[45] http:/ / orange. half-life2. com/ hl2ep1. html
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 57

''Half-Life 2: Episode Two''

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

The box art for the standalone PC version of Episode Two. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance are in the foreground, having noticed
the Combine Hunters behind them.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Engine Source engine

Platform(s) [1]
Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date(s) Microsoft Windows

& Xbox 360 (Retail):
NA [2]
October 10, 2007
EU
October 18, 2007
AUS
October 25, 2007
Microsoft Windows (Steam):
October 10, 2007
PlayStation 3:
AUS
November 22, 2007
EU
November 16, 2007
NA
December 11, 2007
Microsoft Windows (Retail standalone):
NA
April 9, 2008
Other regions
April 11, 2008
Mac OS X
NA
TBD

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single player

Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+

Media DVD-ROM, Blu-ray, digital download

[3]
System requirements Minimum:
1.7 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 8 compatible video card, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Internet connection
Recommended:
Pentium 4 processor (3.0 GHz or better), 1 GB RAM, DirectX 9 compatible video card, Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Internet
connection
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 58

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second installment in Valve Corporation's series of episodes for the first person
shooter computer game Half-Life 2. The first two episodes of Half-Life 2 were developed concurrently by separate
teams.[4] This episode was released as a part of a bundled package, The Orange Box. A separate copy of Episode
Two is available via Steam worldwide.[3]
Continuing with Valve's policy of orienting each episode around a particular theme or set of technologies, Episode
Two aims to focus on expansive environments, travel and less linear play. Following the closing events of Episode
One, it sees Gordon Freeman and the series' other major players moving away from City 17 to the surrounding
countryside.[4]
Episode Two's retail version was released on October 10, 2007 in North America and Russia for Windows and
Microsoft's Xbox 360 after repeated delays. The version for the PlayStation 3 was to be released "around two or
three weeks later," as it was produced separately at the Electronic Arts UK studio, according to Valve marketing
director Doug Lombardi.[5] This version was further delayed. For the rest of the world, the release date was October
18.[6] The Steam version was released on October 10, 2007 worldwide.

Gameplay
Like its predecessors, Episode Two has the player navigate Gordon Freeman through a linear set of levels, fighting
off transhuman troops known as the Combine as well as hostile alien creatures. Puzzles and sequences involving
vehicles are interspersed throughout the game, breaking up moments of combat.
One of the focal points of Episode Two was meant to be increased use of vehicles in open areas. However, the game
retains its original linear style until the final battle.[7] Episode Two has more puzzles than Episode One, including the
biggest physical puzzle yet in the series—a damaged seesawing bridge.[7] The game features numerous
"achievements" (similar to Playstation 3's Gamer Level and Xbox Live's Gamerscore) for carrying out certain tasks.
Some are essential to game progress, such as helping fight off an antlion invasion, or defeating the first Hunters.
Others are optional tricks or feats the player can perform, such as killing a Combine soldier with their own grenade
or running down a certain number of enemies with the car.[7]

Enemies
Episode Two features the new Hunter synth, which had just been seen briefly in a recorded message in Episode One.
The Hunter serves as one of the most dangerous enemies within the game and as means of emotional development
for Alyx Vance. The Hunter is a powerful and resilient enemy which players must often run from while seeking a
means to fight back; Episode Two's environments are designed with this in mind.[8]
An interview in the August 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine reveals that the Hunter stands 8 feet (2.4 m) tall. Erik
Johnson, the game's project lead, states that the Hunters are "big and impressive, but they can go anywhere the player
can go," as the player can encounter them both indoors and outdoors.[9] Ted Backman, senior artist for Valve, talks
about how the Hunter can express emotions, being a somewhat non-human character. "We want the Hunter to be
able to express nervousness or aggression, [to show you] whether it's aggressive, hurt, or mad." Hunters have a
powerful gait similar to a gorilla's, and are very swift. They tend to operate in packs, but can also be found
supporting other Combine troops. Late in the game, they can be found escorting Striders, using their flechette guns to
destroy the Magnusson Devices that the player must use.[9]
Hunters primarily attack the player by bracing themselves and firing bursts from their flechette cannon. Four
flechettes can vaporize an ordinary human soldier. If they do not strike a living target, the flechette charge up for
several seconds and then explode, dealing minor damage to everything nearby. Hunters may also conduct a charging
attack or strike with their legs if the player gets too close. Hunters are vulnerable to all weapons, but to compensate,
are still quite resilient, making explosives and the pulse rifle's charged energy ball the most attractive options.
Objects thrown with the gravity gun are also effective, especially if the player catches some of their flechettes with
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 59

the object before hurling it (one of the in-game Achievements). In outdoor environments, they can be run over with a
vehicle.[10]
Two new forms of antlion are present. The first is the glow-in-the-dark antlion grub, a harmless, worm-like creature
which functions as a minor health pickup and a light source. Killing all 333 of these earns an Achievement. The
second is the worker antlion (or 'acidlion') whose body produces a powerful and poisonous acid; in addition to firing
it in a ranged spit attack, the acid is spread a short distance around them when they explode, making them dangerous
to fight in close-combat. Functionally, they are similar to the bullsquids of the original Half-Life, but are thematically
closer to the poison headcrab—a creature that the player will instinctively prioritize as a target. A new antlion
guardian, which has glow in the dark features, was also added. This "Guardian" hunts the player in the final stages of
his quest for the larval extract in the antlion caves. Despite this, the vortigaunt that accompanies the player forbids
him from harming it, as the extract will be ruined if he does, so the player must accomplish his goal while being
harried by a creature he cannot eliminate, though the player is eventually given the chance to kill it.[11]
This episode also re-skins one kind of Combine soldier, (the change is also seen in the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
versions of the other Half-life 2 games). The shotgun wielding soldier is now given a different body armor, with a
reddish brown tint instead of the standard greenish tone, to make players more alert of their presence. Other than the
different weapon, these soldiers feature a somewhat different combat AI, generally trying to get to stay somewhat
behind to surprise the player and shoot while in close range.[12]

Weapons
Episode Two features no new additions to Gordon Freeman's
inventory, but introduces a new form of Gravity Gun 'ammunition', the
"Magnusson Device", named after the egotistical head of the White
Forest base rocket project, Dr. Magnusson. Prior to the game's release,
this weapon had been referred to as the 'Strider Buster'. The item is
useless on its own—it must be deployed via the gravity gun. Level
An in-game white-board depicting how the designer Dario Casali describes it as a "sticky bomb that you fire at a
Magnusson Device functions.
Strider's underbelly that will draw power from the Strider's internal
power source." In-game, the device will stick so long as it contacts the
Strider's body, and will instantly destroy it when fired upon with any other of the player's weapons. However, Hunter
escorts will prioritize them as targets, either destroying them in the player's grasp or shooting already-attached ones
off.[13]

Valve's developers said new weapons were not a priority. The gravity gun was the direction of innovation they were
most interested in, and objects like saw blades and flares were more interesting additions to the game. This policy
was implemented with the Magnusson Device and more varied Gravity Gun "ammunition" such as logs and
half-height butane tanks, which are easier to aim than full-size fuel drums.[13]

Vehicles
Large sections of the game feature a car which resembles a gutted-and-rebuilt 1969 Dodge Charger. It appears to
have been tuned for performance. A radar system is installed later in the game, allowing the player to locate Rebel
supply caches. In the final battle, a rear-mounted storage rack for Magnusson Devices is added and the radar is
adjusted to track enemies and Magnusson Device dispensers. A homing unit is also installed so the player can
quickly locate the car in the chaos of the final battle via a readout in the Hazardous Environment suit.[14]
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 60

Synopsis

Setting
In contrast to Episode One's entirely urban setting, Episode Two sets
the action in rural areas, villages, forests, as well as mining facilities
and mountain caves. The exact location remains vague, with signs in
Russian still hinting at a generic Eastern European setting, although
gas pumps with the prices displayed in Swedish have added to the
confusion. The gameplay is in parts, and, to an extent less
geographically linear than in the previous games, with the climactic
fight in particular taking place across an entire map rather than in an City 17's skyline as viewed from the city
enclosed arena. outskirts, with the energy released by the
Citadel's destruction focused into portal energy.

Plot
Continuing the plot of Half-Life 2 and Episode One, Episode Two consists of seven chapters telling the story of
Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance's journey to a large resistance base called White Forest. The Combine's
Earth-stationed forces have used the destruction of the Citadel to begin opening a massive super portal, through
which their army will be able to invade once it reaches critical size. However, as explained by Dr. Kleiner's
broadcast in Episode One, it has also inflicted a portal and communications blackout, leaving the Combine isolated
and disorganized in the meantime. In addition, Combine Advisors, some of them still unhatched from their pods, are
scattered about the region after evacuating the Citadel. A crucial part of the plot is the transmission packet which the
Combine sacrificed the Citadel to send, copied by Alyx and Gordon before making their escape. It contains data on
the formation of the super portal, which the resistance can use to collapse the portal before it forms completely.[15]

After Gordon and Alyx climb out of the wreckage of the train they used to escape City 17, they make their way to
White Forest. At an abandoned mine, Alyx is gravely wounded by a Hunter. They are discovered by a vortigaunt,
who leads them to an underground Resistance base. The vortigaunts there have the power to heal Alyx; however,
Gordon must first venture into the nearby antlion colony to recover larval extract necessary for the healing ritual.[16]
Once the extract is retrieved and the healing process begins, the G-Man contacts Gordon, able to infiltrate through
the Vortigaunt's protection that kept him away in Episode One, as they are distracted with Alyx. He hints at Alyx's
importance to his own long-term plans, revealing that he had preserved Alyx's life at Black Mesa despite objections
from unnamed others. The G-Man then instructs an unconscious Alyx to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen
consequences." (Unforeseen Consequences is the title of the chapter in the original Half-Life which takes place right
after the resonance cascade occurred.)[16]
After Alyx has recovered, she and Gordon proceed to White Forest. They arrive before a convoy of Combine troops,
despite being slowed by multiple ambushes, road blocks, and an Advisor. There, Alyx and Gordon are reunited with
Dog, Isaac Kleiner, and Eli Vance. The player is also introduced to Dr. Arne Magnusson, another former Black Mesa
scientist who is egotistical, verbose, and authoritarian. The team of scientists are preparing a rocket, which they plan
to use in conjunction with the satellite array launched during the events of Half-Life, to close the Combine super
portal.[16]
After Gordon seals off a breach of the base by Combine forces, Alyx gives Dr. Kleiner the message from Judith
Mossman. This contains footage and the location of the Borealis, an Aperture Science research vessel which one day
suddenly vanished into thin air with part of the surrounding drydock. The player is not told exactly what the ship
contains or the nature of its significance, though it is suggested that whatever it contains has the potential to cause a
disaster as great as that at Black Mesa if used improperly. The G-Man compels Alyx to unconsciously deliver the
message he gave her earlier. After convincing Alyx to leave temporarily, Eli reveals to Gordon that the G-Man,
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 61

whom he refers to as "our mutual friend," provided Black Mesa with the test sample that caused the resonance
cascade and had issued the exact same warning when Gordon had entered the test chamber. Eli is physically shaken
by the new warning and promises further revelations to Gordon.[16]
While the rocket is being prepared, White Forest comes under attack by a dozen Striders escorted by Hunters.
Gordon engages and destroys them using experimental explosive charges created by Magnusson. After the rocket is
successfully launched and the portal closed, Eli again warns Gordon about the "cargo" on the Borealis, which he
wants destroyed, and the three of them head into a hangar where Alyx has restored an old helicopter. However, they
are ambushed by a pair of Advisors, who restrain them. Alyx and Gordon are then forced to watch helplessly as Eli
is grabbed by one of the Advisors and brutally killed. As Alyx and Gordon are taken by the second Advisor to meet
the same fate, Dog hears Alyx's cries, bursts in through the roof and attacks it, causing both Advisors to flee. The
game ends with Alyx mourning over her father's body.[16]

Development
Episode Two was developed simultaneously with Episode One by a development team led by David Speyrer. This
schedule of simultaneous development aided them in streamlining the story between the two games to create an
immersive storyline. The technology used was the same for both games, allowing the development teams to quickly
fix any technical problems that might arise from either game; this happened often because of the multi-platform
release.[4]
An announcement was made on July 13, 2006 stating that Episode Two would be released on Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3 in addition to the PC, where previous iterations of the series operated.[1] It was originally rumored that
Episode Two would be delayed until 2008. On June 14, 2007, however, Valve confirmed the release date for Episode
Two to be October 9, 2007 for all announced platforms. Valve handled the development of the game for the PC and
Xbox 360, while Electronic Arts British office in Chertsey worked on the PlayStation 3 version of the game.[2] It was
announced on September 7, 2007 that the PlayStation 3 version of the game would be delayed because the
development studio behind the game was in the United Kingdom, away from Valve's development team, and
therefore lagged behind in its schedule. Valve's marketing director, Doug Lombardi, gave assurance that the Xbox
360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions of the game would be identical in functionality and performance.[5]

Audio
Episode Two's soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey, who also composed the music for the Half-Life series'
other installments. The music is used sparingly throughout, played primarily during scenes of major plot
development or particularly important action sequences, such as an early fight with a massive wave of Antlions or
speeding down train tracks while being fired on by a helicopter. The soundtrack is included in the Russian edition of
The Orange Box and is also sold separately.[17] An audio commentary is also featured, as in Episode One and Lost
Coast.[18]
A notable change to the vocal cast is the inclusion of actor Tony Todd as the voice of the Vortigaunts.[19] He
replaces Louis Gossett Jr. in the role.[20] Popular film and television actor Adam Baldwin voices several of the
civilian and rebel NPCs, most notably the character who informs the player of the Striders' locations in the
penultimate chapter.[19]
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 62

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings [21]
90%

Metacritic [22]
90%

Review scores
Publication Score

1UP.com [23]
A+

Computer and Video Games [24]

9 of 10

Eurogamer [25]
9 of 10

GameSpy [26]
4 of 5

IGN [27]
9.4 of 10

PC Gamer UK [28]
93%

New York Times [29]

86%

The game had an average score of 90% based on 21 reviews on the review aggregator Game Rankings.[21] On
Metacritic, the game had an average score of 90 out of 100, based on 18 reviews.[22]
Dan Adams of IGN rated the game 9.4 out of 10 and praised its improved visuals and expansive environments, but
cited the short six-hour length as a drawback.[27] He said: "Any way you look at it, Episode Two stands out, even
among the Half-Life series, as something special ... a burly experience packed into roughly six hours or so that offers
up all the diversity, level design, and thoughtful gameplay we've known while making sure to propel the story
forward and leave us wanting more."[27] Bit-tech.net awarded the game a 10 out of 10 score, citing approval of how
the story turns and the introduction of side stories and new characters.[13] 1UP.com praised the game, noting that the
game's "entire five-hour experience" was "vivid, emotionally engaging, and virtually unsurpassed."[23] PC Gamer
UK also applauded Episode Two, noting it "is the most sumptuous chapter of the Half-Life saga, and by a country
mile."[28] The New York Times enjoyed the gameplay, saying, "The battles in Episode 2 of Half-Life 2 often require
as much ingenuity as they do fast reflexes."[29]
Computer and Video Games commented on the game's graphics, saying that although the game's engine was
"starting to look its age," its "wonderful art design and the odd bit of technical spit-shine ensure that Episode Two
[...] doesn't lose any of its wow factor." They also noticed that the game "goes about fixing a lot of the niggling
complaints we had about Episode One," especially applauding the open forests and rocky hills from Episode Two.[24]
Several reviewers noted shortcomings. The New York Times commented on the story for Episode Two, noting,
"While it sows a few seeds for the final episode of the trilogy, the game lacks the driving force of the previous
episode."[29] GameSpy criticised the game, saying it is "a little more inconsistent than its predecessors," and that the
opening segments of the game were "arguably the weakest" parts.[26]
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 63

External links
• Official Half-Life 2: Episode Two website [30]
• Official Steam website [31]
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two [32] at MobyGames

References
[1] Ocampo, Jason (2006-07-13). "The Orange Box" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ ps3/ action/ halflife2episode2/ news. html?sid=6154006).
GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[2] Remo, Chris (2007-06-15). "Valve confirms Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 launch date" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ onearticle. x/
47435). Shacknews. . Retrieved 2007-06-15.
[3] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two on Steam" (http:/ / steampowered. com/ v/ index. php?area=game& AppId=420). Steam. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[4] Bramwell, Tom (2006-06-06). "Opening the Valve" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=65345). Eurogamer. . Retrieved
2008-05-09.
[5] Bramwell, Tom (2007-09-07). "Valve explains PS3 Orange Box delay" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=82891).
Eurogamer. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[6] "Half-Life 2: The Orange Box" (http:/ / www. play. com/ Games/ PC/ 4-/ 3383507/ Half-Life-2-The-Orange-Box/ Product. html). Play.com. .
Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[7] "Half-Life 2: Episode One Interview 1" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pages/ video_player/ popup. php?sid=6152046& pid=). GameSpot.
2006-05-30. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[8] Simmons, Alex (2006-08-24). "GC 2006: New Half-Life 2 Trailer Dissected" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 728/ 728031p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[9] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two". PC Gamer. August 2006.
[10] Goldstein, Hilary (2007-10-09). "The Orange Box Review" (http:/ / xbox360. ign. com/ articles/ 826/ 826062p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-09.
[11] Caron, Frank (2007-11-16). "Half-Life 2 game statistics live" (http:/ / arstechnica. com/ journals/ thumbs. ars/ 2007/ 11/ 16/
half-life-2-game-statistics-live). Ars Technica. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[12] "Half-Life 2: Episode One: FAQ/Walkthrough" (http:/ / www. gamershell. com/ faqs/ 828/ ). GamersHell. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[13] Martin, Joe (2007-10-11). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2007/ 10/ 11/ half-life_2_episode_two/ 1).
bit-tech.net. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[14] "Steam Update" (http:/ / storefront. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ message/ 958/ ). Steam. 2007-02-16. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[15] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Q&A — Story, Setting, and Technology" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2episode2/ news.
html?sid=6169501). GameSpot. 2007-04-23. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[16] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Guide" (http:/ / guides. ign. com/ guides/ 812574/ ). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[17] "The Orange Box Original Soundtrack" (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_TOBSoundtrack. html).
Steam. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[18] Cashon, Jonathan (2007-11-05). "'Half Life 2: Episode Two' entertains as strong sequel" (http:/ / media. www. usavanguard. com/ media/
storage/ paper973/ news/ 2007/ 11/ 05/ Entertainment/ half-Life. 2. Episode. Two. Entertains. As. Strong. Sequel-3089662. shtml). University
of South Alabama. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[19] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. gamefaqs. com/ computer/ doswin/ data/ 942003. html). GameFAQs. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[20] "Half-Life 2: The Orange Box" (http:/ / uk. videogames. games. yahoo. com/ x360/ previews/ half-life-2--the-orange-box-cb463b. html).
Yahoo! Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[21] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two — PC" (http:/ / www. gamerankings. com/ htmlpages2/ 942003. asp). Game Rankings. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[22] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. metacritic. com/ games/ platforms/ pc/ halflife2episode2). Metacritic. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[23] Elliott, Shawn (2007-10-10). "Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (PC)" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ reviewPage?cId=3163574). 1UP.com. . Retrieved
2008-08-03.
[24] "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=173331). Computer and Video Games.
2007-10-10. . Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[25] Reed, Kristan (2007-10-10). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=84997). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-05-09.
[26] Accardo, Sal (2007-10-10). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two (PC)" (http:/ / pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ half-life-2-episode-two/ 826498p1. html).
GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-05-12.
[27] Adams, Dan (2007-10-09). "IGN: Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 826/ 826067p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2007-10-10.
[28] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=173006). PC Gamer UK. 2007-10-10. . Retrieved
2008-05-09.
''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'' 64

[29] Herold, Charles (2007-10-25). "In 1 Box, 3 New Games Filled With Puzzles and Fights" (http:/ / www. nytimes. com/ 2007/ 10/ 25/
technology/ circuits/ 25game. html). The New York Times. . Retrieved 2008-05-12.
[30] http:/ / orange. half-life2. com/ hl2ep2. html
[31] http:/ / www. steampowered. com/ v/ index. php
[32] http:/ / www. mobygames. com/ game/ half-life-2-episode-two

''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast''

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast

Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Steam

Series Half-Life

Engine Source

Platform(s) Windows

Release date(s) October 27, 2005

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Tech demo

Mode(s) Single-player

Media Download

System requirements Half-Life 2,

2.4 GHz processor,
1 GB RAM,
DirectX 9 video card,
Internet connection

Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is a small additional level for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2.
Developed by Valve Software, it was released on October 27, 2005 through the Steam content delivery service as a
free download to owners of the Microsoft Windows version of Half-Life 2. Lost Coast serves as a technology
demonstration, specifically showcasing the high dynamic range rendering implemented in the Source engine. The
level was designed with a variety of appropriate environments to emphasize these effects. In addition, Lost Coast
was the first video game developed by Valve to allow developers to explain various elements of design as the player
progresses through the level.
Lost Coast follows Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman as he travels up a coastal cliff to destroy a Combine
artillery launcher in a monastery, which is firing on a nearby town. The Lost Coast level was originally created for
Half-Life 2, but was ultimately removed from the game. As a result, it has several minor story details that were not
included in Half-Life 2. The level received a generally positive reception, and there was consensus among reviewers
that the new features included in Lost Coast should be integrated into future games released by Valve.
''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast'' 65

Gameplay
Lost Coast uses the same first-person shooter gameplay mechanics as Half-Life 2. The game is viewed from the
perspective of the player character, and plot information is imparted through scripted sequences rather than cut
scenes. A heads-up display at the bottom of the screen shows the player's health, energy gauge, and ammunition
status, while available weapons are shown at the top. Health and armor energy can be replenished by picking up
medical supplies and energy cells respectively, or by using wall-mounted charging devices. The player character is
equipped with a small armory of weapons from Half-Life 2 at the beginning of the level, including a pistol, shotgun,
crossbow, and gravity gun. The gravity gun allows the player to manipulate physical objects in the world; it can be
used to pick up nearby objects and throw them at enemies or create cover from enemy fire. The gravity gun can also
be used to perform several non-combat functions, such as grabbing out-of-reach supply crates.[1]

Plot
Lost Coast opens with the protagonist, Gordon Freeman, gaining consciousness near a group of decaying piers,
underneath a monastery set up on rocks and overlooking the small town of St. Olga. A fisherman recognizes
Freeman and directs him to the monastery, which the enemy Combine are using as a platform to launch artillery
shells filled with headcrabs into the town. The fisherman opens a gate, allowing the player to proceed, and waits for
Freeman's return.[2] As Freeman proceeds up the cliffside to the monastery, he encounters heavy resistance from
Combine soldiers who rappel down the cliff to engage him. Gordon fights his way up, enters the monastery's
sanctuary, and disables the artillery launcher. This alerts nearby soldiers, who assault the sanctuary in force, while a
Combine attack helicopter arrives to support the soldiers. After defeating the soldiers in the courtyard, Freeman
moves to scaffolding over the side of the cliff and destroys the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
The helicopter crashes into the scaffolding, freeing up a path to a crude elevator which lowers Freeman back down to
the pier. The fisherman congratulates Freeman on his success, invites him to a feast in St. Olga, and the screen fades
out. The fisherman exclaims that Gordon is "getting all fuzzy round the edges" as the level ends.[1]

Development

Level design
Lost Coast was originally conceived as a level in Half-Life 2, but was later discarded during development. As a
result, Lost Coast features minor storyline details that were removed from Half-Life 2, such as the headcrab artillery
launchers.[3] Each area of the level was designed with a specific purpose. An Eastern Orthodox architectural style
was deliberately chosen for the monastery, as buildings of this type "are very colorful and have a large variety of
materials" and are "often lit naturally, with extremes of darkness and brightness," providing an ideal showcase for
the HDR lighting effects.[4] Valve also thought that the use of a monastery would help provide a starker contrast
between old human architecture and futuristic Combine technology found within it.[5] The cliffside that leads to the
monastery had a gameplay-oriented purpose, and was meant to emulate a similar cliffside combat scene in Half-Life.
The cliffside also forces the player to be observant of threats from above and below, breaking from normal
horizontal combat.[6] The monastery's courtyard was designed as an area where the player recovers from the cliffside
combat, while also presenting a contained combat arena later in the level in which the player must hold their ground
while they are attacked from multiple directions.[7]
''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast'' 66

High dynamic range rendering

The goal of Lost Coast was to demonstrate
the new high dynamic range (HDR)
rendering implemented into the Source
game engine.[8] Valve first attempted to
implement HDR rendering in Source in late
2003. The first method stored textures in
RGBA color space, allowing for
multisample anti-aliasing and pixel shaders
to be used, but this prevented alpha mapping
and fog effects from working properly, as
well as making textures appear sharp and
jagged.[9] The second method involved
saving two versions of a texture: one with A comparison of the standard fixed aperture rendering (left) with the HDR
rendering (right)
regular data, and the other with
overbrightening data. However, this
technique did not allow for multisample anti-aliasing and consumed twice as much video card memory, making it
unfeasible.[9] The third method, shown at the E3 convention in 2005, used floating point data to define the RGB
color space, allowing for reasonably efficient storage of the HDR data. However, this method also did not allow for
multisample anti-aliasing, and was only compatible with Nvidia video cards, leaving ATI cards unable to run
HDR.[9] The fourth and final method compromised between the second and third methods, using overbrightening
textures sparingly and allowing ATI cards to render HDR in a different way to the Nvidia ones while nearly
producing the same end result.[9]

The final version of Valve's HDR technology adds a significant number of lighting effects to the engine, aimed at
making the game appear more realistic. Bloom shading was introduced, blurring bright edges in the game world and
emulating a camera's overexposure to light.[10] This is combined with exposure control to tailor the effect to
represent the human eye. For example, as the player exits a dark area into a light area, the new area is initially
glaringly bright, but quickly darkens, representing the adjustment of the player character's eyes to the light.[11] New
cube mapping techniques allow the reflection cast by an object to correspond with the brightness of the light source,
and lightmaps enable light bouncing and global illumination to be taken into account in the rendering.[10] Refraction
effects were added to make light account for the physical attributes of an object and to emulate the way light is
reflected by water.[10] The Lost Coast level is specifically designed to showcase these effects. It uses the sea and
beach as opportunities to demonstrate water-based effects, the monastery to demonstrate bloom from its whitewash
walls, and the sanctuary to provide the means to show refraction through stained glass windows and cube maps on
golden urns and candlesticks.[12]
As a technology showcase, Valve considered Lost Coast to have very demanding system requirements.[13] The game
runs on computers with specifications lower than what is recommended, albeit without some key features such as
HDR. If a non-HDR capable card is used, the developer commentary is changed slightly to reflect this. For example,
Gabe Newell would describe the effects that are seen in a different manner.[14]
''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast'' 67

Commentary system
In addition to a showcase for visual improvements, Lost Coast acted as a testbed for Valve's commentary system.
When the feature is enabled, additional items appear in the game that can be interacted with to play an audio
commentary. Each audio piece ranges from ten seconds to a minute of commentary. Players hear the developers talk
about what the player is seeing, what is happening, why they made certain decisions, and what kinds of challenges
they faced. Commentary tracks are represented by floating speech bubbles called commentary nodes.[15] Valve
intended for players to first play the level with commentary disabled, and after completing the level, play it again
with commentary enabled, learning about each new stage as they progress.[16] The company has made the
commentary system standard in all of its later video games.[17]

Release and reception

Lost Coast was released on October 27, 2005 as a free download from Valve's Steam content delivery service to
anyone who purchased Half-Life 2.[18] People who received Half-Life 2 as a gift from Valve's online store were not
eligible to download the level. Valve announced on May 30, 2007 that Lost Coast, along with Half-Life 2:
Deathmatch, would be made available for free to owners of ATI Radeon cards.[19] It was later released without
charge to Nvidia graphics card owners along with Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Peggle Extreme, and the first eleven
levels of Portal.[20]
Lost Coast was generally well-received by video game critics. 1UP.com enjoyed the amount of detail, including the
graphics, puzzles, and intelligent enemies, saying, "Valve just packed more atmosphere into a tiny snippet than most
shooters muster, period." The review also praised the level's commentary system, calling it an informative addition,
and enjoyed the interesting and insightful comments made by some of its creators.[21] The level satisfied UGO
because "it would be harder not to enjoy this level in all its beautifully rendered glory—even after you've broken all
the windows and spattered the walls with Combine blood,"[22] and GameSpot commented that "the textures in Lost
Coast are noticeably more detailed and numerous than in the retail game." The review concluded by hoping that the
features introduced in Lost Coast would be included in future games released by Valve.[14]
Negative reaction to the game focused on its length and gameplay. 1UP.com and UGO both considered it short;[21]
[22]
Shawn Elliott of 1UP.com described it as "a lickety-split run through postcard-pretty tide pools, up cliffs, and
into a church turned Combine outpost".[21] UGO's Nigel Grammer stated that Lost Coast's gameplay seemed to be
secondary to the level's graphics.[22] Lost Coast's gameplay disappointed Brad Shoemaker of GameSpot, who
compared it to that of Half-Life 2 and considered them to be very similar, saying that it "isn't going to set the world
on fire".[14]

External links
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast [23] on Steam
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast [24] preview by EuroGamer
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast benchmarks [25] by bit-tech.net
• Interview with Gabe Newell [26] on 1UP.com

References
[1] "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Walkthrough" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=8& game=3).
Planet Half-Life. GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[2] "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Allies" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=18& game=3). Planet
Half-Life. GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[3] Accrado, Sal (2005-10-28). "Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast (PC)" (http:/ / pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ half-life-2-lost-coast/ 662640p1. html).
GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[4] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. PC. (2005) "Viktor Antonov: Churches are great dramatic spaces. They’re often lit naturally,
with extremes of darkness and brightness, which makes them a great showcase for HDR. Gothic churches are the sober, monochromatic
''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast'' 68

spaces that you’ve seen in almost every horror movie or game. Byzantine churches, on the other hand, are very colourful and have a large
variety of materials. We wanted that color & material variety to show off our HDR reflections."
[5] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. PC. (2005) "Viktor Antonov: We also like to focus on contrasting elements in our settings, like
ancient human architecture and futuristic Combine technology. A monastery fit these requirements perfectly. Monasteries are generally
isolated, unlit, and built ages ago. They provide a great backdrop for the contrasting Combine technology."
[6] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. PC. (2005) "Robin Walker: We were particularly happy with the vertical cliffside in Half-Life 1,
and regretted that we didn't iterate further on that concept in Half-Life 2. Vertical space allows us to force the player to deal with threats from
above and below. We find that players focus their view on the direction they're travelling, so by using a cliffside, and having the player ascend
it, we ensure the player will look up and be prepared for enemies. If the player's path was to move past the bottom of the cliffside, it would be
unlikely he would notice the soldiers rappelling down from above."
[7] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. PC. (2005) "Robin Walker: The courtyard in front of you is a space we call an Arena. Arenas
are built to hold the player for a period of time, and usually contain combat or some other challenge. They often have multiple entry-points for
enemies, along with a gate of some kind to prevent the player moving on, until the challenge has been completed. In this case, the arena is free
of enemies until the player solves a puzzle, and triggers an alarm. [...] The break in action here is also a crucial part of the level's pacing. It
allows the player to recover and explore the world a little, after being attacked on the way up the cliffside."
[8] Lee, Garnett (2005-08-29). "Half-Life 2: Aftermath and Lost Coast" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?pager. offset=1& cId=3143168).
1UP.com. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[9] Reimer, Jeremy (2005-09-15). "A primer on HDR and a tour of Valve's Lost Coast: The road to HDR" (http:/ / arstechnica. com/ articles/
culture/ lostcoast. ars/ 3). Ars Technica. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[10] Richards, Geoff (2005-06-14). "Lost Coast / Source HDR Feature Set" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2005/ 06/ 14/ hl2_hdr_overview/
2). bit-tech. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[11] Richards, Geoff (2005-06-14). "Under & Over Exposure" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2005/ 06/ 14/ hl2_hdr_overview/ 3). bit-tech.
. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[12] Richards, Geoff (2005-06-14). "Half Life 2: Lost Coast HDR Eye Candy" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2005/ 06/ 14/
hl2_hdr_overview/ 4). bit-tech. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[13] Bramwell, Tom (2005-10-28). "HL2 Lost Coast released" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=61449). Eurogamer. .
Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[14] Shoemaker, Brad (2005-07-28). "Half-Life 2 Lost Coast Hands-On" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2/ preview_6129904.
html). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[15] "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Overview" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=11& game=3).
Planet Half-Life. GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[16] Richards, Geoff (2005-09-14). "Preview: Half-Life 2: Lost Coast: Thoughts" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2005/ 09/ 14/
lost_coast_screens/ 5). bit-tech. . Retrieved 2008-11-21.
[17] "Steam Marketing Message" (http:/ / www. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ August5. 2005/ ?l=english). Valve Corporation.
2005-08-05. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[18] Pinckard, Jane (2005-10-27). "Lost Coast Out Now" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ newsStory?cId=3145123). 1UP. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[19] Valich, Theo (2007-05-30). "Valve gives free games to ATI Radeon owners" (http:/ / www. theinquirer. net/ en/ inquirer/ news/ 2007/ 05/
30/ valve-gives-free-games-to-ati-radeon-owners). The Inquirer. . Retrieved 2007-05-31.
[20] Swinburne, Richard (2008-01-10). "Free Portal to all Nvidia GeForce owners" (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ news/ 2008/ 01/ 10/
free_portal_to_all_nvidia_geforce_owners/ 1). bit-tech. . Retrieved 2008-11-29.
[21] Elliott, Shawn (2005-10-28). "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast (PC)" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ reviewPage?cId=3147182& p=1). 1UP. .
Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[22] Grammer, Nigel. "Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Review" (http:/ / www. ugo. com/ channels/ games/ features/ halflife_2/ lostcoast. asp). UGO. .
Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[23] http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ app/ 340/
[24] http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=58580
[25] http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ 2005/ 09/ 21/ lost_coast_benchmark/ 1. html
[26] http:/ / gamevideos. 1up. com/ video/ id/ 1062
''Half-Life 2: Survivor'' 69

''Half-Life 2: Survivor''
Half-Life 2: Survivor

Developer(s) Valve Software

Taito Corporation

Publisher(s) Taito Corporation

Engine Source

Platform(s) Arcade

Release date(s) JP
June 28, 2006

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Input methods 2 joysticks (move, shoot), 2 pedals (jump, Crouch)

Cabinet Upright

Arcade system Taito Type X+

Half-Life 2: Survivor is an arcade game based on the science fiction first-person shooter video game, Half-Life 2. It
was released on June 28, 2006 on Taito's Type X+ arcade system, with a 32" widescreen high definition LCD
running at 1360x768 resolution. The game's player character is controlled with joysticks and floor pedals, and offers
three game modes: Story, Battle, and Mission, each with different objectives. The game was met with a generally
positive reception. Reviewers found it interesting to play the game in an arcade environment, and considered the
shift to an arcade setting an excellent introduction to the Half-Life series of video games to Japan.

Gameplay
Players control their movement using two joysticks (one for each
hand) and floor pedals. Three gameplay modes are available:
Story, which approximates the events of the original game;
Mission, which forces networked players to work cooperatively
toward a goal; and Battle, which parallels the deathmatch content
of the original game. Up to eight players—either local players or
individuals in other networked arcades—can participate in the
In-game screenshot
Battle and Mission modes.[1]

In Story mode, players advance through partial combat scenes

from the original game, following neon-lit guiding arrows. Each chapter has several levels with goals such as "Kill
''Half-Life 2: Survivor'' 70

Combines" or "Find your way to the goal". When goals are completed, the player is taken to next level. When
players finish all the levels of the chapter, the game ends. Progress can be saved on a removable card to allow the
player to choose a new chapter at the next visit. Aside from the G-Man introductory cut-scene, Half Life 2: Survivor
does not incorporate any of Half-Life 2's story elements, levels, or physics-based puzzles.[1]
In Mission mode, there are three objective maps with three difficulties: normal, hard, and super hard. Map goals
include "Collect gems", "Destroy Zombie spawning points", and "Escape". A Battle mode is also available in the
game. It is essentially four-on-four team match. Players can choose between two different factions: the Combine and
the Human Resistance. Both factions have four classes of troops: Ranger, Soldier, Sniper, and Engineer.[1]

Development
The game uses content common to the Xbox and PC releases, although the game focuses on the set pieces that
characterized the original game.[2] Half-Life 2: Survivor was first revealed to the public by Taito in a private
exhibition in Tokyo on November 29, 2005. It was originally meant to be released in March 2006 but it was pushed
back to June 28, 2006. The game is only available in Japan.[1]
The game runs on a machine based on Taito's Type X unit, an arcade system built with PC components, which runs
on the Windows XP Embedded operating system. The game machine's cabinet uses a 32 inch LCD screen which
runs at a resolution of 1360x768 pixels.[3] The machine also has a 5.1-channel surround sound system, and it uses a
smart card for storing player data. Because the game is network-enabled, players in different arcades are able to play
with each other. A maximum of eight players can play in the same match; robots are used to fill in empty player slots
if there are less than eight human players.[1]

Reception
Reception to the transposition of the Half-Life series to an arcade setting was generally positive. Despite the shift
from gameplay typical of the Half-Life series to a multi-point arcade control scheme, Eliza Gauger of Kotaku said
that she "kinda d[u]g the concept", even though it was somewhat "weird and disorienting".[4] The video games
review website, Video Games Blogger, considered the port to an arcade setting "interesting and totally unexpected",
and concluded its review by commenting that the arcade game could possibly increase interest in first-person shooter
video games in Japan, a country more interested in arcade games.[5]

External links
• Official website [6] (Japanese)
• Screenshots from Siliconera.com [7]
• A Steam Message telling about the game [8]
• Videos: Operation [9], Mission [10], Battle [11], Attract [12], Story [13]

References
[1] "Half-Life 2 to hit Japanese arcades" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ arcade/ action/ halflife2survivor/ news. html?sid=6140527&
om_act=convert& om_clk=newsfeatures& tag=newsfeatures;title;2). GameSpot. 2005-11-29. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[2] "Half-Life 2 Survivor" (http:/ / cheats. ign. com/ objects/ 787/ 787756. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[3] McWhertor, Michael (2006-04-09). "Half-Life 2: Survivor: The Cabinet" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ gaming/ taito/
halflife-2-survivor-the-cabinet-166046. php). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2008-10-17.
[4] Gauger, Eliza (2006-07-18). "Half-Life 2: Survivor Arcade Cabinet" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ gaming/ half_life/ half+
life-2-survivor-arcade-cabinet-188256. php). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2008-12-17.
[5] "Half-Life 2 Goes Arcade! . . . In Japan" (http:/ / www. videogamesblogger. com/ 2005/ 11/ 30/ half-life-2-goes-arcade-in-japan. htm). Video
Games Blogger. 2005-11-30. . Retrieved 2008-12-17.
[6] http:/ / hl2survivor. net
[7] http:/ / www. siliconera. com/ 2006/ 07/ 18/ half-life-2-survivor-screenshots/
''Half-Life 2: Survivor'' 71

[8] http:/ / storefront. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ message/ 816/ ?l=english
[9] http:/ / vision. ameba. jp/ watch. do?movie=528657
[10] http:/ / vision. ameba. jp/ watch. do?movie=528606
[11] http:/ / vision. ameba. jp/ watch. do?movie=528575
[12] http:/ / vision. ameba. jp/ watch. do?movie=528504
[13] http:/ / vision. ameba. jp/ watch. do?movie=528517
''Codename: Gordon'' 72

''Codename: Gordon''
Codename: Gordon

Gordon Freeman trying to sneak by some Combine soldiers guarding a prison, in chapter five.
Developer(s) Nuclear Vision

License Freeware

Engine Adobe Flash

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows

Release date(s) May 17, 2004

Genre(s) Action

Mode(s) Single player

Media Download

System requirements 1.6 GHz processor

Input methods Keyboard, mouse

Codename: Gordon, also known as Half-Life 2D, is a two-dimensional Flash sidescroller shooter game made by
Paul "X-Tender" Kamma and Söenke "Warbeast" Seidel. The game was produced on behalf of Nuclear Vision, and
was distributed over Valve Software's Steam online delivery system[1] as a promotional title for the then-upcoming
Half-Life 2.[2] The game was removed from Steam's storefront due to the developer's bankruptcy.[3] [4]
The game started off as a fan project of Paul Kamma and Söenke Seidel, the concept being inspired by various
Half-Life 2 advertisements. Soon after, the two started working on Codename: Gordon on behalf of Nuclear Vision.
The company also presented the game to Valve, the developer team of the original Half-Life series, who later
distributed the game through Steam.[5]
Codename: Gordon has been overall well received by both reviewers, and the public, the game attracting over
600,000 players in the first three weeks after its release.[5] [6] Reviewers appreciated the game for its gameplay and
unique dialog style,[7] [8] [9] but also criticized it for its improper optimization, and lack of opponent variety.[8] [9] [10]
''Codename: Gordon'' 73

Gameplay
Just as in Half-Life 2, the player takes control of Gordon Freeman. However, unlike the other games in the Half-Life
series, Codename: Gordon is set in a two-dimensional world. The sidescroller shooter game offers the player the
ability to control Gordon by using the keyboard for movement, and the mouse for aiming and firing weapons.[7] [9]
Armed with various weapons, including the trademark crowbar, and the gravity gun introduced by Half-Life 2, the
player makes his way around six levels, along which he encounters enemies such as zombies, headcrabs, and the
Combine. Similarly to the main titles in the Half-Life series, the action sequences of the gameplay are broken up by
various puzzles.[5] [8] [9]
Along the way the player meets with some of the key characters of the main series, who communicate with Gordon
through text dialog, as the game does not feature voice acting. Unlike the core games of the Half-Life series, in
Codename: Gordon the player is able to participate interactively in the dialog, by using emoticons, such as :], :-),
each associated with a different type of answer.[7] [8]
Upon finishing Codename: Gordon, a new bonus game is unlocked, called "Crow Chase", in which the player has to
try and gather as many points as possible, within a given time limit, by chasing crows, in an attempt to keep them in
the air for as long as possible.[5] [11]

Plot
Codename: Gordon presents an alternative to the storyline of Half-Life
2, with locations inspired by both Half-Life and Half-Life 2.[1] Along
the way Gordon Freeman meets with some of the main characters of
the Half-Life series, and tries to find out what is the cause behind the
disappearance of the third dimension.
The game starts with Gordon Freeman in a dock area. After making his
way through a few zombies and headcrabs, Gordon meets with Barney
Calhoun, a prominent character in the later Half-Life titles. He tells
Gordon is attacked by an alien gunship, while
Gordon of an "entire dimension" missing, and also notes that the
driving the rebel buggy. science team is working on solving the problem. Being injured Barney
cannot leave the place, so he gives Gordon his pistol, telling him to
leave without him.[12]

Later on, in the second chapter the player meets with Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx who tell Gordon to take their
car, which will help him reach City 17, as seemingly it is the center of the problem. They also tell him to talk to Dr.
Kleiner, about his new invention, the gravity gun.[13] Soon after, the player finds Dr. Kleiner, who tells Gordon
about his worries regarding the missing dimension, and also gives him the gravity gun mentioned by Eli and
Alyx.[14]
After being attacked by an alien gunship, and passing through a prison heavily guarded by Combine soldiers, Gordon
manages to reach City 17, where he finds G-Man. He tells the player he has been expecting him, and claims to not be
behind the situation regarding the missing dimension, instead he says he is but a "lowly pawn in a shady game being
played by sinister powers".[15] Soon after, Gordon reaches a strider, a large tripod assault synth, which turns out to be
the source of the problem, as upon defeating it a portal is opened in which Gordon steps in, sending him back to the
third dimension.
''Codename: Gordon'' 74

Production and publication

Development on Codename: Gordon began in mid 2003. The game started as a fan project of Paul "X-Tender"
Kamma, responsible for the software coding, and Söenke "Warbeast" Seidel, responsible for the game graphics. The
game was coded in Flash, the reason for this choice being Kamma and Seidel's experience with this programming
language.[16] The initial intention was to create a platform game, the setting only being decided upon after noticing
various pre-release advertisements of Valve's Half-Life 2 video game. Soon after the project's initiation the game was
noticed by Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclear Vision, whose company started working on Codename: Gordon
together with Kamma and Seidel.[5]
Originally the game was planned for the Nintendo DS portable console. This decision has been changed only after
Nuclear Vision had contact with Valve Corporation. Being positive about the game, the producers of the Half-Life
series also started participating in the development of Codename: Gordon, Doug Wood overseeing the project on
behalf of Valve.[2] The game was released on May 17, 2004, and was distributed freely on Valve's Steam online
delivery system,[1] as a form of publicity for the, at that time, upcoming Half-Life 2.[2] As stated by Gabe Newell, the
game was originally supposed to be released on April 1, as a joke for April Fools' Day, with Codename: Gordon
supposedly being Valve's Half-Life 2.[5]
Originally we were going to release it on April 1st. I even wrote a fake press release that went something like,
'Due to tremendous pressure from the gaming community to ship Half-Life 2, we looked long and hard at the
game to see if there was anything we could cut that would let us ship sooner. It looked like if we cut the third
dimension, we'd be all set, so after five years in development, Valve and Nuclearvision[sic] proudly present
Half-Life 2D.' Fortunately saner minds prevailed.
—Gabe Newell[5]
Initially Codename: Gordon was supposed to receive several updates, that included a second bonus game which
could be unlocked after finishing the game.[5] However Paul Kamma announced that the update was eventually
canceled.[11] Due to the Bankruptcy of Nuclear Vision, the official site of the company was put out of order and
therefore the game has been removed by Valve from the site catalog as references to the site are still hard coded into
the game. The game is still accessible by running the proper command in a browser while having Steam installed.
The command is: steam://install/92.

