Should Episode 2 Include Old XEN Creatures?

[Asuka]

Whatever valve desides.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Lets see some god-d#mn arctic combat. I WANT A PHREEZE GUN!!!

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Lets see some god-d#mn arctic combat. I WANT A PHREEZE GUN!!!

.....A****ingmen brother.

 

[Darkside55]

The Antipop, I don't know if you're talking about the garg...you mention the right place, but big armor? Laser gun? The gargantua is the 13ft. tall blue behemoth that has flamethrowers for arms. It doesn't wear armor, it just has a very dense, bullet-proof carapace. The only aliens that wear armor in HL are the grunts, but they don't have lasers either, they have hivehands that shoot bees.

A wasteland's pretty stupid without being wasted by Xenian creatures. Early scripts had aliens charging the trains, coming right up to the walls of the city (one draft of the script even had a gargantua getting vaporized by a Combine forcefield as you entered the trainstation). To not have Xenian life outside of antlions, vortigaunts, and headcrabs, wouldn't make any sense and it'd be--no pun intended--a waste.

And no race-x ever again. Valve's words. We'll also never get an explanation on them because they're not important to the overall story and I think Valve would just rather forget about them.

 

[Absinthe]

I'd like to see a return of Race X and more Xen fauna.

I admit that Race X is extremely unlikely. So whatever. But Xen? **** yes, bullsquids and houndeyes. Hell, I'd also like a Gargantua vs. Strider showdown. A lot of this is because I would just hate seeing all the enemies of the original Half-Life done away with. I've held the criticism that, with the introduction of Half-Life 2, a lot of the content of the original HL has been rendered meaningless/useless, or that there has been at least a distinct lack of transitionary content linking the two together.
I don't yearn for the return of older content for the sheer sake of nostalgia. I want it because I think it would also help fill the giant disconnect between the two games.

As for Valve's words... Gee, weren't these the same guys that told us days before the announced HL2 delay that everything was on track? Were there not rewrites to HL2's script? I don't wish to imply that they're not trustworthy. But let's just admit that their words don't always stick with the course of time.

 

[Tagaziel]

Also, getting some bullsquids to waste a bunch of Combine soldiers, then drag them into an opening in the cliff's face... I'd go "OMFGCUDDLECUDDLECUDDLE" at the bullsquid, since they are my favourite fictional specie in the entire gameverse, and apparently, aren't aggressive when left alone (remember the teleportation mishap and later Shephard's visit to the same spot?).

Gimme my plush Bullsquid!

 

[Darkside55]

I don't think those bullsquids saw you. What I mean is, during the sequence where you were being teleported around after the resonance cascade, I got the impression that nothing on that Xen took notice of you because you weren't "there," in a physical manner. The only things that took note of you were the vortigaunts, and we know why that is. But bullsquids are always aggressive...they're aggressive towards their own species. I've seen a bullsquid tailwhip another bullsquid into gibs for no reason.

So, I don't think the teleport mishap you experienced after the resonance cascade was the same one you had in HL2, despite how similar they looked. Things took notice of you in HL2, whereas they did not in HL1.

And Absinthe, I think you're trying to connect two things that don't fit. The things you're saying about how Valve's words should be taken with a grain of salt, I'll be the first to say so when it comes to release dates. But changes made to the HL script were because of gameplay issues rather than story issues. Every change made was to tighten the experience, cut down the core cast to a few very meaningful people rather than two handfuls of forgettables, and in cases where gameplay wasn't fun. Valve's not going to bring back race-X for any reason; I think they hate them more than even the most vehement fans on this board. They're an unnecessary in the universe of Half-Life, and their time is over.

 

[smwScott]

Bullsquids have to be there, if nothing else than just for continuity and atmosphere. Xen fauna are supposedly overrunning the wasteland, and if all we see are headcrabs, zombies, and antlions then that really doesn't convey that feeling at all. I don't even care if we fight them, just seeing a pack of them chasing a rebel through the forest would be enough. It would be nice to see how they work together and hunt in a more natural habitat.

I find it hard to believe that Houndeyes would be very prevalent, as they aren't very strong creatures. Maybe a few of them hiding in holes/basements or whatever surviving off of rats and other small animals. They could have gargs (those huge things right?), although they are a bit cheesy, would still be fun to see them destroy a convoy of combine or take on a strider. Icthys would be great, but they would have to live in the ocean or combine captivity ... it wouldn't make sense for them to live in lakes as they would eat up the whole food supply.

As far as new enemies, new synths are always great. I wouldn't mind them eventually putting in the synths you saw at the end of HL2 but never got used, and the cremator too. I would rather the focus shift from Xen enemies and focus more on combine, but if they have a great idea for a new enemy that should be fine.

 

[Cuthbert]

Valve's not going to bring back race-X for any reason; I think they hate them more than even the most vehement fans on this board. They're an unnecessary in the universe of Half-Life, and their time is over.

Amen.

 

[99.vikram]

I'll still miss the shocktroopers, but it would be nice to see Shephard gone for good.

 

[Absinthe]

And Absinthe, I think you're trying to connect two things that don't fit.

...Xen fauna on Earth doesn't fit?

 

[Darkside55]

No, the fact that Valve has been late on release dates or changed the HL2 story meaning that race-x might show up.

There are some things that're said that you can't help, other things you can.

 

[knut]

Isn't that like saying they replaced the Marine with Striders? The Houndeyes and Hunters have nothing in common.

The Houndeyes have alot more in common with the Hunters than comparing a Marine with a Strider. I know what your saying, though, just there is a similarity or two. (Three legs, the eye thingy-ma-jig, whatever)

I'm not going to get involved with that one though.

 

[Sub-Zero]

I fear that in ep 2 all we will be fighting will be combine forces, zombies, headcrabs, antlions, a few striders, hundreds of hunters, i hope this isn't the case