Half-Life 2: Episode Two nearing completion, new concept art inside

It's episodic, the way Star Wars is episodic.

Except Half Life 2 doesn't suck like Star Wars does.

I find the entire concept of episodic games to be stupid. It just seems like an excuse to cut corners, release incomplete games, and ultimately charge the consumer more by doling out your game in pieces (the so-called 'episodes').

Well Vidikron, in defense of "episodic" gaming as a whole. If it's handled properly from the start as the business model and not delayed, it's probably not the worst idea. Especially with how widespread online purchasing and downloading of games are becoming.

However in Valve's case, a company I'm usually a pretty big fan of (and I mean c'mon, it's not like I won't pick up Ep:2 in a heartbeat when it's released), they've completely gone against what they said were their reasonings behind going episodic.

And sure, if it results in a better game, I'm sure everyone will be all the happier for it, but then why delay the supposedly complete TF2 and Portal for Ep2? That's just being greedy then.

I mean it's been what, like 18+ months since Ep:1? or am I being to generous. I don't feel like checking the release date.

Stil, can't wait, hope it's a little better than Ep:1, even though I did enjoy it.

I think they are doing it the right way. they are bundling 3 items together, spacing the releases far enough apart that it isnt a pokeman syndrome, and they are releasing a pretty good product. I have seen many companies do worse then Valve. Not many do better.

I don't mind the wait if it means that the game is going to be perfect. Vidikron, your view is a bit odd to me. HL2 was a complete game. I'd rather have episodic content to have more of a good thing instead of having to wait until HL3. If each episode cost as much as the full game I'd be mad. Please correct me here if I'm wrong. I'm a console gamer. As far as delaying TF2 and Portal, that is fine with me as well. I'd rather buy HL2, episode 1, episode 2, TF2 AND Portal on one $60 disk instead of getting all of those minus episode 2 only to have to buy episode 2 at a later date.

You think their new "updated" Source engine will be used for CS:S?

I can't stand these delays. Really, I could care less about episode two. I would pay $60 right now to own TF2 and Portal

I would rather wait some years for a Half Life 3 with a vastly improved engine than get these intermittent releases (spreading across the time it would take to make Half Life 3) with minor improvements. Half Life 2 was great, but it was a huge improvement from Half Life in terms of technology. The change from episode to episode, however, seems to be negligible.

I'm still going to buy it, and how can anyone argue with Portals? I'm just a little worried about the direction in which Valve is headed. The whole Steam thing was a step in the wrong direction, and I think it's only going to get worse.

>>Mike - As far as delaying TF2 and Portal, that is fine with me as well. I'd rather buy HL2, episode 1, episode 2, TF2 AND Portal on one $60 disk instead of getting all of those minus episode 2 only to have to buy episode 2 at a later date.

Why not have both? Why not offer the finished product at a higher individual cost to those willing to buy, and also offer the bundle when the game hits? If it's done, it's done. However they haven't alluded to any reason other than a simultaneous console release (yeah, I was one of the ones that believed EA publishing for Valve wouldn't have a negative influence, learned my lesson there) with the PC release.

Oh and on the Half-Life 3 note. I don't know if you meant it this way or not. But according to Valve (a good year ago or more), this IS HL3. The 3 episodes equal HL3 instead of waiting for a full engine update + content in another decade.

If the term "episodic" bothers you, look at it as an expansion instead, that's all it really is anyway. I'm psyched for it, especially being how cheap they are offering it for, not to mention portal and TF put the icing on the cake.

How many people think that this has been delayed due to multi-platform development? Isn't value releasing this all at once, on all three platforms? I would be hard pressed to think not.

I am a little annoyed with the wait- hopefully the game won't be quite as short as Episode 1 (and it'd be nice to actually get some plot advancement this time!). My biggest worry is running the damn thing. While my laptop can handle HL2 fine, it developed some problems with Episode 1, even with those pretty water graphics turned off. It wasn't such an issue when it was was coming out in time for me to play it on my friends far superior machine, but.... I shall wait and see.

I finished HL2:Ep 1 in about 8 hours.. it was really short, and I thought to myself "well, no big deal.. it was definitely worth the money since Episode 2 will be coming out soon, and then Episode 3, etc."

For the time it takes to beat the game, and the lack of any substantial tech improvements, one year is an insanely long time to make a mod for HL2 (for a paid development team intimately familiar with the engine and SDK). Really that's what it is.. a mod. A mod that can get away with using 80% of the original game's resources (textures, sounds, etc) and still afford itself a staffed development team.

why couldnt valve just do good old fashioned expansions instead of 'episodes' that take longer to make?

