Half-Life 2: Episode Two 
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Half-Life 2: Episode Two's community-made VR mod arrives on Steam todayApr 6, 2023 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThe Source VR Mod Team have been faithfully modding the Half-Life games into virtual reality - an excellent way to relive Valve's classic shooters. The team modded Half-Life 2 last year and followed it up with a mod for Half-Life 2: Episode One a couple of weeks ago. They’re now back with Half-Life 2: VR Mod - Episode Two, coming to Steam later today. Read more Half-Life 2: Episode Two - UpdateFeb 18, 2022 - Community AnnouncementsAn update has been released for Half-Life 2: Episode Two - UI and Input support for Steam Deck verification.Half-Life 2 and the episodes get a Beta with Vulkan (DXVK) and moreOct 19, 2021 - GamingOnLinuxValve has put up a Beta for Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two as they prepare more of their own games ready for the Steam Deck. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2021/10/half-life-2-and-the-episodes-get-a-beta-with-vulkan-dxvk-and-more Gabe Newell has blasted Gnome Chompski into spaceNov 20, 2020 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun It is done. Gnome Chompski has shot off to where gnome man has gone before. The little red-hatted fella started life as a bit of a joke in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Players who carried the garden gnome all the way to the end of the game would be awarded with the achievement “Little Rocket Man” – a title old Chompski truly lived up to last night. Gabe Newell partnered up with Weta Workshop and Rocket Lab to send a real-life Chompski into space, raising money for charity and even inspiring a couple of new Steam achievements in the process. (more…) Half-Life 2: E2 has a new achievement as Gaben launched a gnome into spaceNov 20, 2020 - PCGamesNJust over 13 years after release, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 has got a new achievement that you won't have to expend any effort in unlocking. Why? Because Valve chief Gabe Newell has successfully punted the old PC game's beloved Gnome Chompski into space. The achievement is called "Gnome Along", and reads: "If you are reading this achievement, Gabe Newell has successfully launched Gnome Chompski into space". It's an enduring finale to Newell's recent charity drive where he pledged to donate $1 to The Starship Foundation - a children's hospital in Auckland, New Zealand - for every person who tuned in to see the garden ornament get launched into space via Rocket Lab's livestream or Twitch channel. The event itself was a collaboration between The Heart of Racing, Rocket Lab, and Lord of the Rings special effects, props, and sets maker Weta Workshop. As you can imagine, it was a success, and the knick-knack is now in orbit. Half-Life wasn't the only Valve game to get an achievement to mark the occasion, as Left 4 Dead got the same one, too. The space-faring gnome appears in both games in various ways but is most infamous for the achievements he's tied to. In Half-Life 2: Episode 2, you could unlock an achievement called Little Rocket Man if you managed to carry the garden gnome from the start of the game to a rocket ship toward the end of it. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Half-Life 2: Episode Two speedrunners take top spots with new out-of-bounds trick Gabe Newell is launching a real Gnome Chompski into space for science & charityNov 2, 2020 - ShacknewsGabe Newell is still in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s apparently been very happy with the country for allowing him to stay as the viral pandemic took hold and was beaten back to near zero new cases in the country, but there is a reason Newell was there in the first place, and now we know. It was to send Gnome Chompski into space, but for real this time. In partnership with Weta Workshop and Valve, Rocket Lab announced that it will be including a special passenger on its Flight 16 mission, which will take place no sooner than November 15, 2020. That special passenger is a replica of Valve’s favorite garden gnome, Gnome Chompski, as manufactured by Weta Workshop. The gnome appears as a prop in Half-Life 2: Episode 2, wherein if players can actually carry Gnome Chompski to the end of the game, place him in a rocket, and launch him into space, the achievement “Little Rocket Man” is earned. In a fun nod to that achievement, Newell and Weta are sending a real Gnome Chompski on Rocket Lab’s Flight 16 to test a 3D printing technique and its application on future spacecraft components. As it turns out, this was the reason Gabe Newell was in New Zealand in the first place when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he found himself, along with partner Teagan Klein and friend and pro race car driver Alex Riberas, taking an