Renault on 25/1/2010 at 05:24
(
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6246873.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;2)
Ok, but this is getting kind of ridiculous, isn't it? HL2 came out in 2004. Ep 1 & 2 came out in 2006 and 2007. I think we're getting to the point where no one is going to care that much about the story arc if the thing is delayed this long. I mean, the point of episodic content is to provide continuing interest in an ongoing storyline. By the time Ep3 comes out, I'll have completely forgotten what happened in all the previous chapters.
If this were HL3, fine. New game, new story, new technology, whatever. But stretching out episodic content over a 5 year period just seems kind of...dumb. I just don't get what they're doing.
june gloom on 25/1/2010 at 05:30
Quote Posted by Brethren
I think we're getting to the point where no one is going to care that much about the story arc if the thing is delayed this long.
That's awfully presumptious of you, isn't it? ;)
Anyway you completely misread that article, which is already a couple days old- it's
only a rumour and will remain so until/unless Valve say it isn't.
That said, while I
am disappointed that it's taking THIS FUCKING LONG... on the other hand, if it IS delayed 'til next year, it's one less game I have to worry about this year given my limited cash flow.
Renault on 25/1/2010 at 05:40
Even if it's only a rumor, the soonest the thing can come out is this year, which is still like 2 years longer than it should have been.
Minion21g on 25/1/2010 at 05:53
Aside from the rumor, I can't even imagine what they plan to do for HL2:ep3. By that I mean are they going to combine some elements from Portal (which I consider HL2:ep2.5) ? And what's going to happen with the Combine ?
I suppose my biggest speculation is where the overall Half-Life story is going. Eventually we gotta figure out who G-Man actually is, right?
Sulphur on 25/1/2010 at 05:59
If Valve decided to shoehorn the portal gun into Ep. 3 and it wasn't part of the original plan, that would explain part of the delay right there. If there's one thing that can break a normal FPS into gibby chunks without extensive testing, it's a portal gun.
nicked on 25/1/2010 at 07:16
I think there's some weight to the theory that they've realised Episode 3 is too big/engine is too old, and are transforming it into a full Half-Life 3 with a new engine and feature-length story. I know that's my inner fanboy who wants it to be true, but it's not that far-fetched.
Fafhrd on 25/1/2010 at 08:39
I think 'new engine' talk is kind of crazy. Source has proven to be ridiculously modular, and the publicized results of their most recent Steam system specs poll indicate that the majority of Steam users are still on mid- to low-end machines. Rolling out a whole new engine designed to compete graphically with Unreal and CryEngine and whatever else would cut-off a massive chunk of their user base.
I'd expect them to announce something about Episode 3 at E3 this year. They may even pull a 'Half-Life 2 Announcement' and say that it's due out by Christmas (and then push it back six months. And then another three). But announcing Half-Life 3 on Source 2? Not gonna happen.
And has everyone forgotten that Valve has said in the past that the episodes, taken as a whole, are Half-Life 3?
JC_Denton on 25/1/2010 at 08:54
Quote Posted by Brethren
By the time Ep3 comes out, I'll have completely forgotten what happened in all the previous chapters.
nothing much happened in the first place:
1) HL2 - the dad was kidnapped?
2) EP1 - the girl was kidnapped?
3) EP2 - the dad and the girl were killed?
:bored:
june gloom on 25/1/2010 at 08:55
who the hell are you
Vivian on 25/1/2010 at 08:57
I think on balance, given how much Valve knows is riding on this I think the rumours of a something approaching a full sequel make sense. HL2 pretty much cemented their reputation and was (and still is if you went for it's brand of in-world storytelling and perfected linearity) the high watermark for straight FPS's by a ridiculously long way. The episodes have been good enough, but nowhere near that much of a 'game-changer', as it were. Valve knows this, I would imagine, and as they have now aggregated at least two very talented designers (minerva guy and R&D guy) and have a lot more experience and success with different game types I would also imagine they feel that it is worth spending the time to make ep3 something innovative, something better than the run-of-the-mill HL2 that was in the episodes. They don't need the money enough to be forced to shovel it out the door, so why not let it cook properly?
