Yeah, Valve has totally thrown away work later than at this stage before. They'll do it again. Of course it's great to hear they are doing cool stuff but no hype until an official announcement I...
Yeah, Valve has totally thrown away work later than at this stage before. They'll do it again.
Of course it's great to hear they are doing cool stuff but no hype until an official announcement I agree!
All the rumor mills have been turning lately, it's pretty wild. There's allegedly a TES IV remake soon, with resurging rumors, but nothing has surfaced since a now-largely unmet Microsoft timeline...
All the rumor mills have been turning lately, it's pretty wild. There's allegedly a TES IV remake soon, with resurging rumors, but nothing has surfaced since a now-largely unmet Microsoft timeline thst came out late 2023, for example.
If there's a game that can't possibly meet expectations, it's Half Life 3. But there again, if there's a studio that could pull it off, it's probably Valve.
If there's a game that can't possibly meet expectations, it's Half Life 3. But there again, if there's a studio that could pull it off, it's probably Valve.
Alyx is a very notable milestone in gaming. It doesn’t meet HL3’s expectations (which would be truly impossible), but I’d be content with something of that caliber.
Alyx is a very notable milestone in gaming. It doesn’t meet HL3’s expectations (which would be truly impossible), but I’d be content with something of that caliber.
Alyx was, to me, absolutely incredible. I basically bought an Oculus Rift S and upgraded to a 2080ti (could have picked a better card in hindsight but I don’t regret it) just for Alyx.
Alyx was, to me, absolutely incredible. I basically bought an Oculus Rift S and upgraded to a 2080ti (could have picked a better card in hindsight but I don’t regret it) just for Alyx.
I just have to say my favorite moment of the game is when it forces you to crawl. I think there was a portion where I couldn't possibly imagine how I was going to progress - until I realized I...
I just have to say my favorite moment of the game is when it forces you to crawl. I think there was a portion where I couldn't possibly imagine how I was going to progress - until I realized I wasn't limited to normal game logic and got on the floor.
But the main reason I love it is everything with the interface is so damn polished. It's just so much fun to walk around looting. Looting in Alyx is more fun than any part of most other games. I look forward to a future with Alyx-style looting in a survival game like The Long Dark.
My favorite moment in Alyx is when I was looting in the level where you want to avoid the big monster who can't see but can hear you. When I opened a drawer, a vodka bottle slid out and started...
My favorite moment in Alyx is when I was looting in the level where you want to avoid the big monster who can't see but can hear you. When I opened a drawer, a vodka bottle slid out and started falling. Thanks to the VR camera, VR controls, and the tension caused by the monster, my brain activated in the same way it does when I need to grab an item falling in the kitchen in real life, and I instinctively grabbed the vodka bottle midair. That was the single most immersive moment I've ever seen in any video game.
Have you heard of Into The Radius? It’s a VR game that is more or less STALKER, but with the interactivity that the medium provides. I found it to be a nice follow up to Alyx.
Have you heard of Into The Radius? It’s a VR game that is more or less STALKER, but with the interactivity that the medium provides. I found it to be a nice follow up to Alyx.
Honestly I think Valve can pull it off. As long as they don't overcomplicate things, and nail the minimum expectations, it'll be a hit. Minimum expectations, should be easily achievable or...
Honestly I think Valve can pull it off. As long as they don't overcomplicate things, and nail the minimum expectations, it'll be a hit.
Minimum expectations, should be easily achievable or basically already done via engine:
Source 2 or newer engine
Same great graphics, with an overhaul for 2024 standards. Honestly their tech was before it's time, updates here could be minimal and it'd still work
Same great physics engine, updated to 2024 standards. Same addendum as above.
Gravity gun
Same great gunplay, touched up
Same basic gameplay. Good level design, with mix of vehicles, puzzles, and gunplay
Great control scheme, broad compatibility for PC / Linux / Console if applicable
Continues the main story in a way that makes sense
Bring back all the old classics. Antlions, airboats, gman, whatever else. It should feel nostalgic and new at the same time.
Same voice actors, if possible
Awesome trailers and release marketing. Hit the nostalgia notes.
Realistic stretch goals they'll do to make it stand out:
Multiplayer mode without gameplay altering MTX. Cosmetics galore, go nuts. Not required, but multiplayer can be fun.
