Given that it was such a genre-defining game, Valve had been surprisingly hushed this week despite it being the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2. Consider that silence well and truly broken now, as it has just dropped a two-hour long documentary about the game’s development, released a new update for the game to enhance it even further, and essentially created an entirely new version of Half-Life 2 that is totally free to add to your library – if you’re fast.
One of the best FPS games ever made, Half-Life 2 deserves some fanfare on this milestone birthday. While a lengthy documentary that lifts the lid on its creation would be enough to satiate fans, Valve has gone several steps further. It has now rolled Episode 1 and Episode 2 into the base game of Half-Life 2, so now you’re guaranteed to get the full package. They’re now accessible from the main menu and you’ll automatically begin the next expansion after completing the previous one.
Alongside this, Half-Life 2 now also comes with the option to listen to over three hours of in-game developer commentary. “We got the original HL2 team back together to record brand new commentary tracks for the whole game,” Valve says. In the Extras menu of Half-Life 2, you’ll also now be able to find the Lost Coast level, which was a free tech demo that was released as a separate free download for the game a year or so after it launched. Steam Workshop support has also been added.
The update is not just about bundling together all the Half-Life 2 content there is, but it’s about improving the quality of the game as well. While there are plenty of fan projects looking to modernize Half-Life 2, Valve is eager to still make its version as tight as possible.
The patch notes include plenty of visual improvements, particularly to lighting. A new graphics setting also lets you play with the original game’s “launch day blood and fire effects” or the improved ones that featured in Episode 1 and 2. New models with super high levels of detail can now be enabled in High Quality mode too.
What’s even more amazing is this bigger and better version of Half-Life 2 is totally free to redeem and keep on Steam right now until Monday, November 18. So, if there’s one thing you must remember to do this weekend, it’s to go and add it to your library here.
With insight from the Half-Life 2 development team and various other internal and external people involved in the game’s production (Gabe Newell, included), the 20th anniversary documentary is also going to land right near the top of your weekend plans. Further down the line, a new edition of Raising the Bar – the book that comprehensively detailed the development of Half-Life 2 – will be released that includes information on the development of Episode 1 and 2 as well.
If you want to replay some classics like Half-Life 2 or fill in some gaps from your past, our guides to the best PC games and the best old games are essential reads.
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