I believe an impact of Valve's "perfectionist" style is that it is turning a lot of amateur mod developers into perfectionists - who never release. Valve's message to modders was always "release early, release often", which does work for FPS games (CS:S, DoD:S, and "soon" TF2) - add new maps, new gameplay, new models, new weapons, etc.

But it doesn't work for single player games. I think people see "episodic" and think "TV show" but should be thinking "Star Wars" (or Lord of The Rings).

Anyone NOT interested in playing this game (which is bundled with TF2 and Portal) is just... Well, lets just say they shouldn't be playing video games anymore.

And please, let Valve take their time with Half Life 2 stuff. I enjoy every game, and it's so good it's scary.

I think that a lot of people here are getting lame with their statement that VALVe is under delivering.
Episode 1 came in 1º July of 2006, only 10 months have passed! You have to take notice than this time around they are releasing it also for consoles, and employing a new render engine with new particle effects, cinematic physics, implementation of multi-core technology, etc.
The gap between this episode and the first one is pretty big.
Also, you're going to get 2 more games: Portal and Team Fortress 2.
I don't know why you people are complaining of.
If you're computer can't handle it, it's time to buy a new video card, seriously, a 7300GT cost like 80 U$S or less.

Considering how long they took to develop HL2, their episodes are pretty episodic. Even if they take a year per episode they get enough out in a HL2 timeframe to call it episodic. Not considering that of course makes it just look like short games released annualy.

They need to sort their stuff out, myself like many have held off buying Ep1 and Ep2, as we are waiting for the PS3 release that contains all...

In he meantime, they are losing revenue...

How can Valve be such perfectionists when HL2 was even more linear than Doom 3? At least you had a choice on one of the maps to turn the power on or keep it off to have two almost separate routes through a map, while in HL2 you were lucky if the physics bugged and you appeared on top of some mountains or roofs and could proceed to the exit form there.

I'm not impressed with Valve's current effort.

They also need to fix that ghastly grenade timer reset in the multiplayer.

The G-Man is the best character in all of gaming. Ever. Period.

I hate waiting so long between releases, but the time they take to polish each release really shows.

I'd prefer them to take the time (5 years?) to just release one big "full" sequel rather than episodes. It's nice getting to play new stuff more often, but EP1 was so short I nearly cried when it ended. :)

Seriously, if you're going to take this long anyway, then just take two or three extra years, and give us HL3. It'd be much better that way.

I'm hooked to my 360 but do play a ton of valve games, the good thing is my 360 is addictive enough to keep me from beating half life 2 and i didnt get my pc to play it until last year so ive got plenty to keep me busy. cant wait!!

Wake up and smell the ashes.

I think that's a false choice: if Valve can't deliver the goods, it shouldn't be making episodic games. I'm all for reduced development costs, but if I'm not getting a better value this way, I'm not going to be buying the product.

There's a tendency now for cable TV shows to disappear mid-stream (like The Shield or Battlestar Galactica). Whenever you have a big gap like that, you're going to lose interest and fans. I think the same is true of delayed episodic gaming.

-Geoff
http://www.alinktothefuture.com

zomg at "Quakeulf"... you just said that doom 3 was better than half life 2....... I dislike you muchly.

Anyway I just consider the episodes as expansions for a very good game that they should take their time with to keep good... I don't think I could wait the entire time it would take to make a HL 3

Wow does any one actually give a shit about the screenshots? I just have to say that a) if anyone need more conclusive proof that Alyx isn't dead, here it is, b) I see an evil plotting GMan, which is the 2nd time we've seen him without the briefcase, which is leading me to believe that he'll possibly play a larger and more malevolent part in this episode. Plus more outdoorsy segments!

At this point the time it takes to finish the episodes is about the time it took to beat each individual add-on for HL1. It really is not episodic as it is expansions.

ALthough in HL2s defense, what FPS games are as involving as the HL series? With as much depth? Comeon, someone has to answer that!

The episodes are way too short for how long it takes to make them. Insomniac Games released a new Ratchet/Clank game once a year for like the past 4 years, and they were all good, and had a lot of replay value, and took more than just an hour to beat. Valve could go quicker. They must have their Episode Team busy on the Team Fortress and Portal games.

Their point for going with 'episodes' was more about how they prefer to split up the storyline content than anything else. Instead of a whole new "Half-Life 3" that would require a whole new everything, the episodes allow the plot to keep flowing without the giant break points that mark the inevitable start and end of a full game's plot.