Some sort of new physics-gun like tool. I can't conceive of what. Maybe something to spawn and build things, i.e. Gmod? Some new suit-based upgrade system?
Some sort of new gameplay mechanic that doesn't detract from the original gameplay, but adds on and compliments it. Maybe a "home base" system, or RPG mechanics done in a tasteful way (for SP). Even more advanced physics things? Fluid dynamics?
Fun new vehicles. Drones?
Open world? Not at all necessary, but maybe. If it's not done right, it could ruin the experience. Halo 3 ODST is a great example of an "open world" game that weaves in linear levels in way that makes sense and is fun.
Easter eggs / dev commentary, perhaps as an update
I just want you to know that as someone with the minimum experience coding professionally starting that list with "should be easily achievable" instinctively spiked my blood pressure. This is of...
Minimum expectations, should be easily achievable or basically already done via engine:
Source 2 or newer engine
Same great graphics, with an overhaul for 2024 standards. Honestly their tech was before it's time, updates here could be minimal and it'd still work
Same great physics engine, updated to 2024 standards. Same addendum as above.
Gravity gun
Same great gunplay, touched up
Same basic gameplay. Good level design, with mix of vehicles, puzzles, and gunplay
Great control scheme, broad compatibility for PC / Linux / Console if applicable
Continues the main story in a way that makes sense
Bring back all the old classics. Antlions, airboats, gman, whatever else. It should feel nostalgic and new at the same time.
Same voice actors, if possible
Awesome trailers and release marketing. Hit the nostalgia notes.
Realistic stretch goals they'll do to make it stand out:
Multiplayer mode without gameplay altering MTX. Cosmetics galore, go nuts. Not required, but multiplayer can be fun.
Some sort of new physics-gun like tool. I can't conceive of what. Maybe something to spawn and build things, i.e. Gmod? Some new suit-based upgrade system?
Some sort of new gameplay mechanic that doesn't detract from the original gameplay, but adds on and compliments it. Maybe a "home base" system, or RPG mechanics done in a tasteful way (for SP). Even more advanced physics things? Fluid dynamics?
Fun new vehicles. Drones?
Open world? Not at all necessary, but maybe. If it's not done right, it could ruin the experience. Halo 3 ODST is a great example of an "open world" game that weaves in linear levels in way that makes sense and is fun.
Easter eggs / dev commentary, perhaps as an update
I just want you to know that as someone with the minimum experience coding professionally starting that list with "should be easily achievable" instinctively spiked my blood pressure.
This is of course mostly a joke but I think people overestimate what even the "easy" part of stuff like this is.
They call it "Valve Time" for a reason though. Steam is their one big game that sells games, and software they do on the side is a loss leader. They do have the leeway to work on some of those...
They call it "Valve Time" for a reason though. Steam is their one big game that sells games, and software they do on the side is a loss leader. They do have the leeway to work on some of those boundary pushing programs, but it's entirely possible to sit in limbo for a time if the enthusiasm fades.
I think a game that met those requirements and nothing else would be pretty disappointing for most people honestly. If we were talking about Call of Duty or Battlefield, sure. People would be...
I think a game that met those requirements and nothing else would be pretty disappointing for most people honestly.
If we were talking about Call of Duty or Battlefield, sure. People would be happy with a more polished, more expensive, better looking version of the previous game that pushed the story forward.
This is Half-Life we're taking about though. Both games weren't just innovative when they released, they absolutely defined the FPS genre and dramatically changed it.
Half Life was the first FPS that really made you feel like you were in a living setting. The whole "walk around like normal and get flavor for a little bit then something crazy happens" that is the standard way to do a FPS for the past 25 years was invented by Half Life. The in engine storytelling, the weapons, the characters and setting are all things that had never been done in the genre before.
I remember the first time I played it when it released being so blown away, they did things I'd never even considered possible in a videogame before.
Half Life 2 had a similar impact with its physics based gameplay which was absolutely insane at the time and unheard of. The storytelling methods pushed the genre forward even further.
Unless the culture at Valve has significantly changed, I don't see them releasing a bog standard sequel with more of the same. If they really are planning to release half life 3, I'd expect it to be dramatically different than HL2 or any other game they've released.
I'd expect the setting to be different, the gameplay to be different, and for there to be a significantly interesting technical leap forward in gaming that no one had really considered doing.
