Why the Half Life series may end in disappointment.

[flamingdts]

First of, there is no doubt that Half Life and Half Life 2 are one of the greatest FPS of all time. However, the story, although amazing, creates too much expectation from Valve for them to end this series without disappointing the fans.

There is a huge reason why each of the Half Life games leave our jaw hanging. The is a progressive plot that builds up slowly and slowly, then all of a sudden it all stops, leaving us dying for more. None of the Half Life games have ever ended without a cliff hanger, which worries me if the series is ever to end. Without a cliff hanger, even a mediocre ending for the series will make us fans say "that's it?".

Which leads me to another question. How should Valve structure their last installment of the series in a way that will make an impact on the industry and not disappoint us fans?

They have the option of

1. Make it ONE game, using a new engine to develop the game (which Valve will most likely do). A weakness in this method is the storyline will be too short for us fans to truly engage the game and the characters, which means the ending of the game could very well disappoint us. However, if it was just one game, and the game was terrific, it will leave a mark in the FPS industry. We will remember the last Half Life game as the game that made yet another change.

2. Episodic format. The biggest strength in this method is it offers Valve more flexibility and time with the story, allowing the players to truly engage the game. However, by doing this, the last episode released will not make as big an impact. Why? We know Valve will most likely release the last Half Life game with a completely new engine, which means the majority of the surprises will be shown in the first episode, leaving the last episode with simply the storyline to be hyped up for. We all know a portion of Half Life 2's success comes from the use of the source engine.

Of course, Valve could always surprise us with the last episode by taking 4-5 years to develop it, releasing it with a new engine as well to shock the industry.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

I think it should end with a full Half-Life game, I always believed that spectacular things like Half-Life should always end with a bang. Although one could say that possibly it would almost never end (not any time soon) because they could tell the Half-Life story in another angle with another protagonist for continuity sake.

 

[Higlac]

I would like one full game and then a couple episodes, or maybe expansion packs, which show another side of the story.

 

[Mong0!]

one game long as three episodes.
admit it, it would totally be worth the wait!

 

[Story]

The ending for Episode 3 has to be really poor in order to make me feel bad about it.

Another cliff hanger ending is to be expected.

 

[Tagaziel]

First of, there is no doubt that Half Life and Half Life 2 are one of the greatest FPS of all time. However, the story, although amazing, creates too much expectation from Valve for them to end this series without disappointing the fans.

There is a huge reason why each of the Half Life games leave our jaw hanging. The is a progressive plot that builds up slowly and slowly, then all of a sudden it all stops, leaving us dying for more. None of the Half Life games have ever ended without a cliff hanger, which worries me if the series is ever to end. Without a cliff hanger, even a mediocre ending for the series will make us fans say "that's it?".

Which leads me to another question. How should Valve structure their last installment of the series in a way that will make an impact on the industry and not disappoint us fans?

They have the option of

1. Make it ONE game, using a new engine to develop the game (which Valve will most likely do). A weakness in this method is the storyline will be too short for us fans to truly engage the game and the characters, which means the ending of the game could very well disappoint us. However, if it was just one game, and the game was terrific, it will leave a mark in the FPS industry. We will remember the last Half Life game as the game that made yet another change.

2. Episodic format. The biggest strength in this method is it offers Valve more flexibility and time with the story, allowing the players to truly engage the game. However, by doing this, the last episode released will not make as big an impact. Why? We know Valve will most likely release the last Half Life game with a completely new engine, which means the majority of the surprises will be shown in the first episode, leaving the last episode with simply the storyline to be hyped up for. We all know a portion of Half Life 2's success comes from the use of the source engine.

Of course, Valve could always surprise us with the last episode by taking 4-5 years to develop it, releasing it with a new engine as well to shock the industry.

There is no such thing as a last Half-Life game. Episode 3 ends the current story arc, but doesn't end the entire series.