extended stay in the country. Gabe Newell has since worked to give back to New Zealand, including arranging a free concert. There was even talk of him opening a Valve office there. Regardless, on the matter of Rocket Lab’s Flight 16, Newell is continuing his effort to give back to New Zealand as well. Reportedly, Gabe Newell will donate a dollar to Auckland, New Zealand children’s hospital Starship for every viewer of Rocket Lab’s Flight 16 livestream either live or within 24 hours of going live. As Flight 16 launches several satellites into Earth’s orbit, it is meant to then re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and completely burn up in the process, along with Gnome Chompski, so unfortunately it’s looking like a one-way trip for the real-life Little Rocket Man. Regardless, Gnome Chompski is sacrificing for a right and noble cause. You couldn’t ask for much more as a video game garden gnome than to benefit the medical care of children and the science of space travel materials and manufacturing. It may be one of the most elaborate enactments of a video game achievement ever, but we salute Newell, Weta Workshop, Rocket Lab, and, of course, Gnome Chompski on this brave mission. Stay tuned for further details on the launch of Rocket Lab’s Flight 16 as they become available later this month. Gabe Newell is shooting a real Gnome Chompski into space for charityNov 2, 2020 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunDo you suppose Gabe Newell himself has earned the Half-Life 2: Episode 2 achievement for carrying a garden gnome to the end of the game? He’s planning to snag a real-life achievement, apparently, and has partnered up with Rocket Lab to blast a real Gnome Chompski into space. Not for nothing, Newell is planning to donate to Starship Children’s Hospital based on the number of folks to tune in to watch the launch. (more…) The 9 best road trips in PC gamesMay 8, 2020 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunOne Off The List is our weekly list feature. Is there something you think doesn’t deserve to be on this list? Comment with your reasons why, and next week it may be struck off. Kick the tires, whistle at the paint job, spin the keys on your finger like a revolver and then shoot the car with the little laser of unlocking. It’s time to get back on the road. What’s that? Entire country in a state of unprecedented lockdown? I see. Well, lucky for you, we concern ourselves here only with pretend cars, the indoor joy of fictional journeys on virtual roads. Here, my housebound friends, are the 9 best road trips in PC games. Seatbelts on, please. (more…) The whole Half-Life story is free to play on Steam right nowJan 22, 2020 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun It has come to my attention that some people have not played the Half-Life games, to which I can only say: mate, I think you might really like it. Valve will soon return to the series after thirteen years with Half-Life: Alyx in March, and ahead of that they’re inviting everyone to catch up on the story so far. From now until the launch of Alyx, the Half-Life games are free for everyone to play in full on Steam. You know, some of these really are quite good. (more…) Play Now For Free - Half-Life SeriesJan 21, 2020 - AnnouncementHalf-Life: Alyx is coming in March, and we are celebrating early by making all games in the Half-Life Series FREE to play for Steam users, from now until the day it launches! If you already have Steam installed, you can click the following links to start playing now! Half-Life Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2: Episode One Half-Life 2: Episode Two If you don't have Steam, you can download it here. Half-Life: Alyx is set before the events of Half-Life 2 and the episodes, but the games share characters and story elements. The Half-Life: Alyx team believes that the best way to enjoy the new game is to play through the old ones, especially Half-Life 2 and the episodes, so we want to make that as easy as possible. Half-Life: Alyx is a VR prequel to HL2, coming in March 2020Nov 21, 2019 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Valve today formally announced Half-Life: Alyx, a “full-length” game exclusively for VR. Half-Life is returning after 12 years, though Gordon Freeman seemingly is not and this isn’t Half-Life 3. Set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2, this one stars future sidekick Alyx Vance in the years before Gordo’s return when she and her dad were building the resistance. And yes, this really is only for VR. Come watch the announcement trailer. (more…) Half-Life 2's downtrodden NPCs have been unable to blink for five years, until nowSep 27, 2019 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Oof, imagine not blinking for half a decade. My eyes shiver at the thought. But this is what the NPCs of Half-Life 2 have been suffering. The