A standard, predictable sequel where you're fighting the combine around city 17 with a gravity gun would be a really big letdown for me unfortunately.
I remember watching some documentary or interview with people working at Valve, and they were saying that every time they released a big, influential game they were first and foremost interested...
I remember watching some documentary or interview with people working at Valve, and they were saying that every time they released a big, influential game they were first and foremost interested in innovating the medium somehow.
I’m not arguing that all of their games are innovative, but they do have a track record of delivering such experiences several times. So the list you have provided might not be motivating enough for them to release HL3 with the features/improvements you described.
I was just thinking about that documentary the other day, I'd like to revisit it. I sort of hope it's this 100+ minute NoClip docu, but at the same time I hope I can find it within the chapters...
I was just thinking about that documentary the other day, I'd like to revisit it. I sort of hope it's this 100+ minute NoClip docu, but at the same time I hope I can find it within the chapters faster than that.
I think your expectaions show a significant misunderstanding of how Valve approaches their games, or at least how they claim they do. The reason why they never made Episode 3 was because they felt...
I think your expectaions show a significant misunderstanding of how Valve approaches their games, or at least how they claim they do.
The reason why they never made Episode 3 was because they felt that most of the (non-general, like gravity gun, physics puzzles, the boat, antlions...) things you mention, which were new for HL2 and further refined for EP1 and EP2, were already done as well as possible and there's nothing new and interesting they could squeeze out of them. This information comes iirc from the documentary about HL that came out some time ago. Gabe also explicitly said years ago that if they're ever going to do HL3, it's going to be when they find enough gameplay and technological innovation so that it truly is a new game, and that such innovation is not going to be VR.
I'm hoping that HL3 is going to be as different from HL2 as HL2 was from HL1 and I would bet that Valve, if the rumors of HL3 being in development are even correct, is trying to make that happen.
I’d love it if they brought the portal gun into the half life world. Being able to use the portal gun in an fps story setting rather than the Aperture Science laboratory setting would be pretty...
Some sort of new physics-gun like tool. I can't conceive of what. Maybe something to spawn and build things, i.e. Gmod? Some new suit-based upgrade system?
I’d love it if they brought the portal gun into the half life world. Being able to use the portal gun in an fps story setting rather than the Aperture Science laboratory setting would be pretty interesting and could open up a bunch of cool combat mechanics.
My immediate reaction was just that…there’s no way they could actually live up to 20+ years of hype. I hope it isn’t another Duke Nuke ‘Em Forever situation.
My immediate reaction was just that…there’s no way they could actually live up to 20+ years of hype. I hope it isn’t another Duke Nuke ‘Em Forever situation.
I don't think there's really any hype. There's just a tired meme about HL2: Episode 3 never continuing a dumb cliffhanger, which morphed into jokes about HL3 (which was never even announced in any...
I don't think there's really any hype. There's just a tired meme about HL2: Episode 3 never continuing a dumb cliffhanger, which morphed into jokes about HL3 (which was never even announced in any form) not existing, because it had been so long people started assuming it would be a standalone game by that point.
The expectation is nothing, and anything existing would be surpassing that expectation. They could put together an Episode 3 on the same old Source engine right now and it would still be better than a twenty year middle finger.
Duke Nukem Forever was crap because Randy Pitchford et al did not care about the franchise too much and just wanted to finally push it out the door and be done with it. I think Valve is going to...
I hope it isn’t another Duke Nuke ‘Em Forever situation.
Duke Nukem Forever was crap because Randy Pitchford et al did not care about the franchise too much and just wanted to finally push it out the door and be done with it. I think Valve is going to just not release anything rather than do that, that's what they always did and they can probably afford it easier than in the past.
I think a lot of the difference also is that Duke Nukem Forever was hyped to hell by the devs who gave multiple sneak peaks, interviews, and published marketing over the years. 3d Realms announced...
I think a lot of the difference also is that Duke Nukem Forever was hyped to hell by the devs who gave multiple sneak peaks, interviews, and published marketing over the years. 3d Realms announced it and constantly said that it was coming.
HL3 was never even announced. It was something that people on the Internet just decided was happening. Valve never made any indications that they were interested in making another full half life game, especially after episode 3 was cancelled.
People just made up that HL3 was coming, so the jokes about waiting for HL3 never really made sense. Valve never even announced it (and they still haven't).
