Rock Paper Shotgun Half-Life 2: Episode Two Feed

enThu, 06 Apr 2023 13:43:09 +0000Half-Life 2: Episode Two's community-made VR mod arrives on Steam todayhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-episode-twos-community-made-vr-mod-arrives-on-steam-todayKaan SerinThu, 06 Apr 2023 13:43:09 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-episode-twos-community-made-vr-mod-arrives-on-steam-todayModsValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoScience FictionHalf-Life 2ShooterVRSource VR Mod Team

The Source VR Mod Team have been faithfully modding the Half-Life games into virtual reality - an excellent way to relive Valve's classic shooters. The team modded Half-Life 2 last year and followed it up with a mod for Half-Life 2: Episode One a couple of weeks ago. They’re now back with Half-Life 2: VR Mod - Episode Two, coming to Steam later today.

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What's the worst thing you've done for an achievement?https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/whats-the-worst-thing-youve-done-for-an-achievementKatharine CastleWed, 15 Mar 2023 12:30:00 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/whats-the-worst-thing-youve-done-for-an-achievementFortniteThe Elder Scrolls OnlineBloodborneAssassin's Creed IIThe LongingHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoBlockbusterAsk RPSHalf-Life 2IndieAlan Wake

In the latest edition of Ask RPS, our new mailbag feature where RPS supporters pose us questions that we then answer in public posts for everyone to enjoy, we're turning our gaze to that loved and loathed staple of the video gaming landscape: achievements. Ah, achievements. Never mind if they're good or bad. Today, we're remembering the terrible things we've done to actually get them.

The question comes courtesy of Fachewachewa, who asked: What's the worst thing you've done for an achievement? Or more generally, a time you were focused on a specific goal in a game, reached it (or gave up), and after, looked back and thought, "Why did I do that?"

Why, indeed. Come and find out which achievements have spawned our biggest gaming regrets, and why not tell us about your own gaming follies in the comments? We can all wallow in our foolishness together.

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Gabe Newell has blasted Gnome Chompski into spacehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gabe-newell-has-blasted-gnome-chompski-into-spaceImogen BeckhellingFri, 20 Nov 2020 12:43:10 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gabe-newell-has-blasted-gnome-chompski-into-spaceGabe NewellValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoBlockbusterLeft 4 Dead 2Half-Life: Alyx

It is done. Gnome Chompski has shot off to where gnome man has gone before. The little red-hatted fella started life as a bit of a joke in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Players who carried the garden gnome all the way to the end of the game would be awarded with the achievement "Little Rocket Man" - a title old Chompski truly lived up to last night.

Gabe Newell partnered up with Weta Workshop and Rocket Lab to send a real-life Chompski into space, raising money for charity and even inspiring a couple of new Steam achievements in the process.

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Gabe Newell is shooting a real Gnome Chompski into space for charityhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gabe-newell-is-shooting-a-real-gnome-chompski-into-space-for-charityLauren MortonMon, 02 Nov 2020 21:11:04 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/gabe-newell-is-shooting-a-real-gnome-chompski-into-space-for-charityGabe NewellValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoShooterHalf-Life: Alyx

Do you suppose Gabe Newell himself has earned the Half-Life 2: Episode 2 achievement for carrying a garden gnome to the end of the game? He's planning to snag a real-life achievement, apparently, and has partnered up with Rocket Lab to blast a real Gnome Chompski into space. Not for nothing, Newell is planning to donate to Starship Children's Hospital based on the number of folks to tune in to watch the launch.

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The 9 best road trips in PC gameshttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-9-best-road-trips-in-pc-gamesBrendan CaldwellFri, 08 May 2020 08:00:33 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-9-best-road-trips-in-pc-gamesOutwardThe CrewRPGRacingHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoAmerican Truck SimulatorFeatureShooterEuro Truck Simulator 2JalopyFinal Fantasy XVSimulationFallout: New VegasOne Off The List

Kick the tires, whistle at the paint job, spin the keys on your finger like a revolver and then shoot the car with the little laser of unlocking. It’s time to get back on the road. What’s that? Entire country in a state of unprecedented lockdown? I see. Well, lucky for you, we concern ourselves here only with pretend cars, the indoor joy of fictional journeys on virtual roads. Here, my housebound friends, are the 9 best road trips in PC games. Seatbelts on, please.

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The whole Half-Life story is free to play on Steam right nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-whole-half-life-story-is-free-to-play-on-steam-right-nowAlice O'ConnorWed, 22 Jan 2020 11:31:06 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-whole-half-life-story-is-free-to-play-on-steam-right-nowSteamFree gamesHalf-LifeValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2ShooterHalf-Life 2: Episode OneHalf-Life: Alyx

It has come to my attention that some people have not played the Half-Life games, to which I can only say: mate, I think you might really like it. Valve will soon return to the series after thirteen years with Half-Life: Alyx in March, and ahead of that they're inviting everyone to catch up on the story so far. From now until the launch of Alyx, the Half-Life games are free for everyone to play in full on Steam. You know, some of these really are quite good.