Reception
The game has received much attention from the community, even before its release to the public.[2] As noted by Tim
Bruns, art director of Nuclear Vision, the game attracted over 600,000 players in the first three weeks of its release.
Bruns declared himself surprised by this number, and said that "the ability to reach this many gamers almost
overnight is amazing".[5] [6]
Codename: Gordon has received overall good reviews from game critics. Home of the Underdogs, described it as
being "one of the best fangames".[10] The game has also been widely appreciated for its inclusion of the gravity gun,
Gameplanet saying that it "works as advertised, and is indeed, pretty [cool]",[7] Pixel Rage also described the
weapon as one of the game's best features,[8] and gotoAndPlay said it "adds a nice touch to the game".[9] Codename:
Gordon has also been praised for its detailed background landscapes,[10] and its unique dialog style in which the
player uses emoticons to communicate with other characters.[8] [9]
However the game has received negative feedback as well. One of the main issues that have been raised is
performance, gotoAndPlay arguing that the game has a tendency towards lower frame frequencies when multiple
enemies are present on the map, as well as lack of proper optimization.[9] Home of the Underdogs also complained
about the game's high system requirements, considering its complexity, a 1.6 GHz processor or higher being
necessary in order to play.[10] The game has also been criticized for its lack of opponent variety,[8] [9] and simple, but
awkward control scheme,[10] as well as its lack of a save function.[7] [8]
''Codename: Gordon'' 75

External links
• Former official site [17] – defunct site available through Wayback Machine
• Interview by PC Games [18] with Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclear Vision, on June 14, 2004
• Interview by HomeLAN Fed [19] with Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve, and Tim Bruns, on June 18,
2004

References
[1] "Codename Gordon Released" (http:/ / www. steamgames. com/ v/ index. php?area=news& id=265). Steam. 2004-05-17. . Retrieved
2008-08-22.
[2] Bruns, Tim. Interview. Half-Life 2D: Developer Interview (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20040803135240/ http:/ / hl2fallout. com/ html/
press/ pcgamesde_cnginterview. php). PC Games (http:/ / www. pcgames. de/ ). 2004-06-14. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
[3] "Codename: Gordon game information" (http:/ / www. uvlist. net/ game-166975-Codename:+ Gordon). Universal Videogame List (http:/ /
www. uvlist. net/ ). 2008-02-23. . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
[4] The Nuclear Vision web site could previously have been found at http:/ / www. nuclearvision. de, now a defunct website.
[5] Newell, Gabe & Tim Bruns. Interview with John Callaham. Codename: Gordon Interview (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20040714075735/
http:/ / www. homelanfed. com/ index. php?id=24085). HomeLAN Fed. 2004-06-18. Retrieved on 2008-08-22.
[6] GameSpot (2004-06-14). "Codename Gordon: Over 600,000 Gamers Strong, and Growing" (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/
halflife2/ news. html?sid=6100948& mode=press). Press release. . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
[7] snak^ (2004-05-25). "Codename: Gordon" (http:/ / old. gameplanet. co. nz/ mag. dyn/ Reviews/ 2746. html). Gameplanet. . Retrieved
2008-08-23.
[8] Warden (2004-05-18). "Codename Gordon lansat si cateva detalii" (http:/ / www. pixelrage. ro/ news/
Codename-Gordon-lansat-si-cateva-detalii-1045. html) (in Romanian). Pixel Rage (http:/ / www. pixelrage. ro/ ). . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
[9] Tom Samson (2004-06-09). "Game reviews: codename gordon" (http:/ / www. gotoandplay. it/ _reviews/ review. php?r=70). gotoAndPlay
(http:/ / www. gotoandplay. it). . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
[10] "Codename: Gordon" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20071111103408/ http:/ / www. the-underdogs. info/ game. php?id=4882). Home of
the Underdogs. Archived from the original (http:/ / www. the-underdogs. info/ game. php?id=4882) on 2007-11-11. . Retrieved 2008-08-23.
[11] "Codename: Gordon - No Continue?" (http:/ / halflife2. filefront. com/ news/ Codename_Gordon_No_Continue;15936). Paul Kamma.
2005-01-02. . Retrieved 2008-08-25.
[12] Nuclear Vision. Codename: Gordon. Level/area: Chapter 1: The Docks. (2004-05-17) "Barney: The science team is working on solving this
dimensional riddle. [...] I'm a victim of a zombie attack. [...] You'll have to go on without me. [...] The pistol is not doing me any good. Why
don't you take it?"
[13] Nuclear Vision. Codename: Gordon. Level/area: Chapter 2: The Harbor. (2004-05-17) "Eli: Push on to City 17. That seems to be the center
of disturbance. / Alyx: You can borrow our car. I left the keys in the ignition. / Eli: Keep your eyes open for your old mentor, Dr. Kleiner.
He's developed a gravity gun."
[14] Nuclear Vision. Codename: Gordon. Level/area: Chapter 2: The Harbor. (2004-05-17) "Dr. Kleiner: Needless to say, the recent absence of
our beloved third dimension has made the Manipulator quite finicky. You may propel objects to either side with abandon, but you will find
yourself severely restricted along the z axis. I do lament to the recent imposition of these new dimensional constraints!"
[15] Nuclear Vision. Codename: Gordon. Level/area: Chapter 6: City 17. (2004-05-17) "G-Man: Dr. Freeman. I suppose you expect me to say
this is a surprise. Unfortunately for both of us, nothing can be further from the truth. The science team would like to lay the blame for this
whole business at my feet, but while it's true that I have a penchant for dimensional manipulation, in this case I am but a lowly pawn in a
shady game played by sinister powers. [...] If you wish to see your precious third dimension again, Dr. Freeman, then there is only one course
open for you. [...] The boss of you lies waiting just ahead. Defeat that boss, and you will learn the identity of those responsible for our current
circumstances."
[16] "Game FAQ" (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070212231911/ www. halflife2d. com/ ?faq). . Retrieved 2008-08-24.
[17] http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070509125829/ www. halflife2d. com/
[18] http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20040803135240/ http:/ / hl2fallout. com/ html/ press/ pcgamesde_cnginterview. php
[19] http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20040714075735/ http:/ / www. homelanfed. com/ index. php?id=24085
''Portal'' 76

''Portal''
Portal

Portal's box art displays one of the signs commonly used in the game's environment.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Valve Corporation

Microsoft Game Studios (XBLA)

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Composer(s) Kelly Bailey

Mike Morasky
Jonathan Coulton

Series Half-Life

Engine Source

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date(s)

Genre(s) Puzzle, first-person action game, science fiction

Mode(s) Single-player

Rating(s) ESRB: T
OFLC: M
PEGI: 12+
USK: 12

Media DVD, digital download

System requirements Minimum:

1.7 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 8 compatible video card, Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Mac OS X
Recommended:
[5]
Pentium 4 processor (3.0 GHz or better), 1 GB RAM, DirectX 9 compatible video card, Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Input methods Gamepad, keyboard and mouse

Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle video game developed by Valve Corporation. The game was
released in a bundle package called The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on October 9, 2007,[1] [2]
and for the PlayStation 3 on December 11, 2007.[3] The Windows version of the game is also available for download
separately through Valve's content delivery system Steam[5] and was released as a standalone retail product on April
9, 2008.[4] A stand-alone version called "Still Alive" was released on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade system on October
22, 2008; this version includes an additional fourteen puzzles. A Mac OS X version was released as part of the
Mac-compatible Steam platform on May 12, 2010.[6]
''Portal'' 77

The game consists primarily of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's character and
simple objects using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (ASHPD, also dubbed the portal gun), a unit that
can create inter-spatial portals between flat planes. The player character is challenged by an AI named GLaDOS to
complete each puzzle in the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center using the portal gun with the
promise of receiving cake when all the puzzles are completed. The unusual physics allowed by the portal gun are the
emphasis of this game and are an extension of a similar portal concept in Narbacular Drop; many of the team
members from the DigiPen Institute of Technology that worked on Narbacular Drop were hired by Valve for the
creation of Portal.
Portal was acclaimed as one of the most original games of 2007, despite being considered short in length. The game
received praise for its unique gameplay and darkly humorous story, created with the assistance of Erik Wolpaw and
Chet Faliszek of Old Man Murray fame. It also received acclaim for the character of GLaDOS, voiced by Ellen
McLain in the English-language version, and the final credits song "Still Alive" written by Jonathan Coulton for the
game. The game's popularity has led to official merchandise from Valve including plush Companion Cubes, and fan
creations such as recreations of the cake and portal gun. A sequel, Portal 2, was announced in March 2010 for
release during the 2010 holiday season.

Gameplay

A representation of how the magnitude of linear momentum is conserved through portals. By jumping into the blue
portal, the character is launched out of the orange portal and onto the platform on the right.

A more advanced portal technique. The character builds up speed using two blue portals, to reach an otherwise
unreachable area. The second blue portal is carefully created mid-air, after exiting the orange portal for the first time.
In Portal, the player controls the protagonist, Chell, from a first-person perspective as she is challenged to navigate
through a series of rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (portal gun or ASHPD). The portal
gun can create two distinct portal ends, orange and blue. The portals create a visual and physical connection between
two different locations in three-dimensional space. Neither end is specifically an entrance or exit; all objects that
travel through one portal will exit through the other. An important aspect of the game's physics is momentum
redirection.[7] As moving objects pass through portals, they come through the exit portal at the same direction as the
exit portal is facing. This makes it possible to jump through the portal and emerge moving in a different direction
across the room.[8] For example, a common maneuver is to jump down to a portal on the floor and emerge through a
wall, flying over a gap or another obstacle. This allows the player to launch objects or Chell herself over great
distances, both vertically and horizontally, referred to as flinging by Valve.[7] As GLaDOS puts it, "In layman's
terms: speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out." If portal ends are not on parallel planes, the character passing
through is reoriented to be upright with respect to gravity after leaving a portal end.
''Portal'' 78

Chell and all other objects in the game that can fit into the portal ends will pass through the portal. However, a portal
shot cannot pass through an open portal; it will simply fail or create a new portal in an offset position. If a portal of
the same color as an existing one is created, the previous portal is destroyed. Moving objects, glass, special wall
surfaces, liquids, or areas that are too small will not accommodate portals. Chell is sometimes provided with cubes
that she can pick up and use to climb on or to hold down large buttons that open doors or activate mechanisms.
Particle fields exist at the end of all and within some test chambers that, when passed through, close any open portals
and disintegrate any object carried through. The fields also block attempts to fire portals through them.[9]
Although Chell is equipped with mechanized heel springs to prevent damage from falling,[7] she can be killed by
various other hazards in the test chambers, such as turret guns, bouncing balls of energy, and electrified toxic liquid.
She can also be killed by objects falling through portals, and by a series of crushers that appear in certain levels.
Unlike most action games, there is no visible amount of health; Chell dies if she is dealt a certain amount of damage
in a short time period, but returns to full health fairly quickly.
The portal gun allows several possible approaches to completing the various test chambers. In its initial preview of
Portal, GameSpot noted that many solutions exist for completing each puzzle, and that the gameplay "gets even
crazier, and the diagrams shown in the trailer showed some incredibly crazy things that you can attempt."[10] Two
additional modes are unlocked upon the completion of the game that challenge the player to work out alternative
methods of solving each test chamber. Challenge maps are unlocked near the halfway point and Advanced Chambers
are unlocked when the game is completed.[11] In Challenge mode, levels are revisited with the added goal of
completing the test chamber either with as little time, with the least number of portals, or with the fewest footsteps
possible. In Advanced mode, certain levels are made more complex with the addition of more obstacles and
hazards.[12] [13]
The PC, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X versions of the game also feature a number of Achievements the player can earn
by completing tasks. Achievements range from normal gameplay requirements, such as obtaining the Aperture
Science Handheld Portal Device, to various tricks, such as using portals to jump a particular distance.
As with other Source engine games since Half-Life 2, Portal can be played with commentary enabled; special icons
will appear in the game that the player can activate to hear how certain parts of the game were developed.
''Portal'' 79

Synopsis

Characters
The game features two characters: the player-controlled silent
protagonist named Chell, and GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk
Operating System), a computer artificial intelligence that monitors and
directs the player. In the English-language version GLaDOS is voiced
by Ellen McLain. The only background information presented about
Chell is given by GLaDOS; the credibility of these facts, such as Chell
being adopted, an orphan, and having no friends, is questionable at
best, as GLaDOS is a liar by her own admission.

Setting
Portal takes place in the Enrichment Center for Aperture
Laboratories—also known as Aperture Science—which is the research
corporation responsible for the creation of the portal gun. Information
about the company, developed by Valve for creating the setting of the
game, is revealed during the game and via the real-world Web site.[14]
[15]

According to the Aperture Science Web site, Cave Johnson founded

the company in 1953 by for the sole purpose of making shower
curtains for the U.S. military. However, after becoming mentally Chell, the player-controlled protagonist, views
unstable from mercury poisoning in 1978, Johnson created a three-tier herself holding the portal gun through the portals
she has created. She is barefoot and equipped
research and development plan to make his organization successful.
with heel springs on her legs to prevent injury
The first two tiers, the Heimlich Counter-Maneuver (a maneuver from falls.
designed to ensure choking) and the Take-A-Wish Foundation (a
program to give the wishes of dying children to unrelated, entirely healthy adults), were commercial failures and led
to an investigation of the company by the U.S. Senate. However, when the investigative committee heard of the
success of the third tier, a man-sized ad-hoc quantum tunnel through physical space with possible applications as a
shower curtain, it recessed permanently and gave Aperture Science an open-ended contract to continue its research.
The development of GLaDOS, an artificially intelligent research assistant and disk-operating system, began in 1986
in response to Black Mesa's work on similar portal technology.[14] A presentation seen during gameplay reveals that
GLaDOS was also included in a proposed bid for de-icing fuel lines, incorporated as a fully functional
disk-operation system that is arguably alive, unlike Black Mesa's proposal, which inhibits ice, nothing more.[16]
Roughly thirteen years later, work on GLaDOS was completed and the untested AI was activated during the
company's first annual bring-your-daughter-to-work day in 1998, just a few days before the Black Mesa Incident.[15]

The portions of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center that Chell explores suggest that it is part of a massive
research installation. At the time of events depicted in Portal, the Aperture Science Enrichment Center facility seems
to be long-deserted, although most of its equipment remains operational without human control.[17] Though Aperture
Science exists in the Half-Life universe,[10] [16] it is unclear when these events take place in that time-line. At one
point, GLaDOS says, "Things have changed since you last left the building," and claims to be the only thing standing
between "us" and "them", but does not elaborate.
The apparent abandonment of the facility may not have been entirely intentional on the part of the Aperture Science
staff. In the final area of the game, a red phone with a severed wire sits on a desk near the chamber housing
GLaDOS' hardware, which the in-game commentary reveals was meant to be used by Aperture employees as a way
''Portal'' 80

to make an emergency call in case GLaDOS became sentient or God-like. The commentator then notes that, clearly,
this fail-safe did not work as planned.[7] In the game, GLaDOS claims to have flooded the facility with a deadly
neurotoxin before the Aperture employees installed her morality core.
Aperture Science Inc. is also mentioned during Half-Life 2: Episode Two, in which the icebreaker ship Borealis,
belonging to the corporation, is said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, along with part of its
drydock. During its development, Half-Life 2 featured a chapter set on the Borealis, but this was abandoned and
removed before release.[18]

Plot
Portal's plot is revealed to the player via audio messages from GLaDOS and side rooms found in the later levels.
The game begins with Chell waking up from a stasis bed and hearing instructions and warnings from GLaDOS about
the upcoming test experience. This part of the game involves distinct test chambers that, in sequence, introduce
players to the game's mechanics. GLaDOS's announcements serve not only to instruct Chell and help her progress
through the game, but also to create atmosphere and develop the AI as a character.[7] Chell is promised cake and
grief counseling as her reward if she manages to complete all the test chambers.[19]
Chell proceeds through the empty Enrichment Center, only interacting
with GLaDOS. Over the course of the game, GLaDOS's motives are
hinted to be more sinister than her helpful demeanor suggests.
Although she is designed to appear helpful and encouraging,
GLaDOS's actions and speech suggest insincerity and callous disregard
for the safety and well-being of the test subjects. The test chambers
become increasingly dangerous as Chell proceeds, and GLaDOS even
directs Chell through a live-fire course designed for military androids
as a result of the usual test chamber being under repair. In another
chamber, GLaDOS boasts about the fidelity and importance of the A typical Portal test chamber, with both of the
Weighted Companion Cube, a waist-high crate with a single large pink player's colored portals opened. The Weighted
heart on each face, for helping Chell to complete the chamber. Companion Cube can also be seen.

However, GLaDOS then declares that it "unfortunately must be

euthanized" in an "emergency intelligence incinerator" before Chell can continue.[17] Some of the later chambers
include automated turrets with child-like voices (also voiced by McLain) that fire at Chell, only to sympathize with
her after being disabled ("I don't blame you" and "No hard feelings").[20] [21]

After Chell completes the final test chamber, GLaDOS congratulates her and prepares her victory candescence,
where she slowly maneuvers Chell on a moving platform into a pit of fire. As GLaDOS assures her that "all Aperture
technologies remain safely operational up to 4,000 degrees [sic] kelvin", Chell escapes with the use of the portal gun
and makes her way through the maintenance areas within the Enrichment Center.[22] Throughout this section,
GLaDOS still sends messages to Chell and it becomes clear that she has become corrupt and may have killed
everyone else in the center. Chell makes her way through the maintenance areas and empty office spaces behind the
chambers, sometimes following graffiti messages which point in the right direction. These backstage areas, which
are in an extremely dilapidated state, stand in stark contrast to the pristine test chambers. The graffiti includes
statements such as "the cake is a lie" and pastiches of Emily Dickinson's poem "The Chariot," Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow's "The Reaper and the Flowers," and Emily Brontë's "No Coward Soul Is Mine," mourning the death of
the companion cube.[7]
GLaDOS attempts to dissuade Chell with threats of physical harm and misleading statements claiming that she is
going the wrong way as Chell makes her way deeper into the maintenance areas. Eventually, Chell reaches a large
chamber where GLaDOS's hardware hangs overhead. GLaDOS continues to plead with Chell, but during the
exchange one of GLaDOS' personality core spheres falls off; Chell drops it in an incinerator. GLaDOS reveals that
''Portal'' 81

Chell has just destroyed the morality core, which the Aperture Science employees allegedly installed after GLaDOS
flooded the enrichment center with a deadly neurotoxin, and goes on to state that now there is nothing to prevent her
from doing so once again. A six-minute countdown starts as Chell dislodges and incinerates more pieces of
GLaDOS, while GLaDOS attempts to discourage her with a series of taunts and increasingly juvenile insults. After
she has destroyed the final piece, a portal malfunction tears the room apart and transports everything to the surface.
Chell is then seen lying outside the facility's gates amid the remains of GLaDOS. The final scene is changed through
a patch of the PC version that was made available a few days before Portal 2's announcement; in this retroactive
continuity, Chell is dragged away from the facility by an unseen entity speaking in a robotic voice, thanking her for
assuming the party escort submission position (a reference to GLaDOS's request that she assume this position after
escaping).[16] [23]
The final scene, after a long and speedy zoom through the bowels of the facility, shows a mix of shelves surrounding
a Black Forest cake[24] and the Weighted Companion Cube. The shelves contain dozens of other personality cores,
some of which begin to light up before a robotic arm descends and extinguishes the candle on the cake.[25] As the
credits roll, GLaDOS delivers a concluding report: the song "Still Alive," considering the experiment to be a huge
success.[26]

Development

Concept
Portal is Valve's spiritual successor to the freeware game Narbacular Drop, the 2005 independent game released by
students of the DigiPen Institute of Technology; the original Narbacular Drop team is now employed at Valve.[27]
[28]
Certain elements have been retained from Narbacular Drop, such as the system of identifying the two unique
portal endpoints with the colors orange and blue. A key difference in the signature portal mechanic between the two
games however is that Portal's "portal gun" cannot create a portal through an existing portal unlike in Narbacular
Drop. Portal took approximately two years and four months to complete after the DigiPen team was brought into
Valve,[29] and no more than ten people were involved with its development.[30] Portal writer Erik Wolpaw, who,
along with fellow writer Chet Faliszek of the classic gaming commentary/comedy website Old Man Murray, was
hired by Valve for the game, claimed that "Without the constraints, Portal would not be as good a game."[31]
The Portal team worked with Half-Life series writer Marc Laidlaw on fitting the game into the series' plot.[32] This
was done, in part, due to the limited art capabilities of the small team; instead of creating new assets for Portal, they
decided to tie the game to an existing franchise—Half-Life 2—to allow them to reuse the Half-Life 2 art assets.[16]
Wolpaw and Faliszek were put to work on the dialogue for Portal.[28] The concept of a computer AI guiding the
player through experimental facilities to test the portal gun was arrived at early in the writing process.[16] They
drafted early lines for the yet-named "polite" AI with humorous situations, such as requesting the player's character
to "assume the party escort submission position", and found this style of approach to be well suited to the game they
wanted to create, ultimately leading to the creation of the GLaDOS character.[16] GLaDOS was central to the plot, as
Wolpaw notes "We designed the game to have a very clear beginning, middle, and end, and we wanted GLaDOS to
go through a personality shift at each of these points."[33] Wolpaw further describes the idea of using cake as the
reward came about as "at the beginning of the Portal development process, we sat down as a group to decide what
philosopher or school of philosophy our game would be based on. That was followed by about 15 minutes of silence
and then someone mentioned that a lot of people like cake."[16] [33]
''Portal'' 82

Design
The austere settings in the game came about because testers spent too much time trying to complete the puzzles
using decorative but non-functional elements. As a result, the setting was minimized to make the usable aspects of
the puzzle easier to spot, using the clinical feel of the setting in the film The Island as reference.[34] While there were
plans for a third area, an office space, to be included after the test chambers and the maintenance areas, the team ran
out of time to include it.[34] They also dropped the introduction of the "Rat Man", the character that left the messages
in the maintenance areas, to avoid creating too much narrative for the game.[35] According to Swift, the final battle
with GLaDOS went through many iterations, including having the player chased by James Bond lasers, which was
partially applied to the turrets, Portal Kombat where the player would have needed to redirect rockets while avoiding
turret fire, and a chase sequence following a fleeing GLaDOS. Eventually, they found that playtesters enjoyed a
rather simple puzzle with a countdown timer near the end; Swift noted, "Time pressure makes people think
something is a lot more complicated than it really is," and Wolpaw admitted, "It was really cheap to make [the
neurotoxin gas]" in order to simplify the dialogue during the battle.[30]
Chell's face and body are modeled after Alésia Glidewell, an American freelance actress and voice-over artist,
selected by Valve from a local modeling agency for her face and body structure.[29] [36] Ellen McLain provided the
voice of the antagonist GLaDOS. Erik Wolpaw noted, "When we were still fishing around for the turret voice, Ellen
did a sultry version. It didn't work for the turrets, but we liked it a lot, and so a slightly modified version of that
became the model for GLaDOS's final incarnation."[33] Mike Patton's voice also appears in the game performing the
growling and snarling of the final core-chip of GLaDOS.
The Weighted Companion Cube inspiration was from project lead Kim Swift with additional input from Wolpaw
from reading some "declassified government interrogation thing" whereby "isolation leads subjects to begin to attach
to inanimate objects";[30] [33] Swift commented, "We had a long level called Box Marathon; we wanted players to
bring this box with them from the beginning to the end. But people would forget about the box, so we added
dialogue, applied the heart to the cube, and continued to up the ante until people became attached to the box. Later
on, we added the incineration idea. The artistic expression grew from the gameplay."[34] Wolpaw further noted that
the need to incinerate the Weighted Companion Cube came as a result of the final boss battle design; they recognized
they had not introduced the idea of incineration necessary to complete the boss battle, and by training the player to
do it with the Weighted Companion Cube, found the narrative "way stronger" with its "death".[37] Swift noted that
reported psychological comparisons to both the Milgram experiment and 2001: A Space Odyssey are
happenstance.[34]
The portal gun's full name, Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, can be abbreviated as ASHPD, which
resembles a shortening of the name Adrian Shephard, the protagonist of Half-Life: Opposing Force. This similarity
was noticed by fans before the game's release; as a result, the team placed a red herring in the game by having the
letters of Adrian Shephard highlighted on keyboards found within the game.[34] According to Kim Swift, the cake is
a Black Forest cake that she thought looked the best at the nearby Regent Bakery and Café in Redmond,
Washington, and, as an easter egg within the game, its recipe is scattered among various screens showing lines of
binary code.[24] [38] The Regent Bakery has stated that since the release of the game, their Black Forest cake has been
one of their more popular items.[38]

Soundtrack
Most of the game's soundtrack is non-lyrical ambient music composed by Kelly Bailey and Mike Morasky,
somewhat dark and mysterious to match the mood of the environments. The closing credits song, "Still Alive," was
written by Jonathan Coulton and sung by Ellen McLain (a classically trained operatic soprano) as the GLaDOS
character. Wolpaw notes that Coulton was invited to Valve a year before the release of Portal as the team knew that
it wanted to involve Coulton in some fashion. "Once Kim [Swift] and I met with him, it quickly became apparent
that he had the perfect sensibility to write a song for GLaDOS."[26] [33] The song was released as a free
''Portal'' 83

downloadable song for the music video game Rock Band on April 1, 2008.[39] [40] [41] The soundtrack for Portal was
released as a part of The Orange Box Original Soundtrack[42] and includes both GLaDOS's in-game rendition and
Coulton's vocal mix of "Still Alive." A brief instrumental version done in a Latin style can be heard playing over
radios in-game.

Merchandise
The popularity of the game and of its characters has led Valve to develop
merchandise for Portal made available through its online Steam store. Some
of the more popular items were the Weighted Companion Cube plush toys
and fuzzy dice.[43] When first released, both were sold out in under 24
hours.[44] Other products available through the Valve store include t-shirts
and Aperture Science coffee mugs and parking stickers, and merchandise
relating to the phrase the cake is a lie, which has become an internet meme.
Wolpaw noted they did not expect certain elements of the game to be as
popular as they did, while other elements they had expected to become fads
were ignored, such as a giant hoop that rolls on-screen during the final scene
of the game that the team had named Hoopy.[16]
The popularity of the Weighted
Companion Cube has led Valve to create
Distribution merchandise based on it, including fuzzy
dice.

Demo
In January 2008, Valve released a special demo version titled Portal: The First Slice, free for any Steam user using
Nvidia graphics hardware as part of a collaboration between the two companies.[45] It also comes packaged with
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, Peggle Extreme, and Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. The demo includes test chambers 00-10
(eleven in total). Valve has since made the demo available to all Steam users.[46]

Portal
Portal was first released as part of the The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows (both retail and through Steam),
Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3; in addition to Portal, the Box also included Half-Life 2 and its two add-on episodes
and Team Fortress 2. Portal's inclusion within the Box was considered an experiment by Valve; having no idea of
the success of Portal, the Box provided it a "safety net" via means of these other games. Portal was kept to a modest
length in case the game did not go over well with players.[25] Since then, a standalone version of the game was
released for Microsoft Windows users.
Portal was the first Valve-developed game to be added to the Mac OS X-compatible list of games available on the
launch of the Steam client for Mac on May 12, 2010, supporting Steam Play, in which players that had bought the
game either on a Macintosh or Windows computer could also play it on the alternate system. As part of the
promotion, Portal was offered as a free title for any Steam user during the two weeks following the Mac client's
launch.[47] Within the first week of this offer, over 1.5 million copies of the game were downloaded through
Steam.[48]
''Portal'' 84

Portal: Still Alive

Portal: Still Alive was announced as an exclusive Xbox Live Arcade game at the 2008 E3 convention, and was
released on October 22, 2008.[49] It features the original game, 14 new challenges, and new achievements.[50] The
additional content was based on levels from the map pack "Portal: The Flash Version" created by We Create Stuff
and contains no additional story-related levels.[51] According to Valve spokesman Doug Lombardi, Microsoft had
previously rejected Portal on the platform due to its large size.[52]
Portal: Still Alive was well-received by reviewers.[53] 1UP's Andrew Hayward stated that, with the easier access and
lower cost than paying for The Orange Box, Portal is now "stronger than ever".[54] IGN editor Cam Shea ranked it
fifth on his top 10 list of Xbox Live Arcade games. He stated that it was debatable whether an owner of The Orange
Box should purchase this, as its added levels do not add to the plot. However, he praised the quality of the new maps
included in the game.[55]

Portal 2
Swift stated that future Portal developments will depend on the community's reactions, saying, "We're still playing it
by ear at this point, figuring out if we want to do multi-player next, or Portal 2, or release map packs."[12] While
some rumors regarding a sequel arose due to casting calls for voice actors, no confirmed sequel was announced prior
to 2010.[56] [57] Portal 2 was officially announced on March 10, 2010, for a release late in that year;[58] the
announcement was preceded by an alternate reality game based on unexpected patches made to Portal that contained
cryptic messages in relation to Portal 2's announcement.[23] [59] [60] [61]

Critical reception

Reviews
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings 89.20%[62]

Metacritic [63]
90/100

Review scores
Publication Score

1UP.com [17]
A

Eurogamer [20]
9/10

GameSpot 9.0/10

GameSpy [19]
4.5/5.0

IGN [21]
8.2/10

Portal was well-received by critics. It was a favorite of The Orange Box, often earning more praise than either
Half-Life 2: Episode Two or Team Fortress 2. It was praised for its unique gameplay and dark, deadpan humor.[64]
Eurogamer cited that "the way the game progresses from being a simple set of perfunctory tasks to a full-on part of
the Half-Life story is absolute genius",[65] while GameSpy noted that "What Portal lacks in length, it more than
makes up for in exhilaration."[66] The game was criticized for sparse environments, and both criticized and praised it
for its short length.[67]
Aggregate reviews for the stand-alone PC version of Portal gave the game an average rating of 89% based on
27 reviews through Game Rankings,[62] and 90% through 21 reviews on Metacritic.[63]
''Portal'' 85

The game also generated a fan-following for the Weighted Companion Cube[68] —even though the cube itself does
not talk or act in the game. Fans have created plush[69] and papercraft versions of the cube and the various turrets,[70]
as well as PC case mods[71] and models of the Portal cake and portal gun.[72] [73] [74] Jeep Barnett, a programmer for
Portal, noted that players have told Valve that they had found it more emotional to incinerate the Weighted
Companion Cube than to harm one of the "Little Sisters" from BioShock.[34] Both GLaDOS and the Weighted
Companion Cube were nominated for the Best New Character Award on G4; with GLaDOS winning the award for
"having lines that will be quoted by gamers for years to come."[75] [76] [77] The Weighted Companion Cube has been
the basis for unofficial Portal merchandise such as t-shirts.[78]
Portal's story has been stated to be well-established in the context of Erving Goffman's dissemination on dramaturgy,
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, which equates one's persona to the front and back stage areas of a theater.
In the case of Portal, the story carefully establishes the front stage, the pretense of the Enrichment Center, and hints
at problems in the back stage through various technical faults, and then slowly reveals more and more of the back
stage to the player throughout the game.[79] Portal has also been cited as a strong example of instructional
scaffolding that can be adapted for more academic learning situations, as the player, through careful design of levels
by Valve, is first hand-held in solving simple puzzles with many hints at the correct solution, but this support is
slowly removed as the player progresses in the game, and completely removed when the player reaches the second
half of the game.[80]

Mods and ports

A modding community has developed around Portal with users creating their own test chambers and other in-game
modifications.[81] [82] The group We Create Stuff created an Adobe Flash version of Portal, entitled Portal: The
Flash Version, just prior to release of The Orange Box that was well received by the community[83] which they have
since converted to a map pack for the published game.[84] Many of the levels in this map pack have been
incorporated into the standalone Xbox Live Arcade game Portal: Still Alive. Another map pack, Portal: Prelude, is
an unofficial prequel developed by an independent team of three that focuses on the "pre-GLaDOS" era of Aperture
Science, and contains nineteen additional "crafty and challenging" test chambers.[85] [86]
An ASCII version of Portal was created by Joe Larson.[87] An unofficial port of Portal to the iPhone using the Unity
game engine was created but only consisted of a single room from the game.[88] [89]

Awards
Portal won several awards since its release:
• At the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards, Portal won Game of the Year, along with the Innovation Award
and Best Game Design.[90]
• IGN.com honored Portal with several awards, for Best Puzzle Game for PC[91] and Xbox 360,[92] Most
Innovative Design for PC,[93] and Best End Credit Song (for "Still Alive") for Xbox 360,[94] along with overall
honors for "Best Puzzle Game"[95] and Most Innovative Design.[96]
• In its Best of 2007, GameSpot honored The Orange Box with 4 awards in recognition of Portal, giving out honors
for Best Puzzle Game,[97] "Best New Character(s)" (for GLaDOS),[98] "Funniest Game",[99] and Best Original
Game Mechanic (for the portal gun).[100]
• Portal was awarded Game of the Year (PC), Best Narrative (PC), and Best Innovation (PC and console) honors
by 1UP.com in its 2007 editorial awards.[101]
• GamePro honored the game for Most Memorable Villain (for GLaDOS) in its Editors' Choice 2007 Awards.[102]
• Portal was awarded the Game of the Year award in 2007 by Joystiq,[103] Good Game,[104] and Shacknews.[105]
• The Most Original Game award by X-Play.[106]
• In Official Xbox Magazine's 2007 Game of the Year Awards, Portal won Best New Character (for GLaDOS),
Best Original Song (for "Still Alive"), and Innovation of the Year.[107]
''Portal'' 86

• In GameSpy's 2007 Game of the Year awards, Portal was recognized as Best Puzzle Game,[108] "Best Character"
(for GLaDOS), and "Best Sidekick" (for the Weighted Companion Cube).[108]
• A.V. Club called it the Best Game of 2007.[109]
• The webcomic Penny Arcade awarded Portal Best Soundtrack, Best Writing, and Best New Game Mechanic in
its satirical 2007 We're Right Awards.[110]
• Eurogamer gave Portal first place in its Top 50 Games of 2007 rankings.[111]
• IGN.com has also placed "GLaDOS", (from "Portal") as the "#1 Video Game Villain" on their Top 100 Villains
List.[112]
Wired considered Portal to be one of the most influential games of the first decade of the 21st century, believing it to
be the prime example of quality over quantity for video games.[113]

See also
• Narbacular Drop
• Portals in science fiction

References
• Jeep Barnett, Kim Swift & Erik Wolpaw (2008-11-04). "Thinking With Portals: Creating Valve's New IP" [114].
Gamasutra. CMP Media. Retrieved 2008-11-21.

External links
• Official homepage — The Orange Box [115]
• ApertureScience.com [116] (Viral advertising, Alternate reality game)

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[116] http:/ / www. aperturescience. com/
''Portal 2'' 91

''Portal 2''
Portal 2

Developer(s) Valve Corporation

Publisher(s) Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Valve Corporation (online)

Electronic Arts (Retail)

Engine Source

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360

Release date(s) Q4 2010

Portal 2 is an upcoming first-person action/puzzle video game, developed by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to
the critically acclaimed 2007 video game Portal and was announced on March 5, 2010.[1] It is expected to be
released during the 2010 holiday season for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Xbox 360 platforms.[2] [3]

Gameplay
Portal 2 will continue to challenge the player by solving puzzles in test
chambers within the Aperture Science Enrichment Center using the
"portal gun" (the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device), a device
that can create two portals connecting two surfaces across space.
Players solve puzzles by using these portals to move unconventionally
between rooms or to use the ability to "fling" objects or themselves
across a distance. The functionality of the gun has not changed
between the games, but within Portal 2, players can take advantage of
the "bleeding" of other physical effects through the portals.[3] Game
Informer identified two examples of this: one was the ability to use air
currents created by a series of transport pneumatic tubes through a set Portal 2 will continue to challenge players to use
of portal openings to push a turret over or to draw objects into the portals to traverse rooms in unusual manners,
suction.[3] The second example was to use the power of tractor beams such as "flinging" where the player uses the
magnitude of the momentum gained by
through portals to bring Chell or other objects to otherwise inaccessible
[3] gravitational acceleration through the blue portal
areas. The game also introduces special "paint" that can be used to to cross a wide gap out of the orange portal.
impart certain physical effects to a surface (for example, one identified
by Game Informer is an orange paint that when stepped on will impart high speed to the player). The player will be
required to determine how to transport that paint to appropriate surfaces using portals in order to progress.[3] This
paint can also be applied to objects, such as the Weighted Storage Cube crates that affect their own physical
nature.[3] In addition to the Storage Cube, there are new types of portable objects that assist the player, including
Redirection Cubes with mirrored, reflective surfaces, Aerial Faith Plates that can launch objects placed on them, and
spherical Weighted Storage Balls, which made a brief appearance in the original game in one of the advanced
chambers.[3]
''Portal 2'' 92

While most of the single-player game will take place in the test chambers created by GLaDOS or her personality
cores, there will be times where the player will need to move "behind the scenes" in areas beyond the test chambers
as they are reconfigured, leaving the player free of GLaDOS's observation and control.[3]
The game will include a two-player co-operative mode in addition to the single player mode.[4] Both players control
separate portal guns and can use the other player's portals as necessary.[3] Because of the number of possible portal
combinations, the test chambers that the players proceed through are much more difficult than the single-player
campaign, encouraging the two players to work together. This includes complicated laser redirections using both
series of portals, or working in two separate chambers, performing actions in their side of the chamber to allow the
other player to progress in theirs. The game includes voice communication between players for this mode as well as
split-screen for players playing locally. Players have the ability to place icons on the game's levels as a means of
informing the other player what they need to do.[3]

Plot
Portal 2 takes place hundreds of years after the first game. Despite her
apparent destruction at the end of Portal, GLaDOS remains functional.
The player controls Chell, the same protagonist from Portal;
retroactively patched just prior to the sequel's official announcement,
the ending for the first game shows Chell being dragged away by an
unseen figure with a robotic voice, where she has been placed in stasis
over the years.[3] The game will take place in the Aperture Science
Labs, untouched by human hands but overrun by decay and nature.[3]
The player will interact with many of the numerous personality cores
(which were seen activating in the post-credits scene from Portal),
In Portal 2's co-operative mode, two players will
which have become active in the intervening years, using the control a modified turret gun and personality
automated systems of Aperture Science to create their own microcosms "core", which were evolutions from original
within the facility.[3] The cores themselves are unable to move save Westworld-styled bots.

through overhead rail systems. Chell is awoken by one of these,

Wheatley, who has become concerned for the state of decay and seeks to correct it. Wheatley acts as the player's
guide during the tutorial and initial stages. Soon, the two are introduced to GLaDOS, who is quick to accuse Chell of
murdering her years ago.[3]

Two new characters will be introduced for the two player cooperative mode, which will have its own unique plot and
setting.[4] These two yet-to-be-named characters include a modified turret gun and a personality core; both units are
bipedal and equipped with their own portal guns.[3] Though once part of the networked facility, they have become
separate entities, and are treated to similar abuse by GLaDOS as Chell is, being put through a series of complicated
test chambers.[3]
''Portal 2'' 93

Development
Valve's Doug Lombardi commented that Portal was originally
included as an add-on product to The Orange Box as, to Valve, it was a
piece of "trial" software, and had considered The Orange Box as a
safety net if it failed; Lombardi stated there was "no way we could
have planned" for the success of Portal.[3] After receiving high praise
and proving its gameplay, Valve determined that Portal 2 should be its
own product, and are committing more resources than they did for the
first game to its release.[3] Valve President Gabe Newell has stated that
they know what players are looking for in the full sequel, and expect
that Portal 2 will be "the best game we’ve ever done".[5]

Portal 2 was designed to give the player incremental steps in

understanding portals and their use within the game.[6] This approach
led to two basic types of chambers. The first type, which Valve calls
"checklisting", provides a relatively safe environment for the player to
experiment with a fundamental aspect of a new gameplay concept. The
second type of chamber is one that combines these elements in new
ways to make the player think laterally, giving the player a rewarding
experience for completing the chamber.[6] Chambers were first An example test chamber in Portal 2, showing
developed through whiteboard via isometric drawings, with the the effect of flora overgrowth and deterioration
developers performing a sanity check on the chamber, before being on the Aperture Science facilities.

created into simple levels through the Hammer level editor. Extensive
playtesting was used to make sure the solutions to each chamber were neither overtly obvious nor difficult to see,
and to observe alternative solutions discovered by playtesters; based on their input, the design team would keep these
alternate solutions viable within the level, or would work around and block the alternate solutions if they were too
easy.[6] Once a chamber was considered ready to proceed, the Valve artists then would add elements such as detailed
texturing, dynamic lighting, and vegetation. These versions would then be sent back for further playtesting to verify
the new elements did not prevent players from finding proper solutions, with further iterations between artists and
playtesters until such issues were resolved.[6]

Valve originally had explored using other characters in Portal 2 before returning to the player-protagonist character
of Chell from Portal.[7] The artists gave Chell a more utilitarian outfit, something that would have been designed by
a computer for identifying and tracking its test subject.[7] Chell was given a hat, envisioned by the artists to help to
keep Chell's appearance as a test subject similar to test pilots, as well as adorned with the number 6 to serve as a
tracking means for the facilities' computers.[7] They also designed Chell to appear physically capable of completing
the test chambers, but with some vulnerability.[7] The two robotic characters created for the co-operative mode were
originally based on designs similar to the movie Westworld, looking more human and less robotic. They eventually
redesigned the two characters as a modified personality sphere and turret gun, reflecting the character of the Aperture
Science facility. The artists found this the design alone related much of the character's background, in part due to the
imagery from the previous game, as well as emphasizing the co-operative mode through the robots holding hands.[7]
Portal 2's gameplay includes a paint mechanic that can alter the physics of surfaces coated with that paint. Valve
found that this addition gave players more control over the game world, but as a result, required the chamber
designer to be more devious with their solutions to account for the various possibilities of the paint mechanics.[6] The
paint mechanic has been cited by gaming press as similar to the core mechanics Tag: The Power of Paint, a DigiPen
student-developed game that won the 2009 Independent Games Festival Student Competition prize. Tag Team, the
group of students that worked on Tag, have been confirmed to have been hired by Valve, but Valve has not
''Portal 2'' 94

confirmed if their work will be a part of Portal 2. Many journalists compare this situation to the evolution of
Narbacular Drop, another DigiPen student project, into the basis of Portal.[8] [9]
Erik Wolpaw will return to write out the game's script in addition to Chet Faliszek, main writer for the Left 4 Dead
games, and National Lampoon veteran Jay Pinkerton.[3] The writing team noted that the use of the personality
modules allowed them more freedom than in other games for developing these as characters; they would not require
facial or body animations, and they could envision the use of more recognizable voice actors for each module.[10]
GLaDOS will return, introducing each chamber and congratulating the player on completing it; though they could
have included intermediate dialog from GLaDOS while the player attempts to solve each chamber, they found this
would be distracting to players, and limited her presence in the game to only these points.[6] After finding that
Jonathan Coulton's song "Still Alive", was a large part of Portal's success, Valve will include more music in Portal
2, including further involvement from Coulton.[3]
Portal 2 will be the first Valve product that will simultaneously be released for Windows and Mac OS X computers
through the Steam platform.[11]

Announcement
After Portal's release and critical success, Valve employees Doug
Lombardi and Kim Swift, indicated that "more Portal" will be
coming.[12] [13] [14] Swift suggested the sequel may contain a
multiplayer element, but only if this "from a technology standpoint is
possible".[15] Previous comments from Swift had previously suggested
that a multiplayer Portal was "less fun than you'd think."[16] On June
10, 2008, Kotaku reported that Valve was seeking voice actors for the
character role of Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson and suggested
that the second game may be a prequel to the events in Portal.[17]
However, a later update suggested it could be a sequel, with Johnson as Part of the alternate reality game that lead up to
another AI.[18] Portal 2's announcement was the decoding of
SSTV images embedded in an update of the
Four days prior to the game's official announcement on March 5, 2010, original game.
a patch was released for Portal. The patch included an additional
achievement, "Transmission Received", requiring the player to manipulate the in-game radios in an appropriate
manner. This revealed new sound effects that became part of an alternate reality game-style analysis by fans of the
game;[19] the effects included Morse code strings that implied the restarting of a computer system, and SSTV images
from a grainy Aperture Science video. These images embedded further hints of a BBS phone number that when
accessed, provided a large number of ASCII-based images relating to Portal and segments of fictional documents for
Aperture Science; many of these ASCII pictures were published art assets for the game as shown in the Game
Informer reveal of the title.[3] A second patch two days later altered the game's original ending to suggest Chell's
current fate, with additional digital files and resources to further the alternate reality game.[20] These events were
seen by gaming journalists to be leading to a forthcoming Portal 2 or other Half-Life game announcement.[21] [22] [23]
Following these events, in time with a countdown timer on the BBS, Portal 2 was officially announced.[24]
''Portal 2'' 95

The alternate-reality game continued after the game's announcement.

New ASCII images continued to appear on the BBS. At his acceptance
speech for the Pioneer Award at the 2010 Game Developers
Conference, occurring the week following Portal 2's announcement,
Gabe Newell ended his speech presentation with a fake blue screen of
death, purporting to be from GLaDOS and hinting at further Portal 2
news at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010.[25]
Gabe Newell continues the alternate reality game
surrounding Portal 2's announcement during the
External links 2010 Game Developers Conference.
• Game Informer Portal 2 coverage during March 2010 [26]
• Portal 2 Official Website [27]

References
[1] "Portal 2 Announced" (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ 3559/ ). Valve Corporation. 2010-03-05. . Retrieved 5 March 2010.
[2] Bramwell, Tom (2010-03-05). "Portal 2 due out this Christmas" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ articles/ portal-2-due-out-this-christmas).
Eurogamer. . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
[3] VanBurkleo, Meagan (April 2010). "Portal 2". Game Informer: pp. 50–62.
[4] Gonzalez, Annette (2010-03-05). "Portal 2 For Two" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ news/ archive/ 2010/ 03/ 05/ Portal-2-For-Two. aspx).
Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
[5] Leone, Matt (2010-03-11). "Gabe Newell: Portal 2 is "The Best Game We've Ever Done"" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/
newsStory?cId=3178323). 1UP.com. . Retrieved 2010-03-12.
[6] Reeves, Ben (2010-03-17). "Thinking With Portals: Making A Portal 2 Test Chamber" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ features/ archive/
2010/ 03/ 17/ thinking-with-portals-making-a-test-chamber. aspx). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-17.
[7] Reeves, Ben (2010-03-22). "Redesigning Portal: Valve’s Artist Speaks" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ news/ archive/ 2010/ 03/ 22/
redesigning-chell-valve-s-artist-speaks. aspx). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-22.
[8] Leahy, Brian (2010-03-08). "Valve Hires DigiPen Team; Seemingly for Portal 2" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ onearticle. x/ 62689).
Shacknews. . Retrieved 2010-03-08.
[9] Ryckert, Dan (2010-03-08). "From Narbacular Drop To Portal" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ features/ archive/ 2010/ 03/ 08/
narbacular-drop. aspx). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-08.
[10] Reeves, Ben (2010-03-12). "Writer's Block: Portal 2 Writers Roundtable" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ features/ archive/ 2010/ 03/ 12/
feature-writers-block-valve-writers-talk-portal-2. aspx). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[11] Faylor, Chris (2010-03-08). "Steam Coming to Mac in April, Portal 2 This Fall" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ onearticle. x/ 62687).
Shacknews. . Retrieved 2010-03-08.
[12] Bramwell, Tom (2007-05-15). "Portal: First Impressions" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=76374& page=2).
Eurogamer. . Retrieved 2007-10-05.
[13] Purchese, Rob (2008-01-31). ""More Portal for sure"" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=91768). Eurogamer. . Retrieved
2008-01-30.
[14] Brandon, Nick (2008-02-21). "Portal 2 Confirmed by Valve" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ onearticle. x/ 51456). Shacknews. . Retrieved
2008-02-21.
[15] "multiplayer Portal possible" (http:/ / www. gametrailers. com/ gametrailerstv_player. php?ep=10& ch=2& sd=1). Gametrailers TV. .
Retrieved 2008-03-02.
[16] Faylor, Chris (2008-02-23). "GDC 08: Portal Creators on Writing, Multiplayer, Government Interrogation Techniques" (http:/ / www.
shacknews. com/ featuredarticle. x?id=784). Shacknews. . Retrieved 2008-02-23.
[17] Plunkett, Luke (2008-06-10). "Casting call reveals Portal 2 details" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5014851/
rumor-casting-call-reveals-portal-2-details). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2008-07-18.
[18] Plunkett, Luke (2008-06-10). "More details on Portal 2's bad guy" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5015122/ more-details-on-portal-2s-bad-guy).
Kotaku. . Retrieved 2008-07-18.
[19] Wawro, Alex (2010-04-26). "Anatomy of an Alternate-Reality Game" (http:/ / www. pcworld. com/ article/ 195026/
anatomy_of_an_alternatereality_game. html). GamePro. . Retrieved 2010-05-13.
[20] Faylor, Chris (2010-03-03). "Portal Mystery Deepens with Second Update" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ onearticle. x/ 62622).
Shacknews. . Retrieved 2010-03-03.
[21] Leahy, Brian (2010-03-01). "Portal Patch Adds Morse Code, Achievement - Portal 2 Speculation Begins" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/
onearticle. x/ 62575). Shacknews. . Retrieved 2010-03-02.
''Portal 2'' 96

[22] Mastrapa, Gus (2010-03-02). "Geeky Clues Suggest Portal Sequel Is Coming" (http:/ / www. wired. com/ gamelife/ 2010/ 03/ portal-viral/ ).
Wired. . Retrieved 2010-03-02.
[23] Gaskill, Jake (2010-03-03). "Rumor: Valve To Make Portal 2 Announcement During GDC 2010" (http:/ / g4tv. com/ thefeed/ blog/ post/
702963/ Rumor-Valve-To-Make-Portal-2-Announcement-During-GDC-2010. html). X-Play. . Retrieved 2010-03-03.
[24] Webster, Andrew (2010-03-05). "Portal 2 is official, first image inside" (http:/ / arstechnica. com/ gaming/ news/ 2010/ 03/
portal-2-is-official-first-image-inside. ars). . Retrieved 2010-03-05.
[25] Plunkett, Luke (2010-03-11). "Portal 2 Hijacks Blue Screen of Death At GDC Awards" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5491651/
portal-2-hijacks-blue-screen-of-death-at-gdc-awards). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2010-03-12.
[26] http:/ / gameinformer. com/ mag/ portal2. aspx
[27] http:/ / www. thinkwithportals. com

''The Orange Box''

The Orange Box

The box art depicts Half-Life's Gordon Freeman, a sign from Portal, and the heavy class from Team Fortress 2.
Developer(s) Valve Corporation
[2]
EA UK (PlayStation 3 version)

Publisher(s) Valve Corporation

Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)

Steam (online)

Engine Source engine

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Release date(s)

Genre(s) First-person shooter, puzzle, compilation

Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: T–M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+

Media Blu-ray Disc, download, DVD-ROM

System requirements Minimum:

1.7 GHz processor,
512 MB RAM,
128MB Video card,
20GB available Hard drive space,
DirectX 8 level graphics card,
Windows 2000/XP/Vista,
[3]
Internet connection
''The Orange Box'' 97

Input methods Keyboard and mouse, gamepad

The Orange Box is a video game compilation for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3. The
Windows and Xbox 360 versions were produced and published by Valve Corporation and released on October 10,
2007 as both a boxed retail copy and a Windows-only download through Valve's Steam service. The PlayStation 3
version was produced by Electronic Arts and released on December 11, 2007 in North America and in Europe. Valve
has also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation.
The compilation contains five games, all powered by Valve's Source engine. Two of the games included, Half-Life 2
and its first stand-alone expansion, Episode One, were previously released as separate products. Three new games
are also contained within the compilation: the second stand-alone expansion, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the puzzle
game Portal, and Team Fortress 2, the multiplayer game sequel to the Quake modification, Team Fortress. A
separate product entitled The Black Box was planned, which would have included only the new games, but was
canceled.
The Orange Box has received critical acclaim and Portal was recognized as a surprise favorite of the package. The
PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box has been noted for several technical shortcomings that were not present in
the other versions, which were later fixed through various patches.[4] It has sold over 3 million copies as of
November 2008.

