Half-Life 2: Episode One

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Half-Life 2: Episode One
Cover art
Developer(s) Valve Corporation
Publisher(s) Valve Corporation
Distributor(s) Electronic Arts (retail)
Steam (online)
Engine Source engine (incl. HDR)
Platform(s) PC (Windows), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date June 1, 2006
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+
BBFC: 15
BPjM: 18
Media DVD, Blu-Ray, Download
Input methods Keyboard and mouse

Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a trilogy of episodes for the 2004 first-person shooter game, Half-Life 2.[1] It was developed by Valve Corporation and was released on June 1, 2006. The episode is a standalone game; while a continuation of Half-Life 2, it does not require the original game to be installed or registered to a user's online Steam account to play. It takes advantage of several major upgrades to the Source game engine since the release of Half-Life 2.

The episode takes place immediately after Half-Life 2 in and around the war-torn city of City 17. Episode One follows scientist Gordon Freeman and his computer-controlled companion Alyx Vance as they deal with the events of Half-Life 2 and humanity's continuing struggle against the Combine, an alien race.

Valve views episodes One through Three as tantamount to a standalone release; they are essentially Half-Life 3 divided into three episodes.[2] 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.[3] The game received a generally positive critical reaction, with the co-operative aspects of the gameplay singled out for particular praise.[4]

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of Half-Life 2

There are no significant differences in gameplay between Half-Life 2 and Episode One.[5] 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.[5] Episode One also integrates tutorial-like tasks into the story to familiarize the player with new gameplay mechanics without breaking immersion. The gravity gun continues to play a crucial function throughout the game as it has in the series, granting the player extensive use of physics in combat and puzzle-solving.[6]

The artificial intelligence (AI) for Alyx Vance was specifically designed for co-operative play in Episode One so she would 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 their attention to creating a unique and believable companion.[7] In addition, she was specially programmed to avoid performing too many mechanical or repetitious actions, such as repeating lines of dialogue or performing certain routines in combat situations.[7] An example of this co-operative gameplay is combat in the darker underground levels just after the player escapes the Citadel, the Combine's base of operations. Here, the player can use their flashlight to help Alyx spot and kill oncoming enemies, conserving the player's ammunition.[8] Similarly, Alyx will often take up stationary gunner points to provide covering fire while the player travels to a certain area or performs certain actions to keep them safe while they undertake their tasks.[9]

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 to remind the player that their actions have had major effects on the storyline.[10] The Citadel has degenerated from the cold, alien, and imposing fortress of the previous game to an extremely unstable state. This provides a visual cue to the player of the catastrophic damage they inflicted, and it allows for new gameplay elements that accentuate the dangers that come with the Citadel's imminent collapse. In addition, it serves a thematic purpose in highlighting the weakening of the Combine's dominance in City 17.[11] 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 further emphasize the scale of the uprising.[11]

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Setting

The original Half-Life took place at a remote laboratory called the Black Mesa Research Facility. The player took on the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist involved in an accident that opens an inter-dimensional portal to the world of Xen, flooding the facility with hostile alien creatures. Guiding him in his attempt to escape the facility and close the portal, the game ends with Gordon extracted by a mysterious figure with an offer of employment. Freeman was subsequently put into stasis by this mysterious "G-Man".[12]

Half-Life 2 picks up the story with the G-Man taking Freeman out of stasis and inserting him on a train en-route to City 17 an indeterminate number of years after the Black Mesa Incident, with Earth now enslaved by an alien race known as the Combine. The player guides Gordon in aiding 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.[12]

[edit] Plot

Alyx talks via a communication screen with Dr. Kleiner and Eli Vance outside the Citadel.
Alyx talks via a communication screen with Dr. Kleiner and Eli Vance outside the Citadel.

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. As time stops, 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.[13]

Gordon wakes up outside the Citadel, buried under a pile of rubble. He is uncovered and reunites with Alyx, who is relieved to see him. Alyx contacts Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner, who have managed to escape the city, and is informed the Citadel's core is at risk of exploding at any moment.[14] Kleiner states the explosion could be large enough to level the whole of City 17, and the only way for them to survive would be to re-enter the Citadel and slow the core's progression toward meltdown. Eli reluctantly agrees when he sees no other option.[15]

Alyx and Gordon re-enter the now-decaying Citadel to try to stabilize the core. Along the way, they discover a Combine Advisor fleeing in a pod, but they are not aware of what it is at the time. Gordon and Alyx are successful in re-engaging the reactor's containment system, delaying the explosion, but Alyx discovers the Combine are deliberately accelerating the destruction of the Citadel to send a message off-world. She makes a copy of the message, causing the Combine to prioritize them as targets.[16] In addition, Alyx locates and downloads a transmission from Dr. Judith Mossman describing a certain project she has located, before being cut off by a Combine attack.[17] Alyx and Gordon then 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.[18] 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.[19] Alyx and Gordon provide cover for the passengers as they board.[20]

To keep the survivors safe, Alyx and Gordon opt to take a different train.[21] They manage to escape just as the reactor begins to detonate; the energy sends out the Combine's message.[22] Several pods 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.