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Half-Life: Alyx is a VR prequel to HL2, coming in March 2020https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-alyx-is-a-vr-prequel-to-hl2-coming-in-march-2020Alice O'ConnorThu, 21 Nov 2019 18:00:15 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-alyx-is-a-vr-prequel-to-hl2-coming-in-march-2020Half-LifeValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2ShooterVRHalf-Life: Alyx

Valve today formally announced Half-Life: Alyx, a "full-length" game exclusively for VR. Half-Life is returning after 12 years, though Gordon Freeman seemingly is not and this isn't Half-Life 3. Set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2, this one stars future sidekick Alyx Vance in the years before Gordo's return when she and her dad were building the resistance. And yes, this really is only for VR. Come watch the announcement trailer.

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Half-Life 2's downtrodden NPCs have been unable to blink for five years, until nowhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2s-downtrodden-npcs-have-been-unable-to-blink-for-five-years-until-nowNatalie ClaytonFri, 27 Sep 2019 11:09:35 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2s-downtrodden-npcs-have-been-unable-to-blink-for-five-years-until-nowHalf-LifeValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2: Episode One

Oof, imagine not blinking for half a decade. My eyes shiver at the thought. But this is what the NPCs of Half-Life 2 have been suffering. The dry eye epidemic was first reported to Valve's GitHub repo back in 2014 and since then it turns out only a select few have felt the joy of smashing their eyelids shut. But after almost five long years, City 17's tortured citizens can finally blink again, thanks to a small official update.

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Modder Superior: A fresh lease of Half-Life 2https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-best-pc-modsDominic TarasonMon, 10 Jun 2019 16:00:15 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-best-pc-modsValve SoftwareModsAction AdventureHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoFeatureHalf-life 2: Episode ThreeBlockbusterHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2: Episode OneModder SuperiorShooterHorror

Half-Life 2 is nearly fifteen years old now, and despite Valve's sequel plans seemingly fizzling out, it doesn't look a day over ten thanks to the efforts of modders. Chances are that Half-Life 2 and its expansions have been gathering dust on your Steam account for years now, so here's a quick refresher -- mostly focused on the past five years -- on what's available, single player-wise. Want to turbo-charge the original game, or send Gordon Freeman on a whole new adventure? We've got you covered both ways, plus a trio of Silent Hill-inspired spookfests. Below, a hand-picked basket of goodies, and a crowbar to open it.

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Erik Wolpaw is working with Valve again, because he never really stoppedhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/erik-wolpaw-working-with-valveAlice O'ConnorFri, 04 Jan 2019 19:10:57 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/erik-wolpaw-working-with-valveErik WolpawValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoPortalPortal 2Half-Life 2: Episode OnerumoursStory RichLeft 4 Dead

Hooting echoed across the virtual valleys and mesas of the Internet this week after those who pan the digital stream in search of anything ending with "3" got an inkling that former Valve writer Erik Wolpaw had returned to the Half-Life mob after leaving in 2017. And yep, Wolpaw has confirmed to me that he is doing work for Valve these days - because he never really stopped. Apparently he's been contracting for them all along, working on this and that as needed, on top of working for his niece's juice shop (which was not a joke). Looks like the digipanners found Fool's Three.

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Making The Orange Box: how 3 Valve games became 1https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/valve-the-making-of-the-orange-boxRick LaneTue, 10 Oct 2017 14:00:32 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/valve-the-making-of-the-orange-boxSteamValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoTeam Fortress 2PortalHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2: Episode OneThe Orange Box

The Orange Box is one of the strangest quirks of gaming history. Never before had a developer released three brand new, entirely separate games at the same time in one package, and thanks to digital distribution, it probably won't happen again. What makes The Orange Box truly remarkable though is that it contained two of the most-anticipated games of 2007, and what proved to be the biggest surprise hit of the year (some might argue ever).

The company was Valve and the games were Half Life 2: Episode 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal.

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Er... so Half-Life's writer maybe just revealed the complete plot of HL2: Episode 3https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-episode-3-plotAlec MeerFri, 25 Aug 2017 08:49:09 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-episode-3-plotHalf-Life 3Half-LifeHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-life 2: Episode ThreeHalf-Life 2Marc Laidlaw

The lesson here is "never go to sleep." All sorts of things happen while people sleep. Cats go on adventures, presidents threaten nuclear war and, well, ex-Valve writers post thinly-disguised plot summaries of the unreleased and, so far as best guesses go, long-cancelled Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Long time Half-Life scribe, the excellent Marc Laidlaw (who left Valve last year), casually tossed out a link to his website last night, which led to a short story about Gertie Fremont, Alex Vaunt and their climactic battle against evil alien invaders the Disparate. (The site's having a wobble, but the page is archived right here).

While that might sound like satirical tomfoolery, the actual story very much sounds like how the final chapter of Half-Life 3 could have played out. It involves time-travelling cruise liners, resurrected overlords, the heart of the Combine and the fate of one Doctor Gordon Freeman.

This is really happening.