Overview
The Orange Box features five complete games compiled into one retail
unit: Half-Life 2 and its two continuations, Episode One and Episode
Two; Portal; and Team Fortress 2. All of these games use Valve's
Source engine.[5]
Through the Steam platform for the Windows version, the games can
collect and report in-depth data such as where the player's character
died, completion time, and total victories in multiplayer modes. This
Episode Two introduced new rural environments data is compiled to generate gameplay statistics for Episode One,
to the Half-Life series. Episode Two, and Team Fortress 2.[6]
Although Half-Life 2 has the largest proportion of Achievements, there
are 99 spread across all five games, exceeding the 50-achievement limit that Microsoft maintains to feature the most
Achievements of any Xbox 360 product.[7] These Achievements include killing a certain number of monsters,
finding hidden weapon caches, or other tasks specific to each game.[8]
All the games except Half-Life 2 contain in-game commentary that can be enabled, allowing the player to listen to
the developers discuss the creation and purpose of particular sections and components of each game.[9] This has been
a feature of every Valve game since Half-Life 2: Lost Coast due to the commentary's popularity in that game,
according to Erik Wolpaw, lead writer for Portal.[10]

Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter game and the sequel to Half-Life. While remaining similar in style
to the original, Half-Life 2 introduces new concepts to the series such as physics-based puzzles and vehicle sections.
The game takes place in the fictional City 17 and surrounding areas as the player takes on the role of scientist
Gordon Freeman. Freeman is thrust into a dystopian environment in which the aftermath of the events of Half-Life
have come to bear fully upon human society, and he is forced to fight against increasingly unfavorable odds in order
to survive. In his struggle, he is joined by various allies, including former Black Mesa colleagues, oppressed citizens
of City 17, and the Vortigaunts. Half-Life 2 received critical acclaim, including 35 Game of the Year awards, when it
''The Orange Box'' 98

was originally released for Windows in 2004.[11] As of December 3, 2008, over 6.5 million copies of Half-Life 2
have been sold at retail.[12] Although Steam sales figures are unknown, their rate surpassed retail's in mid-2008[13]
and they are significantly more profitable per-unit.[12]

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Half-Life 2: Episode One continues from the events of Half-Life 2. Episode One builds on the original, adding
cooperative play with friendly non-player characters such as Alyx Vance, whose new abilities complement
Freeman's abilities and allow her to comprehend and respond to the player's actions by lending help.[14] It is set
immediately after the end of Half-Life 2 in the war-torn City 17 and nearby areas. Episode One follows scientist
Gordon Freeman and his companion Alyx Vance as they continue to cope with the events chronicled in Half-Life 2
and humanity's continuing struggle against the Combine. The game was originally released in 2006 for Windows as
a standalone game and was generally well received,[15] although it was criticized for its short length and lack of new
features.[16] [17]

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Half-Life 2: Episode Two was first available as part of the The Orange Box and focuses on expansive environments,
travel, and less linear play. In the game, Gordon Freeman and the series' other major characters move away from
City 17 to the surrounding wilderness following the closing events of Episode One.[18] The game was praised for its
new environments and features and was well received by critics.[19]

Portal
Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle game that was first available as part of The Orange Box. The
game consists primarily of a series of puzzles that are solved by creating portals through which the player and simple
objects can teleport in order to reach an exit point. The portal system and the unusual physics it creates are the
emphasis of this game. Portal was a surprise favorite of The Orange Box, receiving widespread praise[20] [21] and
several Game of the Year awards.[22] [23]

Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer team-based first-person shooter that
was first available as part of The Orange Box. The game is a sequel to
the original Quake modification, Team Fortress, and Valve's Half-Life
modification, Team Fortress Classic. Its focus is on two competing
teams that attack each other in order to achieve varying objectives,
including capturing command points or defending them from attack, or
capturing a flag. Players can choose to play as one of nine classes in Team Fortress 2's graphical style has been well
these teams, each with different strengths and weaknesses.[24] [25] received by critics.
Unlike most other Source-powered games, Team Fortress 2 features a
cartoon art style and non-realistic graphics. Team Fortress 2 was very well received by critics and consumers
alike;[26] it was particularly praised for its unique artistic direction and graphics.[27] [28]
''The Orange Box'' 99

Soundtrack
The soundtrack for The Orange Box consists of music that Valve employees composed for Half-Life 2: Episode One,
Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. It also includes the original version and an exclusive remix
of "Still Alive", both by Jonathan Coulton. It was released on December 21, 2007 and is sold by the official Valve
Store, Amazon.com, and digital music services such as iTunes, Napster, and eMusic.[29] A more-complete version of
this soundtrack that also includes music files from Half-Life and Half-Life 2 was released on Steam as part of the
Audiosurf package.[30] "Still Alive" was subsequently released as a free downloadable song for the music video
game Rock Band on March 31, 2008.[31]

The Orange Box Original Soundtrack tracklist

No. Title Length

1. "Still Alive" (from Portal) 2:56

2. "Team Fortress 2" (from Team Fortress 2) 1:11

3. "Playing with Danger" (from Team Fortress 2) 4:01

4. "Rocket Jump Waltz" (from Team Fortress 2) 0:38

5. "Disrupted Original" (from Episode One) 1:18

6. "Abandoned in Place" (from Episode Two) 2:48

7. "Combine Advisory" (from Episode One) 1:47

8. "Last Legs" (from Episode Two) 2:07

9. "Guard Down" (from Episode One) 1:39

10. "Sector Sweep" (from Episode Two) 2:46

11. "Dark Interval" (from Episode Two) 1:35

12. "Vortal Combat" (from Episode Two) 3:14

13. "Subject Name Here" (from Portal) 1:44

14. "Self Esteem Fund" (from Portal) 3:25

15. "4000 Degrees Kelvin" (from Portal) 1:01

16. "Stop What You Are Doing" (from Portal) 3:57

17. "You're Not a Good Person" (from Portal) 1:22

18. "You Can't Escape, You Know" (from Portal) 6:14

19. "Still Alive (J.C. Version)" 2:56

46:38
''The Orange Box'' 100

Development

The Black Box

Valve planned on releasing an additional compilation for Windows entitled The Black Box, which would have
contained only the new material—Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The Black Box was later canceled for
retail and is now only available through Steam exclusively to owners of certain ATI graphics cards, who received a
voucher for a free copy of The Black Box.[32]
During development, the simultaneous release of two game compilation packages with different content
combinations was touted by Valve as a new direction for the game industry. Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, said,
"The Black Box and The Orange Box represent a new approach to publishing multiple products on multiple
platforms."[33] After first discontinuing The Black Box, however, Valve released all the new material for individual
download via Steam.[34] [35] [36]
The Black Box was to be priced US$10 lower than The Orange Box.[37] To compensate for the cancellation of The
Black Box, Valve offered gift subscriptions to Steam users who had previously purchased Half-Life 2 or Half-Life 2:
Episode One and then purchased The Orange Box so that they could give their second copies of those two games as
gifts to people added to their Steam Friends list.[38] Still, the cancellation of The Black Box sparked complaints from
game critics and consumers alike, unhappy that they were obliged to pay for games that they already owned.[39] [40]
It also raised concerns among those who had bought the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT graphics card, which came with a
voucher for The Black Box, but Valve clarified that only the retail version of The Black Box had been canceled.[41]
While Valve never expressed its reasons for this decision, industry writers speculated that it might have been to
increase profits on retail copies or to avoid customer confusion between similar game packages and their availability
across the platforms.[39] [42]

PlayStation 3 version
While the Windows and Xbox 360 versions of The Orange Box were developed and published by Valve, the
development of the PlayStation 3 port was outsourced to Electronic Arts. In an interview with Edge magazine before
the game's release, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell commented, "I think the people who have The Orange Box on the
PS3 are going to be happy with their game experience. We've done the PC and 360 versions here and EA has a team
doing the PS3 version – and they'll make the PS3 version a good product; EA got the job done in putting a lot of
people with PS3 experience on the project. But I think it's harder to get it to the same standard as the 360 and PC
versions". Despite this, he noted that Valve will probably handle PlayStation 3 versions of its products in the
future.[43]
In a preview of The Orange Box in November 2007, 1UP.com revealed numerous problems with the late beta build
of EA's PlayStation 3 version of The Orange Box, citing pervasive frame rate issues which, they claimed, "at best
merely hinder gameplay and at worst make the experience downright unplayable."[44] IGN's Hilary Goldstein
disagreed, writing that although EA "is one of the worst offenders when it comes to porting games to the PS3," the
frame rate issues were not bad enough "to make me throw my controller in disgust."[45]
On January 3, 2008, IGN reported that Valve employees had created a thread on Valve's website forums for players
to list the problems they had encountered and to suggest fixes,[46] which caused speculation that a patch was being
planned to address the issues in the PlayStation 3 version, such as the frame rate issues, the connection problems in
Team Fortress 2, and the slow loading times in Portal. A patch for the PlayStation 3 version was later released in
North America on March 19, 2008 and Europe a short while after that; however, it made no mention of fixing frame
rate issues or slow loading times.[47]
''The Orange Box'' 101

Region-specific versions
Valve deactivated accounts with CD keys that were purchased outside of the consumer's territory in order to
maintain the integrity of region-specific licensing. This generated complaints from North American customers who
had circumvented their Steam end-user license agreement by purchasing The Orange Box through cheaper, Asian
retailers.[48] [49] Some customers who then purchased the game a second time from a local vendor experienced
difficulty adding the new CD key to their accounts in order to activate their newly-purchased games and also had
trouble communicating with Steam's customer support team about this problem.[50] Doug Lombardi of Valve stated,
"Some of these users have subsequently purchased a legal copy after realizing the issue and were having difficulty
removing the illegitimate keys from their Steam accounts. Anyone having this problem should contact Steam
Support to have the Thai key removed from their Steam account."[51]
The German version of The Orange Box is set to a low violence mode in order to comply with German laws
regulating the sale of violent video games. Blood effects are replaced by sparks and bullet wounds are replaced with
dents as if the characters were metal robots. Additionally in Team Fortess 2, instead of body parts being scattered
after a player's character is blown apart, various items such as hamburgers, coils, rubber ducks, and Chattery Teeth
appear. Characters from different classes leave different items and different ratios of these items when killed by
explosives.[52] [53] In the Half-Life games, bodies fade away after the death of non-player characters and the blood
has been altered to a grey color.[54]

Promotions
Pre-purchasing of the Windows version on Steam began on September 11, 2007. Those who pre-purchased via this
method received a ten-percent discount and were able to play the Team Fortress 2 beta starting on September 17,
2007.[55] The Orange Box comes with Peggle Extreme, a ten-level playable demo of Peggle Deluxe that is only
available for PC, with graphical themes from The Orange Box. Peggle, published by PopCap Games, is a puzzle
game combining elements of pinball and pachinko.[56]

Reception

Portal became a surprise favorite among

reviewers.
''The Orange Box'' 102

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score

GameRankings [57]
96.3% (Windows)
[58]
96.3% (Xbox
360)
[59]
87.3% (PS3)

Metacritic [60]
96% (Windows)
[61]
96% (Xbox 360)
[62]
89% (PS3)

Review scores
Publication Score

1UP.com [63]
A+ (Windows)
[64]
A+ (Xbox 360)
[65]
B+ (PS3)

Edge [60]
10/10 (Windows)
[60]
10/10 (Xbox 360)

Eurogamer [66]
10/10 (Windows)
[67]
10/10 (Xbox 360)
[68]
8/10 (PS3)

Game Informer [69]

9.75 (Windows)
[70]
9.75 (Xbox 360)
[71]
9.25 (PS3)

GamePro [28]
5/5 (Xbox 360)

GameSpot [72]
9.5/10 (Windows)
[73]
9.5/10 (Xbox 360)
[74]
9.0/10 (PS3)

GameSpy [75]

(Windows)
[76]

(Xbox 360)
[77]

(PS3)

IGN [5]
9.5/10 (Windows)
[9]
9.5/10 (Xbox 360)
[78]
8.4/10 (PS3)

Official Xbox Magazine 9.5/10[79] (Xbox 360)

PC Gamer US [60]
94% (Windows)

Since its release, The Orange Box has been met with universal acclaim from reviewers. IGN described The Orange
Box as "the best deal in video game history." and awarded both the Windows and Xbox 360 versions with an Editors'
Choice Award.[9] All three versions won GameSpot's Editors' Choice Award. Approximately 3 million copies of The
Orange Box have been sold by the end of November 2008.[80]
Portal has been singled out for praise by reviewers. Official Xbox Magazine admired its unique puzzle gameplay
mechanics, stating that it was the first major advance in puzzle gaming "since Russians started dropping blocks."[79]
''The Orange Box'' 103

The Escapist's usually acerbically critical reviewer stated in his Zero Punctuation review that he couldn't think of any
criticism for Portal, which has "some of the funniest pitch-black humor [he had] ever heard in a game" and
concluded that it is "absolutely sublime from start to finish, and I will jam forks into my eyes if I ever use those
words to describe anything else, ever again." [81]
The PlayStation 3 version's critical review scores suffered because of the technical issues first uncovered by
1UP.com. While discussing the retail version on a podcast, 1UP.com staff members agreed that a significant number
of the frame rate problems had been resolved, but not all of them. They concluded that the PlayStation 3 version was
not quite as smooth as the Xbox 360 version and recommended that "if you own both [consoles], you should do the
360" version.[82] Kotaku's Michael McWhertor echoed that recommendation, though stated that those who only have
a PlayStation 3 should still consider The Orange Box.[83]
While frame rate issues were the main complaint, the PlayStation 3 version was also criticized for unreliable voice
chat and excessive network delay or lag in Team Fortress 2,[68] [77] [78] as well as long load times generally.[74] [78] It
was, however, praised for featuring anti-aliasing like the Windows version and was also praised for its exclusive
quick-save feature, neither of which were present in the Xbox 360 version.[68] After release, the game received
further criticism from fans for the lack of surround sound support when using an optical cable. An open letter to
Valve, asking them to put pressure on EA to release a fix was posted to the Steam forum[84] . A response was posted
by a Valve employee going by the name of "BurtonJ"[85] , directing disappointed customers to a dedicated thread[86]
on the subject.

Awards
The Orange Box has won a number of awards for its overall high standard and use of technology. The compilation
won "Computer Game of the Year" at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' 11th Annual Interactive
Achievement Awards and was nominated in the "Overall Game of the Year", "Action Game of the Year", and
"Outstanding Innovation in Gaming" categories.[87] The Orange Box won the "Breakthrough Technology Award"
and the "Best PC Game Award" at the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards, and was additionally nominated in the
"Game of the Year", "Best Shooter", "Best Xbox 360 Game", and "Best Multiplayer Game" categories.[88] [89] It was
also named the second-best video game of 2007 by Time Magazine,[90] while the PlayStation 3 version was
nominated in the category of Action and Adventure at the BAFTA Video Games Awards.[91] Valve also received
developer awards for their work on The Orange Box.[92] [93] The Orange Box received 17 Game of the Year awards
and over 100 awards in total.[94] The Orange Box was placed as the 22nd most influential video game in history by
the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition, 2009.[95]
Portal won "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering",
and "Outstanding Character Performance" at the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[87] The game won
76 awards, including 37 Game of the Year awards,[94] and was recognized for innovative design and game
mechanics.[96] [97] [98] The dark humor of Portal and the ending music track Still Alive were also singled out for
awards.[99] [100]
Team Fortress 2 was nominated in the categories of "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" and "Outstanding
Achievement in Animation" at the 11th Interactive Achievement Awards.[87] Although unsuccessful at the IAA, the
game did receive 10 awards, including five Game of the Year awards,[94] and other awards for its artistic direction
and multiplayer gameplay.[101] [102] [103]
Half-Life 2: Episode Two won four awards, including one Game of the Year award, and was recognized for excellent
NPC AI, level design, and story.[94]
''The Orange Box'' 104

External links
• The Orange Box [99] official website
• The Orange Box [104] at Electronic Arts

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[2] Bramwell, Tom (2007-11-16). "Orange Box PS3 in December" (http:/ / www. eurogamer. net/ article. php?article_id=87728). Eurogamer. .
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[3] Valve Corporation. The Orange Box. PC (retail). (2007)
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[10] Sheffield, Brandon (2008-03-25). "Still Alive: Kim Swift And Erik Wolpaw Talk Portal" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ view/ feature/
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[13] "Valve: PC Has 'Perception Problem,' Piracy Reflects 'Unserved Customers'" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ php-bin/ news_index.
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''The Orange Box'' 105

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''Black Mesa 108

''Black Mesa
Black Mesa

Developer(s) Black Mesa Modification Team

Series Half-Life

Engine Source

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows

Release date(s) TBA[1]

Genre(s) First-person shooter,

Action-adventure game,
Science fiction

Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Black Mesa (previously known as Black Mesa: Source) is a third-party total conversion modification for Valve
Corporation's Source Engine. The stated goal of the project is to recreate Valve's critically acclaimed video game
Half-Life—released in 1998—using the more advanced capabilities of the Source 3D game engine. The 38-person
volunteer development team says they hope to create a more engrossing in-game world with more varied, complex
environments, and more challenging, realistic gameplay. During its five years in development, Black Mesa has been
the subject of articles in several video game publications, and received attention from Valve themselves. It is planned
to be distributed as a free download when completed.

Development
With the release of Half-Life 2 In 2004, Valve Corporation re-released several of their previously released games
ported to their new Source game engine; this included a port of their critically acclaimed 1998 game Half-Life named
Half-Life: Source. The Source engine is graphically more advanced than the GoldSrc engine, which the original
versions of those games used. Half-Life: Source featured implementation of the Havok physics engine, and improved
water effects and lighting. The level architecture and models of the game, however, remained unchanged.[2]
Half-Life: Source was met with mixed reviews. IGN liked the new user interface and other technical features, but
noted that it did not receive as many improvements as Valve's other Source engine ports.[3] GameSpy said that while
it was a "fun little bonus", it was "certainly not the major graphical upgrade some people thought it might be."[4]
Valve CEO Gabe Newell is quoted as saying that a complete remake of Half-Life by fans of the game using Source
was "not only possible…but inevitable."[5]

The "Surface Tension" chapter as it appears in Half-Life...

''Black Mesa 109

...and as it appears in a development version of Black Mesa.

Black Mesa began as the combination of two independent volunteer projects, each aiming to do just that: completely
recreate Half-Life using Source. The Leakfree modification was announced in September 2004. Half-Life: Source
Overhaul Project was announced one month later. After realizing their similar goals, project leaders for both teams
decided to combine efforts; they formed a new 13-person team titled Black Mesa: Source.[5] The "Source" in the
project's title was later dropped when Valve asked the team to remove it in order to "stem confusion over whether or
not [it was] an endorsed or official product," which it is not.[6]
The team now consists of 38 volunteer level designers, programmers, modelers, texture artists, animators, sound
engineers, voice actors, and support staff.[7] They have stated they want Black Mesa to be similar to Half-Life in
gameplay and story, but changes will be made to take advantage of Source's more advanced features. Changes to the
story will not divert from, or alter, the overall storyline of the Half-life series.[5] Level designers have shortened or
modified some areas of the game that "didn't make any sense," or were "tedious" in the original. Maps will also be of
a larger scale, for instance the hydro-electric dam, which is now "twenty or thirty times" larger.[8]
Originally based on the version of Source released with Half-Life 2 in 2004, the project now uses a more recent
version released with Valve's The Orange Box in 2007. This new version includes more advanced particle effects,
hardware-accelerated facial animation, support for multi-core processor rendering, among other improvements.[9] [10]
[11]
The team has stated they do not plan on upgrading again to newer versions such as those used in Valve's Left 4
Dead (2008) or Portal 2 (2010) games.[6] The only software requirement to install the modification will be to already
have at least one game installed which uses the Source engine.[12]
In addition to the modification itself, the game's thematic score—produced by sound designer Joel Nielsen—will be
independently released as a soundtrack. The developers also plan to later add a cooperative gameplay mode to Black
Mesa, something only the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life offered.[13]
Black Mesa is planned to be distributed as a free download when completed.[14] The developers released a teaser
trailer in 2005, and a full-length preview trailer in 2008. They have also released images, videos, and concept art
during the project's development. Black Mesa was given an official release date of "late 2009" in the spring of 2009,
but this date has since been changed to "when it's done."[8]

Reception
During its five years in development, Black Mesa has received attention from several video game publications. It has
been featured in articles from Computer Gaming World, PC PowerPlay, and PC Gamer UK magazines. Valve
published a news update about the modification on their Steam digital distribution platform in 2007 saying that
"We're as eager to play [Black Mesa] here as everyone else."[15]
The project was awarded Top Unreleased Mod by video game modification website Mod DB in 2005 and 2006.[16]
[17]
Mod DB gave the project an honorable mention in their choice of Top Unreleased Mod in 2007.[18]
After receiving a development version of Black Mesa in December 2009, PC PowerPlay magazine said that the
game's setting "looks, sounds, [and] plays better than ever before." The "subtle" changes from the original Half-Life
were said to have a "substantial" overall impact. They also noted the project's "frustrating" five-year development
time, and current lack of release date, but added that the developers are making progress.[8]
''Black Mesa 110

See also
• Half-Life
• Source Engine

External links
• Black Mesa Official Site [19]
• Black Mesa Wiki [20]

References
[1] "Black Mesa 2009 Update" (http:/ / forums. blackmesasource. com/ showthread. php?t=2416). Black Mesa: Community Forums. 2009-12-07.
. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
[2] "Source: Belly of the Beast" (http:/ / www. hlfallout. net/ articles. php/ article_2/ 4/ ). hlfallout.net. 2004-06-21. . Retrieved 2008-12-06.
"Since they licensed and integrated it into Source, Valve have been tweaking and adding to Havok to the point it's virtually a new animal.
Almost every aspect of the Source engine follows on from the physics — including the sound, graphics, AI and animation. When asked
whether or not they would be upgrading to Havok 2, Valve seemed to suggest they probably wouldn't, in part because H2 wouldn't be much of
a step forward from what they currently have."
[3] McNamara, Tom (2004-11-18). "Half-Life: Source: What's the big hoo-ha?" (http:/ / pc. ign. com/ articles/ 567/ 567451p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[4] Accardo, Sal (2004-11-17). "Half-Life: Source" (http:/ / pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ half-life-remake-source-engine-powered/ 566979p1. html).
GameSpy. . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[5] Elliot, Shawn. "Black Mesa: Source" (http:/ / www. natedgreat3. com/ htmlSite/ Images/ CGWmagIssue257. pdf). Computer Gaming World
(Cambridge, MA: ZDNet). ISSN 0744-6667. . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[6] Hill, Jason (2009-02-16). "Your Turn: Returning to the Source" (http:/ / blogs. theage. com. au/ digital-life/ screenplay/ 2009/ 02/ 16/
yourturnretur. html). The Age. . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[7] "Team Members" (http:/ / wiki. blackmesasource. com/ index. php/ Team_Members). Black Mesa Modification Team. 2010-01-04. .
Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[8] Kim, Paul (2009-12-07). "Black Mesa: Why The Future of Half-Life 2... Is In The Past" (http:/ / www. pcpowerplay. com. au/ article/ 1002/
PCPP174-Black-Mesa-and-GOTD/ ). PC PowerPlay (Macclesfield: Media House). ISSN 1362-2722. . Retrieved 2010-03-13.
[9] "Source - Rendering System" (http:/ / source. valvesoftware. com/ rendering. php). Valve. . Retrieved August 8, 2009.
[10] Face-to-Face with TF2's Heavy (http:/ / store. steampowered. com/ news/ 1039/ )
[11] "Interview: Gabe Newell" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=145846). PC Zone. 2006-09-11. . Retrieved
2006-09-20.
[12] Black Mesa - Moddb News (http:/ / www. moddb. com/ mods/ black-mesa/ news/ a-celebration-of-the-last-decade)
[13] "Black Mesa - Co-operative FAQ" (http:/ / wiki. blackmesasource. com/ index. php/ Co-operative_FAQ). . Retrieved 2010-02-27.
[14] "Black Mesa Official FAQ" (http:/ / www. blackmesasource. com/ faq. html). Black Mesa Modification Team. . Retrieved 2010-03-14.
[15] "Friday, January 26, 2007" (http:/ / www. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ message/ 925/ ). Valve date=2007-01-26. . Retrieved
2010-03-13.
[16] Mod DB Top Unreleased Mod for 2005 (http:/ / features. moddb. com/ 218/ mods-of-2005/ ?fpage=6)
[17] Mod DB Top Unreleased Mod for 2006 (http:/ / features. moddb. com/ 287/ mods-of-2006-players-choice/ ?fpage=2)
[18] Honorable mention at the Mod DB Top Unreleased Mod for 2007 (http:/ / www. moddb. com/ events/ 2007-mod-of-the-year-awards/
features/ 25910/ players-choice-winners-showcase/ 2)
[19] http:/ / www. blackmesasource. com/
[20] http:/ / wiki. blackmesasource. com
 111

Characters

Characters of ''Half-Life''
This is a list of characters in the fictional Half-Life universe, which comprises Half-Life, Half-Life 2, their
respective expansion packs, episodes, and Portal.
This list is incomplete.

Introduced in Half-Life and expansion packs

This section deals with characters that appear in Half-Life, Opposing Force, Blue Shift and Half-Life: Decay

Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman, Ph.D., is the silent protagonist of the Half-Life series, and the playable character in Half-Life, and
all games in the Half-Life 2 series. He is a theoretical physicist, and holds a Ph.D. from MIT in that field. At the time
of Half-Life, he works at Black Mesa Research Facility, a facility in New Mexico, conducting nuclear and subatomic
research.

The G-Man
The G-Man, voiced by Michael Shapiro, is a mysterious recurring character in the Half-Life series of first-person
shooter computer games. He is known to display peculiar behavior and capabilities beyond that of a normal human
and his identity and motives remain almost completely unexplained. He plays the role of an overseer and employer,
both observing the player as the games progress and pulling strings to control the outcome of specific events
throughout the Half-Life saga. The G-Man's constant appearances in the Half-Life games, as well as his revealing
monologues with series protagonist Gordon Freeman, imply he is of great importance and somewhat anchors the
endeavors of the player. His mysterious nature has made him an icon of the Half-Life series and one of the most
well-known background characters in gaming.

Barney Calhoun
Barney Calhoun is the playable character in Half-Life: Blue Shift, and a major character in Half-Life 2 as well as
Episode One. Michael Shapiro provided Barney's voice in the games of the Half-Life series. Scott Lynch, Valve
Software's Chief Operating Officer, lent his face to the game for use in-game as Barney in Half-Life 2.
Barney's name stemmed from the earlier alpha versions of Half-Life in which the model for the security guards held
a resemblance to actor Don Knotts, inspiring comparisons with Knotts's character "Barney Fife" from The Andy
Griffith Show, which in the United States has long been a disparaging term for an inept policeman or security guard.
Initially, the "Barneys" were intended to be hostile NPCs who would attack the player. To test certain AI scripts and
combat subroutines, Barney was temporarily changed to work with the player, but this was made permanent due to
positive tester feedback.
In Half-Life: Blue Shift, the playable Barney progresses through Black Mesa to escape the events of the resonance
cascade, and is able to do so,in contrast to Gordon Freeman and Adrian Shephard, who are held in stasis. In Half-Life
2, Barney works as a mole for the Lambda Resistance in the Combine Civil Protection Forces. He provides the
player information in the first chapter, leading him to Kleiner and Vance, and in the third chapter provides the player
with his crowbar. The fact that Barney owes Gordon Freeman a beer is a running gag in the series.
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 112

Adrian Shephard
Shephard, a 22-year old U.S. Marine Corporal assigned to the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU) from
the fictional Santego Military Base in Arizona, is one of the personnel sent into the Black Mesa Research Facility to
kill the aliens and later silence the witnesses, especially a scientist named Gordon Freeman, the player character in
the original game. However, during the events subsequent to the "Resonance Cascade", Adrian finds himself
separated from his unit and fighting for his life.
Unlike the other Marines, he works with the increasingly distrustful scientists and guards in order to make it out of
Black Mesa alive. This is likely because he never received the orders to kill them, as his Osprey was shot down
before his commander could inform the squad of their mission. Shephard and Freeman do cross paths during the
game, but at that point Shephard is merely an observer to a climactic event from the original game. He never fights
alongside or against Gordon Freeman. The G-Man appears to take an interest in Shephard's movements, even before
the Black Mesa Incident. As early as three months prior, Shephard spots the G-Man during the boot camp training
mission. Shephard deactivates the thermonuclear warhead brought in by the Black Ops, but the G-Man reactivates it
and Black Mesa is destroyed. In the end, the G-Man reveals that he has successfully argued for Shephard's life,
detaining him in some unknown void. The G-Man expresses a degree of respect for Shephard, offering praise for his
ability to "adapt and survive against all odds" which "rather reminds [the G-Man] of [himself]."

Dr Rosenberg
Dr. Rosenberg's first chronological appearance is in Half-Life: Decay. When Gina Cross and Colette Green first
arrive at the test chamber's control room and are receiving instructions from Dr. Keller, Rosenberg interrupts and
voices his concern to Keller over having the anti-mass spectrometer run above 90% capacity, which is past the safety
buffer zone for the equipment. Dr. Keller, however, dismisses his concern and states that the administrator's orders
for this were clear. He tells Rosenberg that he can either stay and watch the experiment or return to his labs by the
train yards. Rosenberg remains, and shortly thereafter the resonance cascade occurs.
Immediately after the disaster, Rosenberg converses with Dr. Keller and makes clear that he believes their greatest
responsibility should be to the safety of the people at Black Mesa. Although Keller thinks that they should attempt to
reset the displacement fields first, he eventually agrees with Rosenberg and they come up with a plan to contact the
military so that they can help and evacuate the facility as soon as possible. Gina and Colette escort Rosenberg
through the Hazard Course to a satellite communications center on the surface, where he is able to transmit a distress
signal. Dr. Rosenberg decides to wait there for the military, and this is the last time he is seen in Decay as Gina and
Colette return below to assist Dr. Keller. However, his voice is heard once more in the game later on.
In Half-Life: Blue Shift, Rosenberg makes his first appearance during the Hazard Course tutorial, long before
Calhoun encounters him in the train yards. He can be seen behind the observer's window during the duck-jump
portion of the training.
Some time between Gina and Colette's last sight of Rosenberg in Decay and Calhoun's eventual rescue of the
scientist in Blue Shift, he tries to enact an escape plan to get out of Black Mesa with the help of several other
scientists. During this time, he is captured by soldiers and held captive in a freight car for questioning, while a
colleague, Harold, is cornered and fatally wounded. Before Harold dies, Barney Calhoun discovers him, and he
instructs Calhoun to find Dr. Rosenberg to help him with his plan. Calhoun is able to reach the train yards and free
Dr. Rosenberg. Rosenberg informs him that their plan is to use the equipment in the prototype labs to teleport to
safety.
He leads Calhoun to the unused part of the complex where two other scientists, Walter Bennett and Simmons, are
already preparing the machine. Rosenberg instructs Calhoun that he must activate and align a relay device on Xen in
order for them to be able to accurately set their destination. Calhoun travels to Xen and is successful in
accomplishing this task, but after returning through the portal back to Earth (It is here that Gina and Colette in
Decay, temporarily caught in a harmonic reflux, hear Rosenberg's voice calling Calhoun through the portal), they
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 113

discover that they need another power cell to replenish the teleporter's power for their escape. Calhoun acquires a
newly charged power cell from the lab's sub-basement and delivers it to Rosenberg and the others. Dr. Rosenberg
then initiates the system and brings it online. They all narrowly avoid the military's invasion of the prototype labs,
teleporting to the safety of an unnoticed access tunnel. They get into an SUV and leave Black Mesa.

Introduced in Half-Life 2 and sequels

This section deals with characters that appear in Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two.

Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a prominent figure in the human resistance against the rule of the alien race called the Combine and
their human representative, Dr. Breen. She is a close friend and ally of Gordon Freeman and is considered to be the
primary heroine of the series. She is the daughter of Doctor Eli Vance and his deceased wife Azian.

Isaac Kleiner
Dr. Kleiner, a Black Mesa survivor, is one of the leading scientists in the human resistance to the Combine. His
character design is based on the generic "bald, glasses" scientist model from the original Half-Life.
Dr. Kleiner was one of Gordon Freeman's professors at MIT, recommending him for employment at the Black Mesa
to the Civilian Recruitment Division and working with him as part of the facility's Anomalous Materials team. He
managed to survive the Resonance Cascade disaster of the first game with the aid of Eli Vance.
In Half-Life 2, he operates an underground lab in an abandoned Northern Petrol building. A teleportation system,
developed jointly by Kleiner and Eli Vance, connects to Vance's facility, several miles away. As a pet, Dr. Kleiner
keeps a debeaked headcrab he calls 'Lamarr' (after the 1930s actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr).
In Episode One, Kleiner appears on the video screens previously reserved for Dr. Breen's propaganda and instructs
survivors to evacuate City 17, also encouraging them to procreate. He rallies people to prepare for the Combine's
retaliation, stating that several new technologies developed during their occupation would be deployed as soon as
possible to help fight the Combine.
In Episode Two, Kleiner is working out of the White Forest Rocket Facility with Eli Vance and Arne Magnusson on
a device intended to close the Combine superportal created by the Citadel's destruction. He mostly appears during
radio transmissions while guiding Alyx and Gordon to White Forest, and argues bitterly with Magnusson, whom
Vance states was Kleiner's rival at Black Mesa. Upon the discovery of the Borealis in Judith Mossman's decoded
message, Kleiner expresses a wish to use the technology residing in the ship against the Combine, opposing Eli's
vehement desire to destroy it in order to prevent "another Black Mesa".

Eli Vance
Dr. Eli Vance, a physicist, researcher, and Harvard graduate, wears a prosthetic to replace his left leg beneath the
knee, which was lost when he was attacked by a Bullsquid while helping Dr. Isaac Kleiner climb over a wall into a
Combine city. This prosthetic makes reference to the "advanced knee replacement" Chell received in Portal. The
only exception is he lost his leg and it is turned around. He is Alyx Vance's father; his late wife, Azian, died in the
aftermath of the resonance cascade.
The leader of the Lambda resistance, Dr. Vance was the first human being to make peaceful contact with the
Vortigaunt species and thus the "first collaborator", quickly persuading the alien race to ally with humanity against
the Combine invasion of Earth.
In Episode Two, Eli Vance works at the White Forest base before being killed by a Combine Advisor.
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 114

Arne Magnusson
In Episode Two, Dr. Magnusson runs the White Forest base and is described as a Black Mesa survivor. There,
according to Dr. Vance, he used to "compete for grant money" with Dr. Kleiner. The two get on poorly due to their
clashing personalities, as spelled out by their very names: 'magnus' means big in Latin, while 'klein' means small in
German and Dutch. Magnusson's peculiar personality seems to have gained him much respect from the Vortigaunts,
such as his assistant Uriah, who makes awed references to him.

Dog
Dog is a hulking robot owned by Alyx Vance. Her father, Eli, built Dog to both celebrate and protect his daughter,
Alyx. Alyx subsequently upgraded the robot into its current form. His role in Half-Life 2 is to aid the player in
tutorials—in particular, training in the use of the Gravity Gun—and lifting heavy objects the player cannot
manipulate with the Gravity Gun.
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar states that Dog's design underwent "relatively few changes" from his very first concept
sketch; Valve artists were inspired by "classic movie robots", citing Robby from Forbidden Planet. His character
provides comic relief during the series; his battle sequences are often comically exaggerated, such as taking on small
enemy squads by throwing dumpsters at them. His appearance as the first character seen in Episode One was
influenced by positive fan reception.

Judith Mossman
Dr. Judith Mossman, voiced by Michelle Forbes, first appears briefly in Red Letter Day, in which she is attempting
to stabilize Gordon Freeman's damaged teleportation. In Black Mesa East, she meets Gordon Freeman at the
entrance to the facility and tells him of the research that is being conducted there as well as her deep admiration for
Freeman. Although she is obviously very fond of Dr. Eli Vance, she briefly quarrels with his daughter, Alyx Vance.
Dr. Mossman disapproves of Alyx's light-hearted approach to science. It is clear that the two women dislike each
other. Eli relates that Judith and Gordon Freeman applied for the same job at the Black Mesa Research Facility, but
Freeman got it over her, due to his experience.
Alyx's dislike is seemingly justified when Judith betrays the resistance. Mossman had revealed the location of Black
Mesa East to the Combine, allowing them to sweep the area and take Dr. Vance prisoner.
Later in the game, Alyx and Gordon capture Judith. They plan to rescue Dr. Vance via a Combine teleport, and
Judith is the only one who can operate it. Dr. Mossman starts the machine, which requires several minutes to charge
up. While Alyx and Gordon are distracted, Judith climbs into the teleport with Eli and they vanish. Moreover, Dr.
Mossman has changed the teleport's destination coordinates — instead of Dr. Kleiner's lab, she has sent Dr. Vance
and herself into the Citadel, the near-impregnable headquarters of the Combine. Alyx and Gordon barely manage to
escape the overwhelming Combine forces by teleporting to Dr. Kleiner's location just before the teleporter explodes.
Later, in the chapter "Dark Energy", Dr. Vance rejects Dr. Breen's ultimatum. As a result, Dr. Breen tries to send Eli
and Alyx Vance to a distant Combine off-world. Realizing that she has misplaced her trust in Dr. Breen, Dr.
Mossman switches sides again. Threatening Dr. Breen with Alyx's EMP (the small electrical device used by Alyx to
open doors or hack into computers) and telling him he is "all out of time" (a reference to the conversation she had
with him when Breen says "So sorry, Judith. I'm all out of time."), she frees Dr. Vance as well as Alyx and Gordon.
Judith and Alyx finally make peace, as Judith stays behind with Eli to guard him while Alyx and Freeman ascend an
elevator to catch up with the fleeing Dr. Breen.
Dr. Mossman appears in Half-Life 2: Episode One through a video recording stored in the Citadel. She has survived
the teleporter explosion along with Dr. Eli Vance and is now somewhere outside of City 17. In the recording, she is
dressed in cold weather gear and is apparently sending back a report about a "project" she had been sent to
investigate. The substance of the "Project" is not mentioned, but it is apparently not Combine in origin, as Mossman
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 115

does not yet know if what she's looking for at the site will compromise certain work done by the Resistance "should
the Combine discover its location." She is interrupted by an exploding Combine Door, which a Hunter and several
Combine Elite soldiers pour through. Mossman successfully flees the scene before the Combine soldiers burst in, but
her fate afterwards is currently unknown.
In Half Life 2: Episode Two, Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner are seen watching Judith Mossman's recording. Her fate
remains unknown.[1]
I'm fairly sure I've pinned down the location of the project. It's hard to say how much of it might have survived intact or if there is
anything remaining that could compromise our work if it were discovered by the Combine. We'll need to take a close look at it, of
course, but I should be able to give a better opinion within a few hours. If the site is where we think it is, it should be no more
than...I'm gonna have to cut this short, we may have been spotted...

Dr.Judith Mossman's transmission from Episode One and Two

According to the conclusion of Episode Two, Judith Mossman's team found the Aperture Science research vessel
Borealis buried in arctic ice after it "...Vanished, with all hands, and even part of the drydock!" as stated by Dr.
Kleiner.

Odessa Cubbage
Colonel Odessa Cubbage is a member of the Resistance against the Combine who speaks in distinct Received
Pronunciation. He wears a jacket with emblems on it indicating that he was possibly once a security officer as part of
the University of Rochester Security Services. According to Raising the Bar, his model was based on the martial arts
instructor for one of the game's developers, and the name was found in a spam filter.
Odessa Cubbage leads a small Resistance base and town, dubbed "New Little Odessa", in a coastal region outside
City 17. Before arriving at New Little Odessa, the player can see Cubbage speaking with the G-Man by looking
through a binocular spotting-scope device. When Gordon Freeman arrives at New Little Odessa en route to Nova
Prospekt, Cubbage is briefing members on the use of the rocket launcher against Combine gunships. Cubbage
entrusts the rocket launcher to Gordon and never turns up to fight himself, instead staying behind to attempt to
contact another Resistance settlement.

Father Grigori
Father Grigori is a Russian Orthodox monk who appears throughout the Ravenholm chapter of Half-Life 2. He is
the only human survivor encountered in Ravenholm.
He speaks enthusiastically about "tending to his flock" while dispatching the remaining zombie inhabitants of the
city, using his lever-action rifle, Annabelle, and homemade traps. He helps Gordon Freeman intermittently in
Ravenholm, both through actions, including giving Freeman a SPAS-12 shotgun, and combat tips. Eventually,
Grigori escorts Freeman through a cemetery infested with zombies to show him a hidden passage to the mines out of
the haunted town. After waving Gordon off, Grigori continues fighting the hordes of enemies until he retreats into a
nearby tomb, which he ignites a wall of fire surrounding it and disappears laughing maniacally.

Wallace Breen
Doctor Breen was the administrator of the Black Mesa Research Facility at the time of the "Black Mesa Incident,"
the events depicted in Half-Life, but he was neither seen nor mentioned by name. (He was instead referred to always
as "the Administrator.") After the Seven Hour War, he "negotiated" a peace agreement with the Combine that saved
humanity, but at the cost of enslavement. Doctor Breen was appointed as ruler of Earth — a puppet of the Combine,
who have little physical presence on the planet.
The Half-Life 2 art book, Raising the Bar, has information that indicates Breen used, at least at one point of the
planned story if not in the final version, a radio transmitter tower on the surface (i.e., not in Black Mesa) to
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 116

communicate directly to the Combine and negotiate a surrender. Draft scripts for Half-Life 2 indicate that this would
have been shown in an introductory segment to the game carried out through a series of projector slides. One of the
slides would have shown Breen at the foot of a tower wearing a headset linked directly to it, with arms held wide and
speaking to the skies.
Breen is alerted to the return of Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2 when Gordon is temporarily teleported, by accident,
to his office in the Citadel. Doctor Breen informs the Combine and immediately dispatches the forces at his disposal
to capture Freeman and break the associated Resistance movement in City 17.
During Gordon Freeman's raid on the Citadel, Freeman is temporarily in the custody of Breen, until Judith Mossman
turns against the administrator. During this period, Breen makes a very notable statement: he mentions while in the
presence of Alyx Vance and her father, Eli (who are also in his custody) that Gordon "has proven a fine pawn to
those who control him." He also comments that Gordon's services are "open to the highest bidder," and says he
would understand if Gordon doesn't want to discuss it in front of his friends. These remarks imply that Breen may be
aware of the mysterious G-Man and his influence over Freeman. It was also mentioned in one of the "Breencasts" to
the Sector Seventeen Overwatch in Nova Prospekt; "I have good reason to believe that in the intervening years, he
was in a state that precluded further development of covert skills."
When Judith Mossman frees Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance in his office, Doctor Breen attempts to flee using a
Combine teleporter. Gordon Freeman manages to stop him by destroying the Citadel's dark fusion reactor, which
destroys the teleporter in a massive explosion, consuming Breen in the process.

Introduced in Portal

Chell
The player character, it is implied that Chell was kept in suspended animation after GLaDOS took control of the
Aperture Science facility. She is clad in an orange jumpsuit and wears protective leg springs (Which are artificial
kneecap replacements). Her name isn't at anytime mentioned during the game, but is stated in the end credits when
the developers are giving a special thanks to the person for Chell's face.
GLaDOS claims that on Chell's file, it says "Unlikeable. A bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be
mourned" and that Chell is also adopted. However, this information is doubtable, because GLaDOS is, as she admits,
a liar.
Chell's fate at the conclusion of Portal is kept ambiguous, having her POV show her lying on the ground at the
entrance to Aperture Laboratories. After a March 3, 2010 patch, however, the ending is slightly changed with a
robotic voice approaching from behind and the camera moving to simulate Chell being dragged away. Valve later
confirmed that Chell is taken back into the lab and once again put in suspended animation.

GLaDOS
GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is a computer system created by the fictional corporation
Aperture Science in the game Portal. GLaDOS guides the player through the stages of the game, however this
guidance later becomes questionable as GLaDOS becomes the main antagonist of the plot.

References
• Hodgson, David. Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3.
• Hodgson, David. Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4362-7.
• Commentaries for Half-Life 2: Episode One. Valve. 2006.
• Commentaries for Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Valve. 2007.
• Commentaries for Portal. Valve. 2007.
Characters of ''Half-Life'' 117

References
[1] IGN video (http:/ / media. pc. ign. com/ media/ 812/ 812574/ vid_1646399. html)

Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance

Alyx Vance in artwork by Dhabih Eng

Series Half-Life series

First game Half-Life 2 (2004)

Designed by Dhabih Eng

Voiced by Merle Dandridge

Motion capture actor(s) Jamil Mullen

Alyx Vance is a fictional character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following
episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Alyx is portrayed as a young woman in her
mid-twenties of Black/Asian descent, and is a prominent figure in the human resistance against the rule of the alien
race called the Combine and their human representative, Dr. Breen. She is a close friend and ally of Gordon Freeman
and is considered to be the primary heroine of the series. Alyx's character uses a modified version of real-life actress
Jamil Mullen's face, and her voice is performed by Merle Dandridge.

Character overview
Alyx is the daughter of Dr. Eli Vance. Her mother, Azian, who is of
Asian descent, can be seen in a family photograph appearing in the
games but died during the Black Mesa incident (the event depicted in
the first Half-Life game). Alyx was only a child when Gordon Freeman
was employed at Black Mesa, but Freeman's stasis between the events
of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 has erased most of the age gap between the
two characters.

Alyx is a skilled hacker, adept at infiltrating Combine computer

systems and reprogramming them. She also possesses a multi-purpose
tool that uses an electric charge in order to bypass security systems,
open locked doors, and re-program rollermines and automated turrets
An early concept drawing of Alyx
Alyx Vance 118

to attack enemies. Alyx is proficient with firearms, in particular the automatic pistol she commonly carries. At
certain points in the game, she also wields a shotgun and mans a stationary sniper rifle. In addition, she has some
skill in unarmed combat and will occasionally wrestle off or kick headcrab zombies. Alyx is also very athletic,
capable of effortlessly jumping down obstacles and climbing to the side of buildings.

Personality
Alyx is a generally friendly person, though she shows some hostility towards Dr. Judith Mossman due to her
somewhat patronizing attitude, as well as Mossman's apparent interest in her father. The hostility abates at the end of
Half-Life 2, when Dr. Mossman helps Alyx in escaping the Citadel. She also holds Breen responsible for her
mother's death (when Breen mentions her mother, she spits on him and responds, "How dare you even mention
her!"). Also, she appears to be somewhat playful, and caring in some cases.
Alyx also has a sense of humor, as evidenced by the jokes she makes about the Combine or Gordon's silence. An
example of this can be seen in the Lowlife chapter of Episode One, when she begins to make noises like a zombie to
scare the player. Upon being found out, she says "Ha ha, gotcha."

Relationship with Gordon Freeman

Alyx's proximity to Gordon throughout the Half-Life 2 series results in other characters speculating on their
relationship. This is first witnessed during the chapter Black Mesa East, when her father tells her, "There is nothing
Gordon can't handle…with the possible exception of you". She replies by muttering, "Dad, please...," in an
embarrassed tone.
Episode One contains many situations where this theme is developed. Alyx hugs Gordon when her robot, Dog, finds
him. Barney Calhoun additionally mentions that Freeman is a "lucky dog" to travel alongside Alyx.
In Episode Two, at the beginning of Chapter 5, Under the Radar, as Gordon leaves a garage to destroy an auto-gun
blocking their path while their car is being worked on, one of the mechanics begins to talk to Alyx, saying "So,
uh...that your boyfriend?" referring to Freeman. The conversation trails off into the distance before Alyx's response
is heard, however. At a later point in the game, when the characters reach the White Forest facility, Eli implies that
with the reproductive suppression field turned off, Alyx and Gordon should "do their part" for the revival of the
species. Alyx reacts with embarrassment, hiding her face with her hand. Eli replies, "Can you blame an old man for
wanting grandkids".
Finally, and perhaps most notably, the Vortigaunts "weave the Freeman's life with hers," while reviving and healing
Alyx, thus explicitly connecting the respective well-being of the two characters.

Gameplay
Through parts of Half-Life 2 and almost the entirety of its sequels, Episode One and Episode Two, Alyx serves as an
ally to the player, assisting in combat and allowing the player to progress by opening doors and removing other
obstacles. Alyx's health quickly regenerates, allowing her to recover quickly and survive a fair amount of
punishment. As long as the player does not deliberately avoid helping Alyx, it is difficult for her to be killed.
Notably, while Gordon requires the use of the special HEV suit for protection, power, and other abilities, Alyx
appears to need no such enhancement.
In Episode One, where Alyx's role as a companion is expanded upon, her artificial intelligence (AI) was designed
specifically for co-operative play to complement the player's abilities. The developers described Alyx's programming
for Episode One as a "personality code" as opposed to an "AI code", emphasizing the attention they gave to create a
unique and believable companion. In addition, she was specially programmed to avoid performing too many
mechanical or repetitive actions, such as repeating lines of dialogue or performing certain routines in combat
situations.[1] Examples of this co-operative gameplay include combat in underground levels, where the player can
Alyx Vance 119

use their flashlight to help Alyx spot and kill oncoming enemies, thereby conserving their own ammunition.[2]
Similarly, Alyx will often take up strategic positions and provide covering fire to keep the player safe while they
travel to a certain area or perform certain actions.[3]
Alyx's primary weapon in the games is a unique automatic pistol resembling a machine pistol in operation and a
Glock-series pistol in appearance. Alyx also wields a shotgun identical to the one available to the player in the later
part of Episode One. She also uses the mounted Overwatch sniper rifles at various points in both Episode One and
Episode Two. In Episode Two she can also fire while Gordon is driving a car if he is moving slowly enough.