I would disagree with that. Half life is such a cornerstone of gaming, an announcement of the long memed Half Life 3 would be chaos. The hype over GTA VI already happened with its reveal. And I...
I would disagree with that. Half life is such a cornerstone of gaming, an announcement of the long memed Half Life 3 would be chaos. The hype over GTA VI already happened with its reveal. And I doubt GTA VI will be as big as V was.
While I think the pure hype of the older generation would certainly spread, I agree that you're likely overrating the audience that cares for HL vs the audience that cares for GTA VI. HL and HL2...
While I think the pure hype of the older generation would certainly spread, I agree that you're likely overrating the audience that cares for HL vs the audience that cares for GTA VI.
HL and HL2 hit just right and were huge cornerstones because of how they changed the field, literally setting the standard for the future. A big argument as to why 3 wasn't made (nor ep 3) was they really weren't sure what else they could do. Alyx was made because, once again, they set the standard for VR, and we also saw that while it was astonishing, it didn't exactly finally launch VR into every day life.
If HL3 was just another half life with some great mechanics and the lore many have been craving, it wold do fine, but it absolutely would pale in comparison to GTA VI. Maybe they can once again pull a rabbit out of their hat and do something that is another milestone, but I'm really not sure how.
Hell, personally, I'm excited just to see if they can stick the landing on the story. The spoiled HL3 ending was actually great (it's so so hard to do these stories right) but I've no idea if HL3 can actually pull any of that off, would now that it's spoiled, or won't just end in yet another cliffhanger.
Do Zoomers and Alphas care? I have two nephews and a niece that are firmly alpha (12-15) and if you said Half-Life to them, they'd likely give you a blank stare. Zoomers might have some knowledge...
Do Zoomers and Alphas care? I have two nephews and a niece that are firmly alpha (12-15) and if you said Half-Life to them, they'd likely give you a blank stare.
Zoomers might have some knowledge of it, given that a few of them were very tiny children when 2 came out, but again, do they actually care? Are they not all wrapped up in Fortnite and Helldivers or whatever else is currently popular?
Not slagging on them, but Half-Life hit the scene when I was 14-15, it's firmly a Millennial, possibly even and Elder Millennial thing and things for our age are falling out of favor.
No idea whether it matters, but: A significant portion of Gen Z is indirectly familiar with Half-Life stuff via exposure to TF2, Garry's Mod, and SFM videos. A significant portion of Gen Alpha is...
No idea whether it matters, but:
A significant portion of Gen Z is indirectly familiar with Half-Life stuff via exposure to TF2, Garry's Mod, and SFM videos.
A significant portion of Gen Alpha is very indirectly familiar with Half-Life stuff via exposure to Skibidi Toilet.
I guess basically what I'm saying is that Half-Life 2 has cast a rather long shadow over Internet culture, mainly due to Garry's Mod and SFM.
I mean, I'm what you'd probably call a "zoomer", and Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games. I have friends who have played and enjoyed the game as well. I don't know anybody personally who plays...
I mean, I'm what you'd probably call a "zoomer", and Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games. I have friends who have played and enjoyed the game as well. I don't know anybody personally who plays either Fortnite or Helldivers (and I'm hardly familiar with them at all, myself). So, it doesn't necessarily disprove your point, but just keep in mind demographics are very broad, and trying to generalize across an entire generation is probably not going to be accurate.
Yeah, I think the people here are using "zoomer" to exclusively refer to "teenagers", even though the oldest zoomers ("zillennials" like me) are almost 30 and were totally in the right age bracket...
Yeah, I think the people here are using "zoomer" to exclusively refer to "teenagers", even though the oldest zoomers ("zillennials" like me) are almost 30 and were totally in the right age bracket to play HL2 when it came out (though I'm more of a puzzle gamer, so I got into Portal instead). I don't expect zoomers who are still teenagers to have much connection to Halflife besides through Skibidi toilet, but it's not that strange for zoomers in their 20s to have played or at least heard of the Halflife series, especially given its reputation. It's kind of silly to generalize across gen Z with respect to the series when some of us were tweens when HL2 came out while other members of gen Z weren't born until more than half a decade later.
I was a teenager not very long ago, and Half-Life wasn't particularly unknown within my social circles... I think the age range for stuff like Skibidi Toilet is more what they're calling...