 

[flamingdts]

There is no such thing as a last Half-Life game. Episode 3 ends the current story arc, but doesn't end the entire series.

I know that.....

There is a reason why I said "the last installment of the series" and not "the last installment of the current story arc"

 

[jet_porkins]

I think we can all see that the concept of an episodic format has failed, with respect to Valve's intentions. At the time it sounded like a good idea.

Just make one big game.

 

[swan_song1973]

i dont care either way, but i think theyre gonna do one game.

 

[Swilly]

I don't think they can dissappoint me after Halo 2...

 

[Green Floyd]

I don't think they can dissappoint me after Halo 2...

Yeah man valve put some serious work into Master Freeman

OHWAI-

 

[GargantuaVirus]

It would end as awesome as hell

 

[alpinto]

my view

I expect it should end with a high Half-Life fearless, I e'er believed that striking things same Half-Life should ever end with a bang. Though one could say that mayhap it would near never end (not any instance presently) because they could narrate the Half-Life tarradiddle in other bias with added advocate for enduringness interest.
===============
albert pinto

 

[Acepilotf14]

I expect it should end with a high Half-Life fearless, I e'er believed that striking things same Half-Life should ever end with a bang. Though one could say that mayhap it would near never end (not any instance presently) because they could narrate the Half-Life tarradiddle in other bias with added advocate for enduringness interest.
===============
albert pinto
Lawyer Marketing

I'm pretty sure you just put a bunch of fancy words together in a sentence without regard for what they mean or if they are even a word.

 

[Kadayi]

My fear is more about a degree of redundancy to the character. Personally I'm looking forward to Episode 3, however I fear that the basic elements of mute guy walking around linear levels with a magic-bag of eleventy hundred weapons isn't going to cut it with younger gamers in the long term.

It's a very old Skool style of game design (Doom with brains), and I don't know whether it's not way past it's sell by date. Even L4D went over to the primary weapon/secondary weapon approach that games like CoD & Halo have adopted.

 

[Danimal]

If you want to appeal to kids you need motion blur and a cover system lol

 

[Acepilotf14]

If you want to appeal to kids you need motion blur and a cover system lol

But NO LEAN.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

I expect it should end with a high Half-Life fearless, I e'er believed that striking things same Half-Life should ever end with a bang. Though one could say that mayhap it would near never end (not any instance presently) because they could narrate the Half-Life tarradiddle in other bias with added advocate for enduringness interest.
===============
albert pinto
Lawyer Marketing

:l
What? I'm not even sure if you're joking...

 

[Zhurgoul]

My fear is more about a degree of redundancy to the character. Personally I'm looking forward to Episode 3, however I fear that the basic elements of mute guy walking around linear levels with a magic-bag of eleventy hundred weapons isn't going to cut it with younger gamers in the long term.

It's a very old Skool style of game design (Doom with brains), and I don't know whether it's not way past it's sell by date. Even L4D went over to the primary weapon/secondary weapon approach that games like CoD & Halo have adopted.

I always just assumed he was picking up and switching out various weapons abandoned by the Combine and Resistance or plucked off the corpses of the fallen as he progressed through the areas. The Gravity Gun and Crowbar being the exception to this rule, of course. Perhaps he carries them in holsters.

It's really not a distracting detail to me. I'm imaginative and therefore not picky about these little things.

As for the muteness, it is what gives Gordon Freeman the playability (for me) that characters who speak FOR ME do not possess. I can create whatever response I want to give Alyx in my own head when she cracks a joke or asks for input, and that is the response my own personal Freeman provided.

The beautiful thing about this is that Valve is very careful about dialogue in which Gordon is supposed to participate. Characters address Gordon and seem to acquire a basic understanding of his input without Valve having to throw a "What's that Gordon? Timmy's trapped in the well?" line in anywhere.