dry eye epidemic was first reported to Valve’s GitHub repo back in 2014 and since then it turns out only a select few have felt the joy of smashing their eyelids shut. But after almost five long years, City 17’s tortured citizens can finally blink again, thanks to a small official update. (more…) Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, and Half-Life: Source Updates ReleasedSep 26, 2019 - Product UpdateUpdates to Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, and Half-Life: Source have been released. The changes include: * Fixed a hitch when saving games; * Fixed SteamVR running when entering the settings menu; * Fixed missing sounds on combine soldiers; * Fixed NPCs not blinking; Modder Superior: A fresh lease of Half-Life 2Jun 10, 2019 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunEvery other Monday, Dominic gives you a reason to dust off one of your old games and dive into its mods with Modder Superior. Half-Life 2 is nearly fifteen years old now, and despite Valve’s sequel plans seemingly fizzling out, it doesn’t look a day over ten thanks to the efforts of modders. Chances are that Half-Life 2 and its expansions have been gathering dust on your Steam account for years now, so here’s a quick refresher — mostly focused on the past five years — on what’s available, single player-wise. Want to turbo-charge the original game, or send Gordon Freeman on a whole new adventure? We’ve got you covered both ways, plus a trio of Silent Hill-inspired spookfests. Below, a hand-picked basket of goodies, and a crowbar to open it. (more…) Erik Wolpaw is working with Valve again, because he never really stoppedJan 4, 2019 - Rock, Paper, Shotgun Hooting echoed across the virtual valleys and mesas of the Internet this week after those who pan the digital stream in search of anything ending with “3” got an inkling that former Valve writer Erik Wolpaw had returned to the Half-Life mob after leaving in 2017. And yep, Wolpaw has confirmed to me that he is doing work for Valve these days – because he never really stopped. Apparently he’s been contracting for them all along, working on this and that as needed, on top of working for his niece’s juice shop (which was not a joke). Looks like the digipanners found Fool’s Three. (more…) You know why there s no Half-Life 3, but here it is againJan 12, 2017 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThe Last Eight Years Of Gordon Freeman s Unpublished Diaries RPS ExclusiveOct 22, 2015 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunAn envelope arrived in the post this morning. Thick, stuffed with books. Diaries, in fact. Someone has sent me Gordon Freeman’s diaries from the last eight years. I don’t really know what to do about this. I mean, this is obviously big news, but this is also someone’s private life. But what if it was Gordon himself who sent them? What if he wants the… the misery therein to be exposed? I’ve decided on a compromise. I’m going to publish some extracts, picked almost at random from the lot. If Freeman wants them taken down, he can get in touch and we’ll honour that right away. … The Long-Lost Characters Of Half-Life 2Feb 12, 2015 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThe leaked Half-Life 2 beta is an old, old story – and how it happened, and what happened next was documented masterfully by RPS chum Simon Parking a few years back – but a recent fan compilation of all the characters in it who never turned up in the finished article is fascinating. This is the Half-Life 2 that never was, and yet, to some extent, it does exist after all. … Mod of the Week: Steam, Tracks, Trouble and Riddles for Half-Life 2: Episode 2Sep 28, 2014 - PC Gamer There have been a lot of visions of the post-apocalypse, but if you've been waiting for one in which a sleepy-voiced robot guides you through a series train-based environmental puzzles in the year 2525, then you're in luck. Also, you're a little strange. Also, this mod is a little strange, even in name. It's called Steam, Tracks, Trouble & Riddles and it's for Half-Life 2: Episode 2. First, some back-story, which is presented nicely through a series of hand-drawn images. It seems the Cuban Missile Crisis didn't end so agreeably in this reality. The nukes were launched, humans were essentially wiped out, and... well, frankly, how that leads to solving train puzzles in Berlin in the distant future, I'm not entirely sure. The important thing is, there's a bunch of train puzzles and a friendly robot to help you solve them. At least he's on our side. I'm so used to fighting robots in the future. It's notable that Ross Scott voices the robot, which is cool, though his voice has been slowed down to the point where it feels like it could be anyone reading the lines, which is sort of an odd choice. I'm fairly sure Scott didn't write the script, either, as the robot isn't particularly funny. The