Appearance and role

Half-Life 2
Alyx helps Gordon more frequently and directly than any other character in Half-Life 2. In the first chapter (Point
Insertion), Alyx saves Gordon from Civil Protection forces when he is unarmed and not yet wearing his protective
HEV suit. Later, in Black Mesa East, she gives Gordon the gravity gun and instructs Gordon in its use. During the
chapter titled Entanglement, she helps search Nova Prospekt for her captured father. She fights alongside Gordon
through a section of City 17 during the armed uprising in Anticitizen One, and provides indirect assistance to Gordon
during the final confrontation with Dr. Breen in the final areas of the Citadel in Dark Energy.
In Black Mesa East, Alyx argues heatedly with Dr. Judith Mossman. Alyx's hostility towards Mossman is seemingly
justified: Gordon and Alyx learn in Entanglement that Mossman has betrayed the resistance and given away the
location of their hidden facility. Nevertheless, in Dark Energy, Dr. Mossman switches sides again and the two
women finally make peace.
In the ending scene of Half-Life 2, Alyx is with Gordon at the time of the dark energy explosion.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Alyx and Gordon manage to survive, rescued by Vortigaunts who leave them outside the Citadel, but they have to
revisit the structure to slow the core's progression toward meltdown, delaying the explosion. Alyx and Gordon stick
together for most of Episode One, finally getting out of the zombie-infested underground station to the surface. They
soon meet up with Barney Calhoun and make a push for a different train station, saving the remaining rebel
members. Gordon and Alyx leave Barney on a separate train and jump on the last train heading out of the City just as
the Citadel explodes.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

In Episode Two, Alyx and Gordon travel to the White Forest Rocket Facility to deliver a crucial information packet
stolen from the Citadel. Along the way, she is gravely wounded by a Combine Hunter. Healing her requires Gordon
to make a dangerous trek through an Antlion colony to retrieve their "larval extract," an essential ingredient in the
vortigaunt healing process. As part of the healing process, her life is entwined with Gordon's. During this time, the
G-Man appears to Gordon in a surreal "heart-to-heart" sequence and programs Alyx to tell her father to "prepare for
unforeseen consequences."
Once Alyx awakens, she and Gordon resume their quest toward White Forest. During their second encounter with
Hunters, Alyx resolves not to run from them again. Aside from the Hunters, Alyx and Gordon fight numerous
Combine soldiers, zombies, a Hunter-Chopper, and have a chance encounter with a Combine Advisor. Upon arriving
at White Forest, Alyx is reunited with her father, who suggests that Alyx and Gordon should have children together.
She delivers the Combine data to Dr. Kleiner, who manages to decrypt it and discover that Judith Mossman has
found the legendary Borealis, an icebreaker ship which has disappeared during teleportation experiments. As Kleiner
argues with Eli about what to do with the Borealis, the G-Man triggers her programming; she clearly retains no
memory of it upon delivering the message. She arranges transport to the Borealis in the form of a vintage helicopter
Alyx Vance 120

while Gordon fights off an invasion by Striders.

After Kleiner and Magnusson successfully disable the Combine superportal, Alyx and Gordon prepare to board the
helicopter. Just as they reach the hangar, however, two Advisors break in and restrain them along with Eli. One kills
Eli while Alyx and Gordon remain helpless, but Dog arrives on the scene in time to save Alyx and Gordon. Alyx
cries, embracing her father's corpse and whimpering "No... don't leave me." The screen then fades to black and the
credits roll, with her cries still audible for several seconds.

Critical reception
Since she first appeared in Half-Life 2, she has received very positive reception. She has received her reception for
both her intelligence and her beauty amongst other factors. Play magazine listed her as their favorite computer game
female character in their sixth "Girls of Gaming" special, calling her "the best partner Gordon Freeman could ask
for."[4] UGO.com rated Alyx thirty-third in their "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" article, stating "Now here's a girl that
you could actually take home to Momma. Alyx has it all: brains, good looks, and a stinging personality that can keep
the comers at bay."[5] They later listed her at number eight in their "Top 11 Girls of Gaming" article, stating "there's
just something about her that makes her unforgettable", noting her bond with the player and describing her as a "cute
post-apocalyptic chick with short hair and a take-no-crap attitude, a rarity in this age of eye candy and cheeseball
characterization."[6] Bit-tech rated her as the number one PC game NPC of all time, saying, "What makes Alyx such
a popular supporting character is how believable she manages to be even in the utterly sci-fi world of Half-Life. The
brilliant animation of the character combines with the fabulous voice acting and witty script to create one of the most
important characters in a computer game, ever." [7]
GameDaily included her in a list of "Ten Babes Who Should and 10 Babes Who Shouldn't Meet Your Mom", citing
her loyalty, her proficiency with electronics, and her sensible choice of clothing.[8] They also included her in their
"Babe of the Week: Brunettes" piece, describing her as one of the best sidekicks in video games.[9] GamesRadar
ranked her second in their list of the top seven tasteful game heroines, describing her as the "go-to girl for female
leads", describing her as one of the most human female video game characters.[10] The Game Reviews editor Mark
Fujii listed Alyx as one of their "top 10 video game women who don't use sex to sell", stating that she is as fantastic
as video game characters get. He describes her as "smart, funny, belligerent, charming, and cute even with her
grungy attire and boyish haircut", adding that gamers grew to love her due to her personality, not looks, citing the
negative reaction to a mod that gave her a sexier appearance.[11] Topless Robot named her one of the "11 Most
Dignified Videogame Heroines", citing that while she was a secondary character she was still very prominent,
though despite her strengths she fulfilled the cliche of a "summer movie heroine".[12] GamesRadar named her "Miss
2004" in their article on the sexiest new characters of the decade, stating that giving her the award required no debate
amongst the staff. She was described as brainy and strong-willed, as well as "relentlessly up-beat, funny, and
friendly" in the face of peril.[13] They also listed her as one of the top 25 best new characters of the decade, again
citing her head-strong attitude and pleasant personality. They described her as one of the first non-playable
characters to deviate from the standard.[14]
Alyx was featured in a series of promotional images released by Valve Corporation spoofing an Apple Inc.
commercial.[15]
Alyx Vance 121

References
[1] Lee, Garnett (2005-08-29). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?cId=3143168). 1UP.com. . Retrieved
2007-10-12.
[2] Berghammer, Billy (2006-05-26). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Hands-On, Details, And Extensive Video Interview" (http:/ / www.
gameinformer. com/ News/ Story/ 200605/ N06. 0526. 1422. 35562. htm). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2008-05-12.
[3] Ocampo, Jason (2006-06-02). "Episode One review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ review. html). GameSpot. .
Retrieved 2007-04-28.
[4] Halverson, Dave; Mike Griffin, Heather Anne Campbell, Matt Cabral, Eric L. Patterson (December 2008). "Girls of Gaming". Play 6: 93.
[5] Top 50 Videogame Hotties (http:/ / www. ugo. com/ games/ video-game-hotties/ ?cur=alyx-vance& morepics=17). UGO.com. Retrieved on
2008-12-14
[6] Top 11 Girls of Gaming (http:/ / www. ugo. com/ games/ gaming-girls/ ?cur=alyx-vance). UGO.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-28
[7] Top 10 Computer Game NPCs (http:/ / www. bit-tech. net/ gaming/ pc/ 2008/ 07/ 18/ top-10-computer-game-npcs/ 5). bit-tech.net. Retrieved
on 2008-07-18
[8] http:/ / www. gamedaily. com/ articles/ galleries/ ten-babes-who-should-and-10-babes-who-shouldnt-meet-your-mom/ ?page=19
[9] http:/ / www. gamedaily. com/ articles/ galleries/ babes-of-the-week-brunettes-/ ?page=11
[10] "The Top 7... tasteful game heroines" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ f/ the-top-7-tasteful-game-heroines/ a-20091109102113599019/ ).
GamesRadar. . Retrieved 2009-01-05.
[11] http:/ / thegamereviews. com/ articlenav-1530-page-5. html
[12] Ciolek, Todd; Rob Bricken (2008-10-15). "The 11 Most Dignified (and Thus Reasonably Attired) Videogame Heroines" (http:/ / www.
toplessrobot. com/ 2008/ 10/ the_11_most_dignified_and_thus_reasonably_attired. php). Topless Robot. The Village Voice. . Retrieved
2010-03-11.
[13] "The sexiest new characters of the decade" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ f/ the-sexiest-new-characters-of-the-decade/
a-2009122311561016035). GamesRadar. 2009-12-30. . Retrieved 2010-01-04.
[14] "The 25 best new characters of the decade" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ f/ the-25-best-new-characters-of-the-decade/
a-20091221171910974007). GamesRadar. 2009-12-29. . Retrieved 2010-01-04.
[15] http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5484955/ steam-mac-ads/ gallery/ / gallery/ 6#
GLaDOS 122

GLaDOS
GLaDOS

Series Half-Life series

First game Portal (2007)

Created by Erik Wolpaw

Kim Swift

Voiced by Ellen McLain

GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) is a fictional artificially intelligent computer system
found in the Valve Software video game Portal, voiced by Ellen McLain. She initially appears as a voice to guide
and aid Chell, the player's character, through the game's chambers, but over time, her words and actions become
increasingly malicious, and she makes multiple attempts to kill Chell. After a face-to-face confrontation with
GLaDOS, Chell destroys her and escapes. GLaDOS was universally praised for her contributions to the quality of
Portal's writing, winning multiple awards for best new character from GameSpy, GamePro, and X-Play.
At the end of "Portal," Ellen McLain performs again as GLaDOS in a song called "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton,
which has become an internet hit, receiving praise from multiple outlets for the quality of its writing. It has been
featured in multiple installments of the Rock Band series as free downloadable content. It is also available for
purchase as a part of the Orange Box original soundtrack on iTunes.

Concept and creation

While writer Erik Wolpaw was working on Psychonauts, he used a text-to-speech program to create temporary
dialogue, noting that "people were laughing at that way more than what the lines were worth". He commented to
himself that "No amount of writing is funnier than this text-to-speech thing reading it." This revelation eventually led
to him implementing it in Portal. Erik Wolpaw brought sample dialogue created using a text-to-voice program,
which originally played exclusively in the "relaxation vault", the first area of the game, as an announcement in
Portal. The development team found it to be humorous, so Erik continued to record announcements for other
chambers. Over time, the developers discovered that the voice was motivating the play testers to complete the
chambers, and that they became attached to the voice, particularly once they connected the voice as the "villain" of
the game. Due to the humor the developers found in it, Erik continued to use this voice for other chambers in the
game. Erik originally intended to have different characters to interact with, such as the villain, but changed his mind
after seeing the way players reacted to the voice. Another factor that went into choosing this style of voicing and
character was due to the difficulty of implementing human characters.[1] [2]
GLaDOS was voiced by Ellen McLain. Her voice was created by playing a line of text using text-to-speech software
on a computer, and having McLain recite it in her own voice while she attempted to imitate the voice, adding
emotion where she was directed to.[3] Her voice was then digitized to sound more like a computerized voice.[4] "Still
GLaDOS 123

Alive" songwriter Jonathan Coulton stated that while he expected Ellen's voice to have been digitized, she sounded
much like GLaDOS before the digitization.[5] During the final confrontation with GLaDOS, a "morality core" is
removed from GLaDOS, and McLain changes her voice to accommodate the newly created lack of compassion. Erik
attributed GLaDOS' growth as a character in part to their love for McLain, saying "Oh man, I don't want Ellen to say
this. Ellen is super-likable. We should write for that."[6]
Kim Swift, the level designer and team leader of Portal, explained that the development staff wanted gamers to be
able to complete the game in an afternoon's sitting so that the players could hear GLaDOS and hear her song.[7] They
designed GLaDOS to be a devious boss originally, but did not like this design. The battle originally featured "James
Bond-like lasers", but the developers found it boring. In their second attempt, they tried yet another action-packed
battle jokingly calling it "Portal Kombat", but it did not click with the developers. The developers felt that it
distracted too much from GLaDOS and alienated players who enjoyed the puzzle gameplay. Their final attempt
before they created the final version of the boss was a chase scene where players had to pursue GLaDOS, but the
developers found that play-testers had no sense of what to do.[8] In the end, they chose to scale back the end boss in
order to allow players to actually reach the end by simplifying things, yet adding a time limit.[9]
Chet Faliszek, a fellow writer employed by Valve, called introducing GLaDOS a "scary thing".[10] In an interview,
Erik stated that he preferred a villain he can empathize with in a film or comic book, saying it makes it more tragic
for the viewer. He stated that the character of GLaDOS was written as if she were human who has problems that a
piece of technology would have. Lines were written for GLaDOS to make play testers care for the Weighted
Companion Cube, an object that the player carries with them, as well as the incineration of the cube. This allowed
for players to both gain an idea of how to defeat GLaDOS in the end as well as get revenge for having to incinerate
the cube.[6] [11] Erik also insisted that GlaDOS be written as a person that is angry and manipulative towards the
player, instead of as a self-aware computer, and to avoid dropping computer terms as part of her lines.[2]

Appearances
In Portal, GLaDOS acts as the narrator and guide for players. She is the player's only link with the situation they are
placed in; at the game's start, GLaDOS introduces the player to the game's Enrichment Center and the physics of the
portal gun. In later stages of the center, GLaDOS admits to having lied to the player about their progress, as part of a
supposed 'test protocol.' GLaDOS slowly becomes more sinister, and the player's trust in GLaDOS is tested when the
AI directs the player into a testing area populated with live-fire turrets, a course designed for military androids. The
AI claims that the regular test chamber is unavailable due to "scheduled maintenance". GLaDOS uses the lure of
cake and grief counseling to encourage the player to continue, but at the final testing area, as the player prepares to
receive the supposed cake, GLaDOS attempts to incinerate the player in a fire pit. Once the player escapes, GLaDOS
attempts to reconcile the player, claiming the pit was a final test. The player then travels through the bowels of the
Enrichment Center, battling natural hazards and further turrets until they reach GLaDOS's chamber, where the final
battle occurs, in which the player dislodges special Modules (each also voiced by McLain, with the exception of the
final Module, which is voiced in a guttural fashion by Mike Patton) and incinerates them. Upon incinerating the last
Module, a portal malfunction occurs in GLaDOS' chamber, launching the player to the surface while apparently
destroying GLaDOS. However, the final scene shows a room filled with more special modules that begin to light up.
They surround the cake that GLaDOS had promised Chell. A mechanical arm descends and extinguishes the cake's
candle. This suggests that GLaDOS is still alive via the modules and could rebuild herself. The end song, "Still
Alive", further suggests that she is still alive.
GLaDOS will appear again in Portal 2.
GLaDOS 124

Origin
GLaDOS' origin is gradually revealed in the later stages of the game. An abandoned slideshow presentation in a
meeting room shows GLaDOS was developed by Aperture Science Laboratories Inc. as a method of de-icing fuel
lines in direct competition with a similar project by Black Mesa Research facility. GLaDOS is described as not only
being a fuel line de-icer, but having a fully-functional Disk Operating System and being "arguably alive." GLaDOS
is, however, much more than a fuel line de-icer. The AI is installed as the Enrichment Center's central control
computer. GLaDOS's core is mounted in a large, sealed chamber alongside control consoles and an incinerator. The
core hangs from the ceiling surrounded by video screens that show random and relevant images. The core swings
continuously, dislodging one of the modules in the final level. There are no clear speakers or units which create
GLaDOS' voice, though it is present throughout the facility. During the final battle, GLaDOS reveals it is the source
of the facility's abandoned state; GLaDOS flooded the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin, presumably
killing several scientists, just before its Morality Module was installed. Since the Module had been installed, it can
be assumed that the release happened as the Module was being installed, forcing the scientists to abandon the
facility.

Reception
Pittsburgh Tribune editor Jessica Severs called her villainy "easily the most entertaining of any other video game
character in 2007".[12] Mobile Magazine editor Michael Kwan called her one of the creepiest video game characters
ever made.[13] Tech Radar editor Patrick Goss called her 2007's most memorable video game character.[14] 1UP.com
editor Scott Sharkey ranked her the most insane computer in video games, commenting that she trumped all other
similar characters in books and film as well due to her being the closest to having a human personality of them all.
He described her appearance as an upside-down woman in bondage.[15] Crave editor Rich Trenholm named her the
fourth most evil computer.[16] Computer and Video Games editor Tom Francis stated that he would most want to see
GLaDOS return in a sequel to Portal.[17] GamesRadar listed GLaDOS on their list of video game villains players did
not want to kill, stating that players feel guilt over killing her, especially because the players are killing her piece by
piece.[18]
Gamasutra editors Leigh Alexander, Brandon Boyer, Simon Carless, and Christian Nutt ranked GLaDOS second on
the list of the top most affecting characters in video games in 2007, crediting her with coining such phrases as "I'm
doing science." They also praised her for making Portal what it is.[19] IGN editor Hilary Goldstein called her the
"best of the worst guiding voices", praising her wit as to why she won the award.[20] IGN editor Daemon Hatfield
called her one of the most engaging characters in video game history.[3] She was awarded best video game character
of 2007 in GameSpy's game of the year awards, calling her one of the most memorable video game characters of all
time.[21] She was also awarded the most memorable villain of 2007 by GamePro, referring to her as "The Voice",
and Best New Character by X-Play.[22] [23] PC World named GLaDOS the #2 "Big-Time, Badass Video Game
Villain" behind Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII, citing "her warped personality and hilarious non-sequitur one-liners"
as part of what makes the character memorable.[24] IGN declared her #1 in their list of top 100 video game
villains.[25]
GLaDOS has been compared to multiple other fictional characters in both video games and other mediums, such as
HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, famous for his line "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."[5] MSNBC
editor Winda Benedetti called The Sign Painter, a faceless character from World of Goo who writes signs addressed
to the player, "the new GLaDOS".[26] In response to 1UP.com's article on the top five insane video game computers,
Softpedia editor Andrei Dumitrescu argued that SHODAN, who had ranked fourth on the list, should have been
ranked first. He described GLaDOS as a "lightweight", stating that SHODAN does everything that GLaDOS does to
show her insanity and more, adding that her insanity has a much more far-reaching effect.[27] Games Radar editor
Mikel Reparaz made a similar comparison between the two characters, stating that SHODAN was a precursor to
GLaDOS.[28]
GLaDOS 125

The name "GLaDOS" was a popular choice in a poll conducted by Wired.com for what the Large Hadron Collider
should be named, the current winning name being "Black Mesa", also from the Half-Life series. The poll was
conducted in response to it being named "Halo" by scientists.[29]
GLaDOS was also featured on a t-shirt, alongside the Weighted Companion Cube and the cake, two other elements
from Portal.[30]

References
[1] "Exclusive: Inside The Making Of Portal" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=16885). Gamasutra. 2008-01-10. .
Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[2] Graff, Kris (2009-11-02). "Valve's Writers And The Creative Process" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ view/ feature/ 4151/
valves_writers_and_the_creative_. php?page=1). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2009-11-02.
[3] "GLaDOS Speaks" (http:/ / xbox360. ign. com/ articles/ 831/ 831900p1. html). IGN. 2007-10-31. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[4] "Portal: The Skinny" (http:/ / www. jonathancoulton. com/ 2007/ 10/ 15/ portal-the-skinny/ ). Jonathan Coulton. 2007-10-15. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[5] "Aperture Science has an opening" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ xbox360/ portal/ review/ portal/ a-2007100911151747210694/
g-2006071916221774024/ p-3). Games Radar. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[6] "Still Alive: Kim Swift And Erik Wolpaw Talk Portal" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ view/ feature/ 3585/ still_alive_kim_swift_and_erik_.
php). Gamasutra. 2008-03-25. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[7] "Student Union" (http:/ / www. develop-online. net/ features/ 152/ Student-Union). Develop Online. 2008-03-18. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[8] "GDC 08: Portal Creators on Writing, Multiplayer, Government Interrogation Techniques" (http:/ / www. shacknews. com/ featuredarticle.
x?id=784). Shack News. 2008-02-22. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[9] "GDC 2008: Producing Portal" (http:/ / ps3. ign. com/ articles/ 854/ 854511p1. html). IGN. 2008-02-23. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[10] "New character in Left 4 Dead 2 a 'terrifying' prospect" (http:/ / www. destructoid. com/
new-characters-in-left-4-dead-2-a-terrifying-prospect-142086. phtml). Destructoid. 2009-07-31. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[11] "Best Of GDC: The Secrets Of Portal's Huge Success" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=17625). Gamasutra.
2008-02-27. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[12] "2007's best took gaming beyond the ordinary" (http:/ / www. pittsburghlive. com/ x/ pittsburghtrib/ ae/ s_544560. html). Pittsburg Tribune.
2007-12-27. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[13] "Portal's GLaDOS Invades Garmin nuvi GPS Units (Video)" (http:/ / www. mobilemag. com/ 2008/ 06/ 30/
portals-glados-invades-garmin-nuvi-gps-units-video/ ). Mobile Magazine. 2008-06-30. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[14] "GLaDOS voice for your Garmin" (http:/ / www. techradar. com/ news/ portable-devices/ glados-voice-for-your-garmin-410280). Tech
Radar. 2008-06-30. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[15] "Top 5 Insane Computers" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?cId=3174288). 1UP.com. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[16] "Top 10 evil computers - page 6" (http:/ / crave. cnet. co. uk/ gadgets/ 0,39029552,49293424-6,00. htm). CNET. 2007-11-01. . Retrieved
2010-01-04.
[17] "PC Review: Portal" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=172999& site=pcg). Computer and Video Games.
2007-10-10. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[18] "The Top 7... bad guys you didn't want to kill" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ f/ the-top-7-game-bad-guys-you-didnt-want-to-kill/
a-2008021110314828081/ p-3). GamesRadar. . Retrieved 2010-01-05.
[19] "Top 5 Most Affecting Characters" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ view/ feature/ 3228/ gamasutras_best_of_2007. php?page=2).
Gamasutra. 2007-12-31. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[20] "IGN Xbox 360 Awards: Director's Cut" (http:/ / xbox360. ign. com/ articles/ 844/ 844282p2. html). IGN. 2008-01-08. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[21] "Best Character - GLaDOS (Portal)" (http:/ / goty. gamespy. com/ 2007/ special/ 19. html). GameSpy. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[22] "GamePro's Editors' Choice *2007*" (http:/ / www. gamepro. com/ article/ features/ 154428/ gamepro-editors-choice-2007-pg-2-5/ ).
GamePro. 2008-01-25. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[23] "Winners of "X-Play Best of 2007 Awards" Announced – BioShock is Videogame of the Year" (http:/ / g4tv. com/ g4/ press/ 200/
Winners_of_XPlay_Best_of_2007_Awards_Announced__BioShock_is_Videogame_of_the_Year. html). G4TV. 2007-12-18. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[24] Lui, Spandas (2010-03-12). "Top 10 Big-Time, Badass Video Game Villains" (http:/ / www. pcworld. com/ article/ 191451/ ). PC World. .
Retrieved 2010-04-05.
[25] "Top 100 Videogame Villains - GLaDOS is number 1" (http:/ / www. ign. com/ videogame-villains/ 1. html). IGN. May 2010. . Retrieved
May 18, 2010.
[26] Benedetti, Winda (2008-11-25). "Quit your job and make your game" (http:/ / www. msnbc. msn. com/ id/ 27811798/ wid/ 23887017).
MSNBC. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[27] "Weekend Reading: SHODAN Is the Insane One - GLaDOS is undeserving" (http:/ / news. softpedia. com/ news/
Weekend-Reading-SHODAN-Is-the-Insane-One-112326. shtml). Softpedia. 2009-05-23. . Retrieved 2010-01-04.
GLaDOS 126

[28] "The scariest villains EVER" (http:/ / www. gamesradar. com/ f/ the-scariest-villains-ever/ a-2008061315431334063/ p-6). Games Radar.
2008-06-13. . Retrieved 2010-01-04.
[29] "What would you name the Hadron Collider?" (http:/ / www. news. com. au/ technology/ story/ 0,25642,24365153-5014239,00. html).
News.com. 2008-09-18. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[30] "Portal T-Shirts for the Masses" (http:/ / news. filefront. com/ portal-t-shirts-for-the-masses/ ). Filefront. 2008-01-04. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
G-Man 127

G-Man
G-Man

Left: G-Man, as he appears in Half-Life. Right: His appearance in and after Half-Life 2
Series Half-Life

First game Half-Life

Voiced by Michael Shapiro

G-Man, voiced by Michael Shapiro, is a mysterious recurring character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter
video games. He is known to display peculiar behavior and capabilities beyond that of a normal human, and his
identity and motives remain almost completely unexplained. He plays the role of an overseer and employer, both
observing the player as the games progress and pulling strings to control the outcome of specific events throughout
the Half-Life saga. He claims to answer to some unseen higher authority which he refers to as simply his 'employers'.
The G-Man's constant appearances in the Half-Life games, as well as his revealing dialogues with series protagonist
Gordon Freeman, imply he is of great importance and somewhat anchors the endeavors of the player. His mysterious
nature has made him an icon of the Half-Life series.

Appearance and behavior

The G-Man appears to be a middle-aged white male with a tall and thin physique, pale/chalky skin, dark brown hair
shaped in a military-style crew cut with a prominent widow's peak, blue-green eyes and usually holding a briefcase.
Although not included in the gameplay, on inspection of the model for Half-Life, a pistol can be found in this
briefcase. He is conservative in appearance, dressed in an ordinary gray/blue two-piece business suit. The book
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar states that his appearance in Half-Life 2 is based on the famous Alexander Technique
practitioner Frank Sheldon. The G-man speaks in a slow, raspy yet commanding manner, with a certain accentuated
low-key moroseness to his tone, sometimes placing unusual stress on syllables, stressing the wrong parts of words,
making unneeded pauses, and awkwardly changing the pitch of his voice, sometimes in the middle of a word. In the
end of Half-Life 2 G-man emphasizes the word "time" repeatedly as well, as if it has significance. It is common for
the G-Man to elongate "S" sounds ("Limitlessss potential").
His odd manner of speaking, bordering on the cryptic, along with his appearance, alludes to the behavior of the Men
in Black in various reports, and the apparent age and physical status of the G-Man doesn't seem to change in the time
that passes between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 (which, according to the Episode One website, is nearly twenty
years).[1]
The G-Man exudes a calm, almost uninterested demeanor – in situations in which other humans panic and flee, the
G-Man can be seen calmly straightening his tie or brushing his suit lapels with his hand. When working on the
G-Man in Half-Life 2, animator Doug Wood stated, "I wanted the player to never quite know what side the G-Man
G-Man 128

was on. I would have him express an apologetic look toward Freeman as he 'regretted' to put Dr. Freeman in this
situation, but then give a slight smirk or smile at the end to keep you guessing about his sincerity."[2] Before
animating the G-Man's facial expressions, Wood spent weeks in front of a mirror practicing the expressions on
himself.[2]

Identity
The G-Man's name is taken from the character's model (possibly a reference to the slang term G-Man, referring to an
agent of the United States Government). The character is also referred to as "Gman" in the voice actor list in the
credits of Half-Life 2. Furthermore, in the manual for Opposing Force, Adrian Shephard makes mention of him as "a
G-man." In Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, it is noted that "while the codename 'G-Man' slipped into common use, it
remains merely a codename." In the comment section of the "npc_gman.cpp" file of the Source SDK, it states: "//
Purpose: The G-Man, misunderstood servant of the people."[3]

Presence
In Half-Life, the Nihilanth makes a vague reference to the G-Man as he talks to Gordon before their battle, referring
to him as "not man" and adding "for you Freeman he waits..." In the final chapter of Half-Life 2, Wallace
Breen/Doctor Breen speaks to Gordon Freeman, implying he has "proven himself a fine pawn for those who control
him," and informing Freeman that his "contract was open to the highest bidder." In addition, the Vortigaunts have
several ambiguous lines that could be references to the G-Man. In the introduction to Half-Life 2: Episode One, the
Vortigaunts are able to directly confront him, as well as overpower him to free Gordon Freeman. In Half-Life 2:
Episode Two, Eli Vance strongly implies that he also knows the G-Man, referring to him as "our mutual friend."
Additionally, in Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Alyx Vance is directly spoken to by the G-Man while she is unconscious,
but repeats the words to her father, confirming that she and the G-Man have truly come into contact.

Abilities
The G-Man seemingly has the power to appear in any place he chooses, including moving to and from other
dimensions on a whim. He is also able to slow down time, or at least the player's perception of it, at various points.
In Half-Life, the G-Man will repeatedly appear in places that he should not be able to exit unnoticed or at all, yet is
always gone by the time the player can investigate. While he is normally unreachable, there are certain situations in
Half-Life where the G-Man can be fired upon and even caught, though he cannot be harmed. However, considering
that the player is not normally supposed to do such things, this may not have any relevance to the character.
The G-Man seems to be able to take people into "parallel universe"-like areas and can put them into stasis. In most
games featuring the G-Man, there are several sequences when the G-Man is talking at close range to the player, and
various areas can be seen in the background, including areas from Black Mesa or even areas the player will visit later
into the game. In these sequences, the G-Man talks to the player (the player's character never responds or reacts in
any way) and can be seen quickly appearing in different portions of the screen, in dream-like sequences. He also
appears on TV screens and "Breen Casts" dotted around the environment; G-Man also seems to have technopathic or
telepathic abilities of some sort, as the player will occasionally see his face on things such as unplugged televisions.
The G-Man is capable of operating a very wide range of machinery and technology, ranging from cellular phones
and sealed steel doors to nuclear warheads and teleporters. In addition, he also appears to have the ability to plant
subconscious suggestions or commands in others through psychic or hypnotic means, as he demonstrates on Alyx
Vance in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 by ordering her to relay the words "prepare for unforeseen consequences" to her
father Eli Vance, which she eventually does, apparently with no awareness of what she is doing.
G-Man 129

In-game appearances
The G-Man appears several times in each game while the player is freely moving, though often in out-of-the-way
locations so that it may be difficult for a first-time player to see him. It is almost universally impossible to go directly
to where he is standing – before he has an opportunity to disappear from that place, at any rate. If fired upon in the
few areas in which he could be, the bullet will ricochet as if the player has shot metal. Many of his appearances seem
to correlate around significant plot points of each game, some more directly than others.

Half-Life
The G-Man is first seen standing in a stopped tram adjusting his tie (which he is usually seen doing), and he arrives
at Sector C before Gordon. Before the experiment begins, the G-Man can be seen through a window arguing
heatedly with a scientist in a locked room of Sector C, despite the fact that he was on a tram heading in the opposite
direction to Freeman. Following the catastrophic resonance cascade, which commences the game's action through
Black Mesa, the G-Man can be seen quietly observing the player in several out-of-reach areas as the game
progresses. In several cases, the player arrives in rooms or locations where the G-Man was previously seen, even
though the areas are often inaccessible to other characters or swarming with monsters, and personnel in the location
do not seem to have noticed him. Other times he will disappear into corridors that are seemingly dead ends.
After Gordon defeats Nihilanth, the ruler of Xen and the final boss in Half-Life, the G-Man brings the player to
"safety" in an inexplicable, abstract sequence, appearing beside Gordon, having stripped him of his armaments and
showing him various areas of Xen. Eventually the scene changes into what appears to be a tram (like the one from
the beginning of the game) traveling through hyperspace at an incredible speed. The G-Man tells Gordon that he has
been observing him very carefully and praises him on his actions in Xen, which, following an attempted invasion by
the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, is now in his "employers'" control. The G-Man then informs him that he
has recommended Gordon's services to his "employers" and offers him a job. The player is presented with a
Hobson's choice; declining the offer results in the unarmed Freeman facing a horde of hostile aliens as the screen
fades to black with the G-Man's final words; "No regrets, Mr. Freeman.", then the player is taken back to the
previous scene and presented with the question again. Ostensibly, canon states that Gordon takes the job, with
G-Man stating, "Wisely done, Mr. Freeman. I will see you up ahead." In Half-Life 2, the game lifts off, assuming
you took the job.

Uplink
In the final portion of the demo, G-Man is seen calmly watching from a vantage point as a Gargantua massacres
several humans. He is unfazed when the glass in front of him shatters; he then calmly walks away.

Opposing Force
In the expansion pack, Half-Life: Opposing Force, the G-Man plays a slightly more direct role in the story,
alternately hindering and aiding the player, Corporal Adrian Shephard, as well as simply observing.
During the boot camp training sequence, the G-Man can be spotted at a window speaking with an officer, and
occasionally glancing at the player. Since the drill instructor mentions that Shephard's training has been mysteriously
accelerated, the implication is that the G-Man had an interest in Shephard before the Black Mesa incident for reasons
unknown. The game manual also suggests that the G-Man warned the Marines of the upcoming Black Mesa incident.
At one point Shephard is trapped on a small walkway, with deadly corrosive/radioactive liquid rising steadily
towards him. The G-Man opens a door allowing him to escape, saving his life. One level later, as Shephard attempts
to evacuate Black Mesa with the rest of the Marines, the G-Man closes a hangar door, forcing him to remain on the
base. However, all of Marines die seconds later when their aircraft is shot down, so this action ultimately saves the
player from certain death. Later on, the G-Man is seen rearming the nuclear bomb that destroys Black Mesa, which
G-Man 130

Shephard had deactivated moments prior.

After Shephard defeats the Gene worm at the end of Opposing Force, the G-Man appears again. On this occasion,
Shephard finds himself on board one of the HECU's Osprey aircraft, facing the G-Man. The G-Man informs
Shephard that, contrary to his employer's original wishes, Shephard is to be spared, but detained in a way where "he
could do no possible harm" and "no harm could come to him." The G-Man says that he has been impressed by
Shephard's ability to "adapt and survive against all odds" in the Black Mesa facility, and comments that these are
traits that remind him of himself. As the G-Man delivers this closing monologue, the plane carries them away from
Black Mesa, shortly before a nuclear blast flashes outside confirming its destruction. The aircraft's location then
suddenly switches to the skies of Xen, then finally to an emptiness similar to that encountered by the Black Mesa
tram at the end of Half-Life. The G-Man then leaves Shephard via a teleporter in the cockpit, and the screen fades to
the closing titles. " Subject Shephard. Status Detained. Further evaluation pending".

Blue Shift and Decay

In both Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Decay, the main characters of each game, Barney Calhoun and Doctors
Gina Cross and Colette Green, see the G-Man on one occasion near the beginning of each game, but he doesn't seem
to notice any of them.

Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 begins with Gordon being greeted approximately one to two decades in the future by the G-Man, while
seeing a dream-like montage of images such as the Black Mesa test chamber, and interior areas of the Citadel. In his
speech, the G-Man hints that he put Gordon into stasis for his own safety, and that an opportunity has now arisen that
will allow Freeman to begin his campaign against the Combine forces on Earth, saying "the right man in the wrong
place can make all the difference in the world."
The G-Man continuously refers to Gordon Freeman as "Mr. Freeman" throughout the introductory sequence,
forgoing Gordon's proper title of doctor, to which he is entitled as a Doctor of Physics. However, during the ending
sequence, he refers to Gordon as "Dr. Freeman."
The G-Man is briefly visible at various other points during the events of the game, including along the different
vehicle sequences, but these are only from a great distance or as seen on video terminals until the game's finale. The
G-Man can be seen in Dr. Kleiner's lab on one of the video monitors if the player interacts with, yet he can only be
seen for a second. He can also be seen on television screens around City-17 for split seconds. Another sighting can
be made in the Route Kanal chapter, when the player drops into the train carrige inhabited by a human and a
vourtegaun, for a split second the vorrtegaun can be seen powering the television, on the television is an image of the
G-Man. One notable sighting is through a pair of binoculars, where the G-Man can be seen conversing with Colonel
Odessa Cubbage, of which Cubbage makes no mention. Later, after an uphill battle in the cloud-penetrating Citadel
skyscraper, Gordon causes critical damage to the structure's dark fusion reactor, resulting in an explosion that would
most certainly cause his death. The G-Man stops time in order to extract Gordon to await further "employment
offers." The game ends with travel through the same emptiness that was Half-Life's ending, and with the G-Man
stepping through some sort of doorway portal, though not before adjusting his tie.
The G-Man, at this point, makes it clear that he will once again be placing Freeman in stasis while he entertains
some "interesting offers" for Gordon's services, this time making no mention of his employers as he had in Half-Life,
though he does state that he is not at liberty to inform Gordon of something yet to come.
G-Man 131

Episode One
The G-Man is only seen once in Half-Life 2: Episode One. At the beginning of the game, which begins at the point
when Half-Life 2 ends, the G-Man walks back into the black void in which he left Gordon and opens his mouth to
say something, only to notice a purple, glowing Vortigaunt to his left. He appears to be slightly amused at the sight,
until several more show up, chanting things such as "love", and "destiny" at which point he is clearly annoyed when
he realizes what is happening. As two Vortigaunts move to free Gordon, the G-Man violently straightens his tie and
responds to their chant with a single sentence: "We'll see... about that." Gordon is then immediately teleported away
and found by Dog and Alyx in a pile of rubble just outside the Citadel.
A commentary node in Episode Two confirms that the G-Man makes no appearances in Episode One to convey that
he had lost track of Gordon after the Vortigaunts took him. Even the objective failure messages are altered: whereas
those in Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were written in a cold, business-like manner evident of the G-Man's point of view,
those in Episode One and Episode Two use the Vortigaunts' romantic English mannerisms.

Episode Two
In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the G-Man first appears to Gordon while a group of Vortigaunts are occupied healing
the recently injured Alyx Vance. Just like in Half Life 2, he appears in a surreal, dream-like sequence taking place in
several locations. In this sequence, the G-Man comments that he was unable to contact Gordon until the Vortigaunts
were distracted. He then explains that he was the one to "pluck" Alyx Vance from Black Mesa, despite objections
from unidentified naysayers that she was "a mere child" and "of no practical use to anyone." He then instructs
Gordon to safely escort Alyx to the White Forest, as repayment for the G-Man's previous ensurance of his survival,
stating he wished he could do more than simply monitor Gordon, but he has agreed to "abide by certain restrictions."
While Alyx is still unconscious, he then whispers into her ear to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen
consequences" when she sees him. He seems to be less rigid during the sequence and is depicted as more human.
Following this sequence, observant players can again spot the G-Man in several locations as they play through the
game. When Alyx and Gordon eventually reach White Forest, the main screen in the control room briefly flashes the
image of the G-Man, causing her to relate his message to her father in an uncharacteristically monotonous tone. She
seems to forget doing so afterward.
Eli is noticeably disturbed by the words, to the point where he almost collapses. After making an excuse for Alyx to
leave the room, Eli reveals to Gordon that he is aware of their "mutual friend" as well. He explains that the G-Man
delivered the sample that ultimately caused the Black Mesa Incident, and whispered in his ear to "prepare for
unforeseen consequences" shortly before the resonance cascade. Eli begins to express hope that he and Gordon will
be able to take some unknown action, but is interrupted by Alyx's return. Shortly after, Eli tells Gordon he believes
the message is a warning regarding the Borealis, and reiterates his belief that it should be destroyed lest the events of
Black Mesa repeat themselves. Eli hints that he knows more about the G-Man when he relates to Gordon that he has
more to share, but is interrupted by Alyx and later dies before getting a chance to explain.
G-Man 132

Reception
GameDaily listed G-Man as one of the top 25 evil video game masterminds of all time.[4]

External links
• "The Story So Far" [5] – from Valve's official Episode One Web site.

References
[1] Half-Life 2: Episode One story page (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php)
[2] Valve; Hodgson, David SJ (2004), p. 137. Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Random House, Inc. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3
[3] (http:/ / www. halflife2. net/ wiki/ index. php/ G-man)
[4] http:/ / www. gamedaily. com/ articles/ galleries/ top-25-evil-masterminds-of-all-time/ ?page=21
[5] http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php
Gordon Freeman 133

Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman

Gordon Freeman in artwork by Dhabih Eng

Series Half-Life series

First game Half-Life (1998)

Created by Marc Laidlaw

Gabe Newell

Designed by Chuck Jones

Dhabih Eng

Gordon Freeman is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical
physicist (Ph.D. from MIT) who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces.
Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite overwhelming odds, often without backup.
As a means of immersing the player in the role, the character never speaks, and there are no cut-scenes or mission
briefings—all action is viewed through Gordon's eyes, with the player retaining control of Gordon's actions at nearly
all times.
The character is introduced as a theoretical physicist working at the fictional Black Mesa Research Facility and
involved in an experiment which accidentally opens an interdimensional portal, releasing confused, hostile beings
into the complex. In the first Half-Life, the player, as Gordon Freeman, fights through the facility alongside fellow
employees, engaging the aliens as well as a black ops military unit sent in to contain the situation and silence any
surviving witnesses. In its sequel, Half-Life 2, Gordon is introduced to a dystopian world years after the Black Mesa
incident, along with an interdimensional imperial force known as the Combine that took advantage of the
interdimensional portals and has established itself as the ruling force on Earth. Gordon joins the human resistance
fighters and aids them in their struggle against their oppressors.
Gordon Freeman 134

Concept and creation

The name Gordon Freeman was coined by Gabe Newell during a
conversation with Marc Laidlaw in his car. It included a homage to the
physicist and philosopher Freeman Dyson and a Finnish pop singer Leo
Christer Friman known for his infamous "Ajetaan Tandemilla" song. Newell
disliked Laidlaw's proposed name, "Dyson Poincaré", which also included the
surname of Henri Poincaré. The texture for Gordon's head was "too big of a
job for just one person", so Valve designers combined references from four
people. An earlier model of Gordon, known as "Ivan the Space Biker," had a
full beard that was subsequently trimmed. Other iterations of Gordon's
concept featured different glasses, a ponytail, and a helmet.[1]

Early concept art of Gordon Freeman,

with more bulky HEV suit, helmet, and
goggles

Characteristics
Gordon is a native of Seattle who exhibited an early interest in theoretical physics,
especially quantum mechanics and the theory of general relativity. His childhood
heroes were Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Richard Feynman.[2] After
observing a series of teleportation experiments conducted by the Institute for
Experimental Physics in Innsbruck, Austria, the transmission of matter became
Gordon's obsession. Gordon has no known dependents.[3] He graduated from MIT
with a Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics. His doctoral thesis on the teleportation
of matter through extremely dense elements was titled Observation of
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum Structures by Induction
Through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely Long Wavelength (ELW)
Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array.[4]

Gordon's research into science eventually leads him to accept a job offer by the
Black Mesa Research Facility,[3] and begin working on a top secret research project Freeman's acceptance letter from
headed by his mentor at MIT, Dr. Isaac Kleiner. He takes up residence at Black Black Mesa

Mesa, conducting nuclear and subatomic research in its Anomalous Materials

department. Despite his education as a theoretical physicist, the work Freeman is involved with at Black Mesa is of a
more experimental nature.

The games often make light of the fact that the tasks Gordon performs amount to little more than manual labor,
despite him being a theoretical physicist. Gordon's assigned job at the start of Half-Life consists of little more than
pressing a button and pushing a cart. Barney Calhoun wryly notes this irony at the beginning of Half-Life 2, when
Freeman performs similar "technical" assistance by flipping a switch and returning a plug to its socket ("Good job,
Gordon Freeman 135

Gordon. Throwing that switch and all. I can see your MIT education really pays for itself.").
Gordon wears a special full-body hazmat suit known as the "Hazardous Environment Suit" during combat, obtained
from Black Mesa. The HEV suit is designed to protect the user from radiation, energy discharges, and blunt trauma
during the handling of hazardous materials. The suit's main feature is its "high impact reactive armor", an electrically
powered armor system that, when charged, absorbs two-thirds of the damage that Gordon would ordinarily suffer. A
fully-charged suit can survive several dozen hits from small arms and even a direct hit from a rocket propelled
grenade. The suit can be charged by various means, and has its own oxygen supply and injectors which can deliver
various drugs such as morphine and an antidote to neurotoxins. It comes with a built-in flashlight, a radio, various
tracking devices, and a Geiger counter. The suit contains an on-board computer system that constantly monitors the
user's health and vital signs, and reacts to any changes in the user's condition. It also projects a heads-up display
(HUD) which displays Gordon's health, suit charge, remaining ammunition, and a crosshair.
In Half-Life, Gordon wears the Mark IV suit. This version comes equipped with an optional long-jump module so
Gordon can leap great distances. It is charged using power modules throughout Black Mesa. In Half-Life 2 Gordon
receives the upgraded Mark V suit, which lacks the long-jump module but gains several new abilities. It features a
visual zooming capability, limited enhanced running (sprint) capability, an injector to administer anti-venom, an
optional ammo and health counter on the crosshair and the capability to use Combine power nodes to charge the suit.
The Mark V initially used a single power source for flashlight, sprinting, and oxygen supply; in Half-Life 2: Episode
Two the flashlight was given a separate power source to improve gameplay.
The symbol on Gordon's HEV suit is the lower case Greek letter Lambda, λ. This symbol is used by scientists to
denote the decay constant of radioactive elements (related to the half-life of an element). As well as appearing on
Gordon's suit, the symbol replaces the letter "a" in the game title, Hλlf-Life, and is the name of the complex in the
Black Mesa Research Facility where teleportation experiments are conducted. The Lambda symbol is also seen in
Half-Life 2 as a marking of the human resistance, seen close to hidden supplies and on the arm bands of better
equipped resistance fighters.

Appearances

Half-Life
Gordon Freeman and his research team perform an experiment that inadvertently creates a dimensional rift in
spacetime. Intelligent and confused alien life forms from the Xen dimension come pouring through multiple
breaches inside the Black Mesa facility, attacking anything in sight. As scientific, military and civilian personnel fall
under the alien onslaught, Freeman finds himself targeted not only by the xenomorphic incursion, but also the
Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, a military team sent to contain the situation. The untrained theoretical
physicist somehow manages to survive the chaos, impressing the few surviving scientists and security guards with
his heroic acts, while quickly becoming the HECU's top priority target. Freeman is eventually transported to Xen by
a few surviving Lambda Team scientists. After the successful elimination of the alien leader Nihilanth, Freeman is
confronted by the G-Man, who has been remotely observing Freeman throughout the entire Black Mesa incident. He
shows Freeman several locations throughout Earth and Xen and offers Freeman a Hobson's choice: either agree to
work for him and his mysterious "employers", or be left to die on Xen, a non-canon ending which can be selected.

Half-Life 2
The G-Man speaks to Gordon in a dreamlike scene, after keeping him "in stasis far from Earth, thought, and time
itself" for nearly two decades, during which he did not physically age.[5] [6] He comments that "the right man in the
wrong place can make all the difference in the world." Freeman then appears on a train bound for City 17, to the
surprise of the other passengers. Freeman quickly learns that Earth has been conquered and occupied by the
trans-dimensional Combine empire, with a military force powerful enough to have subdued the entirety of Earth's
Gordon Freeman 136

nations within a period of 7 hours. He soon meets up with Barney Calhoun and Alyx Vance, and joins the resistance
against the Combine.
During the course of the second game, Freeman battles the forces of the Combine in order to free humanity from its
grasp. Already famous for his role in the Black Mesa Incident, Gordon quickly develops a legendary reputation
among Earth's surviving human populace, who begin to look up to him and refer to him by such messianic titles as
"The One Free Man". After slaying scores of Combine soldiers and leading an assault against the Combine
stronghold of Nova Prospekt, Gordon eventually sparks a full-scale rebellion, in which he becomes a combatant.
Gordon infiltrates one of the Combine's footholds on Earth, the City 17 Citadel, and destroys it by detonating its
Dark Energy Reactor. In doing so he also prevents antagonist Wallace Breen, the Combine's human representative
on Earth and Gordon's former administrator at Black Mesa, from escaping via a teleporter. Although caught in the
reactor's explosion along with Alyx Vance, Freeman is rescued by the G-Man (apparently leaving Alyx Vance to
face the explosion alone), who tells Freeman that he is "impressed" with his work and has received "several tempting
offers" for his "services". He deposits Freeman back in stasis, this time without giving him "the illusion of free
choice".

Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One rejoins Freeman and Alyx Vance, who are separately removed from the G-Man's stasis,
and rescued an instant before the reactor explosion, by the vortigaunts, greatly displeasing him. Gordon regains
consciousness under a pile of rubble and is found by Alyx. Their proximity to the Citadel coupled with its imminent
explosion, which would level much of City 17, requires them to go back inside and stabilize the core, stalling the
structure's destruction long enough for both themselves and much of the human population to escape. Gordon and
Alyx succeed in doing so, but learn that the local Combine forces are attempting to send a distress message for
offworld assistance, using the Citadel's destruction to power the transmission. The Combine consider this a positive,
as the subsequent explosion would destroy all of City 17 and much of the surrounding countryside, which has been
all but lost to human resistance forces. With a copy of the distress message, Gordon and Alyx escape the Citadel and
meet up with Barney and other survivors. The pair escape City 17 via an evacuation train as the Citadel goes critical,
sending out the Combine message. The resulting shock wave derails their train.

Episode Two
Gordon wakes up in the wrecked train and is freed by Alyx, who had earlier escaped the wreckage. A massive
superportal is forming over what was once City 17, which will allow the Combine to send an invasion fleet once it is
fully formed. The data they carry is the key to destroying it. Gordon and Alyx make their way to White Forest, an
apparent Soviet-era missile base turned into a rebel stronghold, where the data can be sent to an orbiting satellite via
a rocket, which will allow the resistance to collapse the portal. After Alyx is critically wounded by a Hunter, Gordon
assists the Vortigaunts in saving her, their healing ritual giving the G-Man the opportunity to speak to Gordon.
During this conversation, the G-Man reveals to Gordon that he saved Alyx from the Black Mesa incident. He also
embeds a message in Alyx's brain for her father, Eli: "Prepare for unforeseen consequences."
When the duo reach White Forest, after a run-in with a Combine Advisor, they are reunited with Dr. Kleiner and Dr.
Vance, and are formally introduced to Dr. Arne Magnusson, who has taken control of the base. After Gordon seals
the silo from a Combine attack, Gordon, Alyx, Dr. Kleiner, and Dr. Vance watch the transmission from Dr.
Mossman seen in Episode One, acquired with the stolen Combine data. It reveals that she has located the Borealis,
an Aperture Science research vessel which contains something supposedly capable of causing a cataclysm as grave
as the Black Mesa incident. The G-Man compels Alyx to deliver his message, and once Eli sends her away he
reveals that he, too, knows of the G-Man. With the Combine now sending Striders to shoot the rocket down,
Magnusson enlists Gordon's aid in stopping through the use of his special explosive charges known as Magnusson
Devices and Gordon's Gravity Gun. After repelling the attack, the rocket is launched and the portal is destroyed. As
Gordon and Alyx prepare to leave for the Borealis in an old helicopter, they are ambushed by Advisors, which kill
Gordon Freeman 137

Eli before Dog forces them to flee. The game ends with Alyx mourning over Eli's body.

Other Half-Life games

Two expansions for Half-Life all more or less take place during the same time as Half-Life itself, and as such Gordon
is seen at some points of the games. In these appearances, Gordon maintains his silence, even though he is not the
protagonist.
In Half-Life: Opposing Force, Adrian Shephard only encounters Gordon once when he witnesses Gordon teleport to
Xen in the Lambda Complex. Attempts to follow him through the same portal will result in a "temporal paradox"
which sends Shephard falling through Xen's void and ends the game.
Gordon is seen three times by Barney Calhoun during the course of Half-Life: Blue Shift. Barney first sees Gordon
passing by in a tram at the beginning of the game, later heading towards the HEV storage area through a surveillance
camera, and lastly being dragged to a trash compactor by a pair of HECU marines.

Reception
Gordon Freeman was ranked number 14 on UGO's "Top 100 Heroes of All Time".[7] On Oct 15 2009, GameSpot
users voted Gordon Freeman as "All Time Greatest Video Game Hero".[8] This resulted in the price of all Half-Life
games getting reduced by 55.8% on Steam for the following weekend, 55.8 being the percent of votes Gordon
received. GameDaily listed the "strong and silent type" in their top 25 video game archetypes, using Gordon as an
example.[9]

References
• Mitchell, Heather. Half-Life instruction manual. Valve Software, 1998.
• Hodgson, David. Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4362-7.
[1] Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3.
[2] "The Half-Life Story" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HLGameInfo. Detail& id=5& game=4). Planet Half-Life. .
Retrieved January 13, 2007.
[3] Letter to Gordon Freeman "Re: Offer of Employment" from the instruction manual of the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life.
[4] Half-Life 2 Prima Game Guide
[5] Half-Life 2: Episode One story page (http:/ / ep1. half-life2. com/ story. php)
[6] Eli Vance: "Gordon Freeman! Let me get a look at you man! By God, you haven't changed one iota. How do you do it?" (Half-Life 2,
Chapter V: Black Mesa East)
[7] "UGO's Top 100 Heroes of All Time" (http:/ / www. ugo. com/ games/ top-heroes-in-entertainment/ shows. asp?groupID=shows20-1&
showID=gordon-freeman). UGO Entertainment. . Retrieved 2009-10-15.
[8] "GameSpot's All-Time Greatest Video Game Hero Draws to a Close. And the Winner Is..." (http:/ / www. gamespot. com/
greatest-video-game-hero/ blog/ index. html?topic_id=27072104& tag=blog;title;1#generic_comments). GameSpot. 2009-10-15. . Retrieved
2009-10-15.
[9] http:/ / www. gamedaily. com/ articles/ galleries/ top-25-video-game-characters-archetypes/ ?page=23

External links
• Story overview of Half-Life (http://planethalflife.gamespy.com/View.php?view=HLGameInfo.Detail&
id=5&game=4)
• Gordon Freeman (http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Gordon_Freeman) at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia
 138

Creatures

Creatures of ''Half-Life''
The following is a list of creatures in the Half-Life series. Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter computer
game series which consists of two full games, two episodic games, and three third-party made expansions, as well as
a number of demos featuring exclusive content. The series has been ongoing since 1998. Most games and expansions
in the series were developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios, although some expansions were
produced by Gearbox Software. Electronic Arts also took over distribution of the games in the series from Sierra
from 2005 onwards. The series was initially released for the PC, but console ports of most installments have also
been released. The game's setting and use of characters was influential within the gaming industry, with The New
York Times writing that with the innovative storyline "Half-Life became the Citizen Kane of the genre."[1] [2] In
Maximum PC's review of the original game the monster design was given a rating of "excellent". The complexity of
the creatures progresses as the gamer advances through the game.[3]

Creatures from Xen

Xen is where the majority of the aliens in Valve's Half-Life series originate.

Gargantua
The Gargantuan, nicknamed "Garg", is mostly blue in color, has a crocodile-like head, a thick back plating which
resembles an armadillo, and has one yellow eye that glows red when it perceives a hostile unit. In place of hands, it
has two claw-like appendages which can be opened to emit jets of intense heat. These claw weapons are designed to
open vertically, not horizontally. Though the flamethrower weapon is short-ranged, it is still effective, known to
blow up machinery, as in Half-Life: Uplink. Gargantuans can make loud roars that can damage structures. An
example of the loud roars is in Uplink, near the ending sequence before the player gets trapped, the creature's loud
roar made a vent collapse and the player is forced to go through and the next roar causes the vent to fall on to the
platform the player gets stuck at in the start of the ending sequence. It can also send a shock wave towards its
opponents by powerfully stomping the ground. This shock wave, which appears as a red dot that shoots red sparks
behind it, increases in speed as it travels and can traverse vertical structures. The Gargantuan moves fast and is very
strong: it can smash or toss large obstacles from its path with ease. Gargantuans are very determined pursuers, and
wait patiently for their target to come out of an area they cannot reach for a considerable amount of time before
moving on to do something else.
Gargantuans can be found on Xen, though their true origin is unknown. They share some physical characteristics
with Vortigaunts, such as their backwards-jointed legs and hoofed feet. However, each Vortigaunt has three arms
(two at the shoulders and one jutting from the chest) while the Gargantuan has four arms (two at the shoulder
position and two spiked arms at the abdomen).
Gargantuans can be seen in Half-Life in the chapters "Power Up", "Surface Tension", "Interloper", and "Nihilanth".
In the Opposing Force expansion, a Gargantuan can be seen in the chapter "Foxtrot Uniform" tied up on top of the
hydroelectric dam, while marines and Race X Shock Troopers fight around and against it. A Gargantuan also appears
during the final sequence of the Half-Life demo, Uplink, where it kills several Black Mesa personnel before slowly
heading towards the cornered player, at which point the demo ends.
In Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, an early script for the beginning of Half-Life 2 mentions that "something that
resembles the old Gargantuan" was going to be seen from the train ride in the opening scene of the game. However,
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 139

this introduction scene was heavily cut down throughout development, and the Gargantuan is not in the final game.

Nihilanth
The Nihilanth is the primary antagonist and the final boss in Half-Life. In the game, the Nihilanth is the controlling
intelligence behind the invasion of Earth. Hovering silently in an enormous cavern, it has been commanding the
forces of Xen and holding open a dimensional rift connecting Xen to Earth, enabling its creatures to attack.
Physically, the Nihilanth resembles a gigantic, oddly-proportioned fetus with its head bigger than the rest of the
body, and its brain cavity forming most of the head's bulk. Its legs, minuscule in relation to its body, appear either to
be vestigial or the remains of amputation. The creature sits on a large mechanical levitating contraption consisting of
a large base with spikes underneath. Like the rest of the intelligent Xen races, the Nihilanth has a third appendage
protruding from the middle of its chest. Its unusually long arms end in disproportionately huge hands and fingers,
and it wears metallic wristbands, which look similar to bands worn by the Vortigaunts.
The Nihilanth attacks by launching energy balls, which come in two types: a swarm of purple-colored electrical orbs
that causes immense damage, and a slow-moving, green-colored orb (similar in appearance to the teleportation
portals constructed in the Black Mesa Research Facility) which homes in on and teleports its target to other sections
of its lair populated by Xen aliens. It also uses these green orbs to teleport Vortigaunts and other Xen creatures into
its main chamber to help defend it against intruders. A series of gold-colored "energy spheres" orbit around the
Nihilanth's head, rendering it impervious to damage. These are consumed as the Nihilanth suffers damage from the
player, but crystals resembling the one at the start of the game within the upper portion of its chamber replenish the
spheres as they vanish.

Gonarch
A Gonarch is one of the creatures from Xen; only a single Gonarch is encountered by Gordon Freeman during the
game. It is located within a chapter named "Gonarch's Lair" set in the border world Xen, and acts as a boss in a
protracted battle that takes place in the closing stages of the game. The Gonarch is similar to a spider. It has four legs
attached to a thick disc that has eyes all around the edge. The disc also carries a large sac beneath it, which holds
headcrabs that have not yet reached full size. The headcrabs are smaller and coloured pink. The player must defeat
Gonarch by continuously shooting the sac underneath it. The Gonarch will attack back using its pointed legs. After
the Gonarch sustains enough damage, it will flee to another area, where the same thing will happen. After several
areas, the Gonarch will finally die.

Bullsquid
Bullsquids are bipedal, highly aggressive creatures that appear throughout the Black Mesa Research Facility due to a
dimensional rift. Bullsquids appear to be able to survive, if not thrive, in environments that are unfriendly or even
toxic to humans, including sewers and pools of radioactive, chemical, or biological waste. In Xen, Bullsquids are
sometimes found near pools of an unknown liquid that has healing properties to humans.
The body of a Bullsquid is vaguely similar in appearance to that of a small theropod, with two short, muscular legs
and a thick tail that tapers to a point. The thorax abruptly joins the creature's head with no neck or other visible
separation. A typical specimen stands roughly one metre tall and about two metres in length. Two slit-pupiled eyes
are mounted on either side of its head.
The Bullsquid's most striking feature, however, is the collection of bright red, tentacular protrusions which surround
its mouth and allow it to grasp prey. Usually a Bullsquid will only attack by spitting globules of acid at enemies, but
when in close range, the Bullsquid can also charge an opponent with surprising speed and force. The Bullsquid's skin
is a sandy brown covered on its upper surfaces with dark spots. The tail features a pair of prominent, outlined spots,
one on either side, that are noticeably different than the dark spots on its back. Bullsquids display a very territorial
disposition, as they have often been seen attacking other creatures and even members of their own species. They
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 140

viciously attacked Headcrabs in Half-Life, usually not stopping until all Headcrabs in the vicinity had been
eliminated.
The bullsquid has an array of offensive capabilities: At close range, a hostile bullsquid will either maul its victim
with its teeth, or suddenly spin around, delivering a powerful strike with its tail, often causing a gibbing.
Additionally, the bullsquid is able to "spit" a toxic, bile-colored substance from its mouth. While not overly accurate
or fast, it causes moderate damage, even at long range.

Grunt
The Grunt is of Xenian origin and is one of the more intelligent species of Xen. It shows considerable sentience
making it a formidable opponent. It sports the deadly HiveHand weapon, which fires vicious, small homing insects,
and also has purple, organic shoulder pads and helmet. It is also roughly 7 to 8 feet tall, making it rather intimidating,
unlike other species. They can work in squads or pairs as well making them one of the more dangerous enemies
around.

Houndeye
The Houndeye, or Sound Dog, is one of the alien species which appears in Black Mesa following the opening of a
portal to Xen, and has an appropriately alien appearance. Possessing three legs and only a thorax, the Houndeye is a
faint yellow-green in color, with electric blue tiger-like stripes adorning the spine of the animal. In place of a head
there is a large, black, compound eye that is protected by sideways-blinking eyelids. They apparently communicate
through a series of high-pitched sounds somewhat similar to the barking of dogs.
The Houndeye is an example of a social animal in terms of pack hunting. While a shy and timid creature by itself,
groups of three or more creatures display resonant behavior, emitting destructive harmonics capable of injuring those
they attack. This behavior came about through Valve's original plan of Houndeyes being neutral or even friendly
towards the player, until they realized playtesters shot them down regardless and dropped the idea.
Although they are not seen displaying this trait often, Houndeyes appear to be carnivorous creatures, as one is seen
eating a dead security guard in Half-Life: Blue Shift. A Houndeye's mouth is located on the underside of its belly,
close to the eye, filled with what appears to be fang-like incisors.

Chumtoad
A Chumtoad is a toad-like Xen creature; it was originally designed for the first game of the series, Half-Life, but not
included in any official game until one cameo appearance in Half-Life: Opposing Force and two in Half-Life: Blue
Shift. It has not appeared in any official game since. The Chumtoad is also known by it's less-fortunate name
"Choad."
Chumtoads are small, amphibious creatures found on Xen. Similar in morphology to Earth's toads, they are very low
on the Xen food chain – serving as the favorite prey of many Xen creatures. Chumtoads have a bright purple
coloration, and a single red, catlike eye, spiked backs, and long, blue tongues. Unlike most Xen creatures,
Chumtoads are not inherently dangerous to humans. They tend to lounge on rocks until threatened, at which point
they can teleport, vanishing in a puff of purple energy. Chumtoads maneuver with short, quick hops, and can swim
and leap to great heights if startled.
The original role of the Chumtoad in Half-Life was as bait that a player could use to lure or distract enemy aliens.
The bait idea was never developed, and the Chumtoad was eventually cut from the game. The unused model,
however, was included in the game's files and fully coded as an item. Instead of bait, this version served as a
weapon. Normally docile until picked up, the Chumtoad would begin attacking anything that strayed too close –
including the player or allied NPCs if no other targets were available. This AI was implemented in the final game as
the behavior of Snarks. The source files for the Chumtoad are included in the Half-Life SDK, where it is referred to
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 141

as a "Chubtoad". According to the textures provided, the Chumtoad was once planned to have six eyes instead of
one, and would have had green, orange, and blue-colored variations.

Barnacle
Barnacles are scavengers that hang on the ceiling and drop down a very long, highly adhesive tongue. When
something gets caught on their tongue, they retract it, in an attempt to eat it. If the object is edible, they consume it.
If not, they drop it and await new prey. Barnacles appear in Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Barnacles are usable as a cross
between a weapon and a biological grappling hook in Opposing Force.

Snark
Snarks are small, insectile beings of a deep red hue, approximately the size of a human hand. They have a single,
green eye on the front of their body. Snarks have four legs, and a pair of pale blue-green pincers on the front of their
bodies that they use to attack. In the game, the player is able to use snarks as weapons, by hurling them at enemies,
and in the multiplayer version of the game, players can hurl snarks at each other, as in the single-player game. The
creatures soon tear through seemingly most organic materials, and so they kill their human victims within a matter of
seconds. They are fast and can leap very high, so as to bring down larger opponents. Snarks seem to be physically
and chemically unstable, as they explode into a green goo after a set amount of time after being launched. Shooting
or hitting them will also make them "pop".
On the multiplayer game map named Snark Pit (snark_pit), the eponymous snarks are contained within a metal pipe
at the top of the area, which is made up of four levels, each of which can be accessed by stairs or ladders, as in other
maps on Half-Life. The pipe overhangs successive holes which are in line with each other, and therefore anything
dropped or thrown down will fall through the holes consecutively and reach the bottom area within a short amount of
time (however, this is not recommended for players, since the impact of the fall will kill a player) The player can
activate a button near to the pipe to open it and thus release snarks into the lower areas of the map, meaning that on
multiplayer, anyone spawning or respawning at the bottom will almost certainly be chased by snarks. After a set
amount of time, the snarks will explode and the pipe will close. For some unknown reason, the player only seems to
be able to release the snarks once in a game.

Race X
Race X is a hostile, non-Xen alien race. They appear only in the Opposing Force expansion pack, and very little is
revealed about them. Race X aliens appear late in the timeline of Half-Life, a few hours before Gordon Freeman
teleports to Xen.

Pit Drone
Pit Drones are the second type of Race X aliens encountered in the game. They are short bipedal creatures with
yellowish-tan skin and a small head with rows of sharp spines. A Pit Drone's arms end in long, scythe-like claws,
which it can use to make vicious attacks. Fast and fairly intelligent, they tend to appear in groups of five or six, and
are capable of making flanking movements and quickly surrounding their prey. They have two forms of attack: firing
their head-spines like darts through acid jets when at long range, or charging towards the target to deliver a deadly
slash with their claws. Some Pit Drones appear not to be capable of the head spine attack and, on closer inspection,
have no spines in their head. It is notable that when Pit Drones are first encountered, they create light thumping
footsteps while dashing through a long vent grate above a garage area.
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 142

Shock Trooper
Shock Troopers are the first encountered and most intelligent of the Race X aliens. Physically, they are humanoid
with four arms and have a posture that makes them vaguely resemble Vortigaunts. Their bodies are covered in
plate-like sections, similar in appearance to insect exoskeletons. Their skin is pale blue, and is not mottled or patchy
like the skin of Xen creatures. They have a single large eye, unlike Vortigaunts. This eye is apparently part of a
common morphology between Race X creatures - every Race X alien with a large eye (including the Pit Worm) has
two eyelids which regularly blink horizontally across the eyeball and what appears to be "tentacles" surrounding
their mouth (which is under the head).
Their primary weapon is the Shock Roach; a living creature, similar to the Alien Grunts' hive-hand. The Shock
Roach fires bolts of electricity, which it constantly recharges on its own. The Shock Roach cannot survive without a
living host for very long; if its Shock Trooper dies, it will detach itself and pursue a new host. If it nears a player that
already has a Shock Roach, it will attack before dying.
Shock Troopers also have the ability to regurgitate and throw spore grenades, which they tend to use against distant
or concealed enemies; they also have a very lethal melee attack that is capable of tearing Shephard to pieces by
scratching him with their arms. This 3rd attack is only used when approached toe to toe. Infant Shock Troopers will
forcibly launch the same type of spore grenade when squeezed, and can thus be used as a Spore Launcher weapon. In
one of the Spore Launcher's idle animations in Opposing Force, it emits an amphibious purr, at which point Adrian
Shephard strokes the top of it back and forth as if it was his "pet".
Baby Shock Troopers are effectively tadpoles, an earlier stage that is only a head and torso, with tentacles trailing
behind. Beyond the small size and lack of limbs, Baby Shock Troopers also have gills and two small eyes instead of
the adults' single large one. They are amphibious, although immobile outside water. Baby Shock Troopers are first
found in a tank in the Sector E Biodome Complex of Black Mesa. Shock Troopers are usually encountered in small
groups, and fight together with other Race X aliens. Shock Troopers have a verbal form of communication. Shock
Troopers use teleportation technology to travel in and out of combat. They also control the teleportation of Pit
Drones and Voltigores.

Voltigore
Voltigores are gigantic, lumbering creatures serving as the race's heavy support infantry. Voltigores have four legs
and two arms that end in scythe-like claws, and are distinguished by purple stripes on their bloated carapace similar
to those on a houndeye, though in a different color. These aggressive creatures use their innate ability to harness
electrical charges to create a devastating ranged energy ball attack, bearing vague similarity to the Vortigaunt's green
energy stream, although the Voltigore's energy attack is purple, an avoidable projectile and is more powerful. At
close range, they attack viciously with their claws. A player can recognize a Voltigore from afar by the unusual,
electric-sounding bellows of the creature. When a Voltigore dies, its carapace explodes, causing massive damage to
nearby creatures. Baby Voltigores appear later in the game. They are smaller, weaker, lighter in color, and use the
energy attack in a lighter way.

Pit Worm
Encountered in a sewage processing area in the lower levels of Black Mesa, the Pit Worm is composed of a
segmented body which supports a head dominated by a single large eye. This eye is the pit worm's primary weapon,
capable of firing a searing energy beam at nearby enemies. If enemies get too close, the worm also has large claws to
strike with. If the worm is shot in the eye, it recoils, shielding it with its claws for a few seconds before striking
aggressively at the player.
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 143

Gene Worm
The Gene Worm is the final boss of Half-Life: Opposing Force. This life form is the equivalent of a "biological
resource management factory."[4] It is capable of taking any of Earth's natural resources and assimilating them to
make them useful to the aliens' needs. If one fully entered Earth and became productive, it would effectively alter the
planet enough to become useful as a new homeworld for Race X.
Physically, the creature resembles a green, worm-like creature with many tentacles, with a beak-like protrusion
similar in both shape and position to that of the Xen tentacle. The Gene Worm attacks with its tentacles and also
ejects a deadly chemical stream from its mouth. Its outer hide is impervious to damage; in order to kill it, the player
must blind the creature by shooting both its eyes with the mounted laser guns on either side of the worm. This causes
it to summon reinforcements by opening its abdominal cavity, revealing a portal orb that a Shock Trooper will
teleport through.
The Gene Worm is found deep underground in a seemingly abandoned industrial area of Black Mesa, and appears
through a portal opening in a room there. The room itself has been fitted with mounted weapons which are powered
by Xen energy crystals. The player character, Adrian Shephard, is sent down to the portal by a Black Mesa security
guard, who remarks "Some of your buddies went down earlier, and I haven't seen 'em since." Ten years later
Gearbox would re-visit the Gene Worm encounter as another final boss in their 2009 video game Borderlands.

Sprite
Taking on the appearance of what looks like a flying ball of light, Sprites are creatures that can be seen floating
through the facility several times during the game, becoming more frequent in later stages of the incident. However,
they cannot be harmed and do not hurt the player in any way. On occasions they even seem to be guiding Adrian. In
the scenario where the Gargantua is trapped on the Sector G hydroelectric dam, sprites fly into a portal nearby which
the G-Man then steps through. They eventually all lead to a massive violet portal that brings the Gene Worm in. At
the time Gordon Freeman pushes the Xen crystal into the Anti-Mass Spectrometer, many Sprites fly towards and
away from the resonance cascade, the former of which also happens when the portal to Xen in the Lambda reactor
core is fully opened.

Antlion
Antlions are bugs from Xen, and first appear in Half-Life 2. Antlions are similar to ants in their "hive" behavior. All
types of Antlions are found in the Nest in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Here are the types of Antlions that appear in the
games:

Antlion
Antlions are green striped creatures that were discovered in beaches along the coast near City 17. Regular Antlions
are not much of a threat alone, but endanger the player when in groups. Antlions appear to possess some intelligence
in that they are the only non-human enemy that will actively try to flank or surround the player. In the chapter
"Sandtraps", it is discovered that, if the player steps on the sand, it "drives the Antlions crazy" and makes them
surface and attack. After the player kills the first Antlion Guard he or she fights, a Vortigaunt comes and removes the
Antlion's pheropod, informally known as bugbait. The player can use the bugbait to call on the Antlions as allies, as
they are attracted to the pheromones, and no longer see the player as a threat. In Half-Life 2: Episode One, Antlions
come into City 17 because the Combine Defense field was destroyed. Antlions come through burrows like in the
level Nova Prospekt.
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 144

Antlion Guard (Myrmidont)

Antlion guards, also known as Myrmidonts, are among one of the most feared creatures and the most powerful in the
Half-Life universe. Their aggression surpasses that of the regular Antlion. They are larger and more armored, and
faster than the regular Antlion itself. Antlion Guards prefer to charge at the player, and will attempt to headbutt the
player. They are also able to throw physics objects like zombies can, and are the only organic NPC in the game that
can't be destroyed with a single hit from the AR2's alt fire. A large part of Episode Two is spent running from a
version of the Guard. See "Antlion Guardian" for details.

Antlion Grub
Antlion Grubs are small, worm-like larva that usually reside in Antlion nests in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. They affix
themselves to walls, ceilings or floors and do not move. Grubs are very weak, and they cannot attack. They are easily
killed with one bullet, or even by being stepped on. When killed, they drop small yellow "grub nuggets" that restore
one to six points of health to the player, depending on the size. Killing every grub in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 will earn
the player an achievement.

Antlion Worker
Antlion Workers or Acidlions are luminescent types of Antlions, though they are stronger, spit acid, and resemble
termites. They also are somewhat more defensive in their attack strategy: they will stay at range and retreat when
advanced upon, and are capable of flanking the player or leading the player into traps. Antlion Workers are usually
found in the Antlion Nest in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Like all Antlions, Workers also hate thumpers. Usually the
Antlion Workers are the ones guarding the Grubs.

Antlion Guardian
Antlion Guardians are similar to the Antlion Guard, but are green and have a neural-poison attack when
underground. The Guardian guards the path to the Extract, which is used by the Vortigaunts to heal Alyx Vance after
she is wounded by a Hunter.

Hazardous Environment Combat Unit

The Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU) is a US Marine Special Forces detachment in Half-Life created
to deal with dangerous environments not suitable for ordinary forces. During the Resonance Cascade, they are
deployed in massive force to the Black Mesa Research Facility to eliminate the alien threat, and cover up the
incident by eliminating the Black Mesa staff. However, the job is too big for them. Running low on supplies and
taking constant casualties from the never ending waves of Xenian Aliens, they begin an immediate retreat. All
military personnel are ordered to evacuate the base. Unfortunately many don't make it to the rally point in time and
are left to die. Of those left behind during the evacuation, Corporal Adrian Shephard is the only known survivor.

Equipment
The HECU use a variety of weapons and equipment to get the job done. They use M35 2-1/2 ton cargo trucks, M3
Bradley IFVs, and V-22 Osprey Helicopters to deploy troops. M1A1 Abrams MBTs, M6 Linebackers, and AH-64
Apache Helicopters are used as heavy support units. The Infantry primarily use MP5 SMGs (or M4 Carbine Rifles in
the HD pack) with an M203 Grenade Launcher attached, SPAS-12 Shotguns, and in Half-Life: Opposing Force,
M249 SAW LMGs. Infantry units are issued high tech Powered Combat Vests to protect them from a variety of
hazards including gunfire, explosions, electrocution, and toxic chemicals.
Creatures of ''Half-Life'' 145

Combine
The Combine, also referred to as the Universal Union, is a fictional multidimensional empire, which serves as the
primary antagonistic force in the Half-Life video game series, developed by Valve Corporation. The Combine consist
of alien, synthetic and human elements, and dominate Earth. They are regularly encountered throughout Half-Life 2
and its episodic expansions as hostile non-player characters as the player progresses through the games in an effort to
overthrow the Combine occupation of Earth.
The Combine are frequently shown as harsh rulers over the citizens of Earth, suppressing dissent with brutality,
policing using violence and using invasive surgery to transform humans into either soldiers or slaves. Throughout the
games, the player primarily battles with transformed humans as well as synthetic and mechanical enemies that are
the product of Combine technology. The atmosphere generated by the dystopian Combine state has been praised by
reviewers, although the artificial intelligence of the transhuman Combine characters was thought to be inferior to that
of other characters in Half-Life 2. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, the Combine have been adapted
for machinima productions and one synthetic enemy character of the Combine has been made into a plush toy by
Valve.

References
[1] Herold, Charles. "Good for the Goose and for the Gamer", March 16, 2000, New York Times. Accessed 21 April 2009, archived (http:/ /
www. webcitation. org/ 5gCJOOCAe) 21 April 2009.
[2] Krzywinska, Tanya. Screenplay (2002), Wallflower Press.
[3] Mark Davies. Designing character-based console games (2007), Charles River Media.
[4] Junio, Kristy (1999). Half-Life Opposing Force: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-2590-4.

• Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3.
Combine 146

Combine
Universal Union

The distinctive Combine "clamp" symbol, seen commonly throughout the series
Series Half-Life series

First game Half-Life 2 (2004)

Designed by Viktor Antonov

Ted Backman
Dhabih Eng

The Combine, also referred to as the Universal Union, is a fictional multidimensional empire, which serves as the
primary antagonistic force in the Half-Life video game series, developed by Valve Corporation. The Combine consist
of alien, synthetic and human elements, and dominate Earth. They are regularly encountered throughout Half-Life 2
and its episodic expansions as hostile non-player characters as the player progresses through the games in an effort to
overthrow the Combine occupation of Earth.
The Combine are frequently shown as harsh rulers over the citizens of Earth, suppressing dissent with brutality,
policing using violence and using invasive surgery to transform humans into either soldiers or slaves. Throughout the
games, the player primarily battles with transformed humans as well as synthetic and mechanical enemies that are
the product of Combine technology. The atmosphere generated by the dystopian Combine state has been praised by
reviewers, although the artificial intelligence of the transhuman Combine characters was thought to be inferior to that
of other characters in Half-Life 2. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, the Combine have been adapted
for machinima productions and one Combine character type has been made into plush toys by Valve.
Combine 147

Design
Opera singer and actress Ellen McLain provides the voice for the
Combine Overwatch announcer in Half-Life 2 and its episodic
expansions, while the various Combine soldiers throughout the games
are voiced by John Patrick Lowrie.[2] Some elements of the Combine's
appearance, such as that of the Advisor, are inspired by the works of
Frank Herbert.[1] The name "Combine" itself is a tribute to Ken
Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which features a
collection of authorities which mechanistically manipulate and process
individuals.[1]

During Half-Life 2's development, various concepts for Combine

non-player characters were created and later cut. Female Combine
assassins, similar to black operations assassins featured in the first
game, were planned but later abandoned, although they reappear in
Half-Life 2: Survivor.[1] Another non-player character, the cremator,
was conceptualized as a Combine laborer who cleaned the streets of
bodies after a battle with an acid gun and although removed from the Concept art for a metrocop; the trench coat design
[1]
was inspired by the uniforms of the SS.
game, its head was featured in Eli Vance's laboratory. Other cuts
included a variety of alien Combine soldiers that would have
complemented the transhuman soldiers in the game and a number of synthetic combat machines.[1] Many of
Half-Life 2's Combine characters went through multiple redesigns; the Combine Overwatch soldier was subjected to
at least twelve redesigns before the final appearance was settled on.[3]

Attributes

Society
Little is revealed of the Combine's rule outside of Earth, but dialogue in Half-Life 2 states that they control worlds in
different dimensions and inhabited by a range of species.[4] The Combine occupation of Earth, however, is shown to
be a brutal police state. In City 17, a generic Eastern European city, Civil Protection units are seen frequently, often
conducting random searches of apartment blocks, interrogating human citizens and engaging in random police
brutality. The military Overwatch forces of the Combine are shown attacking human resistance bases in an effort to
further solidify their control. The citizens themselves are all clad in blue uniforms and live in designated apartment
blocks. Citizens are shown to be moved around to different cities or locales at the Combine's will, using passenger
trains.[5] Vortigaunts, alien creatures from the original Half-Life, are also shown to have been enslaved, and are
observed in various jobs such as janitors. According to Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, the Combine are draining
Earth's natural resources, including the sea, to be used on other Combine worlds.[1]
At the heart of the Combine's command structure in Half-Life 2 is the Citadel, an enormous structure of Combine
construction that reaches high into the skyline and delves deep underground. Located within City 17, the Citadel
serves as the primary headquarters of the Combine, housing both Combine Advisors and the office of the Earth
administrator, Wallace Breen. Breen is frequently seen on large screens around the city from which he spreads
propaganda. The Citadel projects an energy field that is able to prevent human reproduction,[6] as well as a field that
keeps dangerous alien wildlife out of the city.[7] In addition, the Citadel contains a trans-dimensional teleporter
which allows the Combine to travel between their native universe and Earth.[8] The Citadel also contains
construction facilities for various synthetic Combine combat machines.
Combine 148

Depiction
The Combine comprises various species and machines. The most commonly encountered enemies throughout
Half-Life 2 and its expansions are the transhuman Overwatch and human Civil Protection, along with a variety of
combat machines and synths.[9]

Advisors

Advisors are large grub-like creatures which are virtually featureless,

with no visible eyes, ears or limbs, though they do possess an eye-like
mechanical device attached to the left side of their heads and
detachable mechanical arms.[10] Their faces are covered by a form of
respirator, which is able to lift to reveal a mouth-like orifice from
which extends a long flexible proboscis. With this they can examine
objects, attack and kill enemies. Advisors appear to be feeding upon
their victim during their attacks. It is implied that Advisors are the
original master race behind the Combine, with the Earth administrator
Wallace Breen answering directly to them.[10] Although Advisors are
usually seen in protective pods guarded by Combine soldiers, Advisors The Advisor's appearance was inspired by the
works of science fiction author Frank Herbert
also possess telekinetic powers with which they are able to float
through the air and immobilise enemies so that their proboscis can
examine their victims without interference.[10] Their appearance was based on the Guild Navigators from the film
Dune.[11]

Civil Protection
The Civil Protection is the Combine's law enforcement agency on Earth, and are human beings who have agreed to
work on behalf of the Combine. Also referred to as metrocops, Civil Protection units wear light armor and gas
masks. They are usually armed with electroshock batons and pistols, and are occasionally seen using submachine
guns. Metrocops are brutal in their methods, keeping the local populace in line via intimidation and physical force.
Interrogations, inspections, raids, random beatings and summary executions are all used as a means of policing their
respective jurisdictions. In the outskirts of City 17, Civil Protection units are observed patrolling for escapees from
the city. Civil Protection officers are in constant contact with Combine Overwatch headquarters, which gives them
objectives and situation updates. On the death of an officer, that officer's armor detects that its wearer is no longer
alive and automatically informs headquarters of the fatality and advises nearby units as to the place of death.[9]

Overwatch
The Combine Overwatch are the primary military force of the Combine on Earth. It consists of biomechanically
enhanced humans, who wear heavily padded long-sleeve body armor and gas masks. The markings on the suit
change depending on each individual unit's assignment and rank. Elite Combine soldiers wear bright white armor,
while the majority of soldiers wear variations of blue or brown armor. They are armed with a variety of firearms,
including shotguns, submachine guns, sniper rifles and pulse rifles. Combine soldiers usually operate in small
groups, using squad tactics and grenades to flush out and flank the player. They occasionally provide support to
Combine synths, and often travel to areas by use of dropships. They use radios to communicate with each other and
with Overwatch headquarters. Combine Overwatch soldiers are usually encountered outside City 17, and only appear
in the city after a large uprising at the end of Half-Life 2.[9]
Combine 149

Combine technology
The Combine use a large array of science fiction technology. They have access to teleportation technology, which
takes them from their dimension to Earth. However, their teleporter technology is restrictive in comparison to that
developed by Eli Vance, Isaac Kleiner and Judith Mossman in that it cannot be used to teleport to other locations on
Earth without significant modification.[12] Throughout the games, various futuristic computer consoles, doors, power
sources and weapon emplacements are encountered. In addition, the Combine employ the use of small airborne
robots, scanners, to observe the citizens of Earth. The city variant of this merely moves about the streets, monitors
individuals and takes photographs, while the combat equivalent is capable of dropping mines into an area.[9] Civil
Protection makes use of smaller airborne robots called manhacks, which fly using razor-sharp rotating blades with
which they attack their targets to cause incision injuries.[9] Combine technology is also used to transform humans
into Combine soldiers or stalkers, deformed and mutilated humans with no memory of their past selves who act as
slaves and maintenance workers in Combine facilities. Transformation into a stalker is usually reserved for the worst
dissidents.[10]
Militarily, the Combine make use of both synthetic machines—machines powered by organic components—and
traditional mechanical machines such as armored personnel carriers and attack helicopters.[9] The most prominent of
the synthetic machines are insect-like gunships and fifty foot tall armored creatures that walk upon three legs, called
Striders, which are armed with a high powered warpspace cannon and a head-mounted pulse turret.[9] In Episode
Two, a smaller equivalent to the Strider is introduced. The 2.5 m (8 ft) tall, tripodal assault machines, called Hunters,
fire explosive flechettes at targets and are small enough to maneuver indoors. Other synths are seen in the game,
although their roles are not elaborated on. Sentry guns are also used by the Combine.[9] Lastly, the Combine use
headcrabs as a biological weapon against dissidents, firing artillery shells loaded with the creatures into areas and
allowing the headcrabs to infest them.[9]

Appearances

Half-Life series
According to the backstory presented during Half-Life 2, the Combine
appear on Earth after the death of the Nihilanth, the boss character at
the end of Half-Life. The death of the Nihilanth, a powerful creature
controlling the dimensional rip between Xen and the Black Mesa
Research Facility on Earth, causes the rip to worsen, resulting in
"portal storms" which spread the hostile wildlife of Xen across Earth.
The Combine manipulate this tear in the spacetime continuum,
widening it to allow access to Earth from their dimension. When it is
Two Overwatch soldiers in Episode Two, with a
sufficiently wide, the Combine invade in force, and in the subsequent Hunter in the background
Seven Hour War quickly defeat the forces of Earth and destroy the
United Nations Secretariat Building in New York City. Earth's surrender is negotiated by Wallace Breen, who is then
made the Combine administrator of Earth, and uses City 17 as his base of operations.[13]

The Combine's first appearance in-game is in Half-Life 2 as the game's primary antagonists. Through the early stages
of the game, Combine Civil Protection units pursue Gordon Freeman through City 17 after he accidentally reveals
his presence to Wallace Breen. Due to Freeman's actions in Half-Life, Breen sees Freeman as a major threat.[14] As
Freeman escapes the city, Civil Protection units raid the resistance base of Black Mesa East and capture resistance
leader Eli Vance, who is transferred to holding facilities at Nova Prospekt.[13] Freeman and Vance's daughter Alyx
fight into the facility to rescue him, but Eli Vance is teleported to the Combine Citadel by double agent Judith
Mossman. However, the strike against Nova Prospekt is seen as the start of a revolution by the citizens of Earth, who
take up arms against the Combine.[15] In response, Combine Overwatch are deployed to City 17, and heavy street
Combine 150

fighting takes place. Freeman manages to infiltrate the Citadel but is captured and taken to Breen. Mossman allows
Freeman to break free of his captivity, and Breen flees to the Citadel's trans-dimensional teleporter, intent on escape.
However, Freeman destroys the teleporter's reactor before Breen can escape, causing a large explosion that destroys
the top of the Citadel.
In Episode One, both the protagonists and antagonists of the series are attempting to adapt to the destruction of the
top of the Citadel. The explosion causes the primary Citadel reactor to begin to meltdown, forcing Gordon Freeman
and Alyx Vance to journey back into the Citadel to temporarily stabilize it while the city's inhabitants are
evacuated.[16] The Combine, however, attempt to accelerate the meltdown to send a message to their native universe
for reinforcements. After Alyx acquires an encrypted copy of the data to be sent, Overwatch forces desperately
attempt to stop the pair from escaping the city, spurred on by Combine Advisors. As the pair escape on a train at the
end of the game, the Citadel sends the message and detonates, destroying City 17.[17]
Episode Two opens with Alyx and Freeman discovering that the Citadel's destruction has resulted in the formation of
a super portal to the Combine dimension, which is slowly progressing to a stage where it can send overwhelming
reinforcements.[18] They also discover that the data packet they retrieved from the Citadel contains codes that can be
used to close the portal, and so traverse the countryside to deliver the packet to the resistance headquarters at White
Forest. As they progress, it becomes evident that the Combine Advisors escaped the Citadel's destruction, and that
remaining Combine forces are regrouping, albeit under occasional attacks by Vortigaunts.[19] Aware of the
resistance's plans to close the super portal, the Combine attack White Forest in force, but are repelled.[20] The super
portal is destroyed after the resistance launch a satellite containing the appropriate data. However, in the game's
closing scenes, two Advisors attack Freeman, Alyx and Eli Vance, and kill Eli before being driven off.

Appearances in other media

The use of sandbox applications like Garry's Mod have allowed for Combine non-player characters to be used in a
variety of webcomics and machinima productions. In one webcomic, Concerned, the Combine are portrayed as a
highly bureaucratic and often inept organization. One issue shows a Civil Protection briefing for attempting to
capture the comic's protagonist Gordon Frohman, in which officers are instructed to cluster around explosive barrels,
seek cover on unstable structures and rappel down from bridges in front of fast moving vehicles.[21] In another
example, the machinima series Combine Nation follows Civil Protection officers in a similar style to police
procedural documentaries. The officers perform their duties with various twists, such as the team's medical officer
having an obsession with adhesive bandages and the legal consultant, an Overwatch soldier, favoring dramatic
entries, such as throwing flashbangs, which often backfire on him.[22] Other media portray the Combine with more
serious overtones, such as the live-action video The Combine Interview, which parodies an interview with Tom
Cruise discussing Scientology. The video, described by ActionTrip as "eerie, to say the least"[23] and by both
Joystiq[24] and Kotaku[25] as "creepy", instead presents an interview with a Civil Protection officer discussing the
Combine's rule of Earth, adapting Cruise's words to fit the Combine theme. PC Gamer UK noted that "the
suggestion, of course, is that Scientology's purpose or self-image in some way resembles that of the homogenising
intergalactic murderous alien collective".[26]

Cultural impact

Merchandise
The Combine have inspired the creation of several items of merchandise for the Half-Life series. A plush toy was
created by Valve, based on the synthetic tripod Hunters introduced in Episode Two.[27] Sold and distributed via
Valve's online store, the toy was released in February 2008.[28] In addition, Valve has produced t-shirts depicting the
Combine's idea of humanity's evolution, from ape to Combine Overwatch soldier,[29] and a lithograph displaying
twelve pieces of concept art for the Combine soldier.[3]
Combine 151

Reception
The Combine have received a positive reaction from critics. 1UP.com praised the "epic feel" built up by the
Combine and their harsh rule of City 17 in Half-Life 2, stating that this created "a world governed by newspeak,
decorated with urban decay, and lacking any hope".[30] GameSpot echoed this praise, saying that the "vision of a
dystopian police state is chillingly effective". PC Zone described the appearance of the Combine's soldiers as
"stormtrooper-like", but although stating that overall the artificial intelligence for the game was "extremely
competent", the Combine non-player characters "could have used better survival instincts", citing their reluctance to
take cover and tendency to charge at the player and into a shotgun blast.[31] A number of reviews of Episode One
were disappointed by the lack of new characters for the Combine,[32] although GameSpot praised the improved AI
for Combine soldiers and the addition of new abilities, such as rappelling down buildings. [33] The addition of the
Hunter in Episode Two was particularly well received by critics; Computer and Video Games stated that they were
challenging to fight and were "a very welcome addition" to the series,[34] while IGN stated that the Hunters were
"impressively designed... [they are] sleek and powerful all at once and reek of malicious alien intelligence."[35]

External links
• The Combine [36] at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia

References
[1] Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. ISBN 9780761543640.
[2] "Half-Life 2 Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ cg/ agg. dll?p=agg& sql=1:43775~T3). allgame. . Retrieved 2008-08-30.
[3] "Half-Life 2 Combine Soldier Lithograph" (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HL2ComSldrLitho01.
html). Valve Corporation. . Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[4] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Dark Energy. (2004) "Wallace Breen: Carbon stars with ancient satellites, colonized by
sentient fungi; gas giants, inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences; worlds stretched thin across the membranes where the dimensions
intersect... impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary!"
[5] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Point Insertion. (2004) "Citizen: No matter how many times I get relocated, I... never get
used to it."
[6] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. PC. Level/area: Urban Flight. (2006) "Isaac Kleiner: I feel obliged to point out that a more
fortunate side effect of the reactor's destruction is the complete removal of the Combine's reproductive suppression field. Previously, certain
protein chains important to the process of embryonic development were selectively prevented from forming; this is no longer the case. For
those so inclined, now would be an excellent time for procreation, which is to say, in layman's terms, you should give serious consideration to
doing your part for the revival of the species."
[7] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. PC. Level/area: Lowlife. (2006) "Alyx Vance: Antlions here? The Combine's defense field
must have collapsed! Makes sense if it was powered by the Citadel."
[8] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Dark Energy. (2004) "Alyx Vance: This is the Citadel's dark fusion reactor. It powers their
tunneling entanglement device."
[9] "Half-Life 2 Enemies" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=3& game=3). Planet Half-Life.
IGN. . Retrieved 2008-09-23.
[10] "Half-Life 2: Episode One Enemies" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=17& game=3).
Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-09-23.
[11] Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
[12] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Black Mesa East. (2004) "Judith Mossman: We're closing in on a reliable local teleport
technology, something the Combine still hasn't mastered. Eli thinks their models are string-based, similar to our Calabi-Yau model, but they
fail to factor in the dark energy equations. They can tunnel through from their universe, but once they're here, they're dependent on local
transportation."
[13] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Black Mesa East" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.
Detail& id=16& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[14] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Wallace Breen: We now have direct confirmation of a disruptor in
our midst, one who has acquired an almost messianic reputation in the minds of certain citizens. His figure is synomanous with the darkest
urges of instinct, ignorance and decay; some of the worst excesses of the Black Mesa incident have been laid directly at his feet. And yet
unsophisticated minds continue to embue him with romantic power, giving him such dangerous poetic labels as the one "free man", the
"opener of the way"."
Combine 152

[15] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 10: Entanglement" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail&
id=33& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[16] "Half-Life 2: Episode One Walkthrough—Chapter 1: Undue Alarm" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View.
php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=1& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[17] "Half-Life 2: Episode One Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Exit 17" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.
Detail& id=5& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[18] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: To The White Forest. (2007) "Isaac Kleiner: What you're seeing is the
infancy of a superportal. If it retains full strength— / Eli Vance: It will be the Seven Hour War all over again! Except this time we won't last
seven minutes!"
[19] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: Freeman Pontifex. (2007) "Vortigaunt: They carry Shu'ulathoi: Advisors still
in incubation pods. They gather and unite the scattered Combine forces."
[20] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: Our Mutual Fiend. (2007) "Resistance fighter: We've counted a dozen
Striders just north of us. Our job is to keep them from reaching the base to the south. If they get close enough for one good shot at the silo, the
whole launch is a bust. And in case Striders aren't bad enough, recon indicates that they're being escorted by packs of Hunters."
[21] Livingston, Christopher (2005-10-07). "Issue #62" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-10-07). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[22] "Combine Nation: Episode One" (http:/ / litfusefilms. com/ movies/ combinenationepisode1/ ). Lit Fuse Films. . Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[23] Paul, Ure (2008-09-03). "Tom Cruise Scientology Interview, Combine Style" (http:/ / www. actiontrip. com/ rei/ comments_news.
phtml?id=090308_5). ActionTrip. . Retrieved 2008-10-03.
[24] McElroy, Justin (2008-09-03). "The Combine Interview puts Tom Cruise in new light" (http:/ / www. joystiq. com/ 2008/ 09/ 03/
the-combine-interview-puts-tom-cruise-in-new-light/ ). Joystiq. . Retrieved 2008-10-03.
[25] Plunkett, Luke (2008-09-02). "Creepy Tom Cruise Interview Redone As Creepy Half-Life 2 Interview" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5044676/
creepy-tom-cruise-interview-redone-as-creepy-half+ life-2-interview). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2008-10-03.
[26] "The Combine Tom Cruise". PC Gamer (United Kingdom: Future plc) (194): p. 113. December 2008.
[27] "Hunter Plush Toy" (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HunterPlush. html). Valve Corporation. .
Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[28] Plunkett, Luke (2008-02-18). "Hunter Plushies Now Available" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 357473/ hunter-plushies-now-available). Kotaku. .
Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[29] "Half-Life 2 "Evolution" Shirt" (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productpages/ apparel/ product_HL2EvoShirt. html). Valve Corporation. .
Retrieved 2008-09-19.
[30] Pfister, Andrew (2005-01-17). "Half-Life 2 Review" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ reviewPage?cId=3138493& p=1& sec=REVIEWS).
1UP.com. . Retrieved 2008-10-03.
[31] "PC Review: Half-Life 2" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=111902). PC Zone. Computer and Video Games.
2004-11-16. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[32] McNamara, Tom (2006-06-01). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 710/ 710967p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[33] Ocampo, Jason (2008-06-02). "Half-Life 2: Episode One for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ review.
html?om_act=convert& om_clk=tabs& tag=tabs;reviews). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[34] Robinson, Andy (2007-10-10). "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=173331).
Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[35] Adams, Dan (2007-10-09). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 826/ 826067p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-26.
[36] http:/ / half-life. wikia. com/ wiki/ Combine
Headcrab 153

Headcrab
A headcrab is a fictional alien parasitoid found in the Half-Life
video game series created by Valve Software. They are the most
numerous and arguably most iconic aliens in the series. They are
also sometimes referred to as "headhumpers" or "headhoppers" by
Barney Calhoun and some of the citizens in the game.

