Half-Life 3 is the big one, the gaming culture equivalent of a mythical beast. But I suspect, given the choice, a lot of Valve fans would prefer a new Portal game rather than the return of Gordon Freeman. 13 years since the release of Portal 2, and two years since Aperture Desk Job, and it feels like the world of GLaDOS, Cave Johnson, and Atlas and P-Body is further away than ever. Or maybe not. The new Counter-Strike 2 map, a revival of CSGO classic Train, hides a seriously welcome little secret. It’s unclear if this means anything, but as Half-Life 2 nears its 20th anniversary, it’s good to know that Valve still remembers Portal exists.
After weeks of speculation, Train has finally arrived for Counter-Strike 2, returning the fan-favorite map to the FPS game alongside some tweaks to Overpass. The CS2 version of Train is different from its predecessor. The weather has been changed – Train is now overcast, gloomy, and damp with rain – and a few key areas, like the parallel corridors near the Pop Dog graffiti, have been overhauled.
Historically, Train benefitted the Counter-Terrorist team, since the bomb sites are close to one another, and easier to move between depending on where the Terrorists are attacking. The new layout might redress the balance.
But that’s not all that’s new. Hidden on one of the walls in Counter-Strike 2’s take on Train, you can find a bar graph. As discovered by stalwart Valve sleuth ‘GabeFollower,’ the graph makes mention of Aperture Labs.
Half-Life 2 has been getting updates ahead of its 20th anniversary. The Half-Life 3 teases and theories have reached a groundswell recently. It’d be foolish to think this signals anything concrete about a possible Portal 3, but maybe it means Counter-Strike 2, Portal, and Half-Life all take place in some kind of shared world. Maybe the next Valve single-player game will let you use the portal gun to kill headcrabs on Dust, while G-Man and Bill trade Artifact cards with Demoman and Rubick.
Until that happens, check out the other best free Steam games apart from Counter-Strike 2, or maybe the best multiplayer games available on PC today.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.