I was a teenager not very long ago, and Half-Life wasn't particularly unknown within my social circles... I think the age range for stuff like Skibidi Toilet is more what they're calling Generation Alpha - so, younger children. I'd say for people around my age, if they didn't know about Half-Life specifically, they were probably exposed to it through Garry's Mod, or just from the general influence Half-Life 2 has had on internet/meme culture over the years. I don't think most teenagers today would be caught dead watching Skibidi Toilet; "cringe" content like that is looked down upon.
Yeah, that's a fair assessment - I don't have any young teens in my life right now, so I didn't want to overstate how close they were to me culturally. And ofc generations are an extremely flawed...
Yeah, that's a fair assessment - I don't have any young teens in my life right now, so I didn't want to overstate how close they were to me culturally. And ofc generations are an extremely flawed concept when you get close to their boundaries anyway, even more so combined with age differences mattering more the younger you are -- there's gonna be a huge difference between a 17-year-old's and a 13-year-old's interests even if they're both technically zoomers, after all.
This is a really depressing take because I hate Fortnite with a passion, and find most online games worthless in terms of what I get out of video games.
This is a really depressing take because I hate Fortnite with a passion, and find most online games worthless in terms of what I get out of video games.
I was into my multiplayer when I was a younger person, like maybe from 96 until about 2015, but now it sounds like absolute anathema to me. Even co-op turns me off completely.
I was into my multiplayer when I was a younger person, like maybe from 96 until about 2015, but now it sounds like absolute anathema to me. Even co-op turns me off completely.
I am fine with Co-op games, I enjoy playing with friends, I just can't stand the toxic online community that exists in every single game. I have way more fun playing alone or with a small group of...
I am fine with Co-op games, I enjoy playing with friends, I just can't stand the toxic online community that exists in every single game. I have way more fun playing alone or with a small group of friends non competitively
Alyx might have got some younger people interested if they are into tech, it's an amazing game/experience. The fact that it is for VR probably didn't help its exposure, though.
Alyx might have got some younger people interested if they are into tech, it's an amazing game/experience. The fact that it is for VR probably didn't help its exposure, though.
Maybe so, but it requires not only an expensive VR set, but a good quality gaming computer to connect it to and the space to use it. Think we're hitting niche here.
Maybe so, but it requires not only an expensive VR set, but a good quality gaming computer to connect it to and the space to use it. Think we're hitting niche here.
I can see VR blowing up over the next decade personally. Steam is synonymous with PC gaming, so lots of young people are certainly aware of Valve. There have also been many memes over the years...
I can see VR blowing up over the next decade personally. Steam is synonymous with PC gaming, so lots of young people are certainly aware of Valve. There have also been many memes over the years for HL3 that would make people aware of it, even if they hadn't played the first games.
Most importantly, that skibidi toilet nonsense is made in Gary's mod.. therefore half life 3 confirmed!
I believe this to be completely unlikely in terms of VR. VR is just too much of an imposition, even for dedicated gamers. My buddy has a headset collecting dust. I have one and I could count on...
I believe this to be completely unlikely in terms of VR. VR is just too much of an imposition, even for dedicated gamers.
My buddy has a headset collecting dust. I have one and I could count on both hands how many times I've used it this year; I would much rather fire up something my Deck or laptop than drag out my Oculus and jump around. That's the last thing I want to do when I finally have a minute to play some video games.
The thing is, why would they care? My parents explained plenty of things to me as a child of cultural relevance to them. I get it, but I also don't care about Bonanza or whatever from their...
The thing is, why would they care?
My parents explained plenty of things to me as a child of cultural relevance to them. I get it, but I also don't care about Bonanza or whatever from their childhood.
My own kids don't really care about the provenance of their video games and they have unfettered access to my 800 strong Steam Library.
I'm getting real duke nukem forever vibes here. They're in quite a bind with this. I don't see any out for them that's positive. Just keep teasing it forever.
I'm getting real duke nukem forever vibes here. They're in quite a bind with this. I don't see any out for them that's positive. Just keep teasing it forever.
I'll believe it when there's an official announcement. I've been burned by HL3 rumors enough times already
Yeah, Valve has totally thrown away work later than at this stage before. They'll do it again.
Of course it's great to hear they are doing cool stuff but no hype until an official announcement I agree!