robot is, however, well designed and animated, and I enjoy the fact that he has another, smaller robot living in his head who pops out now and then. Also, for a robot who trundles around on a single wheel, I find him much more enjoyable than, say, Claptrap, especially in terms of volume. Even the Space Marine from Doom never had to deal with a key this big. The first thing you do in the mod is sort of the worst thing: you manipulate the slowest-moving crane ever built into picking up the parts of a railway handcar and drop them into a pile. It's not hard, and there's only three pieces, it just takes a while. If you can power through it, things get more enjoyable. I'm no engineer, but a skull and crossbones on a blueprint probably ain't good. Once built, you drive your handcar along the tracks, stopping at occasional obstacles. Maybe there's a bridge that's not aligned properly, or a wall that needs to be destroyed, or some other sort of obstruction or obstacle on the track, meaning you'll need to stop, get out, look around, and figure out what the heck you're supposed to do. Often, there's a bit of guesswork involved before you can even start working on the puzzles. A series of valves and pipes means you'll need to open some and close others, obviously, but it can take a while to figure out exactly why the ones that need to be closed need to be closed. Y'know? Oh man, it's gonna take ages to walk to the end of this quote. Of course there's a generator puzzle, and some batteries have to be fetched to power certain devices, and this being built in Half-Life 2, you'll naturally need to find a cable with a giant plug to plug into a giant plug-hole at some point. There are also some explosive barrels to be disarmed, as well as some electrified tracks and poison mu...Half-Life 2 review November 2004, UK editionJul 7, 2014 - PC Gamer Every week, we publish a classic PC Gamer review from the '90s or early 2000s. This week, Ben Griffin provides context and commentary followed by the full, original text of our Half-Life 2 review, published in the November 2004 issue of PC Gamer UK. More classic reviews here. What more can be said about Half-Life 2? Jim Rossignol's words below still do a fine job of summing up just why the world got worked up over a singleplayer shooter. November 2004 was a standout month for PC gaming, and indeed PC Gamer: a 96% for Valve's opus, 95% for Rome: Total War to a 95%, an 89% FIFA 2005, and Shade: Wrath of Angels with a, er, 59%. But the game we called 'messianic' was all that mattered that month, and indeed, that year. Not only did it kick off Valve's (eventually) world-conquering Steam service, but it courted criminals too. After FBI involvement and a concerted effort from Valve's community, the stolen Half-Life 2 code was returned several anxious months later, but not after a making dear old Gabe sweat through a heavily delayed development schedule. Could this be the official birth of Valve time? And Half-Life 2 still matters. Just shy of a decade on, memories linger in the collective conscious. The gravity gun. The hoverboat. Striders. Dog. Ravenholm, to which we definitely do not go. The game left an indelible mark on its landscape, and not only in terms of those iconic moments. Underneath it all, the Source engine gave modders and developers a good platform on which to base their game. It's still being used today albeit in a heavily modified form in Respawn's multiplayer shooter, Titanfall. So there it is, one of the greatest PC games in history. Here's our original review in full. Half-Life 2 review It was all in that moment when I just sat back and laughed. I couldn t believe it was quite this good. I chuckled in muddled disbelief, expectations utterly defied. My nervous fingers reloaded the level, knowing that I had to see that breathtaking sequence one more time. It was then that I knew for certain: Valve had surpassed not only themselves, but everyone else too. Half-Life 2 is an astounding accomplishment. It is the definitive statement of the last five years of first-person shooters. Everything else was just a stopgap. Half-Life 2 is a near perfect sequel. It takes almost everything that worked from Half-Life and either improves on it, or keeps it much the same. But that simple summation undersells how the Valve team have approached this task. Half-Life 2 is a linear shooter with most of the refinements one would expect from years of work, but it is also a game of a higher order of magnitude than any of the previous pretenders to the throne. The polish and the stratospheric height of the production values mean that Half-Life 2 is a magnificent, dramatic experience that has few peers. It would be madness for me to spoil this game by talking about the specific turn of events, so spoilers are going to be kept to a minimum. We re going to tal...
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