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Tentacle (Half-Life) |
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| Half-Life series | |
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| The Greek letter lambda, a prominent symbol throughout the series | |
| Creator | Valve Corporation |
| Original work | Half-Life (1998) |
Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game series which consists of two full games, two episodic games, and three third-party made expansions, as well as a number of demos featuring exclusive content. The series has been ongoing since 1998. Most games and expansions in the series were developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios, although some expansions were produced by Gearbox Software. Electronic Arts also took over distribution of the games in the series from Sierra from 2005 onwards. The series was initially released for the PC, but console ports of most installments have also been released.
The main protagonist of the Half-Life series is Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist and employee of the Black Mesa Research Facility. Some games feature other controllable characters.
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Half-Life is the first game in the series and follows scientist Gordon Freeman, after he and his team accidentally open a dimensional portal that allows unidentified organic lifeforms to teleport into the Black Mesa facility. Gordon travels through Black Mesa attempting to remedy the situation. Half-Life was released on 19 November 1998.
Half-Life: Uplink is the official demo to Half-Life (although an OEM demo version entitled Half-Life: Day One was released earlier), featuring a small level cut during Half-Life development. It involves sending a signal to allow access to the Lambda complex. Uplink was released on 12 February 1999.
Half-Life: Opposing Force is the first expansion pack for Half-Life, following the role of the U.S. Marine Corporal Adrian Shephard, who is assigned to a cover-up operation at the Black Mesa facility, and has to fight Race X aliens, not seen in Half-Life. It is set during and after the events of Half-Life. Opposing Force was released on 31 October 1999 and produced by Gearbox Studios.
Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second expansion pack, featuring Black Mesa security guard Barney Calhoun, who attempts to escape the alien invasion, at the same time of the original Half-Life. Blue Shift was released on 12 June 2001.
Half-Life: Decay is the third and final expansion for Half-Life. It stars Gordon Freeman's colleagues Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green, and is again set at the same time as Half-Life and its other expansions. Unlike previous releases, Decay was designed to be played in co-op mode with two players, although it is playable in single-player by switching characters. It was released on October 29 2001 as part of the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life.
Originally accessible only in the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life, Half-Life: Decay has now been ported for use on the PC version.
Half-Life 2 is the sequel to Half-Life, set in and around City 17 in the near future. It was released on 16 November 2004.
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is a technology demo to test high dynamic range rendering. It was originally to be part of the "Highway 17" chapter of Half-Life 2, but was dropped.citation needed It was released on 27 October 2005.
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a series of sequels to Half-Life 2, set around City 17 after the events of the original game. It was released on 1 June 2006.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second sequel to Half-Life 2, and sequel to Episode One. It was released on 10 October 2007, bundled with the games Portal and Team Fortress 2 as well as Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One in the package The Orange Box.
Portal is included in The Orange Box with Half-Life 2: Episode Two. A new single-player game, it is set in the Half-Life universe. The player controls a female test subject named Chell as she moves through the laboratories of Black Mesa's primary rival, Aperture Science completing various tests with a device that allows her to create linked portals in physical space, all while she battles GLaDOS, a corrupt artificial intelligence computer that monitors her every move.
Portal: Still Alive is a remake of Portal, and features new levels and achievements, but does not extend the storyline. The game was revealed at E3 2008, and released on October 22, 2008 for the Xbox 360 on Xbox Live Arcade.
Half-Life 2: Episode Three is the third sequel, and sequel to Half-Life 2: Episode Two. There are currently no other details revealed about the game.
Portal 2 is the sequel to Portal. There are currently no other details revealed about the game.
Half-Life Source is a re-release of the original Half-Life, using the Source engine. It is currently available on Steam, or through Half Life 2: Game of the Year Edition. Though the game features effects such as specular lighting and the Havok physics that come with the updated engine, most of the game's texturing and geometry comes from the original game.
A short film based upon Half-Life, titled Half-Life: Uplink, was developed by Cruise Control, a British marketing agency, and released on March 15 1999. However, Sierra withdrew it from circulation, after itself and Valve had failed to resolve licensing issues with Cruise Control over the film. The critical reception of the film was very poor. The film's plot was that of a journalist attempting to infiltrate the Black Mesa Research Facility and discover what has happened there.1234
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