Left: A headcrab from Half-Life. Right: Its appearance

Overview in Half-Life 2.

Headcrabs are parasitic life-forms roughly 2 feet (0.61 m) long.[1]

Headcrabs have rounded bodies with four legs for movement; two long clawed legs at the front, and two stubby legs
at the back. Their pair of large frontal claws are for attacking prey, and as additional support when standing still.
Under the headcrab's body is a large rounded mouth surrounded by pointed rigid flesh with sharp claw-like "beaks".
The design of the headcrab changes between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Half-Life headcrabs have exposed teeth and
intestines at their mouth, while the Half-Life 2 version does not. As such, it is initially apparent that the headcrab
only walks with its large front claws and hind legs, while the stubby legs form part of the headcrab's mouth. The
headcrabs found in Half-Life are also noticeably smaller than those in Half-Life 2, which have bodies approximately
the size of a watermelon. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 also oppositely depict the headcrab's tolerance to water and
toxins: headcrabs in Half-Life can swim in water but die in toxic environments, while headcrabs in Half-Life 2 drown
within seconds in deep water but easily survive in contaminated pools.
Physically, headcrabs are fairly frail, a few bullets or a single strike from the player's melee weapon being sufficient
to dispatch them. They are also relatively slow-moving and their attacks inflict very little damage. However, they
can leap surprising distances to catch their prey. Headcrabs seek out larger human hosts, which are converted into
zombie-like mutants that attack any living thing they can find. The converted humans are far more resilient than an
ordinary human would be, and inherit the headcrab's resilience towards toxic and radioactive materials. The games
also establish that while headcrabs are parasites that prey on humans, they are also prey to the creatures of their
homeworld. Bullsquids, Vortigaunts, and barnacles will all eat headcrabs (it should be noted that the barnacles will
eat whatever they can grab); Vortigaunts can be seen cooking them on several occasions.

Behavior
Headcrabs are often found in dark areas, usually lying in wait in dark corners and ventilation shafts. In more open
environments, headcrabs bury themselves in the ground to hide, then climb out to the surface and attack when a
victim draws near. Headcrabs are often seen clustered in groups to make up for their individual weakness. They
pursue their prey with single-minded determination, never fleeing despite the death of fellow headcrabs or any other
dangers. Conversely, however, headcrabs attached to a human may abandon their host should it be severely
wounded.
Headcrabs can produce a variety of vocalizations. When they are not hunting, headcrabs usually emit squeaks and
fairly quiet, repetitive calls while gently swaying their bodies back and forth until they have sight of a host. When
attacking, headcrabs emit a sharp, shrill shriek as they leap towards their victims.
Headcrab 154

Variants
While the original Half-Life has only one type of headcrab, identified by its mottled tan-colored skin and reddish
legs, Half-Life 2 introduces two more versions, the fast headcrab and the poison headcrab. These versions are more
dangerous than their ordinary counterparts.
The fast headcrab is a faster, more spider-like version of the ordinary headcrab. Its skin is slightly lighter, and it has
long, spider-like legs which allow it to move much faster and climb on walls (first demonstrated in Half-Life 2 in
Ravenholm). It does not have a "beak" like the other varieties, instead using the sharp talons at the ends of its legs to
latch to hosts. The zombies it creates are stripped of most of their flesh and muscle, and like the headcrab itself are
much faster than ordinary zombies.
The poison headcrab (also known as the black headcrab or venom headcrab) is slightly larger than its counterparts
with dark sage green color skin (sometimes with a wet shine, attributable to a lighting problem with Valve's Source
engine) and thick hairs on the joints of its inward bending legs. To distinguish it further it has white bands that
encircle its knee joints, wider legs, and a more flattened body, giving it a generally more crab-like appearance. It also
makes a chirp at range and a hissing/rattling similar to that of a rattlesnake's tail when it detects a viable host.
Immediately before pouncing, they emit a loud, distinctive shriek. There is also a whipping noise as they pounce.
Unlike the other headcrabs, the poison headcrab has some survival instinct, as it will retreat when injured. Though it
is the slowest-moving version of the headcrab when calm, it can outpace an ordinary headcrab when retreating.
Another difference is that the poison headcrab will stay on fire longer than any others.
Poison headcrabs get their namesake from the neurotoxin they carry, which reduces the player's health to one point
instantly on contact. Gordon's HEV suit provides an antidote that will restore the missing health over a short period,
minus the damage caused by the attack itself. While this makes the poison headcrab unable to fully kill Gordon, it
can make survival much more problematic if other enemies are present; Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar notes that
playtesters would prioritize poison headcrabs as targets, regardless of any other present dangers. Poison headcrabs
will group together on a single host once one is found; the attacking poison headcrab controls the host while the
others use the new host as transportation, having it throw them at new victims.

Headcrab zombie
A headcrab's primary goal is to attach to the head of a suitable host using its mouth (typically covering the face and
most of the head). The headcrab then burrows its claws and hind legs into the host and opens up portions of the skull
with its mouth, incorporating parts of its biological workings with the motor cortex of the host's nervous system. The
victim is thus taken over by the headcrab and mutated into a mindless zombie-like being known as a headcrab
zombie, referred to as a "necrotic" by the Combine Overwatch.
The headcrab's alien physiology causes various mutations in its host, giving it elongated claws, increased strength,
and what appears to be a sharp-toothed "mouth" that bisects the victim's chest cavity from neck to groin. In Half-Life
2, their appearance is slightly different; the "teeth" of the mouth are clearly revealed as protruding ribs: a ripped open
chest cavity and no sternum. In Half-Life, zombies can be seen tearing flesh from corpses and feeding it into their
"mouth". In Half-Life 2, headcrab zombies are capable of surviving even if they are severed at the torso, simply
dragging themselves along the ground with their arms. Headcrab zombies signal their presence through various
muffled groans and grunts, sometimes mixed with agonized screams. An effect that signals a zombie's presence in
the run-down areas of City 17 is the buzz of flies, showing that the corrupted body of the victim is rotting. When
zombies catch fire, they shout semi-intelligibly in their agony.
Like standard headcrabs, both fast headcrabs and poison headcrabs are capable of attaching to a host's head, although
these headcrabs induce different forms of mutations on their hosts and the resulting zombies employ different
strategies of attack. An unusual characteristic of both zombie variations is that only three middle fingers of the five
on each zombie's hands develop into claws, compared to all the fingers on a standard headcrab zombie. In addition,
Headcrab 155

neither two variants have a describable "maw" nor the chest cavity that normal headcrab zombies possess, although
fast zombies do have cracked rib cages and seemingly no internal organs, creating a hollow space.
In Half-Life 2, headcrab zombies, for the most part, tend to be found in secluded areas (disused tunnels, abandoned
buildings, caves, cliff cavities, etc.) away from Combine influence. These areas will often be near sites that have
been shelled with headcrabs by the Combine. Zombies are a menace to humans and Combine alike, and both sides
will open fire on them without hesitation.

Standard headcrab zombie

When a standard headcrab successfully attaches to a host, the host becomes a standard headcrab zombie. The torso of
the host is open and the organs can be seen. In Half-Life 1 the player can see the texture of the host's skull on the
headcrab. However, this is removed in other installments. They are slow-moving but powerful, using their claws to
beat their victims to death. They moan almost constantly, and growl when they detect prey. Because headcrab
zombies are slow, they are often found in confined spaces and/or in large numbers to compensate. In addition,
standard headcrab zombies will often feign death until the player approaches, catching them off-guard. In Half-Life
2, they can swat loose objects on the ground when they run into them, creating potentially lethal projectiles.
Half-Life 2 also introduced still-moving zombies which are severed at the waist; these half-zombies crawl toward the
player using their arms.

Gonome
The gonome is apparently the next step of a standard headcrab zombie's mutation. It is larger, stronger, and more
intelligent than "ordinary" zombies; it also produces a stomach acid that the creature can retrieve from its chest
"maw" and throw as a weapon. Gonomes can create lairs, or "nests", for themselves with enough time. Gonomes
appear only in the expansion pack Half-Life: Opposing Force, which was created by Gearbox rather than Valve.

Fast headcrab zombie

When a fast headcrab attaches to a host, it produces a fast headcrab zombie. These zombies are stripped of their outer
skin, some body tissue, and most or all organs, leaving large parts of the victim's skeleton exposed. Fast headcrab
zombies can run at great speeds and have the unique ability to jump and rapidly climb rain gutters. They also move
on all four limbs, but stand on two legs when attacking a victim. Fast zombies betray their presence with several
vocalizations. While running along the rooftops they emit an echoing wail; while running they give a frenzied
growling; as they jump into attack an enemy they release an ear-piercing scream; and when injured they freeze and
groan loudly. A fast headcrab zombie's usual method of attacking, when given a clear distance to its prey, is to leap
forward several yards to tackle and claw it into the ground. In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the fast zombie can be seen
jumping on the front of the players vehicle, and melee attacking until Alyx Vance kicks it off. Despite their speed
and physique, fast zombies are much weaker than ordinary zombies in terms of damage they inflict, though they
have the same health as standard zombies. Though they are not as common as standard zombies, they often attack in
groups of two to three and can be difficult to hit due to their speed. In Episode Two, fast zombies also come in a
torso-only variant, and are still much faster than other zombies.

Poison headcrab zombie

Poison headcrabs produce the poison headcrab zombie, a bloated, reddish/purplish, slow-moving and hunched-over
"carrier" for several poison headcrabs. A fully-loaded zombie carries four headcrabs including the host's controller. It
is the strongest and most resilient form of headcrab zombie in terms of damage capability and overall health, but also
the slowest. A poison zombie reveals its presence with its distinctive, strangled, heavy breathing and muffled moans.
Like other zombies, it tries to beat its prey to death, but its most dangerous weapon is the extra poison headcrabs it
carries, which it can throw at the player with an elephant-like bellow.
Headcrab 156

Zombine
Half-Life 2: Episode One introduces the Zombine, a variation on the regular headcrab zombie created from
transhuman Combine soldiers. Alyx Vance coins the term "Zombine" for them as a portmanteau of "zombie" and
"Combine". The introduction of the Zombine enemy was meant to show that, in the wake of the devastation caused
by the player in Half-Life 2, what was once a valuable weapon in the Combine arsenal is now just as dangerous to
them as humans.[2]
A zombine can be identified by the distinct Combine armor it wears, as well as its electronically filtered moans
occasionally mixed with Combine soldier reports, such as "Necrotics inbound" or "Sector is. . . not secure." The
body armor of the Combine soldier hides the chest and mouth. Removal of a zombine's headcrab reveals that most of
its head has been removed, leaving only the lower jaw and a small lower portion of the skull. The official Prima
strategy guide for Episode One indicates that the lack of a head is meant to be an intentional mystery. Zombines also
lack the elongated claws of their counterparts.
Zombines move slower than normal headcrab zombies but are capable of short sprints, making them more
unpredictable. They do more damage than their normal counterparts and are more resilient as well, owing to their
genetic enhancements and armor. They also have the ability to occasionally pull out a live grenade; however, rather
than throw it, they will hold on to it and try to club their target with it until it detonates, killing themselves and any
other enemies nearby. The player may pull the live grenade out of a zombine's hand by using the gravity gun, or may
cause the zombine to drop it by harming it sufficiently.

Lamarr
Introduced in Half-Life 2, Lamarr is a headcrab belonging to Doctor Isaac Kleiner. Having been debeaked, thereby
eliminating her ability to attach to and control a host, Lamarr has been rendered into a semi-tame pet for Kleiner and
a nuisance to anyone else she comes into contact with. Kleiner states that "the worst she might do is attempt to
couple with your head…fruitlessly," behavior that leads Barney Calhoun to dub her "freakin' head-humper." Lamarr
is named after the late 1930s actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, as evidenced when Dr. Kleiner alternatively calls
her "Hedy" in the conclusion of the chapters "Red-Letter Day" and "Entanglement".
Lamarr serves as the catalyst for the first few chapters of the single player campaign in Half-Life 2. When Gordon
Freeman attempts to use Kleiner's teleporter, Lamarr jumps from a vent and damages it while Gordon's teleport is in
progress, forcing Gordon to proceed on foot once the malfunction subsides. When Alyx and Gordon return to the lab
some time later, Lamarr has escaped her cage and Alyx has to stay behind to help Kleiner catch her, as Kleiner
refuses to leave without her. Lamarr makes her final appearance in Half-Life 2 after the credits, dropping down into a
black background and then leaping towards the screen as part of a stinger sequence. Lamarr is safe and sound in
Episode One, where she makes a brief cameo appearance, causing further mischief to Dr. Kleiner during his live and
unedited evacuation broadcast in City 17. She makes yet another appearance in Episode Two, where the player can
see her climb into Dr. Magnusson's rocket, which is launched shortly before the end of the game. Seconds before the
launch, Dr. Kleiner notes a payload anomaly of approximately 8.5 pounds, suggesting that Lamarr has been launched
into space.

Use as biological weapons

While headcrabs are merely wild parasites in Half-Life, Half-Life 2 shows that the Earth-occupying Combine alien
race have put them to use as an unstable but effective biological weapon against the human Resistance. By storing
several headcrabs into "Headcrab shells", man-sized projectiles fired from a mortar-like launcher (only one is
featured, in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, but there would presumably be more for such a weapons system to be effective),
the Combine can bombard distant areas with them. The payload of each shell is released into the open shortly after
impact, free to infest or kill nearby victims without risk to the Combine forces. As is the unfortunate case of the
Headcrab 157

devastated town Ravenholm, repeated bombings can neutralize entire towns in a short span of time.
Headcrab shells commonly carry standard headcrabs and fast headcrabs, as can be seen throughout Half-Life 2;
poison headcrabs are only seen emerging from headcrab shells during the church battle in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
and in the Exit 17 chapter of Half-Life 2: Episode One. The only two examples in Half-Life 2 are where the player
can enter a house which has been bombed by a headcrab shell during the Highway 17 mission (Searching the house
will reveal several poison headcrabs and a poison headcrab zombie, but no other types, indicating that the shell
contained poison headcrabs) and in the Water Hazard level, where the player can find multiple pods lying in a
fenced area. Nearby, there are headcrab zombies and dead rebels, suggesting that the headcrabs are dangerous and
giving the player an idea of what they do. The number of headcrabs in a missile varies between species of headcrab.

Reception
The poisonous head crab was ranked the second most terrifying video game enemy of all time by Cracked, due to
their venom's ability to drain the players' health to one.[3]

Merchandise
Due to popular request, Valve released a plush headcrab for sale at the
Valve Store.[4] It featured posable limbs, a number of teeth and claws
and a gaping maw. The headcrab went out of sale within a few months.
For a 2006 Christmas special, along with the re-release of the plush
headcrab, fans could buy a headcrab hat, specially designed to give the
impression that the wearer is under attack from the parasitic alien.[5]

A Valve Headcrab plush toy.

References
[1] The description for the plush headcrab collectible item indicates that the six-inch toy is quarter-scale, meaning that a normal-sized headcrab is
typically two feet in length.
[2] Half-Life 2: Episode One, Chapter III: Lowlife, Developers commentary [2006]
[3] http:/ / www. cracked. com/ article_16247_p2. html
[4] "HL2 Headcrab Collectible" (http:/ / www. store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HL2HeadCrabPlush!. html). .
Retrieved 2009-02-18.
[5] "HL2 Headcrab Hat" (http:/ / www. store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HL2HeadCrabHat!. html). Valve Store. .
Retrieved 2009-02-18.
Vortigaunt 158

Vortigaunt
Vortigaunt

A Vortigaunt, as seen in Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Series Half-Life series

First game Half-Life (1998)

Designed by Dhabih Eng

Chuck Jones

Voiced by Louis Gossett, Jr.

Tony Todd

Vortigaunts are a fictional alien race in the Half-Life series by Valve Corporation. In Half-Life and its three
expansions, Vortigaunts are frequently encountered by the player as hostile non-player characters. The Vortigaunts
are depicted in Half-Life as being an enslaved race in an alternate dimension called Xen, subservient to a large Xen
creature called the Nihilanth, which itself is a slave to undisclosed masters. In Half-Life 2, the Vortigaunts have
broken free of their slavery, and actively assist the player and other humans in resisting the Combine occupation of
Earth.
Vortigaunts are shown as a very communal and cultural race, believing in a force that binds the fabric of the universe
and each Vortigaunt together, as well as producing a tradition of poetry and music. Vortigaunts also display the
ability to summon and command energy without the need for technology. This ability is used for various activities,
such as a means of attack, powering electrical equipment, and healing.
The fictional creatures have received a range of critical responses from their various appearances. While critics
hailed their graphical depiction in Half-Life and its expansions, the characters' artificial intelligence was thought
rudimentary in comparison to that of human enemies. Reviewers found the evolution of the Vortigaunts into allies
for Half-Life 2 was intriguing and that the aliens were fun for a player to fight alongside in Episode Two, but felt
their story elements in Episode One disappointing. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, Vortigaunts
have been adapted for machinima productions and have been made into a plush toy by Valve.

Character design
Louis Gossett, Jr. provides the voice for the Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2,[1] and was partially chosen due to his role as
the alien in the film Enemy Mine.[2] In Episode Two, the Vortigaunts' voicing was done by Tony Todd.[3] Valve had
to determine whether to feature new voice acting for the Vortigaunts in Episode Two, as it had the potential to ruin
the atmosphere of the game when done wrong. However, they settled on the new voice acting for Vortigaunt
dialogue to enhance the sections of the game in which the player is accompanied by a Vortigaunt.[4] Graphically, the
Vortigaunts in both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were designed by concept artists Dhabih Eng and Chuck Jones.[2]
Vortigaunt 159

Initially, Vortigaunts were planned to begin Half-Life as enemy non-player characters, which the player has to win
over as allies and lead in rebellion. This idea, however, proved impractical and was abandoned in favor of keeping
the Vortigaunts as adversaries.[2] The plan re-emerged for Half-Life 2, in which the species are active allies of the
player. The Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 were originally going to be fully integrated in City 17 alongside the humans
under Combine rule. This did not reach fruition; due to the focus on developing the city combat, the resources to
accomplish this were not available. As there were so few resulting Vortigaunts in the city, the developers instead
decided to involve the Vortigaunts far more substantially in the sections of the game taking place in the countryside
surrounding the city. The few Vortigaunts placed inside the city were used to hint at the story arc for the Vortigaunts
later in the game.[5] Midway through Half-Life 2, the player witnesses a scene with a deceased Vortigaunt in a
prison. Originally, the developers were intending to feature this Vortigaunt as an ally character who, if players rescue
him, would fight enemy characters alongside the player. The developers liked this idea, but it was too late in the
development to attempt this; instead, the idea was preserved for use in Episode Two.[5] The concept was later
showcased in an Episode Two trailer shown at the Games Convention in 2006.[6]
According to series writer Marc Laidlaw, one of the most important goals with Episode Two was to expand on the
Vortigaunts as characters, as opposed to just "purveyors of bugbait or Xen koans".[7] As such, Valve added new
behaviours, new animations, and new audio to the Vortigaunts.[7] Multiple branching story paths were considered for
Episode Two, including being able to choose between allowing a Vortigaunt to escape at the cost of trapping the
player character or leaving the Vortigaunt behind, and a segment in which the player has to choose between rescuing
a Vortigaunt or another friendly human character; however, these ideas were abandoned for the simplicity of sticking
to a single supporting character.[4] Other material cut from the games includes Combine technology called
"Vorti-Cells", which were meant to siphon power from captive Vortigaunts in City 17. The player would then be
able to free Vortigaunts from these devices to gain their assistance.[2]

Attributes

Society
Vortigaunts are very intelligent and social creatures. In Half-Life, they serve as basic ground units for the Xen forces,
often supporting heavier troops fighting the player and the humans in the Black Mesa Research Facility. They are
capable of developing intelligent strategies and tactics to take on their enemies.[8] Initially, Vortigaunts are enslaved
to the Nihilanth, a large creature on Xen, who, in turn, claims it is a slave to unknown superiors.[9] On Xen, the
Vortigaunts are used as factory workers and drones.[10] In Half-Life 2, Vortigaunts indicate that this slavery has
lasted for generations.[11] Despite this, Vortigaunts are shown to have developed an intellectual culture, valuing
poetry,[12] music[13] and philosophy.[14] In addition, Vortigaunts practise the husbandry of antlions, large insectoids
that live in underground hives, as an ancestral tradition. The death of the Nihilanth at the hands of Gordon Freeman
at the end of Half-Life frees the Vortigaunts from their slavery;[15] consequently the Vortigaunts see Freeman as a
messianic figure.
Vortigaunts possess their own method of vocal communication, "flux shifting", which they can be heard using in
Half-Life 2. This method of communication involves both speakers vocalising at the same time and cannot be
understood by other species who lack the auditory anatomy to interpret the sounds.[16] In addition to standard
conversation, flux shifting can be used by Vortigaunts to communicate over long distances. Vortigaunts use scattered
English words in Half-Life to taunt the player, although by Half-Life 2 they have learned to speak at least the English
language fluently, albeit using archaic words and grammatical structures. In addition, the Vortigaunts believe in a
binding life-force referred to as the "Vortessence".[17] The exact nature of the Vortessence is left unclear, although it
is revealed that Vortigaunts believe the Vortessence is the fabric of the universe and connects everything.[18]
Vortigaunt 160

Depiction
In appearance, a Vortigaunt is a somewhat humanoid figure with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm
protruding from its thorax. Vortigaunts have mottled green-brown skin and possess digitigrade legs, allowing them
to move quickly. Typically, Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture. In addition, Vortigaunts have sharp teeth,
clawed hands, strong nasal senses, and their faces are dominated by a large red eye.[19] In Half-Life, this eye is
surrounded by five smaller eyes,[20] although in Half-Life 2 this has been reduced to three smaller eyes.[8] . A key
aspect of the Vortigaunts is their ability to summon energy to their command without the need for any equipment.
In-game, this ability is most commonly used as a means of attack, with Vortigaunts hurling the energy towards foes
in the form of green electrical bolts.[20] In addition, Vortigaunts have been shown to be able to use the energy for
other purposes, such as assisting in repair work, removing rubble and blockages, recharging the player's HEV suit or
powering up electrical generators.[8] Enslaved Vortigaunts are depicted with green collars and shackles,[20] although
the means by which these control Vortigaunts is not explored. Vortigaunts are not typically seen wearing clothing,
although several Vortigaunts are observed wearing lab coats and chef's clothing in the course of Half-Life 2 and its
expansions. Vortigaunts are depicted as meat eaters; the player can observe Vortigaunts eating human corpses in
Half-Life[21] and cooking headcrabs in Half-Life 2,[22] although Half-Life 2 also shows Vortigaunts working in
kitchens with chef hats, preparing soups and salads, suggesting that Vortigaunts are omnivores.[23]

Appearances

Half-Life
Vortigaunts are first introduced as one of the primary enemies in
Half-Life. They are frequently encountered by players throughout
Half-Life and its three expansions, Opposing Force, Blue Shift and
Decay. They are portrayed as one of the sentient races of Xen, often
working in groups or with more heavily armored Xen troops.[20] In the
later stages of Half-Life, Vortigaunts are seen working in factory-like
environments, constructing or maturing the more heavily armored Xen
troops in cocoon-like capsules under the direction of other aliens in the
Xen hierarchy.[10]

In the cooperative multiplayer expansion Decay, players have the

opportunity to assume the role of two Vortigaunts if they score highly
on all missions. In this bonus mission, entitled "Xen Attacks", two
Vortigaunts, designated as Drone Subjects X-8973 and R-4913, are
given a mission by the Nihilanth to retrieve a number of crystals stolen
from Xen by human scientists from the Black Mesa Research
Facility.[24] Concept art by Dhabih Eng for a Vortigaunt in
Half-Life; the green collar indicates that the
Vortigaunt is a slave
Half-Life 2
The role of the Vortigaunts is substantially changed in Half-Life 2. Now acting as allies to the player, Vortigaunts
have been freed as a result of protagonist Gordon Freeman killing the Nihilanth at the end of Half-Life. Instead of
acting with hostility towards humanity, the Vortigaunts are actively engaged in assisting the human resistance
against the Combine, a multi-dimensional empire that has invaded and occupied Earth in between Half-Life and
Half-Life 2.[8] Vortigaunts are frequently seen at resistance compounds and stations,[22] often performing
maintenance work or providing help with experiments, and sometimes assist the player by using their energy abilities
to recharge the player's HEV suit.[8] However, a number of Vortigaunts are still in captivity, as at various points in
Vortigaunt 161

the game, Vortigaunts are shown used as slave labor by the Combine; for example, one Vortigaunt is seen cleaning
the floor of a Combine train station with a broom, wearing a similar collar to those worn in Half-Life.[8]
Vortigaunts play a greater part in the story of the series in Half-Life 2's continuations, Episode One and Episode Two.
In Episode One, Vortigaunts use unexplained powers to rescue Alyx Vance, the series' main female character, from
the top of the Combine Citadel in City 17, saving her from the explosion of the Citadel's reactor at the end of
Half-Life 2.[19] The Vortigaunts also free Gordon Freeman from the stasis imposed on him at the end of Half-Life 2
by his enigmatic employer, the G-Man, much to the G-Man's irritation.[25] Episode Two dedicates much of the early
part of the game to the Vortigaunts, with a group of four Vortigaunts working to heal Alyx Vance after she is
mortally wounded by a Combine Hunter, while tracking and killing the Combine Advisors that fled the Citadel.[19]
One Vortigaunt accompanies the player and acts as combat support on an expedition into an antlion hive. In the latter
stages of Episode Two, a number of Vortigaunts are observed in the White Forest missile silo, performing various
tasks to facilitate the launch of a satellite to close a Combine super portal.

Appearances in other media

The use of sandbox applications like Garry's Mod have allowed for the Vortigaunt to be used in a variety of
webcomics and machinima productions. For example, in the webcomic Concerned, the inability for the players to
harm allied non-player characters such as the Vortigaunt in Half-Life 2 forms a recurring joke, where the protagonist
Gordon Frohman constantly tries to shoot Vortigaunts due to their role as enemies in Half-Life.[26] [27] This
eventually backfires on him, as when Vortigaunts try to rescue Frohman from the destruction of the Citadel, his
hostile nature leads them to simply abandon him to his fate.[28] Vortigaunts are occasionally featured in machinima
productions, often taking on the roles of minor characters, such as janitors under Combine jurisdiction.[29] In
addition, Vortigaunts are central to one Half-Life single-player modification, POV – Point of View, in which the
player assumes the role of a Vortigaunt slave attacking Black Mesa.[30]

Cultural impact

Merchandise
The character of the Vortigaunt has been popular enough to inspire the
creation of a Vortigaunt plush toy. The toy was designed by Dhabih
Eng and was sold and distributed via Valve's online store.[31] The toy
was released in December 2006 and due to the proximity to Christmas,
the Vortigaunt was accompanied by a to-scale Santa Claus hat.[31]
Reviews of the plush toy were favorable, praising the toy as sturdy, as
well as giving credit for its articulation and detail.[32]

Reception
The Vortigaunts have received a varied reception from critics as both
enemies and friendly non-player characters. Vortigaunts and their
The Vortigaunt plush toy, complete with a Santa
fellow alien enemies in Half-Life were praised as "memorable foes"[33]
Claus hat
that "truly look like organic beings"[34] and were "scary" in nature.[35]
Audio work for the aliens was also praised.[36] However, the artificial
intelligence for alien non-player characters was considered significantly inferior to that of the human enemies of the
game,[37] who instead of merely following the player through a door would throw grenades to flush the player
out,[34] whereas according to IGN the extent of teamwork amongst the aliens was simply a number of aliens being in
Vortigaunt 162

the same room and attacking in the same direction.[38] The change of the Vortigaunts from enemy characters to allied
characters in Half-Life 2 was described as "intriguing" by reviewers, with PC Zone stating that the Vortigaunts were
one of the most interesting characters in the game, playing a role "somewhere between Yoda and ET".[39]
The brief appearance of the Vortigaunts in Episode One was subject to a mixed reception from critics. A number of
reviewers found the sequence in which the Vortigaunts rescue Alyx and Gordon from the top of the Citadel
confusing—IGN stated that it was simply "weird", and did not help to clear up questions with the story.[40] Other
reviewers thought the Vortigaunts' involvement was disappointing, with GameSpot describing the event as an
"incredible cop-out" for rescuing Alyx and removing the G-Man from the rest of the game.[41] The role of the
Vortigaunts in Episode Two was met with more approval by critics, who described the Vortigaunt who accompanies
the player in the early parts of the game as "a great joy to fight alongside", praising the improved artificial
intelligence and noting that "the fact that they're not trying to intricately imitate real-life people" significantly aided
the presentation of the Vortigaunts.[42] In addition, the visual and character overhaul given to the Vortigaunt in
Episode Two was praised by reviewers.[43]

External links
• Quotations related to All-Knowing Vortigaunt at Wikiquote
• Vortigaunt [44] at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia

References
[1] "Half-Life 2 – Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ game. php?id=43775& tab=credits). Allgame. . Retrieved 2009-08-31.
[2] Hodgson, David (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. ISBN 9780761543640.
[3] "The Orange Box – Credits" (http:/ / www. allgame. com/ game. php?id=50489& tab=credits). Allgame. . Retrieved 2009-08-31.
[4] "Matt Glanville Interview" (http:/ / www. planetphillip. com/ posts/ matt-glanville-interview/ ). PlanetPhillip. 2008-06-12. . Retrieved
2009-08-31.
[5] "PC Interview: Looking Back... Half-Life 2: Episode One" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=147512). PC Zone.
Future Publishing. 2006-10-12. . Retrieved 2009-08-31.
[6] Berghammer, Billy (2006-08-24). "GC 2006: New Half-Life 2: Episode Two Details Emerge" (http:/ / www. gameinformer. com/ News/
Story/ 200608/ N06. 0824. 1746. 35287. htm). Game Informer. GameStop Corporation. . Retrieved 2009-08-31.
[7] Griffin, Mike (2008-05-21). "Interview – Valve Software" (http:/ / www. playmagazine. com/ index. php?fuseaction=SiteMain. Content&
contentid=587). Play. Fusion Publishing. . Retrieved 2009-08-31.
[8] "Half-Life 2 Allies" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=2& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[9] Valve Corporation. Half-Life. PC. Level/area: Interloper. (1998) "Nihilanth: Their slaves, we are their slaves, we are."
[10] "Half-Life Walkthrough: Interloper" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=hlstrategies. detail& id=17& game=4). Planet
Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[11] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: We have endured these chafing bonds for eons, yet a
single moment of further servitude seems intolerable! How often have we slipped our yoke, only to find it choking us again."
[12] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: Our finest poet describes it thus: Gallum galla gilla
ma."
[13] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: Your song we sing and shall sing for eternity."
[14] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: We are mindful of the words of our greatest
philosopher: Kpnnum gninin vogenuk!"
[15] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: While our own lay scattered at your feet, you severed
the vortal cord that bound the Nihilanth to life, and to us."
[16] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Sandtraps. (2004) "Vortigaunt #1: The Freeman must excuse us. It is rude of us to
commune by flux shifting in front of those whose vortal inputs are impaired. / Vortigaunt #2: Yes, we will vocalize in your auditory language
as a matter of courtesy. / Vortigaunt #1: Unless we wish to say unflattering things about you. / Vortigaunt #2: Just so."
[17] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: Communion of the Vortessence. And that other: a
deeper mystery. No deeper than the void itself."
[18] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Water Hazard. (2004) "Vortigaunt: We are a tapestry woven of Vortessence. It is the same
for you if only you would see it."
[19] "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Allies" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2GameInfo. Detail& id=23& game=3). Planet
Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-23.
Vortigaunt 163

[20] "Life Forms" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HLGameInfo. Detail& id=7& game=4). Planet Half-Life. IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[21] "Half-Life Walkthrough: Lambda Core" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=hlstrategies. detail& id=14& game=4).
Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[22] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 4: Water Hazard" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail&
id=15& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[23] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 5: Black Mesa East" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.
Detail& id=16& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[24] "Half-Life: Decay" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=Previews. Detail& id=67). Planet Half-Life. IGN. 2006-11-12. .
Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[25] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. PC. Level/area: Direct Intervention. (2006-06-01) "G-Man: We'll see... about that."
[26] Livingston, Christopher (2005-09-19). "Issue #54" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-09-19). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[27] Livingston, Christopher (2006-04-14). "Issue #137" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-04-14). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[28] Livingston, Christopher (2006-10-26). "Issue #203" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-10-26). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[29] "Combine Nation: Episode Two" (http:/ / litfusefilms. com/ movies/ combinenationepisodetwo/ ). Lit Fuse Films. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[30] "Point of View – Half-Life" (http:/ / www. planetphillip. com/ posts/ point-of-view-half-life/ ). PlanetPhillip. 2008-04-07. . Retrieved
2009-08-31.
[31] "HL2 Vortigaunt Collectible" (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HL2Vortigaunt. html). Valve
Corporation. 2006-12-05. . Retrieved 2008-05-23.
[32] "Half-Life 2: Vortigaunt Plush Toy Review" (http:/ / www. expotv. com/ videos/ reviews/ 20/ 185/ Half-Life-2-Vortigaunt-Plush-Toy/
20298). ExpoTV. 2006-12-18. . Retrieved 2008-05-27.
[33] "Half-Life" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ features/ 6171044/ index. html). Greatest Games of All Time. GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[34] Dulin, Ron (2008-11-20). "Half-Life for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife/ review. html). GameSpot. . Retrieved
2008-05-26.
[35] Hill, Steve (2001-08-13). "PC Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=3045). PC Zone. Computer
and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[36] "PC Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=8349& skip=yes). Computer and Video Games.
2001-08-15. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[37] Knibbe, Willem (2000-11-24). "Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. gamepro. com/ computer/ pc/ games/ reviews/ 745. shtml). GamePro. .
Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[38] "Half-Life Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 153/ 153107p1. html). IGN. 1998-11-15. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[39] "PC Review: Half-Life 2" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=111902). PC Zone. Computer and Video Games.
2004-11-16. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[40] McNamara, Tom (2006-06-01). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 710/ 710967p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[41] Ocampo, Jason (2008-06-02). "Half-Life 2: Episode One for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ review.
html?om_act=convert& om_clk=tabs& tag=tabs;reviews). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[42] Robinson, Andy (2007-10-10). "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=173331).
Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[43] Adams, Dan (2007-10-09). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 826/ 826067p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-26.
[44] http:/ / half-life. wikia. com/ wiki/ Vortigaunt
 164

Other

Gravity gun
A gravity gun is a concept in video games, particularly first-person shooters using an advanced physics engine,
whereby players can directly manipulate objects in the world, often allowing them to be used as projectiles against
hostile characters. A gravity gun is usually manifested as an in-game weapon, available from the player's inventory
or weapon selection. The concept was first popularized by the gravity gun found in Valve Software's Half-Life 2;
however, a similar concept was used by developers id Software during the production of the earlier game Doom 3,
eventually leading to the introduction of a physics-based weapon in the expansion pack Resurrection of Evil. Later
games have been influenced by the success of these physics-based weapons, adopting their own styles of comparable
abilities or weapons.

Half-Life 2 gravity gun

Valve Software's Half-Life 2 made significant use of physics in the
game, powered by Havok physics engine.[1] Although the player can
pick up and throw objects early in the game, this ability is somewhat
limited in scope. Around the middle of the game, the player acquires
the gravity gun, properly named as the "zero-point energy field
manipulator". Alyx Vance explains that the gravity gun is designed for
handling hazardous materials, but is mostly used for heavy lifting.[2]
The gravity gun significantly increases the player's ability to Half-Life 2's gravity gun is capable of turning
manipulate objects in the game. Like most other weapons in the game, innocuous objects into weapons, as well as
assisting in physics-based puzzles
the gravity gun has two trigger functions. The primary trigger causes
the gun to emit a small discharge which knocks back the targeted
object. The distance which the object is forced is dependent on its weight and distance from the gun. The secondary
trigger attracts the targeted object to the gun and holds it in midair a few inches away, negating its weight and
allowing the player to carry it with them. Using the secondary trigger again will drop the item, while the primary
trigger will launch it with considerable force.

By combining these functions, players can use the gravity gun to scale barriers and obstacles, create cover against
enemy characters, or launch the objects at enemy characters, causing them considerable damage. Certain types of
objects, such as saw blades, fuel barrels and hydrogen tanks are intentionally designed by Valve to be used as gravity
gun ammunition. The gravity gun, however, cannot manipulate heavier objects and enemy characters until the late
stages of the game, when the device becomes temporarily infused with dark energy.
The gravity gun was very well received by critics, who considered it one of the defining features of Half-Life 2's
entertainment value.[3] Planet Half-Life calls the gravity gun "the next level in interactive gaming."[4] Electronic
Gaming Monthly describes Half-Life 2's gravity gun as the "thinking man's death tool," which lets players "toy with
gravity to kill foes with everyday objects." Call of Duty series military adviser Hank Keirsey stated that "the weapon
is not very practical". He does, however, discuss its historical precedents, further stating that "The ancients learned
very early how to use gravity to their advantage — but this usually involved rolling rocks down hills or pouring
boiling oil down the castle walls. Those that failed to respect gravity suffered."[5]
Gravity gun 165

Doom 3 grabber
Although Half-Life 2 was the first game released to feature a gravity
gun, id Software had previously conceived a similar idea during the
development of the earlier title Doom 3. id Software designer Matt
Hooper noted that "we actually used it as a tool throughout
development where we'd grab physics objects and place them around
the world".[6] The tool was used to create "damaged" rooms in Doom
3; instead of constructing a ruined room, the designers would code a
pristine room and use the device to "damage" it realistically. Although The Doom 3 grabber enables the player to return
enemy projectiles to their origin
used to assist the development of Doom 3, the gravity gun was not
implemented in the final game. Hooper explained that "we talked about
that quite a few times, but we had such a big arsenal of weapons, and so many other cool things going on, that it was
just one of those things that never made it in".[6] However, Nerve Software revived the code for the weapon five
months after the release of Half-Life 2 in Doom 3's expansion pack, Resurrection of Evil.

The device is noted in the Doom 3 storyline as an "ionized plasma levitator", created by the Union Aerospace
Corporation for moving hazardous materials and a forerunner to tractor beams.[7] Usually referred to as the
"grabber", the player obtains the device early on in the course of Resurrection of Evil. The grabber operates
differently from Half-Life 2's gravity gun, using only a single trigger function. Once the grabber is aimed at an
appropriate object, it locks on, allowing the player to lift the object with the trigger.[8] When the player releases the
trigger, the object will be propelled forward with force, turning it into a impromptu weapon. One key ability of the
grabber is its capacity to lock on to the fireball projectiles cast by some hostile non-player characters, allowing
players to turn the attack against their foe. However, unlike the gravity gun in Half-Life 2, the grabber cannot hold
objects for as long as the player wishes; if they wait too long to launch the object, the grabber will start to overload
and disengage, dropping the object gently on the ground.[8] Critics often compared the grabber directly with
Half-Life 2's gravity gun,[9] some noting that the device was far more combat-focused in operation than the gravity
gun; in particular, the ability to turn projectiles cast by enemies against them was praised.[10] However, the grabber
was considered somewhat "awkward" to use, requiring a "finesse" that "is rarely something the player has time for in
a close-quarters situation".[11]

Influence on later games

Various later video games have included gameplay features that allow players to use the game's physics to their
advantage in combat. In some cases, these are manifested as weapons or devices. For instance, the Aperture Science
Handheld Portal Device in Portal displays a limited capacity to move objects around the game world, while Crytek's
Crysis allows the player to throw objects and enemy characters considerable distances through the use of an
experimental nanosuit. In other games, however, it can be represented in a different manner. In Arkane Studios' Dark
Messiah of Might and Magic a psychokinesis spell allows for similar functions as Half-Life 2's gravity gun, while 2K
Games' BioShock displays the concept as a telekinesis plasmid that the player uses to alter their character's DNA. In
EA's third-person horror shooter Dead Space, the player character acquires a 'Kinesis' module, which allows the
player to grab and throw objects similar to Half-Life 2's gravity gun.
Gravity gun 166

See also
• Tractor beam

References
[1] "Half-Life 2 preview". Edge (124). June 2003. "The physics engine within Source is derived from Havok, which opens up a wealth of
possibilities for object interaction – particularly when you consider that later in the game, Freeman receives an energy-beam weapon that lets
him move huge objects...".
[2] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2. PC. Level/area: Black Mesa East. (2004) "Alyx Vance: Its designed for handling hazardous materials, but we
mainly use it for heavy lifting. I've found it handy for clearing minefields."
[3] "Half-Life 2 review". Edge (143). December 2004. "Tearing a radiator from a wall and using it to swat a parasitic headcrab, while all the
furniture in a room goes tumbling around you, is truly a gaming epiphany.".
[4] "The Gravity Gun: The Next Level in Interactive Gaming" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=Editorials. Detail&
id=18). Planet Half-Life. 2007-07-03. . Retrieved 2007-12-17.
[5] Electronic Gaming Monthly features seven notable video game weapons and for each of them divides the profiles into sections headed as
"The Gun," "Keirsey says...Practicality," "Historical precedents," and "Lethality level." See Evan Shamoon, "Gun Show: A real military
expert takes aim at videogame weaponry to reveal the good, the bad, and the just plain silly," Electronic Gaming Monthly 230 (July 2008): 49.
[6] Accardo, Sal (2005-01-05). "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil Preview" (http:/ / uk. pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ doom-3-resurrection-of-evil/
577592p1. html). GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-09.
[7] Nerve Software. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil. PC. Level/area: Black Mesa East. (2005) "UAC narrator: The prototype ionized plasma
levitator was designed to transport hazardous materials without physical contact... With further research and development, uses for this
technology would include heavy lifting and the ability to create tractor beams, thereby making low gravity docking procedures much safer for
pilots."
[8] "ROE Weapons" (http:/ / planetdoom. gamespy. com/ static. php?page=ROE Weapons& game=4). Planet Doom. GameSpy. . Retrieved
2008-11-12.
[9] Accardo, Sal (2005-03-04). "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. gamespy. com/ pc/ doom-3-resurrection-of-evil/
601519p1. html). GameSpy. . Retrieved 2008-11-12.
[10] Shoemaker, Brad (2005-03-05). "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/
doom3resurrectionofevil/ review. html?om_act=convert& om_clk=gssummary& tag=summary;read-review). GameSpot. . Retrieved
2008-11-12.
[11] McNamara, Tom (2005-03-04). "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 601/ 601442p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-11-12.
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 167

Locations of ''Half-Life''
The Half-Life series of video games features many locations set in a dystopian future stemming from the events of
the first game, Half-Life. These locations are used and referred to throughout the series. The locations, for the most
part, are designed and modeled from real-world equivalent locations in Eastern Europe, but also include science
fiction settings including the Black Mesa Research Facility, a labyrinthine subterranean research complex, and Xen,
an alien dimension.

Locations

Half-Life and expansions

Black Mesa Research Facility

The Black Mesa Research Facility is the primary setting for Half-Life
and its three expansions: Opposing Force, Blue Shift, and Decay. The
base is a decommissioned ICBM launch complex in the New Mexico
desert that has been converted into a scientific research facility. This
facility is depicted as a vast series of underground research laboratories
as well as surface constructions such as offices, chemical waste
disposal plants, and personnel dormitories, all powered by a
hydroelectric dam and connected by an advanced tram system. The Anomalous Materials test chamber in
Half-Life, during the experiment which results in
Over the course of the series, Black Mesa is revealed to be conducting
the resonance cascade
top-secret research into various fields, such as teleportation and
experimental weapons research. Prior to the beginning of Half-Life,
scientists experimenting on teleportation discover Xen, a border dimension somehow intrinsically involved in the
teleportation process. Creatures and crystals from Xen are subsequently brought back to the facility for testing. At
the beginning of Half-Life, one such crystal, revealed in Episode Two to have been provided by the G-Man,[1] is put
through an anti-mass spectrometer and causes a resonance cascade, tearing the spacetime continuum. As a result,
Xen creatures are teleported into the facility and prey on its human inhabitants.

The resulting crisis is seen from several points of view in Half-Life and its expansions. In Half-Life, protagonist
Gordon Freeman is introduced to the facility in a notable sequence involving very little interactivity.[2] This serves to
foreshadow many of the challenges the player will face, as well as the labyrinth-like structure of the game.[3]
Eventually, the player fights through the facility and teleports to Xen to try to seal the tear from the other end, where
a Xen creature is keeping it open. Blue Shift shows the events from the viewpoint of a security guard, Barney
Calhoun, who joins a group of scientists who use the teleportation technology to evacuate survivors from the base. In
Decay, another group of scientists attempt to close the tear through their own equipment, before calling in the U.S.
Military to assist with the situation. The military situation is shown through the eyes of Adrian Shephard in
Opposing Force, where U.S. Marines (referred to as HECU, or Hazardous Environment Combat Unit) are ordered to
cover up the incident by killing the entire population of Black Mesa as well as the alien attackers, but are
overwhelmed and forced to withdraw, allowing for black operations units to detonate a nuclear warhead in the
facility, ultimately destroying it. However, the fracture in the spacetime continuum remains, allowing the Combine
to invade and occupy Earth.
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 168

Xen

Xen is an alternate dimension and is the adopted home of the

Vortigaunts. A collection of asteroids hanging over a nebula, Xen is
briefly featured in Half-Life and its first two expansions, Opposing
Force and Blue Shift. It is often referred to as the "border world", as it
is somehow involved in the teleportation process used by the Black
Mesa Research Facility. The player encounters multiple types of fauna
such as Headcrabs in Xen, in addition to its sentient inhabitants. The
asteroids are linked with their own teleporter system,[4] and a number The surface of a planetoid in Xen
of asteroids are shown to include underground factory-like areas,
where Vortigaunts work to create or mature Xen's military forces.[5] Gravity on Xen is significantly lower than on
Earth. Xen forms the setting for the closing parts of Half-Life, where Gordon Freeman travels to Xen to kill the
Nihilanth and seal the spatial fracture to Black Mesa. The player briefly visits Xen in both Opposing Force and Blue
Shift as well, in the former Adrian Shephard is forced to travel to Xen to escape an otherwise enclosed area,[6] while
in the latter Barney Calhoun goes to Xen to align some equipment to allow Black Mesa to be evacuated using the
teleporters.[7] After the death of the Nihilanth in Half-Life, the fracture is destabilized further, causing large amounts
of Xen's wildlife to be teleported to locations across Earth.

Half-Life 2 and episodes

City 17

City 17 is a metropolitan area in Eastern Europe that forms the primary

setting for Half-Life 2 and its first expansion, Episode One. The city
features a variety of architecture types, from mostly Eastern European
architecture dating from pre-World War II neoclassicism, to post-war
revival of classical designs, Soviet Union modernism, and post-Soviet
contemporary designs, as well as Combine structures. The city is quite
large, consisting of a railway station, a dilapidated canal system,
underground road tunnels, and multiple communal living quarters and A plaza in City 17, with propaganda being
buildings. The whole city seems to be in an advanced state of urban broadcast from one of many screens in the city.
decay, with abandoned structures and graffiti rampant throughout the The Citadel is visible in the background.

city. It contains a large number of signs written in Cyrillic. The city is

policed by Civil Protection, who patrol the streets and suppress dissent with brutality, which is seen frequently in
Half-life 2.

City 17 is the base of operations for the Combine on Earth, with its Citadel forming the headquarters of Wallace
Breen, the human administrator for the Combine. The Citadel itself is an exceptionally tall structure of Combine
design, reaching both deep underground and approximately 2.5 kilometers[8] into the clouds, forming an ominous
presence in City 17's skyline. The Citadel serves as a reference point to help the player navigate, as well as providing
a long-term goal to drive the player's action.[9] In Half-Life 2, the player initially arrives in City 17 by train but, after
being discovered, flees the city via its canal system.[10] When the player returns later in the game, the city has been
turned into a war zone as the citizens mount a full-scale rebellion against the Combine rule. The player eventually
enters the Citadel itself to confront Breen, destroying the dark energy reactor and teleporter at the top of the Citadel.
This proceeds to destabilize the Citadel's main reactor, which the player, accompanied by Alyx Vance, must
temporarily stabilize in Episode One to allow for the population to be evacuated. The Combine try to accelerate the
Citadel's collapse to send a message to their native dimension, requesting reinforcements. The Citadel eventually
explodes at the end of Episode One, destroying City 17 and forming a super portal to the Combine dimension which
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 169

the player must work to collapse in Episode Two.