All the rumor mills have been turning lately, it's pretty wild. There's allegedly a TES IV remake soon, with resurging rumors, but nothing has surfaced since a now-largely unmet Microsoft timeline thst came out late 2023, for example.
If there's a game that can't possibly meet expectations, it's Half Life 3. But there again, if there's a studio that could pull it off, it's probably Valve.
Alyx is a very notable milestone in gaming. It doesn’t meet HL3’s expectations (which would be truly impossible), but I’d be content with something of that caliber.
Alyx was, to me, absolutely incredible. I basically bought an Oculus Rift S and upgraded to a 2080ti (could have picked a better card in hindsight but I don’t regret it) just for Alyx.
I just have to say my favorite moment of the game is when it forces you to crawl. I think there was a portion where I couldn't possibly imagine how I was going to progress - until I realized I wasn't limited to normal game logic and got on the floor.
But the main reason I love it is everything with the interface is so damn polished. It's just so much fun to walk around looting. Looting in Alyx is more fun than any part of most other games. I look forward to a future with Alyx-style looting in a survival game like The Long Dark.
My favorite moment in Alyx is when I was looting in the level where you want to avoid the big monster who can't see but can hear you. When I opened a drawer, a vodka bottle slid out and started falling. Thanks to the VR camera, VR controls, and the tension caused by the monster, my brain activated in the same way it does when I need to grab an item falling in the kitchen in real life, and I instinctively grabbed the vodka bottle midair. That was the single most immersive moment I've ever seen in any video game.
Have you heard of Into The Radius? It’s a VR game that is more or less STALKER, but with the interactivity that the medium provides. I found it to be a nice follow up to Alyx.
Honestly I think Valve can pull it off. As long as they don't overcomplicate things, and nail the minimum expectations, it'll be a hit.
Minimum expectations, should be easily achievable or basically already done via engine:
Realistic stretch goals they'll do to make it stand out:
I just want you to know that as someone with the minimum experience coding professionally starting that list with "should be easily achievable" instinctively spiked my blood pressure.
This is of course mostly a joke but I think people overestimate what even the "easy" part of stuff like this is.
Lol I work in software too. Easily achievable for a company like Valve is the unspoken addendum there
They call it "Valve Time" for a reason though. Steam is their one big game that sells games, and software they do on the side is a loss leader. They do have the leeway to work on some of those boundary pushing programs, but it's entirely possible to sit in limbo for a time if the enthusiasm fades.
I think a game that met those requirements and nothing else would be pretty disappointing for most people honestly.
If we were talking about Call of Duty or Battlefield, sure. People would be happy with a more polished, more expensive, better looking version of the previous game that pushed the story forward.
This is Half-Life we're taking about though. Both games weren't just innovative when they released, they absolutely defined the FPS genre and dramatically changed it.
Half Life was the first FPS that really made you feel like you were in a living setting. The whole "walk around like normal and get flavor for a little bit then something crazy happens" that is the standard way to do a FPS for the past 25 years was invented by Half Life. The in engine storytelling, the weapons, the characters and setting are all things that had never been done in the genre before.
I remember the first time I played it when it released being so blown away, they did things I'd never even considered possible in a videogame before.
Half Life 2 had a similar impact with its physics based gameplay which was absolutely insane at the time and unheard of. The storytelling methods pushed the genre forward even further.
Unless the culture at Valve has significantly changed, I don't see them releasing a bog standard sequel with more of the same. If they really are planning to release half life 3, I'd expect it to be dramatically different than HL2 or any other game they've released.
I'd expect the setting to be different, the gameplay to be different, and for there to be a significantly interesting technical leap forward in gaming that no one had really considered doing.
A standard, predictable sequel where you're fighting the combine around city 17 with a gravity gun would be a really big letdown for me unfortunately.
I remember watching some documentary or interview with people working at Valve, and they were saying that every time they released a big, influential game they were first and foremost interested in innovating the medium somehow.
I’m not arguing that all of their games are innovative, but they do have a track record of delivering such experiences several times. So the list you have provided might not be motivating enough for them to release HL3 with the features/improvements you described.
I was just thinking about that documentary the other day, I'd like to revisit it. I sort of hope it's this 100+ minute NoClip docu, but at the same time I hope I can find it within the chapters faster than that.
I think your expectaions show a significant misunderstanding of how Valve approaches their games, or at least how they claim they do.