[edit] Development

System Requirements[23]
Minimum Recommended
Windows
Operating System Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
CPU 1.2 GHz 2.4 GHz
Memory 256 MB 512 MB
Graphics Hardware DirectX 7 compatible card DirectX 9 compatible card
Sound Hardware DirectX 7 compatible card DirectX 9 compatible card
Network Internet connection required for activation

Valve explained that the focus of Episode One was character development, in particular that of Gordon's female sidekick and friend Alyx, to the extent that she accompanies the player for virtually the entire game.[24] Project lead Robin Walker discussed the thinking behind this approach in the episode’s announcement article in the May 2005 issue of PC Gamer UK: "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."[25]

Lead writer Marc Laidlaw expanded further on the game's premise in the same article:

“ 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. ”

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 explained their desire to develop Episode One in-house as opposed to working with outside contractors as with previous expansions as a decision based on their comfort with the technology and construction tools of Half-Life 2, as well as their enjoyment of working on Half-Life 2 content.[26]

Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the expansion was renamed to Episode One as an indication of Valve's confidence with their episodic structure,[27] an implication confirmed in February[28] and May[29] of 2006 with news of a trilogy of episodes covering the present 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" are collaboratively written by Laidlaw, Chet Faliszek and Erik Wolpaw with Laidlaw retaining overall leadership of the group.[30]

Valve made modifications to Alyx's AI that allowed her to react to the player's actions because of her significant involvement in the game. Modifications included 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.[11] 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; allowing the player to dictate their own pace and method of overcoming any challenges faced without being hindered— this meant often scaling 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.[11] The developers also placed what they described as "hero moments" throughout the game that allow the player to single-handedly overcome certain obstacles, such as particularly challenging enemies, with Alyx taking the role of an observer and giving the player praise and adulation for their heroic feats.[11] As is usual policy with Valve, 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.[2]

The game runs on an incrementally upgraded version of Valve's proprietary Source engine, and features both the engine's high dynamic range rendering capabilities, and a new version of its facial animation/expression technology.[2] Upgrades to enemy AI allow Combine soldiers to utilize tactics previously unavailable to them, in particular the ability to crouch while being fired upon in order to "duck" underneath the player's line of fire. This feature is showcased to the utmost for the first time in the large street battle the player progresses through before entering the rebel safehouse in the game's fourth chapter.[11] It also features the commentary node system debuted in the Lost Coast tech demo.[11] The game's soundtrack was composed by Kelly Bailey.[30] The music is used sparingly throughout, primarily playing during scenes of major plot developments or particularly important action sequences such as large battles or encountering a new enemy.[11]

Episode One retailed at launch for $19.95 in the United States and is currently available over Valve's Steam platform for $9.95. The game is also being distributed through traditional retail channels by Electronic Arts both as a standalone and as part of the Half-Life 2: Platinum Collection.[31] The game became 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.[32] Episode One is also included in the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions of The Orange Box.[33]

[edit] Reception

 Reviews
Publication Score
Edge 80%[34]
Game Revolution 75%[5]
GameSpot 87%[35]
GameSpy 90%[36]
IGN 85%[37]
PC Gamer UK 90%[6]
PC Gamer US 85%[38]
Compilations of multiple reviews
Compiler Score
Metacritic 87%[4]
Game Rankings 86%[39]

Response to Episode One was generally positive, with reviewers praising the game for having more intricate, well-paced gameplay than the acclaimed Half-Life 2.[35][40] The game's interactivity, particularly in the shape of the character of Alyx and her reactions to the player's actions and the events of the game, has also received praise.[36] PC Gamer magazine gave an 85% in the US edition, summarizing "... 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".[38] The game received 90% in the UK edition, which directed particular praise on the balance between puzzle oriented and action oriented challenges throughout the game.[6] In Australia, the magazine PC Powerplay awarded the game with a rarely seen 10/10.[41] Edge gave the game 8 out of 10, praising 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".[34] Episode One earned an overall score of 87% on review collection websites Metacritic[4] and Game Rankings.[39]