Black Mesa East

Black Mesa East is a resistance base on the outskirts of City 17. It is featured briefly in Half-Life 2, where it acts as
the base of operations for Eli Vance, the leader of the human resistance against the ruling Combine. Situated
alongside a hydroelectric dam outside City 17, Black Mesa East is mostly underground, consisting of several levels
containing laboratories, kitchens, recreational areas and maintenance facilities. Its population includes both humans
and Vortigaunts. The base is the primary destination for the player in the early stages of Half-Life 2 after an attempt
to teleport directly to the facility fails and Gordon Freeman must proceed there by conventional means. Shortly after
Freeman's arrival, Judith Mossman alerts the Combine forces to his presence, resulting in the base being raided.
Though Freeman escapes through Ravenholm, Eli Vance is captured.[11]

Ravenholm
Ravenholm is an Eastern European mining town depicted in Half-Life 2. The town was a hidden location housing
refugees from City 17 until it is discovered and attacked by the Combine, using artillery shells filled with headcrabs.
Consequently, the town is massacred and its survivors zombified by the headcrabs.[12] The tunnel from Black Mesa
East is sealed to prevent the spread of the headcrabs and zombies. The mines are equally infested, and its structures
have been heavily damaged.[12] The town's sole survivor—Father Grigori, a priest—kills the zombie population out
of mercy. Working from the church, Grigori has rigged numerous traps and overhead walkways to keep himself safe.
The player journeys through Ravenholm to get to the coast, after Black Mesa East is attacked by the Combine.[12]
Ravenholm has been noted as a cross-over of the science fiction and survival horror genres, as the player encounters
the level at night, and many dark areas allow for surprise attacks from the zombies and other creatures within the
town.[13] Ravenholm is challenging for players to navigate due to its open nature[13] as well as its overall circular
path.[14]

Highway 17
Highway 17 is a road featured in Half-Life 2 that runs along a stretch of coast outside City 17. The player travels
through this area in a dune buggy to get to Nova Prospekt. The area is heavily occupied with antlions, large insectoid
creatures that live in underground hives and violently defend their territory. The area around the road is mostly
coastal with multiple boathouses and jetties, although the sea level has been reduced to such an extent that the
derelict ships are sitting on what was once the seabed.[15] The road itself is in disrepair; several portions have
collapsed, and it is cluttered with many abandoned cars. Highway 17 is interspersed with various outposts under
control of the human resistance against the Combine, although several of them are under attack or have already been
destroyed when the player arrives at them.[16]

Nova Prospekt
Nova Prospekt is a security and detention installation controlled by the Combine in Half-Life 2. The facility is the
player's destination for the middle parts of the game, as Gordon Freeman travels along the coast to get there and free
the leader of the human resistance, Eli Vance, after he is captured by the Combine at Black Mesa East. Nova
Prospekt is described as once being a high-security prison, set on a coastal cliff. Its interior is largely dilapidated,
consisting of several unoccupied and badly damaged cell blocks, a number of interrogation chambers and numerous
guard posts and checkpoints.[17] The actual facility, built on the ruins of the old prison, incorporates Combine
infrastructure, a teleporter, and a large holding area for political prisoners, held unconscious in pods suspended from
the walls. The facility is also shown to deal with processing humans through invasive surgery, either changing them
into Combine Overwatch soldiers or into Stalkers, dismembered cyborg slaves used for menial labor.[18] The facility
also incorporates an express train link from City 17. Nova Prospekt is heavily damaged during the player's incursion
into the prison due to Gordon Freeman using Antlions to break into the facility and rampage through it, as well as a
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 170

subsequent teleporter explosion as he flees with Alyx Vance. The fight at Nova Prospekt is seen as the first strike
against the Combine, and signals a major uprising in City 17.

White Forest

White Forest is a fictional mountainous region in Eastern Europe that

forms the setting for Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The area also contains
a Soviet-era ICBM silo that acts as the base of operations for the
human resistance against the Combine and is the primary destination
for much of the game. White Forest is the only area of gameplay in
Episode Two, and is depicted as a largely forest-land region near the
base of several mountains. The area consists of several villages and
minor resistance bases, connected by a road in a state of disrepair with White Forest introduced rural woodland settings
a number of abandoned cars. Various other structures include radio to the series.
stations, industrial warehouses and bridge houses, which are often
infested with headcrabs. In addition, there are several mine shafts, which are shown to have been colonized by
antlions. The player travels the forest roads in a gutted 1969 Dodge Charger to reach the base. The base itself is used
by the resistance as a platform to launch a rocket containing codes to shut down a Combine superportal that is
opened in the wake of the destruction of the Citadel at the end of Episode One.

Other locations

Aperture Science Laboratories

The Aperture Science Laboratories are a research facility introduced in Portal. Its "Enrichment Center" forms the
setting for the entirety of Portal. The company is a direct rival to Black Mesa. The company's history, as revealed by
in-game information and a web site for the fictional company, was initially building shower curtains for the US
military. However, when its founder contracted mercury poisoning from a series of mercury lined shower curtains,
he shifted the company's direction to several ill-conceived projects, interspatial portal research among them. The
project was deemed worthwhile and government funding was granted to expand Aperture Science's facilities,
including the installation of a new artificial intelligence named GLaDOS; however, shortly after its installation,
GLaDOS turned on its creators and killed everyone in the facility.[19]
The areas of the underground Enrichment Center that the player sees during Portal include clinically-white "test
chambers", overlooked by laboratories and office spaces devoid of life, and disused maintenance areas behind these
chambers, where messages for the player note to be aware of GLaDOS' motives. The clinical feel was designed after
the settings in the film The Island, aiming to reduce the amount of background detail to allow players to focus on the
puzzles.[20]
In Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the player learns that the Borealis, an Aperture Science research vessel, and a portion of
the drydock it was moored to, was somehow teleported to the Arctic, and is a point of interest that the player is told
to investigate. Episode Two concludes as the player prepares to visit this location. The Borealis contains technology
and research, such as Aperture Science portal technology, that the resistance can use to overthrow the Combine. But
if in the wrong hands, the human race will have no hope of survival. Therefore, Eli Vance wants Gordon Freeman to
destroy the vessel.
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 171

St. Olga
St. Olga is a seaside town featured in the Half-Life 2: Lost Coast level, provided to players as a technology
demonstration of high dynamic range rendering in the Source engine.[21] St. Olga is built near a seaside cliff and
features an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the top of the cliff, which the Combine have made a base of operations to
launch artillery shells filled with headcrabs into the town. In Lost Coast, the player controls Freeman as he meets an
old fisherman from St. Olga who asks him to defeat the Combine. Freeman storms the monastery and disables their
artillery launches, then returns to the fisherman, who congratulates him. The church style was specifically selected to
enhance the influence of the high dynamic range rendering, while the cliff-side environments were built to encourage
combat strategies in the vertical direction.[22]

Reception
The environments of both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 and their expansions have been well received by critics. The
locations in Half-Life have been praised as "self-contained, believable, and thoroughly engaging" by GameSpot, who
also noted the "distinct looks" used in different areas throughout the game.[23] The moment when the player arrives
at the alien world of Xen towards the end of the game in particular has been praised for inspiring a sense of awe and
astonishment.[24] In addition, several reviews praised the way that players progressed through the areas of Black
Mesa and the loading points in between as "largely seamless",[25] with Computer and Video Games commenting that
this made level loading "a thing of the past".[26] However, some aspects of level design were criticized: IGN in
particular, despite describing the locations as "logically linked and fun to explore" noted that in the middle of the
game "the tension seriously sags, as [the player is] forced to wander around some dreadful tunnels looking for
switches in retro-gaming land, as jumping puzzles, switch hunts, and all the tedium of a dozen other games returns in
force".[27]
PC Zone described the environments in Half-Life 2 as "breathtaking, diverse and immense",[28] while GameSpot
praised the locations as "simply stunning, from the plazas and streets of City 17 to the rusted interiors of an
abandoned factory" and stated that the game featured "excellent level design".[29] In addition, IGN noted that the
game world is "immaculately crafted and rendered".[30] City 17 has been noted for its aesthetic use of 3D sound.
Sound is used to remind the player of the trashy style of their train as they arrive in the city, while the sound of the
surveillance camera in the large resonant space creates a generally unpleasant feeling.[10] While some reviewers felt
disappointment at the lack of new locations in Episode One,[31] [32] the entirely new rural environments in Episode
Two were significantly praised by critics. The Computer and Video Games magazine stated that Episode Two
contained "wonderful art design and the odd bit of technical spit-shine",[33] while IGN praised the "expansive"
outdoor environments and "claustrophobic" tunnels featured in the White Forest.[34]
Fumito Ueda, lead developer for Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, has stated that Half-Life 2 incorporates a "natural
setting", and "the puzzles are incorporated in that natural setting, and the players don't get lost. And that's something
we put a lot of effort into for Ico, so I understand what went into that."[35]
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 172

External links
• Locations in the Half-Life series [36] at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia

References
[1] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode Two. PC. Level/area: Our Mutual Friend. (2007) "Eli Vance: Unforeseen consequences... Last time I
heard those words was back at Black Mesa. You just stepped into the test chamber when he whispered them into my ears. You know who I'm
talking about. Our mutual friend. When he brought in that crystal I knew I... I should have aborted that damned test. I didn't."
[2] - The Gameplay Video Segmentation Method A heuristic method for gameplay analysis using video segmentation - Sandra Neubauer (http:/ /
www. gamecareerguide. com/ thesis/ neubauer. pdf)
[3] Struggling towards a Goal Challenges & the Computer Game - Sara Mosberg Iversen (http:/ / www. itu. dk/ people/ mosberg/ texts/
SMI_thesis. pdf)
[4] "Half-Life Walkthrough: Xen" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=hlstrategies. detail& id=15& game=4). Planet
Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[5] "Half-Life Walkthrough: Interloper" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=hlstrategies. detail& id=17& game=4). Planet
Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[6] "Opposing Force Walkthrough: We Are Not Alone" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=ofwalkthroughs. detail& id=6).
Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[7] "Blue Shift Walkthrough: Focal Point" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=bswalkthroughs. detail& id=10& game=10).
Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[8] "Mark Laidlaw about citadel height" (http:/ / forums. steampowered. com/ forums/ showthread. php?t=950353). . Retrieved 2009-10-16.
[9] Mark Davies (2007). Designing Character-based Console Games. Charles River Media. p. 321.
[10] - The Aesthetic Experience of Sound: staging of Auditory Spaces in 3D computer games - Morten Breinbjerg (http:/ / www.
aestheticsofplay. org/ breinbjerg. php)
[11] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: Black Mesa East" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=16&
game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[12] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs.
Detail& id=17& game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[13] Please Biofeed the Zombies: Enhancing the Gameplay and Display of a Horror Game Using Biofeedback - Andrew Dekker (http:/ / nzerik.
googlepages. com/ 073-DekkerChampion-DiGRA2007. pdf)
[14] Heuristics for Usability in Games White Paper - Schaffer (http:/ / friendlymedia. sbrl. rpi. edu/ heuristics. pdf)
[15] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: Highway 17" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=18&
game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[16] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: Sandtraps" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=31&
game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[17] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: Nova Prospekt" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=32&
game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[18] "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough: Entanglement" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=33&
game=3). Planet Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
[19] "Portal Walkthrough" (http:/ / planethalflife. gamespy. com/ View. php?view=HL2Walkthroughs. Detail& id=37& game=3). Planet
Half-Life. IGN. . Retrieved 2008-09-29.
[20] Elliot, Shawn (2008-02-06). "Beyond the Box: Orange Box Afterthoughts" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?cId=3165930). 1UP. .
Retrieved 2008-02-14.
[21] Lee, Garnett (2005-08-29). "Half-Life 2: Aftermath and Lost Coast" (http:/ / www. 1up. com/ do/ feature?pager. offset=1& cId=3143168).
1UP.com. . Retrieved 2008-11-20.
[22] Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. PC. (2005)
[23] Dulin, Ron (2008-11-20). "Half-Life for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife/ review. html). GameSpot. . Retrieved
2008-05-26.
[24] Geoff King, Tanya Krzywinska (2002). Screenplay: Cinema/videogames/interfaces (http:/ / books. google. com/
books?id=qruZ2UOp_WAC& pg=PA42& dq=xen+ awe). Wallflower Press. p. 42. .
[25] Hill, Steve (2001-08-13). "PC Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=3045). PC Zone. Computer
and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[26] "PC Review: Half-Life" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=8349& skip=yes). Computer and Video Games.
2001-08-15. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[27] "Half-Life Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 153/ 153107p1. html). IGN. 1998-11-15. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[28] "PC Review: Half-Life 2" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=111902). PC Zone. Computer and Video Games.
2004-11-16. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
Locations of ''Half-Life'' 173

[29] Ocampo, Jason (2004-11-15). "Half-Life 2 for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2/ review. html?om_act=convert&
om_clk=gssummary& tag=summary;read-review& page=3). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-09-29.
[30] Adams, Dan (2004-11-09). "Half-Life 2 Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 153/ 153107p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved 2008-09-29.
[31] McNamara, Tom (2006-06-01). "Half-Life 2: Episode One Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 710/ 710967p1. html). IGN. .
Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[32] Ocampo, Jason (2008-06-02). "Half-Life 2: Episode One for PC Review" (http:/ / uk. gamespot. com/ pc/ action/ halflife2aftermath/ review.
html?om_act=convert& om_clk=tabs& tag=tabs;reviews). GameSpot. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[33] Robinson, Andy (2007-10-10). "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode Two" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=173331).
Computer and Video Games. . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
[34] Adams, Dan (2007-10-09). "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review" (http:/ / uk. pc. ign. com/ articles/ 826/ 826067p1. html). IGN. . Retrieved
2008-05-26.
[35] Cifaldi, Frank (2006-02-16). "DICE: Climbing The Colossus: Ueda, Kaido On Creating Cult Classics" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/
features/ 20060214/ cifaldi_01. shtml). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2008-10-07.
[36] http:/ / half-life. wikia. com/ wiki/ Category:Locations
''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' 174

''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar''

Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar

Author Valve Corporation, David SJ Hodgson

Language English

Subject(s) Game design

Publisher Prima Games

Publication date 2004

Pages 288

ISBN 0-7615-4364-3

OCLC Number [1]

320227788

LC GV1469.25.H355 H35 2004

Classification

Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar - A Behind the Scenes Look: Prima's Official Insider's Guide is a coffee table book
published by Prima Games in November 2004, comprising a collection of images chronicling the development of,
but not limited to: Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike and Half-Life, all of which are developed by Valve Corporation. It also
includes notes on the design of the game, information relating to voice actors and other areas. It was written by
David Hodgson.
The book has been discontinued and has thus become a collectible item.[2]

Contents
The book is divided up into two main sections with a foreword by Valve Corporation founder Gabe Newell. The two
sections, titled: "Investigation 1: Anomalous Materials" and "Investigation 2: Unexpected Interference" are
references to the opening levels of the Half-Life video game. The first section chronicles the evolution of the first
Half-Life, containing much concept art and character designs: the various iterations of Gordon Freeman for example.
It contains information relating to the mod scene that developed in the game's wake and the subsequent retail release
of iconic mods, Counter-Strike being the most famous. The second section deals with the long development of
Half-Life 2 containing much concept art. It also contains chapters dealing with the creation and design of the main
characters, and their real life counterparts.
''Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar'' 175

References
[1] http:/ / worldcat. org/ oclc/ 320227788
[2] store.valvesoftware.com (http:/ / store. valvesoftware. com/ productshowcase/ productshowcase_HL2Guide. html)

• Valve; Hodgson, David SJ (2004). Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3

External links
• Official page on the Steam Store (http://store.valvesoftware.com/productshowcase/
productshowcase_HL2Guide.html)
• Prima Games profile (http://www.primagames.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780761543640)
• Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar (http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Half-Life_2:_Raising_the_Bar) at Combine
OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 176

''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon

Frohman''
Concerned
The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman

Author(s) Christopher C. Livingston

Website [1]
www.hlcomic.com
[2]
RSS web feed [[Image:Feed-icon.svg|12px ]]

Current status / schedule Completed

Previously updated every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
(before August 24, 2006),
and every Tuesday and Thursday
[3]
(after August 24, 2006).

Launch date [4]

May 1, 2005

End date [5]

November 6, 2006

Genre(s) Parody, comedy

Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman is a webcomic created by Christopher C. Livingston,
parodying the first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. The comic consists of game screenshots, with characters
posed using Garry's Mod, a tool which facilitates manipulation of the Source engine used by Half-Life 2. The first
issue was launched on May 1, 2005.[4] The comic completed its run on November 6, 2006 with a total of 205
issues.[5]
While Half-Life 2 takes the player through a dystopian future as protagonist Gordon Freeman, Concerned follows a
similar path through the eyes of Gordon Frohman, a hapless, lethally clumsy oaf who arrives in the setting of the
game a few weeks before Freeman. The comic's dark humor is derived from its contrasts with the game, and through
references to the game's shortcomings. On several occasions in the comic, Frohman becomes the cause of various
disastrous circumstances that Freeman will later encounter.
Concerned has been well received by critics and fans alike. Several reviews praised the attention to writing and
presentation,[6] as well as the comic's humor.[7] Livingston has also reported uniformly positive relations with
personnel at Valve, the developer company of Half-Life 2, who were pleased to have a comic based on their game.[6]
[8]
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 177

Background
Christopher Livingston started working on Concerned as a hobby. He had previously considered developing a
webcomic that would parallel the storyline of a game from start to finish, based on the original 1987 Legend of Zelda
for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He chose the Half-Life 2 game world as the scene for his comic because he
was a fan, and because the availability of Garry's Mod eliminated the need to draw by hand.[9] [10] [11] He always
intended the plot of the comic to end at the same point as the game.[12]
Livingston thought a comic would be a good way to introduce humor to the game,[12] which he has described as
"mysterious, moody, [and] immersive".[9]
Well, I thought Half-Life 2 was a great game, but there simply weren't enough jokes about toilets in it. So, I
thought a comic would be a good place to get some humor into the game. I came up with the idea for
Frohman, a complete idiot, to play all the way through the game, just like Freeman only instead of being a
hero, he'd be a complete fool.
—Christopher C. Livingston[12]

Publication history
The first issue of Concerned was released on May 1, 2005,[4] the comic completing its run on November 6, 2006
with a total of 205 issues.[5] The characters in the comic were posed using Garry's Mod, a tool which facilitates
manipulation of the Source engine used by Half-Life 2, and the comic frames were assembled using Photoshop 6.[13]
The webcomic derives its name from one of the propaganda broadcasts by Wallace Breen in Half-Life 2, in which he
is reading a letter supposedly written by a citizen, signed 'Sincerely, a concerned citizen'. Throughout the comic the
main character, Gordon Frohman, sends several similar letters to Dr. Breen, Livingston's intention being to suggest
that Frohman was the author of the letter read by Breen in Half-Life 2.[14] The name "Frohman" is derived from the
last name of Gordon Freeman, the protagonist of the Half-Life series. According to the credits on the comic's
website, this name was suggested to Livingston by Sam Golgert, an acquaintance of his.[15]
Livingston has also employed the assistance of other people, notably Michael Clements, founder of the Half-Life 2
comics repository PHWOnline, and creator of SKETCH, another comic based on Half-Life 2. Clements aided him in
enhancing the presentation of Concerned.[6] Greg Galcik, creator of SpinnWebe, also assisted in site maintenance,
and Livingston later offered him a "guest week special", in which Galcik wrote and published three issues for
Concerned.[16] A similar set of three issues have also been published by Joe Yuska, during a week when Livingston
was unavailable.[17]
As stated by Livingston in several interviews, his relation with Valve, the developer company of Half-Life 2, was a
good one, the company being pleased to have a comic based on their game.[6] According to Livingston, Valve also
intended on collaborating with him to produce printed copies of Concerned. However, this was never finalized as the
resolution of the comics was too low for printing.[8] [11]
Livingston has said that the comic will not continue through Half-Life 2: Episode One, the first of an episodic series
following Half-Life 2, as the game "doesn't really lend itself to the type of comic [he wants] to do".[14]

Synopsis

Introduction
In Half-Life 2, the player takes on the role of Dr. Gordon Freeman. Throughout the game, the player follows the
story of a dark, dystopian future in which mankind has been enslaved by the Combine, a mysterious alien enemy. In
contrast, Concerned follows the same general path through the story established by Half-Life 2, but instead follows
the adventures of Gordon Frohman, a hapless, lethally clumsy oaf who arrives in City 17 a few weeks before
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 178

Freeman. Frohman is incredibly naïve and, unlike the other citizens, seems to enjoy living under the rule of the
totalitarian administrator, Dr. Breen, and the Combine. He holds an insane reverence for the latter, even going to the
point of having a plush doll of a Combine soldier.[18]

Plot
The early phases of the comic have Frohman excitedly arriving in City 17. Eventually he takes a job at the
Combine's headquarters, the Citadel, under a Combine Elite named Mr. Henderson. As most of his human colleagues
become Combine soldiers, he realizes that Henderson has no immediate intention to do the same for him, citing his
incompetence. Demanding to become one with the Combine, Frohman willingly sets off to Nova Prospekt, an alien
security and detention installation, for invasive surgery to convert him. Meanwhile, he selects Ravenholm as a
residence where he can commute to and from City 17, but lacks proper transport with which to get there. After a
failed attempt to reach Ravenholm using Dr. Isaac Kleiner's teleporter leaves him stuck in a Counter-Strike: Source
server for a week, he seeks Ravenholm by foot instead. Traveling through City 17's canals, Frohman arrives, badly
injured and dazed, at Black Mesa East, the headquarters of the human resistance, where he is welcomed as a helper.
His stay there is cut short because he causes trouble in the base, and also irritatingly overuses the gravity gun. He is
fooled into leaving the base, and finally heads toward and reaches Ravenholm.
On Frohman's arrival, Ravenholm is depicted as a peaceful, bright, and cheerful place devoid of any Combine
elements, but "terrorized" by Father Grigori. After adjusting, Gordon becomes accustomed to the town, but
unintentionally discloses the town's location to Dr. Breen, who immediately orders his forces to "bomb the shit out of
them". The town is fired on with headcrabs, killing many and turning others into zombies. Frohman himself is
attacked by a headcrab and turns into a zombie too, yet retains his free will; and after a while his headcrab dies of
malnutrition, which is attributed to his lack of intelligence. With Father Grigori's help, Frohman escapes Ravenholm,
now the zombie-infested nightmare seen when Freeman visits it in the game, and presses on to Nova Prospekt. After
surviving several more hazards, he reaches the coast. Here, after passing the final resistance base and an
Antlion-infested beach, Frohman encounters an Antlion Guard, which is killed by a Vortigaunt, an alien race helping
the humans in the game. This allows Frohman to retrieve bugbait from the dead creature, with which he can control
the Antlions.
Frohman, accompanied by several bugbait-controlled Antlions, eventually reaches Nova Prospekt, only to be turned
away as he does not have an appointment. He gives up and returns to City 17 in the following strip, as Gordon
Freeman finally arrives in the city, linking the comic's time frame with the start of Half-Life 2. He is then drafted
into the resistance after failing to disrupt its operations, and unintentionally signals the start of the resistance's
uprising after one of his Antlions accidentally kills a Combine police officer. During the fighting, he accompanies
Freeman himself and mingles with resistance members, aids the Combine in the capture of Alyx Vance, one of
Freeman's allies, and reunites with Norman Frohman, his long-lost assassin twin brother, only to promptly witness
his death at the hands of a Strider, a large tripodal assault synth.
Following this, Gordon returns to the Citadel, unwillingly aiding Freeman in his journey up the Citadel and
influencing the plot of the game. As Freeman is pursuing Dr. Breen to his teleporter, Frohman is about to kill
Freeman—but he pauses to come up with the perfect one-liner for the occasion, causing him to run out of time - Dr.
Breen's teleporter explodes and Frohman is flung off the Citadel peak by the explosion. Dr. Breen also survives,
having fallen from the Citadel onto a pile of dead Combine soldiers. However, Frohman falls right onto Breen,
killing him. Gordon himself is only seriously injured. Baffled by his ability to survive, he realizes through a
flashback that he has been under "Buddha Mode", a cheat code which prevents his health points from dropping
below one throughout the comic's duration. Frohman inadvertently turns off the mode, and even spoils an
opportunity to be rescued by a group of Vortigaunts, as both Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance are at the start of
Episode One. In the end, Frohman dies unceremoniously, while survivors of the City 17 uprising find him dead.
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 179

Themes
Livingston stated that the comic was a good
way of pointing out several shortcomings of
video games, and first-person shooters in
particular. He emphasized the presence of
various objects throughout the levels of
games, which were intended to aid the
player, but would have little chance of being
found in the real world in a similar
manner.[9]

There's a lot of elements about video The protagonist of the comic asks how it is possible for him to pick up objects
games to poke fun of, especially in without using his hands, a reference to the player's hands not being visible in
Half-Life 2 when holding anything other than weapons.
first-person shooters, which all have a
lot of things in common, such as
health kits, ammo, and barrels filled with explosive material strewn about levels for no practical, real-world
reason. It just seemed like a good setting to make jokes.
—Christopher C. Livingston[9]
Much of the comic's dark humor is derived from its contrasts with Half-Life 2: in a depressing, dark vision of a
conquered humanity's future, Gordon Freeman becomes a hero and savior; the similarly-named Gordon Frohman, on
the other hand, is just an average person, improbably cheerful to the point of stupidity, and somewhat naïve as to
what is actually going on around him.[12] For instance, Frohman fails to realize that his return-addressed letters to
Doctor Breen reveal his location, and so result in that location being invaded, bombed, or otherwise
compromised.[19]
The comic contains many references to events and objects in the game. In one comic, Frohman makes a clerical error
that causes the Combine to order far too many explosive barrels, thus suggesting an explanation for the barrels'
ubiquity throughout City 17 and beyond.[20] In another, he writes a letter to Dr. Breen asking why using his
flashlight reduces his ability to run, a reference to Half-Life 2's flashlight and sprint functions using the same power
source.[21] In a further strip, the town of Ravenholm becomes the headcrab-infested ghost town seen in Half-Life 2
after Frohman writes to Breen expressing his happiness with being there, giving away Ravenholm's location.[22]
Indeed, Frohman causes (intentionally or accidentally) many of the disastrous circumstances that Gordon Freeman
runs across. He accidentally gives Breen the idea of headcrab shells while on a radio,[23] and sets up all of the traps
in Ravenholm himself in an attempt to catch Father Grigori.[24]
It is also revealed that, at the Black Mesa Research Facility, Frohman causes the resonance cascade that allows for
alien forces to invade in Half-Life by accidentally delivering a wedge of cheese, instead of the intended test sample,
to the test chamber where the cascade flashpoints.[25] Half-Life: Decay, however, indicates that Dr. Gina Cross is
responsible for this task. Livingston admitted he did not play Decay, and thus was not aware of its storyline. He also
stated that the comic takes place in the PC version of the Half-life continuity, and since Half-Life: Decay was never
published for the PC, it does not affect the comic.[26]

Reception
The comic has had positive reception from both the public and editors of various gaming magazines. The Globe and
Mail stated the comic "stands out from most other gamics [comics consisting of game screenshots] by virtue of the
quality of its writing and presentation".[6] Online magazine GGL.com said that "Concerned is one of the funnier
online gaming comics, and perhaps the best single-game parody in the bunch",[9] and The Irish Gamers described
Concerned as a "hit webcomic".[8] Computer Gaming World described the comic as "funny",[7] and PC Zone called
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 180

it a "mildly amusing HL2 comic".[27] The comic had also caught the attention of reviewers outside the United States
and the United Kingdom; the Romanian magazine Level said the comic is "a recommendation to every fan of the
game and anyone looking for a good daily laugh".[28]
The comic's popularity, as well as the fact that Livingston stated he does not intend to continue the comic through
Half-Life 2: Episode One,[14] led to the appearance of an 'unofficial' sequel to Concerned, entitled Concerned 2: A
Concerned Rip-Off: The Continuing Adventures of Gordon Frohman, and created by Norman N. Black.[29]

External links
Official links
• Official Concerned site [30]
• Extra Comics [31] – a collection of distinct, but related short comic strips
Articles and interviews
• Concerned: A Half-Life Comic: The Interview [32] by Alex Petraglia of Primotech [33], on March 3, 2006
• Strip Club 'Concerned...' [34] by Paul Semel of GGL.com [35], on March 20, 2006
• Games + Comics = Gamics [36] by Chad Sapieha of The Globe and Mail, on April 4, 2006
• Concerned's Chris Livingston [37] by Ross Miller of Joystiq, on November 2, 2006
• Radio interview [38] by All Games Interactive on November 30, 2006 ( direct link [39], Christopher Livingston appears at
14:38)

References
[1] http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/
[2] http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ feed. xml
[3] "Comic Update Schedule Change" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ extras/ ?p=178). Concerned, "The Extras" section. . Retrieved 2008-08-16.
[4] Livingston, Christopher (2005-05-01). "Issue #000" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-05-01). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-16.
[5] Livingston, Christopher (2006-11-06). "Issue #205" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-11-06). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-16.
[6] "Games + Comics = Gamics" (http:/ / www. theglobeandmail. com/ servlet/ story/ RTGAM. 20060217. gtgamicsfeb17/ BNStory/
Technology/ AtPlay). The Globe and Mail. 2006-04-04. . Retrieved 2008-08-18.
[7] "Funny Freeman". Computer Gaming World: 52. January 2006.
[8] Livingston, Christopher. Interview with The Irish Gamers. Chris Livingston of Concerned, 1Fort (http:/ / theirishgamers. com/ 2008/ 06/ 19/
interview-chris-livingston-of-concerned-1fort/ ). 2008-06-19. Retrieved on 2008-08-16.
[9] Livingston, Christopher. Interview with Paul Semel. Strip Club 'Concerned...' (http:/ / www. ggl. com/ index. php?controller=News&
method=article& id=2691& page=1). GGL.com. 2006-03-20. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
[10] Livingston, Christopher. Interview with Alex Petraglia. Concerned: A Half-Life Comic: The Interview (http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/
20060316095143/ http:/ / www. primotechnology. com/ index. php?art=articles/ 0306/ hlcomic/ index. htm). Primotech.
2006-03-03. Retrieved on 2008-08-19.
[11] Livingston, Christopher. Interview. Radio interview (http:/ / www. allgames. com/ radio/ agi/ episode/ 199/ ). All Games Interactive.
2006-11-30. Retrieved on 2008-08-20.
[12] Livingston, Christopher. Interview with Ross Miller. Concerned's Chris Livingston (http:/ / www. joystiq. com/ 2006/ 11/ 02/
joystiq-interview-concerneds-chris-livingston/ ). Joystiq. 2006-11-06. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
[13] Information regarding the software used in the creation of the comic can be found at the bottom of any page from www.hlcomic.com (http:/ /
www. hlcomic. com).
[14] Livingston, Christopher (2006-08-16). "Notes on Issue #183" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-08-16). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-16.
[15] Livingston, Christopher. "Concerned, The Credits" (http:/ / hlcomic. com/ credits. html). Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon
Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-18.
[16] Livingston, Christopher (2006-01-20). "Notes on Issue #102" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-01-20). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-18.
[17] Livingston, Christopher (2006-04-19). "Notes on Issue #139" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-04-19). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-18.
''Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman'' 181

[18] Livingston, Christopher (2005-12-16). "Issue #089" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-12-16). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[19] Livingston, Christopher (2005-09-16). "Issue #053" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-09-16). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[20] Livingston, Christopher (2005-06-24). "Notes on Issue #021" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-06-24). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. hlcomic.com (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com). . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[21] Livingston, Christopher (2005-06-22). "Notes on Issue #020" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ view. php?date=2005-06-22). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[22] Livingston, Christopher (2005-12-14). "Notes on Issue #088" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-12-14). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[23] Livingston, Christopher (2005-10-12). "Issue #064" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-10-12). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[24] Livingston, Christopher (2005-12-07). "Issue #085" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2005-12-07). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[25] Livingston, Christopher (2006-08-04). "Issue #178" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-08-04). Concerned: The Half-Life
and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[26] Livingston, Christopher (2006-08-07). "Notes on Issue #179" (http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ index. php?date=2006-08-07). Concerned: The
Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman. . Retrieved 2008-08-17.
[27] "A Little Concerned". PC Zone. January 2006.
[28] "Concerned: The Life and Death of Gordon Frohman" (in Romanian). Level (#97): 74. September 2005. ISSN 1582-1498.
[29] Norman N. Black. "Concerned 2: A Concerned Rip-Off: The Continuing Adventures of Gordon Frohman" (http:/ / www. aconcernedrip-off.
webs. com/ ). . Retrieved 2008-08-18.
[30] http:/ / www. hlcomic. com
[31] http:/ / www. hlcomic. com/ extras/ ?cat=9
[32] http:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20060316095143/ http:/ / www. primotechnology. com/ index. php?art=articles/ 0306/ hlcomic/ index. htm
[33] http:/ / www. primotechnology. com/
[34] http:/ / www. ggl. com/ news. php?NewsId=2691
[35] http:/ / www. ggl. com/
[36] http:/ / www. theglobeandmail. com/ servlet/ story/ RTGAM. 20060217. gtgamicsfeb17/ BNStory/ Technology/ AtPlay
[37] http:/ / www. joystiq. com/ 2006/ 11/ 02/ joystiq-interview-concerneds-chris-livingston/
[38] http:/ / www. allgames. com/ radio/ agi/ episode/ 199/
[39] http:/ / feeds. feedburner. com/ ~r/ AllGamesInteractive/ ~3/ 56007304/ 113006EDIT. mp3
''Half-Life: Escape from City-17'' 182

''Half-Life: Escape from City-17''

Half-Life: Escape from City 17

The opening shot of the film, a panoramic view of City 17.

Release date(s) February 13, 2009

Running time 5 minutes, 30 seconds (first part)

Country Canada

Language English

Budget C$500

Half-Life: Escape from City 17 is a Canadian short film set in the Half-Life universe. The first part was released on
February 13, 2009, and the second part is currently in production.

Plot
The film is set during the events of Half-Life 2: Episode One. Isaac Kleiner is making his "Kleinercasts" on City 17's
PA system, warning that the Citadel is set to explode at any moment, destroying much of the surrounding area.
Members of the Resistance are fighting their way out of the city as Civil Protection holds them back. Civil Protection
officers are seen executing captured rebels. Two rebels are introduced escaping through a train-yard. Through radio
communication, the two discover that the last evacuation train has already left, and are urged to escape the city on
foot through the canal system. Civil Protection officers appear and fire on the two. The rebels return fire and manage
to escape. As they flee, a Combine hunter chopper appears and shoots at them, and the film abruptly ends.

Production
The first part of the film was created by Toronto-based David and Ian Purchase, who use the professional name of
the Purchase Brothers.[1] Before Escape from City- 17, the Purchase Brothers had directed several commercials,
including one for Coca-Cola.[1] David contended that they worked as commercial directors in order to support their
independent projects.[1] They were both fans of the Half-Life series, and decided to start Escape from City-17 as a
way "to showcase and promote their talents further, and experiment with several post-production techniques they had
developed."[1]
The two had a budget of C$500; the computer equipment and software employed for the development of the film
belonged to the Purchase Brothers from previous projects.[1] According to David, the money was spent on the
live-action elements of the film, saying that "The costumes, and used/broken airsoft guns made up the bulk of the
budget."[1] The two had no crew to support them, and were not paid for their work.[1] Many of the elements of the
film, such as the background, were extracted from Half-Life 2, "graphically enhanced, and incorporated into the live
action with 'a lot of complicated tracking and rotoscoping." [1] The background used at the start of the film is the
Panorama of Riga.
''Half-Life: Escape from City-17'' 183

Release
Upon the film's release to YouTube it garnered thousands of views very quickly, but the film's exposure was
skyrocketed when Valve, developers of the Half-Life series, promoted it with a news post on Steam.[2] It was quickly
featured on many popular gaming news websites and had surpassed 1 million views within two days of release. As
of March 29, 2009, it has more than 3.5 million views.

Reception
Barry White of Citizen Game stated that the first part of the film "[blew] my mind" and "Considering the
comparitively [sic] paltry resources [...] at [the Purchase Brothers] disposal this short still manages to be better than
every video game movie currently in existence."[3] Wagner Au of NewTeeVee contended that the first part "is one of
those rare viral videos that seems destined to launch a breakout success", and added "non-gamers are likely to be
impressed by its rollicking action and bravura special effects."[1] Au believed its popularity was due, in part, to the
fact that the video is adapted from Half-Life 2.[1] Patrick Goss, writing for Tech Radar, said the in-game footage
from the Half-Life 2 series "blended almost seamlessly into [the] live action footage" in the film.[4]
Valve, developers of the Half-Life series, approved of the film and publicised it in an announcement on Steam,
saying "we were blown away -- the production quality certainly exceeds that of the usual community-made movies
we see."[2]

Part Two
The Purchase Brothers planned to release the second part of the film in early to mid March 2009, but the large
amount of emails and phone calls the two have received regarding the first part has slowed development of the
second.[1] According to teaser clips at the end of the first part, the two rebel soldier characters will be joined by a
heroine, and will come into contact with headcrab zombies.[1] As of April 2010, Part Two has not been released. The
Purchase Brothers cited on their YouTube profile page that a new secret film project has heavily hampered their
progress in completing Part Two, although it will be released in the near future:
"Second episode will be completed eventually. Lots of post already finished on it. But we are busy hammering out
our top secret feature film so things have been slow...Thanks for the support" - David Purchase, Ian Purchase
(October 14, 2009)
Another teaser clip was released on YouTube on October 13, 2009 promoting the entire franchise which also
showcases some new Part Two scenes not seen in the teaser at the end of Part One.

External links
• Escape from City 17 [5] at YouTube

References
[1] Wagner, Au (2009-02-19). "Interview With David Purchase, Co-creator of Escape From City 17" (http:/ / newteevee. com/ 2009/ 02/ 19/
interview-with-david-purchase-co-creator-of-escape-from-city-17/ ). NewTeeVee. . Retrieved 2009-02-22.
[2] "[[Steam (content delivery)|Steam (http:/ / www. steampowered. com/ Steam/ Marketing/ message/ 2236/ )] news post about the film"]. Valve
Corporation. 2009-02-13. . Retrieved 2009-07-20.
[3] White, Barry (2009-02-15). "Escape From City 17" (http:/ / www. citizengame. co. uk/ cms/ index. php?view=article& catid=46:cateditorial&
id=323:escape-from-city-17& option=com_content). Citizen Game. . Retrieved 2009-02-22.
[4] Goss, Patrick (2009-02-16). "Unofficial Half Life film becomes internet hit: Escape from City 17 hits YouTube 1 million mark" (http:/ /
www. techradar. com/ news/ internet/ unofficial-half-life-film-becomes-internet-hit-532093). Tech Radar. . Retrieved 2009-02-22.
[5] http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=q1UPMEmCqZo
Still Alive 184

Still Alive
"Still Alive"
Song by Ellen McLain

Released 9 October 2007

Recorded 2007

Genre Alternative

Length 2:56

Writer Jonathan Coulton

"Still Alive" is a song featured in the 2007 video game Portal. It was written by Jonathan Coulton and performed by
Ellen McLain, who performs it while portraying the Portal character GLaDOS. The song originated in a meeting
between two Valve developers and Coulton about him writing a song for the company, which Coulton accepted due
to his fandom of the Half-Life series. It is the end credits song, and plays after GLaDOS is defeated by Chell to
suggest that she (GLaDOS) is "still alive". The song received significant praise for its humour and the quality of its
performance. It has been featured in multiple venues, including at the 2009 Press Start -Symphony of Games-, a
yearly Japanese concert event to showcase the musical works of video games. It was also featured in multiple games
in the Rock Band series as a free downloadable song.

History and recording

The song "Still Alive" was written by Jonathan Coulton and performed by
Ellen McLain for the Portal video game. McLain also provides the voice for
GLaDOS, an artificial intelligence for the fictional Aperture Science
Enrichment Center and the game's antagonist.[1] "Still Alive" is sung from the
perspective of GLaDOS and used as the song that runs over the game's
credits. By the end of the game, Chell, the game's protagonist and who has
been misled and placed in life-threatening situations through several
dangerous test chambers in the Center by GLaDOS, will have finally
encountered and defeated GLaDOS. However, the song and portions of
post-credit scenes suggests that GLaDOS is still functional, and despite
having been apparently destroyed by Chell, is "not even angry" at that
prospect, having considered the monitoring of Chell's performance through
the test chambers as a "huge success", even though much destruction was Jonathan Coulton, the composer of "Still
caused and the Aperture Science Hand Held Portal Device was released into Alive".
the outside world, for those that are "still alive".The Combine invasion of
Earth from the Half Life game was also hinted in the song by GLaDOS ("When I look out there it makes me GLaD
I'm not you"). The song itself is also present as a samba instrumental version through in-game radios at certain points
within the game.[2]

Coulton got involved with Valve after two developers approached him following a concert in Seattle, Washington.
They asked him if he would like to write music for the company, and due to his fandom for Half-Life, he
immediately accepted. After discussing what they should do, he and the developers settled on working on Portal. By
this point, a few months before the release of The Orange Box, Valve's writers had created a large amount of
backstory for GLaDOS and other aspects of Portal, which Coulton was able to use to write the lyrics.[3] The overall
Still Alive 185

process to complete the song took about six weeks.[3] Coulton stated that GLaDOS's passive-aggressive nature,
which he shared, made it difficult to get her voice out of his head. When asked why more video games don't end in
song, he stated that while movies are easier to convey with a story, it's more difficult to do in video games. As a
result, GLaDOS singing after the player has grown accustomed to her, which he describes as very natural.[4] The
song's title suggests that GLaDOS is "still alive" after the events of Portal.[5] Kim Swift explained that they chose to
play this song during the ending so that players would leave the game happy.[6]

Reception
The Rice Thresher editor Joe Dwyer called the song "hilarious".[7] McLain felt that Jonathan Coulton did a good job
capturing GLaDOS with the song.[8] IGN editor Ryan Geddes called it the best game-ending song of all time.[9] In
2008, Coulton performed the song alongside Felicia Day at the Penny Arcade Expo, because he "knew it was one of
those things that would just make people’s heads explode". The song was given the "Best Original Vocal - Pop
Song" award by the Game Audio Network Guild during their 2008 awards.[10] The song was also performed at the
2009 Press Start -Symphony of Games-, a yearly Japanese concert event to showcase the musical works of video
games. Still Alive is the first Western song to be performed at the show, which including a Japanese translation by
Kazushige Nojima, a writer of several Final Fantasy games, and arrangement for the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Masahiro Sakurai, director of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, demonstrated the game to the audience prior to the
performance, given the minimal exposure of Portal in Japan.[11] [12] Coulton experienced a surge in popularity after
the release of Portal due to the song's release.[3] In the book "The Art of Videogames", author Grant Tavinor stated
that while he was in hysterics by the song, he got the sense of artistic completion upon hearing it.[13]

In other media
It was featured in "The Orange Box Original Soundtrack" released on Steam, containing both the original version
and remix sung by Coulton himself.[14] The song is also present in Valve's zombie-themed Left 4 Dead 2, which can
be selected to play on a jukebox in two different campaigns; another Jonathan Coulton song, "Re: Your Brains," is
also present in the jukebox.[15] The song is a popular cover and remix for user-generated content, such as on
YouTube.[16] In the Portal game mod "Portal Prelude", a remix of "Still Alive" can be heard on two radios
throughout the game, however, they are not performed by GLaDOS.