Like many others, I imagine Gordon being something of a quiet fellow anyway, speaking only poignant/sarcastic/humourous one liners perhaps, depending on what the situation calls for. Maybe his face is very expressive.

Gordon's gameplay has aged extremely well and I doubt the Half Life games will need any significant changing in the future, if they decide to proceed beyond Episode 3. Little changes can drastically increase the enjoyability of old gameplay in my opinion. New enemies to fight, new challenging styles of combat, harder environmental puzzles... these things are what I look forward to.

 

[McGooTheWise]

Your signature throws that whole post into question, just fyi.

 

[Shem]

I expect it should end with a high Half-Life fearless, I e'er believed that striking things same Half-Life should ever end with a bang. Though one could say that mayhap it would near never end (not any instance presently) because they could narrate the Half-Life tarradiddle in other bias with added advocate for enduringness interest.
===============
albert pinto
Lawyer Marketing

You are definitely an idiot.

And by the way guys, that's not even his signature because they don't show up when you quote a reply. It seems like he's trying to advertise something in that link of his.

 

[Zhurgoul]

You are definitely an idiot.

Lol, I thought it was amusing.

 

[Shem]

Lol, I thought it was amusing.

It's sort of idiotic and amusing at the same time.

 

[Kadayi]

Gordon's gameplay has aged extremely well and I doubt the Half Life games will need any significant changing in the future, if they decide to proceed beyond Episode 3. Little changes can drastically increase the enjoyability of old gameplay in my opinion. New enemies to fight, new challenging styles of combat, harder environmental puzzles... these things are what I look forward to.

Simply saying the opposite does not a counter argument make. Game play is a reflection of it's time in that it is derived as much if not more so by the constraints of technology at the moment of it's inception as it is by peoples imaginations. If open world technologies were available when Valve decided to make a game, half-life as we know it would be a completely different gaming experience, to argue otherwise is folly.

Valve have been fortunate in that they've enjoyed both critical & commercial success. However there is no guarantee they are going to continue to enjoy both by simply iterating on an aged game play model, when other developers are extending themselves further. Farcry 2 is the model I see other development houses building upon. Now that's not to say that FC2 is a great game (it's passable and flawed), but FC3 might well be when it invariably comes out in a couple of years time. Vs a great story driven open world FPS, a linear corridor experience like HL3 might well come across as quaint and outdated in the same way Duke Nukem seemed to be past its sell by date to us now.

If anything I'd like to see Valve bring the HL saga to it's conclusion and then develop a new IP that pushes the open world gaming experience.

 

[Zhurgoul]

Kadayi, you make some good points on the subject of constraint, but my assumption was based more on the idea of playerbase loyalty and a dedication to the genre. It would be arrogant of me to assume this of everyone, but for me personally, what makes a game is not only gameplay but even more importantly the storyline. I don't think it's too out of line to say that Gordon Freeman has developed a rabidly loyal cult following, is it?

Here's an example of what I mean. The upcoming and highly anticipating Starcraft 2. You could argue that an RTS is drastically different from an FPS, but as I see it, the same rules apply in terms of gameplay; people expect an enjoyably different experience when they switch from playing Warcraft III to, say, Dawn of War. But people are flipping their lids over Starcraft 2 simply in anticipation of re-encountering the same basic experience with some exciting new details and additions thrown in. I, personally, can't wait to continue the single-player campaigns and storylines!

Despite the play style of Half Life 2 being, in retrospect, very similar to the rigid, linear adventures of Gordon Freeman through the winding concrete corridors of Black Mesa I can honestly say I do not at all remember having ever noticed this during initial gameplay. All I can remember thinking was "Holy crap, it's Half Life 2, this is awesome, I am glad I bought this game." This would probably be my reaction to any sort of continuation to the Half Life series beyond Episode 3, especially if there were a several year intermission between.

Besides, Valve has expressed some interest in exploring more wide, open environments in the future if I recall correctly. Who knows what the future holds for Dr. Freeman?