Despite a primarily positive reception, a common criticism of the game has been its short length. Depending on the player, the game can take less time to complete than the company line of 4–6 hours, which has caused observers to raise the issue of whether it justifies the price tag.[35] Other reviews have 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 divorced from the final product.[42] Reviewers also expressed disappointment at a lack of new features, including environments and weapons.[5]

[edit] Awards

IGN awarded Episode One with the title of Best PC FPS of 2006, describing it as a "great bang for the buck using Valve's new episodic plan", although not offering "the complete experience that Half-Life 2 was".[43] Gamespy ranked Episode One as one of their 2006 games of the year, placing it ninth and making further note of the implementation of Alyx as a believable and useful companion.[44]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bokitch, Chris (2006-05-22). Valve press release. Steam. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  2. ^ a b c Bramwell, Tom (2006-06-06). Opening the Valve. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  3. ^ Ocampo, Jason (2006-07-13). The Return of Team Fortress 2 and Other Surprises. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
  4. ^ a b c Half-Life: Episode One on Metacritic. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  5. ^ a b c d Colin (2006-06-21). Episode One review. Game Revolution. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  6. ^ a b c "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One" (July 2006). PC Gamer UK. 
  7. ^ a b Lee, Garnett (2005-08-29). Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
  8. ^ Berghammer, Billy (2006-05-26). Half-Life 2: Episode One Hands-On, Details, And Extensive Video Interview. Game Informer. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  9. ^ Keller, Matt (2006-06-12). Half-Life 2: Episode 1 Review. PALGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  10. ^ Adams, Dan (2006-04-27). Half-Life 2: Episode One Interview. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h (2006). Half-Life 2: Episode One—Developers commentary [DVD]. Valve Corporation.
  12. ^ a b Half-Life: The Story so Far. Valve. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
  13. ^ Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. Valve Corporation. PC. (2006-06-01) “G-Man: We'll see...about that.”
  14. ^ 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!”
  15. ^ 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.”
  16. ^ 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.”
  17. ^ 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.”
  18. ^ 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.”
  19. ^ 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.”
  20. ^ 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.”
  21. ^ 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.”
  22. ^ Valve Corporation. Half-Life 2: Episode One. Valve Corporation. PC. (2006-06-01) “Alyx: Oh my God! The message is going out.”
  23. ^ Steam - Half-Life2: Episode One. Steam. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  24. ^ Half-Life 2: Episode One Preview. Computer and Video Games (2006-04-13). Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  25. ^ "Preview: Half-Life 2: Aftermath" (May 2005). PC Gamer UK. 
  26. ^ Half-Life 2 Aftermath Q&A. GameSpot (2005-06-29). Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  27. ^ Half-Life 2 Goes Episodic. GameSpot (2006-02-10). Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  28. ^ Adams, David (2006-02-21). Valve Confirms Half-Life 2: Episode Two. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  29. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2006-05-24). Half-Life 2: Episode One gold, Two dated, Three announced. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  30. ^ a b The Valve team (staff bios). Valve Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  31. ^ Half Life 2: Episode One (PC-DVD). Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  32. ^ Half-Life 2: Episode One Pre-Loading Now. Steam. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
  33. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2006-08-24). Half-Life 2: Episode Two pushed to 2007?. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
  34. ^ a b "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One" (August 2006). Edge. 
  35. ^ a b c Ocampo, Jason (2006-06-02). Episode One review. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  36. ^ a b Accardo, Sal (2006-06-01). Half-Life 2: Episode One review. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
  37. ^ Half-Life 2: Episode One. IGN (2006-06-01). Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
  38. ^ a b "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One" (August 2006). PC Gamer. 
  39. ^ a b Half-Life: Episode One on Game Rankings. Game Rankings. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
  40. ^ Dahlen, Chris (2006-06-13). Episode One review. The Onion. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
  41. ^ "Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One" (August 2006). PC Powerplay. 
  42. ^ "Half-Life 2: Episode One review" (September 2006). Computer Games Magazine: 57. 
  43. ^ Best of 2006. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  44. ^ 2006 Games of the Year. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2007-05-01.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
v • d • e
Half-Life series and related topics
Main series
Other games
Playable characters
Major characters
Minor characters
Species
Locations
Notable events
v • d • e
Video games developed by the Valve Corporation
Half-Life series
Counter-Strike series
Day of Defeat series
Team Fortress series
Other products