The reason why they never made Episode 3 was because they felt that most of the (non-general, like gravity gun, physics puzzles, the boat, antlions...) things you mention, which were new for HL2 and further refined for EP1 and EP2, were already done as well as possible and there's nothing new and interesting they could squeeze out of them. This information comes iirc from the documentary about HL that came out some time ago. Gabe also explicitly said years ago that if they're ever going to do HL3, it's going to be when they find enough gameplay and technological innovation so that it truly is a new game, and that such innovation is not going to be VR.
I'm hoping that HL3 is going to be as different from HL2 as HL2 was from HL1 and I would bet that Valve, if the rumors of HL3 being in development are even correct, is trying to make that happen.
I’d love it if they brought the portal gun into the half life world. Being able to use the portal gun in an fps story setting rather than the Aperture Science laboratory setting would be pretty interesting and could open up a bunch of cool combat mechanics.
Wasn't there a pvp shooter that had portals? I only saw video of it, but it looked wild.
Splitgate
There's also a sequel coming out soon.
My immediate reaction was just that…there’s no way they could actually live up to 20+ years of hype. I hope it isn’t another Duke Nuke ‘Em Forever situation.
I don't think there's really any hype. There's just a tired meme about HL2: Episode 3 never continuing a dumb cliffhanger, which morphed into jokes about HL3 (which was never even announced in any form) not existing, because it had been so long people started assuming it would be a standalone game by that point.
The expectation is nothing, and anything existing would be surpassing that expectation. They could put together an Episode 3 on the same old Source engine right now and it would still be better than a twenty year middle finger.
And hey, Baldur's Gate came back in a huge way...
I kinda agree about there being no hype. People will be more hyped about it being a new Valve game than they will be about it being HL3.
Yeah, it's been so long since HL2 that HL3 isn't even the game people make "it'll never come out" jokes about anymore (that's Silksong now)
Duke Nukem Forever was crap because Randy Pitchford et al did not care about the franchise too much and just wanted to finally push it out the door and be done with it. I think Valve is going to just not release anything rather than do that, that's what they always did and they can probably afford it easier than in the past.
I think a lot of the difference also is that Duke Nukem Forever was hyped to hell by the devs who gave multiple sneak peaks, interviews, and published marketing over the years. 3d Realms announced it and constantly said that it was coming.
HL3 was never even announced. It was something that people on the Internet just decided was happening. Valve never made any indications that they were interested in making another full half life game, especially after episode 3 was cancelled.
People just made up that HL3 was coming, so the jokes about waiting for HL3 never really made sense. Valve never even announced it (and they still haven't).
archive: https://archive.ph/GMSGp
upd: now we can wait for news about Silksong..
It's possible now that we get two Half-Life games released between Silksong's announcement and release.
I guess it's time to finish Chapter one and two...?
Revealing anything in 2025 would be overshadowed by GTA VI
I would disagree with that. Half life is such a cornerstone of gaming, an announcement of the long memed Half Life 3 would be chaos. The hype over GTA VI already happened with its reveal. And I doubt GTA VI will be as big as V was.
While I think the pure hype of the older generation would certainly spread, I agree that you're likely overrating the audience that cares for HL vs the audience that cares for GTA VI.
HL and HL2 hit just right and were huge cornerstones because of how they changed the field, literally setting the standard for the future. A big argument as to why 3 wasn't made (nor ep 3) was they really weren't sure what else they could do. Alyx was made because, once again, they set the standard for VR, and we also saw that while it was astonishing, it didn't exactly finally launch VR into every day life.
If HL3 was just another half life with some great mechanics and the lore many have been craving, it wold do fine, but it absolutely would pale in comparison to GTA VI. Maybe they can once again pull a rabbit out of their hat and do something that is another milestone, but I'm really not sure how.
Hell, personally, I'm excited just to see if they can stick the landing on the story. The spoiled HL3 ending was actually great (it's so so hard to do these stories right) but I've no idea if HL3 can actually pull any of that off, would now that it's spoiled, or won't just end in yet another cliffhanger.
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if most gamers today have never even played a half-life game, and a good portion of them may not have even heard of it.
Do Zoomers and Alphas care? I have two nephews and a niece that are firmly alpha (12-15) and if you said Half-Life to them, they'd likely give you a blank stare.
