Half-Life 2 Gets Huge Update and is Free For a Limited Time

Half-Life 2 has undergone a major update and is completely free for PC gamers to buy and keep, so long as they act quickly. The new game refresh comes in honor of Half-Life 2‘s twentieth anniversary, which will officially land on November 16.

While many gamers wish that Valve would pick up the threads of its existing game series and carry them into something new, the developer has largely left these fans empty-handed. Half-Life at least saw Half-Life: Alyx release back in 2020, but Valve classics like Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead, and Portal haven’t seen any major game launches in years. However, that doesn’t mean that the classics that cemented Valve’s foothold in the industry have been forgotten by the developer.

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Valve has revealed that in honor of Half-Life 2‘s twentieth anniversary, the game has seen an update which fixes bugs that have been around for ages, restored content and features, added graphics settings and options, and updated the game’s gamepad controls. Additionally, the Episode One and Episode Two expansions are now included with the base game, and players will seamlessly be able to move on to each. The Steam Workshop is also better integrated, allowing users to enable or disable mods without leaving the game. The game now also features three and a half hours of added commentary. Players can pick up Half-Life 2 with all of its improvements and additions for free through November 18 at 10 am PT, after which it’s free to keep.

Valve Shares Massive Half-Life 2 Documentary

In addition to all these improvements to the game itself, the developer is also sharing a new video that chronicles the development and release of Half-Life 2. The two hour documentary talks about everything from the infamous Valve hacking incident to the development of Steam during that period of the company’s history. It’s a fascinating look back at an earlier era of game development, long before Steam was an essential cornerstone of the PC gaming experience.

While fans are happy to see Half-Life 2 getting attention, this has of course only drawn more cries for Half-Life 3 or Episode 3 to finally be announced. The game series has been largely left on a cliffhanger moment for decades now, with Half-Life: Alyx being a prequel that takes place betwen the two mainline entry games. Unfortunately, Valve doesn’t seem to have anything new to add to the conversation with regards to a “3” coming from the company, especially with Valve’s new game Deadlock being a bit part of the developer’s focus right now.

1998. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve’s debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named “Best PC Game Ever” by PC Gamer, and launches a franchise with more than eight million retail units sold worldwide.

NOW. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player’s presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies.

The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.

Franchise

Half-Life

Released

November 16, 2004

Engine

source, havok

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence

How Long To Beat

13 Hours

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