Half-Life 2 Episode One Ready to Go

Ready your gravity gun for another adventure with Gordon & Co. Details beyond Episodes One inside too.

There's a move in some circles away from boxed games with a self-contained stories. One of the companies backing the new is Valve, creator of the highly popular Half-Life series. The company is at last putting to bed the long-awaited first episode in a trilogy of add-ons that will give Half-Life 2 fans exactly what they want: more.

The first instalment in the new trilogy, Half-Life 2: Episode One, sees lead character Gordon Freeman back in City 17. He and Alyx are reunited in a new story that delves into the human resistance movement against the invading Combine alien presence.

At around 4-6 hours of playing time, Half-Life 2: Episode One could be just the thing for gamers finding themselves increasingly pressed for time. It's an added bonus that you won't need to have a copy of Half-Life 2 to play the episodic content.

Going from self-contained to episodic content is something that will benefit gamers, says Valve's Gabe Newell, especially in these times where technology is progressing so fast.

"Given the rapid changes in PC gaming, we expect episodic games will have the same impact on singleplayer gaming that Counter-Strike had on multiplayer," said Newell.

"The frequent releases of upgraded technology and new content works better for both consumers and developers, and is one of the key reasons Counter-Strike grew to be 80% of the online action market. We decided that a follow-up to Half-Life 2 delivered in 18 months with our first episode was more in tune with what our customers want than waiting 6 years for another monolithic product."

Valve will be releasing the game through its online-delivery service, Steam, and in stores on 1 June. Episode One also contains a preview of Episode Two, which is due before the end of the year. The trilogy should wrap up next year.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games