Zoomers might have some knowledge of it, given that a few of them were very tiny children when 2 came out, but again, do they actually care? Are they not all wrapped up in Fortnite and Helldivers or whatever else is currently popular?
Not slagging on them, but Half-Life hit the scene when I was 14-15, it's firmly a Millennial, possibly even and Elder Millennial thing and things for our age are falling out of favor.
No idea whether it matters, but:
I guess basically what I'm saying is that Half-Life 2 has cast a rather long shadow over Internet culture, mainly due to Garry's Mod and SFM.
"Half Life? You mean G-Man from Skibidi toilet?"
I mean, I'm what you'd probably call a "zoomer", and Half-Life 2 is one of my favorite games. I have friends who have played and enjoyed the game as well. I don't know anybody personally who plays either Fortnite or Helldivers (and I'm hardly familiar with them at all, myself). So, it doesn't necessarily disprove your point, but just keep in mind demographics are very broad, and trying to generalize across an entire generation is probably not going to be accurate.
Yeah, I think the people here are using "zoomer" to exclusively refer to "teenagers", even though the oldest zoomers ("zillennials" like me) are almost 30 and were totally in the right age bracket to play HL2 when it came out (though I'm more of a puzzle gamer, so I got into Portal instead). I don't expect zoomers who are still teenagers to have much connection to Halflife besides through Skibidi toilet, but it's not that strange for zoomers in their 20s to have played or at least heard of the Halflife series, especially given its reputation. It's kind of silly to generalize across gen Z with respect to the series when some of us were tweens when HL2 came out while other members of gen Z weren't born until more than half a decade later.
I was a teenager not very long ago, and Half-Life wasn't particularly unknown within my social circles... I think the age range for stuff like Skibidi Toilet is more what they're calling Generation Alpha - so, younger children. I'd say for people around my age, if they didn't know about Half-Life specifically, they were probably exposed to it through Garry's Mod, or just from the general influence Half-Life 2 has had on internet/meme culture over the years. I don't think most teenagers today would be caught dead watching Skibidi Toilet; "cringe" content like that is looked down upon.
Yeah, that's a fair assessment - I don't have any young teens in my life right now, so I didn't want to overstate how close they were to me culturally. And ofc generations are an extremely flawed concept when you get close to their boundaries anyway, even more so combined with age differences mattering more the younger you are -- there's gonna be a huge difference between a 17-year-old's and a 13-year-old's interests even if they're both technically zoomers, after all.
This is a really depressing take because I hate Fortnite with a passion, and find most online games worthless in terms of what I get out of video games.
I was into my multiplayer when I was a younger person, like maybe from 96 until about 2015, but now it sounds like absolute anathema to me. Even co-op turns me off completely.
I am fine with Co-op games, I enjoy playing with friends, I just can't stand the toxic online community that exists in every single game. I have way more fun playing alone or with a small group of friends non competitively
Alyx might have got some younger people interested if they are into tech, it's an amazing game/experience. The fact that it is for VR probably didn't help its exposure, though.
Maybe so, but it requires not only an expensive VR set, but a good quality gaming computer to connect it to and the space to use it. Think we're hitting niche here.
I can see VR blowing up over the next decade personally. Steam is synonymous with PC gaming, so lots of young people are certainly aware of Valve. There have also been many memes over the years for HL3 that would make people aware of it, even if they hadn't played the first games.
Most importantly, that skibidi toilet nonsense is made in Gary's mod.. therefore half life 3 confirmed!
I believe this to be completely unlikely in terms of VR. VR is just too much of an imposition, even for dedicated gamers.
My buddy has a headset collecting dust. I have one and I could count on both hands how many times I've used it this year; I would much rather fire up something my Deck or laptop than drag out my Oculus and jump around. That's the last thing I want to do when I finally have a minute to play some video games.
I think it would have enough hype to breach every social media that exists and people would explain why its a big deal even to gen alpha kids.
The thing is, why would they care?
My parents explained plenty of things to me as a child of cultural relevance to them. I get it, but I also don't care about Bonanza or whatever from their childhood.
My own kids don't really care about the provenance of their video games and they have unfettered access to my 800 strong Steam Library.
I'm getting real duke nukem forever vibes here. They're in quite a bind with this. I don't see any out for them that's positive. Just keep teasing it forever.
Praying to RNJesus that this isn't strictly VR.