Valve’s seminal shooter Half-Life 2 is now twenty years outdated and to rejoice, the corporate has launched a brand new documentary alongside an enormous replace to the sport itself.
Half-Life 2 launched on November 16, 2004. Now, 20 years later, Valve has up to date the landmark first-person shooter and added new options, fastened outdated bugs, improved some visuals, added extra choices, and built-in the Steam Workshop into the traditional sport. And if you happen to one way or the other don’t personal Half-Life 2, nicely, it’s free to seize over the weekend.
Maybe the largest new addition to the 2004 shooter as a part of this replace is that Misplaced Coast (a small free side-game), Episode 1, and Episode 2 at the moment are included as a part of the complete Half-Life 2 package deal, so you’ll be able to play all of those video games inside Half-Life 2.
Talking of Misplaced Coast, ever since Valve launched that small expertise it has included developer commentary in its video games. Nevertheless, Half-Life 2 lacked this function, and that’s now been rectified with this replace. Valve received the ol’ gang again collectively and recorded practically 4 hours of commentary for the FPS. Additionally they did a giant documentary about Half-Life 2 and spilled the beans on Episode 3’s growth and cancellation, too.
One other massive function included on this replace, alongside improved gamepad controls and auto-aim, is the inclusion of Steam Workshop assist. This may make it simpler than ever so as to add new ranges, weapons, and mods to the extraordinarily moddable PC sport. There’s principally 20 years’ price of mods on the market that may now be migrated to the Workshop and made simpler than ever to entry.
Valve additionally up to date a ton of smaller elements of Half-Life 2, together with fixing outdated bugs, including new graphical choices for blood splatter, tweaking HDR settings, and extra. Fortunately, if you happen to don’t like these adjustments or have a mod that depends on the outdated model, Valve isn’t eradicating the OG HL2 from Steam. You possibly can nonetheless obtain it and revel in all of your mods and outdated reminiscences.
And better of all, Valve has made Half-Life 2 (which now contains all of the Episodes) completely free for the following three days. You’ve got till November 18 to seize Half-Life 2 on Steam for $0 and you must. It’s top-of-the-line video games ever made, and the mods alone will hold you busy for the following 20 years.
If this appears acquainted, that’s as a result of again in November 2023, Valve did the same massive Anniversary replace for the unique Half-Life to rejoice 25 years of the franchise. Subsequent up, Portal got here out in 2007. I hope Valve has some enjoyable deliberate for that anniversary, too!
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