In Rock Band
"Still Alive" was featured as a downloadable song in multiple games in the Rock Band series, including Rock Band,
Rock Band 2, and Rock Band Unplugged.[17] [18] [19] It was included for free on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to
thank players for supporting the series.[20] After complaints about Rock Band Unplugged's version not being free,
this was rectified and anyone who paid for it had their money refunded.[21] After a content pack for Rock Band was
hacked, a list of songs purported to be included was released which included "Still Alive".[22] Jonathan Coulton and
three others performed this song on Rock Band, announcing its presence in the title as a downloadable song.[23]
Still Alive 186

References
[1] "Game Music Showdown: Mirror's Edge Vs. Portal" (http:/ / music. ign. com/ articles/ 922/ 922638p2. html). IGN. 2008-10-22. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[2] Boyer, Brandon (2010-03-01). "Not a lie: Valve updates Portal with secret radio broadcast images" (http:/ / www. boingboing. net/ 2010/ 03/
01/ not-a-lie-valve-upda. html). Boing Boing. . Retrieved 2010-03-06.
[3] Reeves, Ben (2010-03-15). "Portal’s Minstrels: An Interview With The Men Behind The Music" (http:/ / gameinformer. com/ b/ features/
archive/ 2010/ 03/ 15/ portal-s-minstrel-an-interview-with-jonathan-coulton. aspx). Game Informer. . Retrieved 2010-03-15.
[4] "Portal: Thank you for the Music" (http:/ / www. computerandvideogames. com/ article. php?id=177712& site=pcz). Computer and Video
Games. 2007-12-28. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[5] "Still Alive: Kim Swift And Erik Wolpaw Talk Portal" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ view/ feature/ 3585/ still_alive_kim_swift_and_erik_.
php). Gamasutra. 2008-03-25. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[6] "Best Of GDC: The Secrets Of Portal's Huge Success" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ php-bin/ news_index. php?story=17625). Gamasutra.
2008-02-27. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[7] "Mirror's Edge remix a good listen" (http:/ / media. www. ricethresher. org/ media/ storage/ paper1290/ news/ 2008/ 11/ 14/ Entertainment/
Mirrors. Edge. Remix. Album. A. Good. Listen-3543126. shtml). The Rice Thresher. 2008-11-14. . Retrieved 2009-08-24.
[8] "GLaDOS Speaks" (http:/ / xbox360. ign. com/ articles/ 831/ 831900p1. html). IGN. 2007-10-31. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[9] "On the DLC: A Man Named Angus" (http:/ / xboxlive. ign. com/ articles/ 864/ 864683p1. html). IGN. 2008-04-04. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[10] "Game Audio Network Guild Announces Award Winners for 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards" (http:/ / games. ign. com/ articles/ 855/
855911p1. html). IGN. 2008-02-29. . Retrieved 2010-03-27.
[11] Jeriaska (2009-09-02). "Interview: Jonathan Coulton On 'Still Alive', PAX Style" (http:/ / www. gamasutra. com/ php-bin/ news_index.
php?story=25075). Gamasutra. . Retrieved 2009-09-02.
[12] Jeriaska (2009-08-10). "Sound Current: 2009 Press Start Symphony of Games Concert Report" (http:/ / www. gamesetwatch. com/ 2009/ 08/
sound_current_2009_press_start_symphony_of_g. php). Game Set Watch. . Retrieved 2009-08-10.
[13] http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=LM3hnwGb8xUC
[14] "The Orange Box Original Soundtrack released on Steam" (http:/ / www. music4games. net/ News_Display. aspx?id=799). Music 4 Games.
2007-12-24. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[15] Plunkett, Luke (2009-11-05). "Left 4 Dead 2 Still Alive, Parties Like It's 2007" (http:/ / kotaku. com/ 5397538/
left-4-dead-2-still-alive-parties-like-its-2007). Kotaku. . Retrieved 2009-11-05.
[16] Carless, Simon (2008-01-18). "Aperture Science Rocks: The Top 12 'Still Alive' Cover Versions" (http:/ / www. gamesetwatch. com/ 2008/
01/ aperture_science_rocks_the_top. php). Game, Set, Watch. . Retrieved 2010-03-06.
[17] "PSN Update (04.17.08)" (http:/ / ps3. ign. com/ articles/ 867/ 867345p1. html). IGN. 2008-04-17. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[18] "Classics from Bowie, The Police, and Others Launch in Wii Rock Band Music Store" (http:/ / wii. ign. com/ articles/ 986/ 986312p1. html).
IGN. 2009-05-26. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[19] "Rock Band Unplugged DLC Showdown (07.02.09)" (http:/ / psp. ign. com/ articles/ 100/ 1001003p1. html). IGN. 2009-07-02. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[20] "Portal Song 'Still Alive' Coming to Rock Band" (http:/ / ps3. ign. com/ articles/ 863/ 863237p1. html). IGN. 20098-03-31. . Retrieved
2009-08-25.
[21] "Rock Band Unplugged Refund" (http:/ / psp. ign. com/ articles/ 100/ 1004684p1. html). IGN. 2009-07-16. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[22] "Rock Band content pack hacked, rumored upcoming songs inside" (http:/ / arstechnica. com/ gaming/ news/ 2008/ 02/
rock-band-content-pack-hacked-rumored-upcoming-songs-inside. ars). Ars Technica. 2008-02-14. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
[23] "Jonathan Coulton performs "Still Alive" in Rock Band" (http:/ / arstechnica. com/ gaming/ news/ 2008/ 02/
jonathan-coulton-performs-still-alive-in-rock-band. ars). Ars Technica. 2008-02-25. . Retrieved 2009-08-25.
Article Sources and Contributors 187

Article Sources and Contributors

''Half- Life'' series  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=363114558  Contributors: -Majestic-, ALOTOFTOMATOES, Aanhorn, After Midnight, Allventon, Ant6n, Asqueella,
BD2412, Bento00, BluesD, Bobbontybon, Boggon, Brandon, Brighterorange, Cannibalicious!, CaptainVindaloo, Chris122990, Clayhalliwell, Closedmouth, Clpo13, Cokehabit, Craigular,
DMacks, DanPMK, David Fuchs, Donut THX 1138, Epbr123, Eptin, Essesense, Gamer007, Gary King, Geniac, Giancarlo1992, GoldenEye 007 man, GordonFreeman1998, Greg.loutsenko,
Grim4593, Gumert, Haipa Doragon, Hairy Dude, Headbomb, HiDrNick, Hogsy, Holek, Hostile Amish, Igodard, JQF, JaGa, Jamesontai, Jor, Kingplatypus, Kirachinmoku, Klichka, Klow,
Kollision, Kraftlos, Krapenhoeffer, L33th4x0rguy, LOL, Martarius, Master Deusoma, Masterofthedead, McGeddon, McLar eng, Mega Sean 45, Megadude2008, Mika1h, MikeZuniga,
Mikemorgan712, MonsterGuy270, Mpw9000, Mrwojo, Nagy, Nick90210, Noskap, OpenSeven, Patriarch, Petorial, Qjuad, Quiddity, Qwe213, RainbowOfLight, Ray and jub, Rehevkor,
Rjwilmsi, RuM, Rumuwi, S@bre, SMcCandlish, Samuele Rosa, Seankieran, Signalhead, SkyWalker, Skyoon, Smurfy, Soliloquial, Somegamer1, Soul stab, Stannered, Starkiller88, Suitmonster,
T e r o, TJ Spyke, Tedickey, Terry292, Th1rt3en, The Giant Puffin, The monkeyhate, TheSillyNinja, Thesciz, Thunderbrand, TigerK 69, Tiggyham, Tommy2010, TonicBH, Tpawiki, Versus22,
Vince Sixx, Voidvector, Voyagerfan5761, WOSlinker, Werthead, Wiki fanatic, Wiz-Pro3, ZS, Zxcvbnm, 322 anonymous edits

''Half- Life''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362433846  Contributors: -Majestic-, 23skidoo, 25, 2help, 75th Trombone, AK-17, Aanhorn, Abeg92, Absoluteredemption, Ace
of Sevens, Aegith, After Midnight, Akumatatsu61, AlbertW, Alfredosoto95, AlistairMcMillan, AllesRatten, Amcbride, Andrew Moylan, Andrew Something, Anetode, Anoko moonlight,
Anubaph, Anárion, Arru, Arvid Lydén, Arvindn, Autonova, Axem Titanium, Axeman89, Axl, Ayrton Prost, BACbKA, BFunk, BLaCkDeAtH, Bacteria, Bahamut0013, Banpei, Bargainmart,
Barneyinblue, Barnolde, Bbx, Beagle2, Beastmonkey, Belgium EO, Bellopheus, Ben 2082, Betacommand, Bijanzilla, Birdybird24, Bissinger, Blackhawk114, Bob rulz, BobBQ, Bobbio 733,
Bobo192, Bobquest3, Boccobrock, Borgx, Bradjamesbrown, Brandon, Brendansa, Brian0918, Brianptorres, BrokenSegue, Brutulf, Bryan Seecrets, Bumcheekcity, CALR, Calair, Capachoca,
Caster23, Chaos4ever, Charleca, Chico75, Chris Q, Christian List, ChronicMist, Clumbaclumbs, Cmdrjameson, Coffee, Colonies Chris, Combination, Commander, CommonsDelinker,
CompuHacker, Comrade Graham, Connell66, Cookiecaper, CoolFox, CoolingGibbon, Corey174, Couchpotato99, Cpc464, Croctotheface, CrusherEAGLE, Cureden, Cutter, CyberSkull, Cynical,
DGaw, DTwirler, Damieng, DanielPharos, Dave-ros, Dave2, Daveswagon, Dcoetzee, Dead3y3, DeadCow, Deathbunny, Dekisugi, Delta759, DerHexer, Deserteagleps3, Dharmabum420, Diaboli,
Diego pmc, Discospinster, Dispenser, Dj tricky, Djcraze, Donut THX 1138, Doom jester, Dpbsmith, Dragor14, Drakkel, Drat, Dreadstar, Druff, DuckFerret, Dustiestcartridge, DynSkeet, E71,
EALacey, EEMIV, EagleOne, Edplane, Edward, Eekerz, EgbertMcDunk, Egltrk73, Egracia, Eliashc, Ellmist, Eloquence, Emote, Enigmaman, Enviroboy, Erfa, Erzengel, Eve Teschlemacher,
Falcon9x5, Fan-1967, Fangusu, Farside, Fatal!ty, Finduilas 09, Finlay McWalter, Flamurai, Floydian, Forsberg33, Foxg17, Foxy3, Fratrep, Fredrik, FreplySpang, Frmoraes, FrostyBytes, Froth,
Fru1tbat, Furrykef, Fyyer, GSHost, GaMeRuInEr, Gaius Cornelius, Gamer007, Garf 83, Gargaj, Gary King, Geniac, Geoff B, Gerbrant, Gilliam, Glare Guy, Gnrlotto, Goa103, Gogo Dodo,
Golbez, Gold Stur, Greyengine5, Gtrmp, HDCase, Hadal, Hairy Dude, Hartsickdisciple, Hashar, HashiriyaGDB, Headbomb, HiddenInPlainSight, Hinotori, HistoryStudent113, HoCkEy PUCK,
Hobbes3k, Hogsy, Hotshot977, Hpl, Hsu912174, Hyad, Hybridius2, Hylian pirate, I need a name, Iain marcuson, Iced Kola, Icey, Imacphee, Imroy, IncomingMessageFromDurandal, J.delanoy,
J.smith, JForget, JTBX, JYolkowski, JaGa, Jaan123, Jackel, Jale86, Jareand, Jason Jones, Jason One, JayEsJay, Jayau1234, Jeremy Visser, Jhahn2k4, Jhorizon, JimmyBlackwing, Jor,
Jovantheun1337, K1Bond007, Kaini, Kaisershatner, Kartooner, KathrynLybarger, Keeffecanfly, Keithh, Kerotan, Kidlittle, Kimera757, Kingnee1114, Kjammer, Klow, Knowledge Seeker,
Koblentz, Kotepho, Krang, Kumioko, Kungfuadam, Kurt Jansson, Kuru, Kvn8907, Kyleca, Kyng, Kyz, L'Aquatique, LIKEWTFBOOM, LOL, Lab16, Leeisl, LeoNomis, Leohenrique0908,
Lights, Limmernite, Link121, Linuxbeak, Littleendian, Lolamuffin, Loren.wilton, Loserjay10, Love Krittaya, LtNOWIS, Luksuh, Lupin, Luvcraft, Lyoko is Cool, M Gargantua, M3G4P!X,
MACHINAENIX, MJCS, Mad gamers, Mahalis, Majinsnake, Major.T, Malevolentjebus, MalikDrako, Malinaccier, Mandel, Mani1, Manicsleeper, Marhadiasa, Mark Renier, MarphyBlack,
Martarius, Martinp23, Masem, Matt me, Matt.smart, MattyDienhoff, Matveims, MaullarMaullar, MaxVeers, MaximCHS, MaxisManiac247, Mayavada, Mboverload, McSly, McSpurt,
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''Half- Life: Opposing Force''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=360339730  Contributors: 25, Achilles2.0, Alec92, Alexius08, Angsc09, Arvid Lydén, Asqueella, AstrixZero,
Astroman, Audiosmurf, Axem Titanium, Axeman89, Axl, BCWhims, BFunk, Bahamut0013, Barneyinblue, Battle Ape, Bhamv, Bladez, Brandon, Brendansa, Can't sleep, clown will eat me,
Captain Cheeks, Charles Matthews, Cintari, Combination, Crimson Shadow, CyberRaptor, CyberSkull, Dalek32, Dave2, David Gerard, Deathbunny, Drat, Dreaded Walrus, Duagloth, DynSkeet,
EasyPeasy21, Eliashc, Ellmist, Factorylad, Falcon9x5, Feared Gamer, Fredrik, GaMeRuInEr, Gamer007, Gillyweed, Globalanonymity, Gogo Dodo, Griph Weathers, Headbomb, HighTech
RedNeck, HoCkEy PUCK, Holek, Hrimfaxi, Isnow, JAF1970, JaGa, Jack NZ, Jackel, Joseph Dwayne, K1Bond007, KBi, Kariteh, Keeffecanfly, Kirn m, Klow, Klptyzm, Koblentz, Krallja,
Kumioko, Liist, LittleSmall, Loserjay10, Lthornsb, Mahalis, Major.T, MakeRocketGoNow, Malcolm, MarphyBlack, Matveims, Mega Sean 45, Mezigue, Mika1h, Mikael GRizzly, Mitaphane,
Moleculor, Mrwojo, N. Harmonik, Nedlum, NeoKron, Nick R, NickBush24, Nthnl, Nucleus.ee, One half 3544, Orange Goblin, OutRider2003, Pc-72, Phirazo, Plumbago, Poskov, Raditzu, Ray
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Tassedethe, The Soul Reaver, The Thing That Should Not Be, The wub, Thejadefalcon, Thermaland, Thernlund, Thunderbrand, Tom Edwards, TonicBH, Tony Sidaway, Tronno, Ukexpat,
Ultimus, Vardion, Veritas Panther, Warreed, Washboardplayer, Wingsandsword, Woad85, Woohookitty, X201, Xinjinbei, Yar Kramer, ZS, Zhe printme, Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason, 다루루, 247
anonymous edits

''Half- Life: Blue Shift''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=360339241  Contributors: A3r0, ABigBlackMan, Anárion, Asqueella, Autonova, Axeman89, BFunk, Bahamut0013,
Barneyinblue, Battle Ape, Bennity, Birdoman, Brandon, Calair, Combination, CyberSkull, David Fuchs, David Gerard, Delta759, Demon!, Drat, DynSkeet, EagleOne, Edgeworth, Eeekster,
Eliashc, Ellmist, Ericherren, Evil Egg, Falcon9x5, GaMeRuInEr, Gamer007, Gary King, Geniac, Headbomb, HexaChord, HoCkEy PUCK, Holek, Horsie, Identification01, InShaneee, Ingolfson,
Isnow, J.delanoy, JAF1970, Jackel, Jdhawke, Jklin, Jor, Joylock, KLLvr283, Kayotic, Kevinmhk, Klow, Klptyzm, Koblentz, Krang, Kumioko, LittleSmall, Loserjay10, Lthornsb,
MakeRocketGoNow, Malcolm, MarphyBlack, Mezigue, Michael Devore, Mika1h, Mikker, Mrholybrain, Mrmoocow, Mrwojo, N. Harmonik, Name Theft Victim, Nick-D, Nucleus.ee, Orange
Goblin, P0LARIS, Phirazo, Phlegatu, Plumbago, Psi edit, Qjuad, Raditzu, Raepvets, ReCover, Reedy, Rehevkor, Rjwilmsi, Robomaster, Roxasythe, Rusty2005, S0u1f0rg3d, S@bre, SDC,
Sceptre, Sciss0rz, Scumbag, Shadow Hog, Sherwanus, SkyWalker, Smurfy, Sodapop111, Sommers, Ssd, TJ Spyke, Terrakyte, The wub, The2cheat, Thermaland, Thernlund, Thunderbrand, Tom
Edwards, Tsuba, Vardion, Washboardplayer, Wiki alf, Wikster E, X201, Xtremeblur, Yar Kramer, Youridhere, ZS, Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason, 167 anonymous edits

''Half- Life: Decay''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355997444  Contributors: Academic Challenger, Ace of Sevens, Andikiller, Anárion, Artemka373, BFunk,
Bahamut0013, Barneyinblue, Brandon, Bryan Derksen, CactusWriter, CardinalFangZERO, Charles Matthews, Chikkunz, Chris the speller, Cmdrjameson, Colette Green, Combination,
Commander Shepard, David Fuchs, David Gerard, Dethtoll, Deuxhero, Dorky21, Dr.Koljan, DynSkeet, Eliashc, Erfa, Flacc, Fred Bradstadt, Fuzzform, GaMeRuInEr, Gaius Cornelius, Gamer007,
Gaystryke, Geniac, Gnfnrf, Haipa Doragon, Harryboyles, Headbomb, Hoaxer, IQpierce, Ironfatdogs, Itskamilo, Janoskadam, Jason One, Jayunderscorezero, Jecowa, Jeff3000, Jor, Klow, Kotofei,
Kumioko, Lackhy, LeoNomis, Malcolm, MarphyBlack, Mika1h, Mog, Mrwojo, Mystic Pixel, N. Harmonik, Nihiltres, Nufy8, Orange Goblin, OverlordQ, PTSE, Pimfig, Pizzahut2, Playwrite,
Plebmonk, Project FMF, Reedy, Rst20xx, Ryulong, S@bre, Sceptre, Silver Edge, Smurfy, Sockatume, StriderSkorpion, Synchroneyes, Thedarkestclear, Thunderbrand, VPeric, Vendettax,
VoluntarySlave, Whatchitfoool, WikifingHelper, Wowjim, Ynos, Yoma1886, Yoma819, Yukichigai, ZS, 163 anonymous edits

''Half- Life 2''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=363211917  Contributors: $kraypa, -Majestic-, -Midorihana-, .:Ajvol:., 23skidoo, 25, 2ltben, 4finger, A Nobody, A32nh1fv4,
AKnot, Aadnk, Aanhorn, Aaron Brenneman, Abce2, Abi79, AbsolutDan, Ace of Sevens, Aceofspades09, Adrian7812, AdultSwim, Aerotheque, Age 15, Ahoerstemeier, Airplaneman, Ajaxkroon,
Ajutla, Akamad, Aksnitd, Akumatatsu61, Al Farnsworth, Alansohn, Albany NY, Algebran, Alinnisawest, AlistairMcMillan, Almkglor, Altenmann, Althena, Amir85, Amren, Anclation,
AndonicO, Andrevan, Andru nl, Andy Marchbanks, Anonymous Dissident, Anonymouse112, Anthony Ivanoff, Antictzn113, Anubaph, Anárion, Aquilo, ArchonMagnus, Arnavion, Ashu8845,
Asn, Asqueella, Astral, Atropos235, Audiblespectrum, Auric, Autonova, Autopilot, Avono, Awse93, Axem Titanium, Axeman89, Axl, Azzkiker, BCube, BFunk, BLaCkDeAtH, BaBa
Blacksheep123, Baa, Backslash Forwardslash, Backwalnut, Bacteria, Bal00natic, Baqu11, Bargainmart, Barneca, Barneyinblue, Barnolde, Bassace969, Battle Ape, Bbatsell, Bbpen,
BeauMartinez, Ben48, Bencmq, Bernie bernbaum, Besselfunctions, Bg007, BigHairRef, BillC, Billinghurst, Billywhack, Biruitorul, Blackhawk charlie2003, Blackhawk114, Blanchardb,
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Article Sources and Contributors 188

Broonie, Bryan Seecrets, Btipling, Bur, C. Foultz, CABAL, CALR, CRouleau, CWii, Caesura, Caleb09, Cambrant, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CannedLizard, Capricorn42, Captainjnightin26,
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Xep, Xiahou, Xtremeblur, Xue hanyu, XweaselkingX, Y2kcrazyjoker4, Yar Kramer, Yellosnolvr, Yerpo, Yosef.Raziel, Yoshiah ap, YoungFreud, Youridhere, ZS, ZacheryLim, Zaedeon,
Zdrok1066, ZekeTehGeek, Zero1328, Zfr, Ziggur, Zimzam192, Zoggie50, Zojj, ZombieReaper, Zyklus, Zzuuzz, Zzyzx11, Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason, 2002 anonymous edits

''Half- Life 2: Episode One''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362135961  Contributors: -Majestic-, 24cell, 24fan24, 25, A Clown in the Dark, ABCD, AK Auto, Aanhorn,
Adrian7812, Ajaxkroon, Amren, Analoguedragon, Andreas007, Anonymouses, Anubaph, Anárion, Apoltix, Arnoox, Asqueella, Axeman89, Az1568, Bachrach44, Barnolde, Blueshirts, Bob rulz,
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Walrus, DynSkeet, EEMIV, EasyPeasy21, Eggman183, Elenthel, Eliashc, Emersoni, Enfestid, Epbr123, Explodicle, Expyram, Falcon9x5, Fiftyquid, Forteblast, Fragglet, Funky Monkey, G.W.,
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Manwithbrisk, MarphyBlack, Masem, Master of Puppets, Mat Parker 117, Matveims, Maxweinberg, MerricMaker, Mezigue, Michael Devore, Mika1h, Mister Bad Example, Mistress Selina
Kyle, Mrwojo, N. Harmonik, NLUT, Neanderslob, Neilka, Neo Geo, Netkinetic, New Age Retro Hippie, Nextil, Nick R, Night Gyr, Nihiltres, Nitr0smash, Noanswer42, Nomas, Nookdog,
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Quarkde, Qutezuce, Ray Liehm, Reedy, Rehevkor, Rich Farmbrough, Rjwilmsi, Rob.derosa, Rudykog, RyanGerbil10, RyeGuy23, S@bre, Scarian, Sceptre, Scott 110, Scumbag, Shadow Hog,
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ToMmYgUn, Tom, Tom Edwards, TonicBH, Tony1, Twp, UBeR, Ultimus, Useight, Vanderdecken, Verdant04, Victorer, Vlad788, Voidvector, Washboardplayer, WikiCats, WikiLaurent,
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''Half- Life 2: Episode Two''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362647729  Contributors: -Majestic-, 1DmkIIN, 24cell, AK-17, Aanhorn, Abi79, Achilles2.0, Achroniclelover,
Adozeneggsmcgee, After Midnight, Akim RU, Akira112, Alataristarion, Alexjhe, Alfredosoto95, Amaraiel, Anas Salloum, Andrwsc, Anjow, Apolloman3, Asqueella, Axem Titanium,
Axeman89, Bactoid, Barneyinblue, Bart133, Bartleby, BeefRendang, Bitchzombies, BlastFurnace, Blowski, Bob rulz, Bobo192, BouH, Brad92, Bradjamesbrown, Bradley1243, Brandon,
Brucevdk, CABAL, CGally81, CPTGbr, CWii, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, CanadianLinuxUser, Catalina 123, CatastrophicToad, Charlesmartin82, Charmy Bee, Chase me ladies, I'm the
Cavalry, Chill doubt, Chowbok, Christopherjfoster, Clpo13, Combination, Cowspanker1969, Croctotheface, Ctrlaltdecimate, Cuckooman4, CyberSkull, D.wine, DaltinWentsworth, Dan
Atkinson, DanPMK, Daniel hoyland, Daniil Maslyuk, Danm36, Darklilac, DasKreestof, Dave-ros, David Gerard, Dchristle, DeadEyeArrow, DefaultWiki, Derek.cashman, Derfy, Diego pmc, Dr.
Eggman3, Dr.Koljan, Dvandersluis, EEMIV, ESkog, Enfestid, Enigmaman, Eptin, Euchiasmus, Euku, Eupator, F Zero QQQ GX, Falastur2, Falcon9x5, Fedallah, FelixRodriguez, Firefox,
FirstPrinciples, Fl, Fragglet, FrostedBitesCereal, FrostyBytes, Froth, Fuji217, Furby100, Fwed66, GAMEchief, GRiM-reapa, GaMeRuInEr, GagePerson, Gamer007, Ganonscrub, Garrygum,
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Headbomb, Hede2000, Henrikb4, HertzaHaeon, Hervegirod, Hibernian, Identification01, Imaninjapirate, Ingolfson, Insanity Incarnate, Iridescent, Irish Souffle, Itskamilo, J.delanoy, JAF1970,
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amd, Preda, PsiHunter, PsychoJosh, Puddhe, Pwlodi, Pwnicholson, Qjuad, Raoulduke47, RatherBeBiking, Ravek, Ray Liehm, Ray and jub, Redgrassbridge, Reedy, Rehevkor, Ripperhugme, Rise
Above the Vile, Rjwilmsi, Roger Roger, Royaljared, Rudykog, RusRayden, Rusty2005, Ryajinor, Ryan Williams, RyeGuy23, S@bre, SG, Sagaciousuk, Samuele Rosa, Samy23, Scarian, Sceptre,
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Article Sources and Contributors 189

SuperMidget, T0lk, TCL, Takua108, Teh nicr0n, Teklund, The Haunted Angel, The Inedible Bulk, The Lord Of The Crayons, The Rogue Penguin, The Thing That Should Not Be, The
monkeyhate, TheBomb, TheDeadlyShoe, Theadept, Thecatfish, Thekoyaanisqatsi, Thunderbrand, Thyvillageidiot, Tkynerd, Tom, Tom Edwards, TonicBH, Tony Sidaway, Tony1, Tsuite,
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Y2kcrazyjoker4, Yar Kramer, Yosef.Raziel, Yukichigai, ZS, ZX81, Zero1328, Ziggur, Zquack, Óðinn, 1032 anonymous edits

''Half- Life 2: Lost Coast''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362588923  Contributors: 25, Afeat, Alinkinthefuture, Anakite, Andrwsc, Anonymous101, Asenine, Ashnard,
Autonova, AxG, Banaticus, Brandon, Cheeetar, Commander Shepard, Cookiecaper, CyberSkull, DannyB!!, David Fuchs, David Gerard, Davidkazuhiro, Deadlock, Diego pmc, Diputs, Dracko55,
Dude902, Fuzzy901, GRiM-reapa, GaMeRuInEr, Gamer007, GamingHelper, Gargaj, Gary King, Geniac, Good Olfactory, Gracz54, Greenite, Greycap, Gurluas, HashiriyaGDB, He who says
zonk, Headbomb, Hyad, Ixnayonthetimmay, J.smith, JaGa, Jamesr66a, Japo, JimmyBlackwing, Jor, Kewp, Kflester, LeoNomis, Luna Santin, Malcolm, McGeddon, Merco, Mezigue, Mord3n, Mr
47, Mrzaius, N. Harmonik, N3me$i$, Naturally, Night Gyr, Nufy8, Otto Grainer, Pauric, Pd THOR, Phirazo, Pikawil, Plumbago, Poddster, Psydon, Qutezuce, Raven4x4x, RavenStorm, ReCover,
Reedy, Roux, RoyBoy, S@bre, Sceptre, Shadow Hog, SharkD, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, SkyWalker, Sniperwolf444, Sorafune, The Rogue Penguin, Thermaland, Thunderbrand, Tom
Edwards, TonicBH, Tsemii, TwilligToves, Ultimatebuster, Ultimus, Unigolyn, Washboardplayer, Wiak, WikiCats, X201, Yadaman, ZS, ZuljinRaynor, Zxcvbnm, 131 anonymous edits

''Half- Life 2: Survivor''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362136083  Contributors: 23skidoo, AGfish, Aealtrus, Aknorals, Alansohn, Archiewood, Brandon, CGally81,
CWii, Combination, Commander Shepard, Diego pmc, Eliashc, GaMeRuInEr, Gary King, Good Olfactory, Grrowl, Headbomb, JohnnyMrNinja, Kyouteki, Malcolm, Mika1h, Mord3n, Mr.bonus,
NeoThe1, Nextil, RadioActive, Rambo's Revenge, Redhatdude, Reedy, S@bre, Sceptre, Tarryhoper, Thunderbrand, Traq, UrSuS, Vendettax, Xezbeth, YolanCh, ZS, 25 anonymous edits

''Codename: Gordon''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362135827  Contributors: ADeveria, Alba, AlecMoody, AlexRat, Aranel, Artichoker, Awfulcopter, Camtomlee,
CapitalR, Cowpriest2, Dagoth Ur, Mad God, DanPMK, Diego pmc, Duesentrieb, DynSkeet, ENV Warby, Firsfron, Flash man999, Gadfium, Good Olfactory, Hahnchen, Headbomb, IPollesion,
Jj137, Joylock, LOL, Mika1h, Mikeblas, Mrwojo, PenguiN42, Pizzahut2, Reedy, Rockfang, Rst20xx, Ryulong, S@bre, SMcCandlish, Smurfy, Someone another, Tom Edwards, Waisenknabe,
X-Tender, Zainker, 54 anonymous edits

''Portal''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=363193691  Contributors: *not* dangerous, -Majestic-, 10014derek, 16@r, 1nertia, 1wolfblake, 23skidoo, 24cell, 75th Trombone,
88wolfmaster, A Common Man, A little insignificant, A p3rson, ABF, AKismet, Addict 2006, AddictedSoldier, Addshore, Admiralthrawn 1, Aerialbay, Aesopos, Ahsozboutthat, Aidimcc,
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Zig973, Zionyde, Zorgness, Zub56, Zxcvbnm, 1999 anonymous edits

''Portal 2''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362689896  Contributors: AngryCore, Angsc09, Area5x1, Backtable232, Bluenuhvok765, Bovineboy2008, Brightgalrs, Chardish,
Conti, Davewho2, Detry322, Dyeote, Exlixe, Explodesion3000, Ferret99gt, Free3690, Goku1st, Greenite, Hairy Dude, HatriX, Headbomb, I need a name, In Donaldismo Veritas, J.delanoy,
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Dick, WakiMiko, Wintonian, Woodim, X201, 106 anonymous edits

''The Orange Box''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=363143124  Contributors: -Majestic-, 9114619, A Common Man, AGD777, Aktsu, Alexpritchard, Allanws, Alpha 4615,
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Article Sources and Contributors 190

Fisch3r, Flakeanator, Fo0bar, Forteblast, FpsPanda, Fred Bradstadt, Froglars the frog, Frungi, Gail, Gamer007, GamerPro64, Ganonscrub, Garfunkle20, Gargaj, Gary King, Gazimoff,
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''Black Mesa  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362277677  Contributors: -Majestic-, 1234cuminmymouth, Acroterion, Addict 2006, Alansohn, Alexandersedov, Angsc09,
Aragorn12712, Arite, Asparagus, Asqueella, BMSKalashnikov, Barras, Bbenjoe, Beardsall, Bluseychris, Bmsreader, Bongwarrior, Brandon, Budtard, C.Fred, CAREBAREHUBI, Caknuck,
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Characters of ''Half- Life''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361931016  Contributors: Addihockey10, Advisors, Ashlux, Caesura, Darklilac, DeadMansFilm, Drac3997,
EALacey, Ellusion, EoGuy, Friedfish, Gaijin Ninja, Halofanatic333, Headbomb, Jibbley, Kingplatypus, Kung Fu Man, LilHelpa, Mastado, Mezigue, New Age Retro Hippie, S@bre, Sceptre,
Sharkmkd, Steve, T larson911, Tide rolls, Tommy2010, Ucepitus, Zxcvbnm, 77 anonymous edits

Alyx Vance  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355970085  Contributors: 23skidoo, 25, Admiralthrawn 1, After Midnight, Ajunne, Aknorals, Alexsnoz, AndrewWatt, Arnavion,
ArnoldPettybone, Arthur2045, Ary29, Banana!, Bobo192, Brandon, Bushido Hacks, CABAL, CALR, Cabanaguy, Charron, ChnDragon, Combination, Conskeptical, Crimson Shadow,
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0, Y2kcrazyjoker4, ZS, Zaniac0, Zogetaur, Zxcvbnm, 351 anonymous edits

GLaDOS  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362992442  Contributors: Addict 2006, Anthony Appleyard, CapitalSasha, Decibert, Eitheladar, Eqdoktor, Falastur2, Fatedbreath,
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Gordon Freeman  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362386003  Contributors: -)SA(-Menthro, -Majestic-, 25, 2D, 3vruna, 4drammelech, 7331Squall, ABF, Abi79,
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Article Sources and Contributors 191

RaseaC, Raso mk, Reach Out to the Truth, Recurring, Reedy, RickK, Ridge Runner, Rjwilmsi, Rodrigo-kun, Roman Dawydkin, RtpHarry, Rusty2005, S@bre, SYSS Mouse, Saint-Paddy,
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Creatures of ''Half- Life''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362502193  Contributors: AdultSwim, Alltat, Antonio Lopez, Benjiboi, Chemicalspill18, Ckape,
CommonsDelinker, Coozins, DTwirler, Daedalus969, Epbr123, Firsfron, Gail, Gargaj, Geniac, Haipa Doragon, Happycat819, Headbomb, Hiding, Ibanez Guy, Ikip, Iridescent, JAF1970,
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Combine  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361239263  Contributors: 25, 2ltben, 3DS Mike, 44j, 666darkmark666, 777sms, Achilles2.0, Achroniclelover, Aerialbay,
Aigulamgine, Alexjhe, Alias Flood, AnOddName, Anarchemitis, Andreas007, AndrewNeo, Andy Marchbanks, Anonymous Dissident, Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The, Apoltix,
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Headcrab  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=360680278  Contributors: 1337 Byte, 1337i114, 25, A Clown in the Dark, ALIENwolve, AVand, Achilles2.0, Alansohn,
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Ingolfson, Insane Burner, Interested2, Iridescent, Ispellsgud, Ixnayonthetimmay, J.delanoy, J1mp492, J89, JAF1970, JDoorjam, JTBX, Jackel, Jackson McArthur, JavierMC, Jc-S0CO,
Jigsaw107, Jimsa, Joylock, KLLvr283, Kachi Aozora, Kbdank71, Kbolino, Kejoxen, Kernel5, Killjii, Klichka, KnowitallWiki, Krapenhoeffer, LOL, Labine50, Larry Dunn, Liastnir, Lkinkade,
Lord Ludicrous, Lord of Night, Lots42, MadDawg2552, Manwithbrisk, Marcus Brute, MarkWilliam, Markendust, MarphyBlack, Martarius, Master Deusoma, Mawman101, McGeddon, Mega
Sean 45, Mezigue, MichaelAmongMichaels, Michfreak, Mifter, Mikael GRizzly, Mikael Grizzly, Mike Selinker, Mister Bad Example, Mister Six, Moshe Constantine Hassan Al-Silverburg,
Mostly Zen, Mpdimitroff, Mr 47, Mr. Someguy, Mrwojo, Muhammad Hamza, NNR07, Name Theft Victim, Narval, Narvi, Natas347, Neltharion, NeoChaosX, Neurolysis, New Age Retro
Hippie, NickR753, Nicklott, Nosferatu5, OwenX, PanicAttack, Pd THOR, Peppers1616, Peripitus, PhilKnight, Philip Trueman, Piano non troppo, Pikawil, Pikka Bird, Plumbago, Polaris019,
Pomegranate, PowderedToastMan, Preda, Prodego, Project FMF, Proto478, Psilon, RWyn, Randall Brackett, Reedy, Reinoutr, Retodon8, Ridge Runner, Rim-Fire, Rjwilmsi, RockMFR,
Rusty2005, S@bre, SPQRK, Sacul Kamadaka, Salavat, Scarian, Sceptre, SchfiftyThree, Scumbag, Seanb91, Sega381, Shadow9392, Silentbob471, Sm8900, Smurfy, Someone another,
SonicBlue, Sorafune, Soup Lad, Spiderbloke, Stephen, SteveSims, Supduperalien, Tcncv, Teflon Don, TestPilot, The Rogue Penguin, The Thing That Should Not Be, Thekoyaanisqatsi, Thingg,
Thunderbrand, TicketMan, Tom Edwards, Tonio31, Tonyc9895, Tortekr, Toxic Ninja, Twas Now, Tylergube, Vendettax, Wiki Raja, WormNut, X6herbius, Xzema, Yanksox, Yar Kramer,
YoungFreud, Yoyoyoandhello, ZS, Zeus, Zxcvbnm, 722 anonymous edits

Vortigaunt  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=361822165  Contributors: 25, AKGhetto, Achilles2.0, Achoo5000, After Midnight, Ahkond, AlphaTZ, Anonymous500r, Anthony
Ivanoff, Anárion, Applemask, Audiosmurf, Barneyinblue, Bgpaulus, Bitchzombies, Blastedt, Brandon, CABAL, CairoTasogare, Captain Disdain, Cbh, Cctoide, Charron, Cmdrjameson, CyberK,
DJ Mike TJG, Danno147, Darthkillyou, Debresser, Diego pmc, Double D3, Doug1984, DynSkeet, ESkog, Eightball, EuanEchidhog, Everyking, ExternalGazer, Fangusu, Fordan, Fuji217,
GaMeRuInEr, Gaius Cornelius, Gamma2delta, Geniac, Goon Noot, Gro-Tsen, Gwalla, Gwernol, Haeleth, Haipa Doragon, Hairy Dude, HangManFred, Happycat819, Headbomb, Henry Flower,
Hermiod, Hezzy, Hordeorc, Hydraton31, IncomingMessageFromDurandal, Ingolfson, JCesta, JTBX, Jafo38506, Janoskadam, Jetex1911, Jimi!, Jm51, John, Joylock, Kappa, Kimchi.sg,
KnowitallWiki, Kusma, MVMosin, Mackseem, MarphyBlack, Master of Puppets, Mboverload, MementoVivere, Metal Snake, Mezigue, Mikeblas, Minijohnny, Mjhorrell, Mrwojo, MuZemike,
New Age Retro Hippie, Nick R, Noj r, Orgozmo, Pd THOR, Peter Delmonte, Pforhan, Pikawil, Plasticup, Plumbago, Polyparadigm, Preda, PsychoJosh, Psydon, Qjuad, Reinoutr, RichBits, Ridge
Runner, Rjwilmsi, Rockear, Rowlga Hollis, Rusty2005, S@bre, SUparJErk, Sceptre, Shadow Hog, ShadowMagus, Sikon, Silsor, SimonP, SirMikealot, Stormwatch, The Rogue Penguin, The
monkeyhate, TheJC, Thekoyaanisqatsi, Thunderbrand, Thursday Postal, Tony Sidaway, Torres penjamo, Ultraexactzz, Utility Monster, Vaniac, Vladimirg, WMarsh, Wickethewok, Xargon666x6,
XertnevnI, Yaleks, ZS, 376 anonymous edits

Gravity gun  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362835970  Contributors: A Nobody, Addshore, Altzinn, Anakinjmt, Anthony Appleyard, BZ15, Backslash Forwardslash,
BluesD, Brandon, Disavian, Donuts ftw, Emil Kastberg, Firsfron, Freakinswiit, Freaky Dug, Fusionmix, Ganonscrub, Headbomb, Iridescent, Judgesurreal777, KathrynLybarger, MER-C,
Marasmusine, Marcus Brute, Master Jaken, Mezigue, Mikekearn, Much noise, Nifboy, Pagrashtak, Redfarmer, Rjwilmsi, RockMFR, S@bre, Someone another, The Rogue Penguin, ThisIsAce,
Tony1, Twirligig, Useight, Y2kcrazyjoker4, Zorblek, 75 anonymous edits

Locations of ''Half- Life''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=358422954  Contributors: 226Trident, Ale jrb, Boiled elephant, Capricorn42, Captain Cheeks, Closedmouth,
Convicious, Curlyfry2795, Danlq, Diego pmc, Enric Naval, Exxon101, FatalError, Fultron89, Fyrius, Haipa Doragon, Headbomb, Holek, Igorbunny, Jgcxelite, Kalleo, Kausill, Looris, Louistodd,
Masem, Mezigue, Moobaamoo99, Pekkes, Randomran, Rehevkor, Rhysisanoob, Rjwilmsi, S@bre, Sharkmkd, Smile Lee, Smurfy, Sorafune, Spitfire19, T0lk, The Rogue Penguin, The
monkeyhate, Theundesided, Tide rolls, Weasel5i2, 93 anonymous edits

''Half- Life 2: Raising the Bar''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=362496430  Contributors: Adrian.russell177, Brandon, Diego pmc, Flash man999, Good Olfactory, Haipa
Doragon, Headbomb, Holek, Kahonee, Kevinalewis, Klow, Kuralyov, Matrix8110, N. Harmonik, RoyBoy, S@bre, Smurfy, Spellcast, Sturm55, TheNeutroniumAlchemist, ZS, 20 anonymous
edits

''Concerned: The Half- Life and Death of Gordon Frohman''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355994864  Contributors: A Man In Black, Adashiel, After Midnight,
Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The, Applemask, Asch jr., Bahahs, BillMasen, Billy the Impaler, Bisected8, Bjelleklang, BouH, Brabblebrex, Burbster, Canley, Cbh, Cheatmaster781, Cirt,
Closedmouth, Crimson Shadow, CyberSkull, DaltinWentsworth, Daniel.stump, Darksun, David Gerard, David136a, Diego pmc, DrachenFyre, Drat, Dude902, Erebus555, Ericlaw02,
Frostmourne 16, Gazdakka Gizbang, GeeksHaveFeelings, Giggy, Good Olfactory, Gordon Frohman, Gordonfreeman 19, Gregbard, Gundato, Headbomb, Holek, Hydragon, Inter, Itskamilo,
JAF1970, Jc-S0CO, Jersey Devil, Jimbob1630, John, Johndburger, K-UNIT, KLLvr283, Katana314, Kausill, Kieff, KitAlexHarrison, Lawrence Cohen, Lean119, Linuxbeak, LordComa, Lore
Sjoberg, M Gargantua, MagdalenaKira, Mailer diablo, Marblespire, Master Deusoma, Matveims, MaxisManiac247, Merovingian, Micpp, Midkay, Mithent, Mr 47, NawlinWiki, Nerrin,
Notmydesk, Omicronpersei8, Oni Ookami Alfador, Pancho potot, Pi zero, Plrk, Plumbago, RTucker, Raistlin11325, Random18, Reedy, Roxas 89, S@bre, SandyGeorgia, Sceptre, Scumbag,
Segregold, Severnaya, SigmaEpsilon, Sikon, Slayerx675, Smoke Rulz, Smurfy, Spinn, SwordfishII, Syndrome, T e r o, Tabletop, Thatcrazycommie, The Jeff Killer, The Thing That Should Not
Be, TheGreenHerring, Thmars10, Thomasyen, Tom Edwards, Tony1, Vegasrebel29, Vendettax, Wiki fanatic, Wisq, ZS, Zero1328, Zzedar, 291 anonymous edits

''Half- Life: Escape from City- 17''  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=355974702  Contributors: Allventon, Andrew22k, AndrewHowse, Anonymous reader, Brian787,
Chris122990, ChrisTots, Dr.Koljan, Elockid, Haipa Doragon, Happyguy49, Headbomb, J04n, Kollision, Kuralyov, LOL, MissAlyx, SimonMenashy, Smurfy, Starkiller88, Trafficone, 37
anonymous edits

Still Alive  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=363220971  Contributors: Addict 2006, Cybercobra, Doc Strange, Headbomb, JForget, Jazzlvraz, Masem, Mr. Someguy, Mudtail,
New Age Retro Hippie, Nickin, Rehevkor, Silver Sonic Shadow, Somelia, Syndrome, Tim Peterson, Xeno, XxTimberlakexx, 20 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 192

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Half-Life Series Logo.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Series_Logo.png  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, S@bre, Samuele Rosa
File:Gabe newell doug lombardi.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gabe_newell_doug_lombardi.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors:
Benedikt Adam from Germany
File:Half-Life Cover Art.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Cover_Art.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Beastmonkey, Grandpafootsoldier, N.
Harmonik, S@bre, Sherool, YellowJello620, 4 anonymous edits
File:halflife ingame.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Halflife_ingame.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: 25, Anetode, Brandon, ESkog, Gary King, Geniac,
Littleendian, Mrwojo, N. Harmonik, Nick04, Rich Farmbrough, S@bre, Template namespace initialisation script, Tide rolls, 2 anonymous edits
File:SurfaceTensionHLS.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SurfaceTensionHLS.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Geniac, N. Harmonik, Pudeo
File:Star full.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Star_full.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: User:Conti, User:RedHotHeat
File:Half-Life Opposing Force box.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Opposing_Force_box.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Combination, CyberSkull,
Geniac, Mrwojo, S@bre, Thunderbrand
File:Opposing Force dam.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Opposing_Force_dam.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, S@bre, 1 anonymous edits
File:Pit Worm AYool.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Pit_Worm_AYool.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Brandon, Geniac, N. Harmonik, Plumbago, S@bre
File:Half-Life Blue Shift box.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Blue_Shift_box.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Combination, CyberSkull, Mrwojo,
S@bre, Thunderbrand
File:Half-Life Blue Shift screenshot.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Blue_Shift_screenshot.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Brandon, N. Harmonik,
S@bre
File:High Definition Half-Life comparison.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:High_Definition_Half-Life_comparison.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
File:Half-Life Decay title.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_Decay_title.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, S@bre
File:Half-Life- Decay fighting Vortigaunts.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life-_Decay_fighting_Vortigaunts.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Brandon,
Ironfatdogs, Jecowa, MarphyBlack, N. Harmonik, Project FMF, S@bre, 1 anonymous edits
File:Colette Green and Gina Cross (Half-Life).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Colette_Green_and_Gina_Cross_(Half-Life).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors:
Brandon, S@bre
Image:421px-HL2box.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:421px-HL2box.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: User:Linuxbeak, User:Thunderbrand
Image:Antlions1HL2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Antlions1HL2.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: User:Thunderbrand
Image:HalfLife2 City17 TrainStationSquare.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HalfLife2_City17_TrainStationSquare.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: user:ZS
Image:Wikiquote-logo.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wikiquote-logo.svg  License: unknown  Contributors: -xfi-, Dbc334, Doodledoo, Elian, Guillom, Jeffq,
Maderibeyza, Majorly, Nishkid64, RedCoat, Rei-artur, Rocket000, 11 anonymous edits
Image:Image-HL2EP1cover.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Image-HL2EP1cover.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Combination, CyberSkull, David Fuchs,
Emc2, GameKeeper, Gary King, N. Harmonik, Smurfy, Tom Edwards, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Half-Life 2 Episode One Citadel Base.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_2_Episode_One_Citadel_Base.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors:
User:Vanderdecken
Image:Half-Life 2 Episode Two title.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_2_Episode_Two_title.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Gary King, N. Harmonik,
S@bre
Image:Magnusson Device Explanation.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Magnusson_Device_Explanation.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Calmer Waters, N.
Harmonik, Smurfy, The Rogue Penguin, Tom, Ultimaterooster, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Citadel destroyed.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Citadel_destroyed.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Gary King, Melesse, N. Harmonik, ST47,
Zero1328, 2 anonymous edits
Image:Lostcoastlogo.PNG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lostcoastlogo.PNG  License: unknown  Contributors: GaMeRuInEr, Gary King, Gracz54, MarphyBlack,
Melesse, N. Harmonik, Rockfang, S@bre
Image:Lost Coast HDR comparison.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Lost_Coast_HDR_comparison.png  License: unknown  Contributors: David Fuchs, N.
Harmonik, S@bre
Image:Hl2survivor.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hl2survivor.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, UrSuS
Image:Half-Life 2 - Survivor screenshot.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half-Life_2_-_Survivor_screenshot.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Gary King, N.
Harmonik
File:Codename Gordon logo.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Codename_Gordon_logo.svg  License: unknown  Contributors: Diego pmc, N. Harmonik, Pbroks13
File:Codename Gordon - prison.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Codename_Gordon_-_prison.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Diego pmc, N. Harmonik
File:Codename Gordon.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Codename_Gordon.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Diego pmc, Hahnchen, N. Harmonik, Ordoon,
S@bre
Image:Portal standalonebox.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_standalonebox.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Diego pmc, F Zero QQQ GX, Geniac,
MrStalker, N. Harmonik, Salavat, Tom Edwards, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Portal physics-2.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_physics-2.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Dammit,
User:Pbroks13
Image:Portal physics-3.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_physics-3.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Original uploader
was Kaini at en.wikipedia
Image:Portal Chell.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_Chell.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Balthazar, Geniac, Masem, MechMykl, Melesse, N.
Harmonik, Ryulong, Some guy, Thejadefalcon, Thibbs, 2 anonymous edits
Image:Portalgame.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portalgame.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: A Common Man, Ajm81, Geniac, Melesse, N. Harmonik, ST47,
Tyro, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Companioncubesfuzzydice.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Companioncubesfuzzydice.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Masem, N. Harmonik
File:Portal2 logo.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal2_logo.png  License: unknown  Contributors: Masem, N. Harmonik
File:Portal physics-2.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_physics-2.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Dammit,
User:Pbroks13
File:Portal2 coop characters.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal2_coop_characters.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: ManathMagesinger, N. Harmonik
File:Portal2-testchamber.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal2-testchamber.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Masem, N. Harmonik
File:Portal-2-ARG-SSTV-Images.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal-2-ARG-SSTV-Images.png  License: unknown  Contributors: Addict 2006, Masem, N.
Harmonik, 1 anonymous edits
File:Gdc2010 newell portal BSOD.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gdc2010_newell_portal_BSOD.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors:
Official GDC
Image:Hltob-win-cover.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hltob-win-cover.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: MrStalker, N. Harmonik, S@bre, Tom Edwards, 3
anonymous edits
Image:Halflife2 episode2 screenshot.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Halflife2_episode2_screenshot.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Gazimoff, N. Harmonik,
S@bre
Image:TF2 Group.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:TF2_Group.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Blastoboy1000, Cool myll, Pmsyyz, S@bre, 2 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 193

Image:Portal screenshot.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Portal_screenshot.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Gazimoff, Pd THOR, S@bre, WilyD, 1 anonymous
edits
File:Star half.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Star_half.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Conti
File:Star empty.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Star_empty.svg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: User:Conti, User:RedHotHeat
Image:black-mesa-logo.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Black-mesa-logo.png  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, TheBigJagielka
Image:Half Life-Surface Tension.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half_Life-Surface_Tension.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, Sebquantic
Image:Black Mesa-Surface Tension.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Black_Mesa-Surface_Tension.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, Sebquantic
File:Alyx Vance.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Alyx_Vance.png  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
Image:Alyx Vance early concept.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Alyx_Vance_early_concept.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Diego pmc, N. Harmonik, Pais,
Skier Dude, 1 anonymous edits
File:Glados.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Glados.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Klow, S@bre
Image:HalfLife GMan.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HalfLife_GMan.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: 25, Brandon, N. Harmonik, Spellcast, ZS, 1 anonymous
edits
File:Gordon Freeman.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gordon_Freeman.png  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
File:Gordon Freeman concept art.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gordon_Freeman_concept_art.png  License: unknown  Contributors: Zxcvbnm
File:FreemanJobLetter.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:FreemanJobLetter.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Bkell, Brandon, Croctotheface, Geniac,
Lmjohnsono, Melesse, N. Harmonik, Spellcast, Stormwatch, ZS, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Combine.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Combine.svg  License: unknown  Contributors: User:RamzyAbueita
Image:Civil Protection (Half-Life).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Civil_Protection_(Half-Life).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
Image:Advisor (Half-Life).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Advisor_(Half-Life).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
Image:Combine soldiers.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Combine_soldiers.png  License: unknown  Contributors: AnOddName, S@bre, 1 anonymous edits
Image:headcrab.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Headcrab.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: 25, Brandon, EagleOne, Geniac, Grendelkhan, Ingolfson, N.
Harmonik, Project FMF, Skier Dude, Thunderbrand, ZS, 3 anonymous edits
Image:Headcrabhat.PNG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Headcrabhat.PNG  License: unknown  Contributors: Calmer Waters, N. Harmonik, Neurolysis, Nosferatu5,
Salavat, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Vortigaunt.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vortigaunt.png  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
Image:Vortigaunt Slave.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vortigaunt_Slave.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre, 1 anonymous edits
Image:Vortigaunt (plush toy).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vortigaunt_(plush_toy).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: S@bre
Image:HL2 gravitygun.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HL2_gravitygun.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Freakinswiit, N. Harmonik, S@bre
Image:Ionized plasma levitator.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ionized_plasma_levitator.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: N. Harmonik, S@bre
File:Test chamber AYool.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Test_chamber_AYool.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Brandon, Genidealingwithfairuse,
MarphyBlack, N. Harmonik, Plumbago, S@bre, Smurfy, ZS, 1 anonymous edits
File:Xen halflife 08 AYool.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Xen_halflife_08_AYool.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: 25, Brandon, N. Harmonik, Plumbago,
S@bre, Thunderbrand, ZS
File:HalfLife2 City17 TrainStationSquare.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HalfLife2_City17_TrainStationSquare.jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: user:ZS
File:White Forest (Half-Life).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:White_Forest_(Half-Life).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Brandon, N. Harmonik, S@bre
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Image:Concerned logo.png  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Concerned_logo.png  License: unknown  Contributors: User:Diego pmc
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File:Half Life Escape from City 17 Screen shot.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Half_Life_Escape_from_City_17_Screen_shot.JPG  License: unknown
 Contributors: Allventon, Calmer Waters, Polly, Smurfy
File:Jonathan Coulton.jpeg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Jonathan_Coulton.jpeg  License: Attribution  Contributors: Original uploader was Andrine23 at en.wikipedia.
Later version(s) were uploaded by Drat at en.wikipedia.
License 194

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