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You know why there's no Half-Life 3, but here it is againhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/where-is-half-life-3Alice O'ConnorThu, 12 Jan 2017 19:13:13 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/where-is-half-life-3Half-Life 3ValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-life 2: Episode ThreeShooter

Everyone knows the story of Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Lacking a diktat from on high, folks and teams within Valve have never quite found the inspiration, momentum, or cohesion for another Half-Life, so attempts have faltered and they, y'know, haven't made it. Everyone knows that. It's knowledge as common as cleaning windows with white vinegar and newspaper. And yet! You -- you there -- are still harping on about it and cracking those same awful "Half-Life 3 confirmed???" jokes. Go play something else. There are loads of great games! Go for a walk. Go for a swim. Go swallow needles for all I care! Or, fine, read this Game Informer bit which explains, using an unverified source, what everyone knows. Then please shut up about it.

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Have You Played... Half-Life 2: Episode 2?https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-half-life-2-episode-2Graham SmithTue, 11 Oct 2016 14:30:57 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/have-you-played-half-life-2-episode-2ValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHave You PlayedFeatureShooter

Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day of the year, perhaps for all time.

By far the best Half-Life has ever been.

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The Last Eight Years Of Gordon Freeman's Unpublished Diaries - RPS Exclusivehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-last-eight-years-of-gordon-freemans-unpublished-diaries-rps-exclusiveJohn WalkerThu, 22 Oct 2015 12:00:01 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-last-eight-years-of-gordon-freemans-unpublished-diaries-rps-exclusiveHalf-LifeDiaryValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoBlockbusterHalf-Life 2Supporters only

An envelope arrived in the post this morning. Thick, stuffed with books. Diaries, in fact. Someone has sent me Gordon Freeman's diaries from the last eight years. I don't really know what to do about this. I mean, this is obviously big news, but this is also someone's private life. But what if it was Gordon himself who sent them? What if he wants the... the misery therein to be exposed?

I've decided on a compromise. I'm going to publish some extracts, picked almost at random from the lot. If Freeman wants them taken down, he can get in touch and we'll honour that right away.

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Zombined Arms: HL2 Mod Modular Combat On Steamhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hl2-mod-modular-combatShaun GreenSun, 22 Mar 2015 11:00:46 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/hl2-mod-modular-combatShooterHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoFree gamesMod

Modular Combat [official site], a Half-Life 2-based multiplayer RPG-FPS, has been released on Steam. You don't need to own HL2 to play. Players take the role of Combine, Resistance or Aperture characters and fight to the death against other factions, in free for all deathmatches, or against a variety of Half-Life monstrosities. I'm not sure why Combine Hunters and Manhacks are fighting Combine footsoldiers, but hush Shaun, it doesn't matter when it's fun.

There's more information on the various game modes summed up in this handy trailer, which also goes into a little detail on the various upgrades available to players.

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The Long-Lost Characters Of Half-Life 2https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-missing-contentAlec MeerThu, 12 Feb 2015 20:00:31 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/half-life-2-missing-contentHalf-Life 2ShooterHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life

The leaked Half-Life 2 beta is an old, old story - and how it happened, and what happened next was documented masterfully by RPS chum Simon Parking a few years back - but a recent fan compilation of all the characters in it who never turned up in the finished article is fascinating. This is the Half-Life 2 that never was, and yet, to some extent, it does exist after all.

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Half Life 2 Magnifici-Mod MINERVA, The Director's Cuthttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/minerva-modAlec MeerTue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:53 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/minerva-modadam fosterFree gamesValveHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2: Episode OneMinerva

I hate Adam Foster, creator of last decade's rapturously-received Half-Life 2 mod series MINERVA (not to be confused with BioShock 2: Minerva's Den) and more recently a Valve employee. I hate him not because he is talented, not because he works at a cool place and not because I have a pathological distaste for people called 'Adam.' (Smith, you're fired). I hate him because today he has made me feel SO OLD.

One of the first long-form pieces I ever wrote for RPS was an interview with Mr Foster about his excellent, thoughtful mod, and its fine accomplishments in level design and mood. That was in 2007. Now it is 2013. Six years later. And I am posting about MINERVA again. He now works at Valve, and meanwhile I'm still typing words into the same CMS, but older, grimmer, fatter. At least I've changed my chair twice since then. Something Foster has also done is repackage and spit'n'polish his mod for a well-deserved re-release on Steam today.

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Garry Announced Kinect Support For His Modhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/garry-announced-kinect-support-for-his-modJim RossignolTue, 27 Nov 2012 14:00:57 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/garry-announced-kinect-support-for-his-modHalf-Life 2Garry's ModHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoMod news

Haha. Yeah, Garry knows what to do. I've posted videos of his Kinect experiments below, and you can see exactly why the infamously aberrant Half-Life 2 mod actually needs Kinect support by watching those. Readers with memories will recall that we talked to Garry about his plans for the mod earlier in the year.

The Kinect support will apparently arrive "this week or next".

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You Should Improbably Play This: Mission Improbablehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/should-probably-play-this-mission-improbableJim RossignolTue, 07 Aug 2012 15:00:37 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/should-probably-play-this-mission-improbableHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2: Episode TwoMod news

There are a few Half-Life 2 mods that basically constitute The Further Adventures of Gordon Freeman. Sometimes these isolated chapters make me want to dive headfirst back into the unfinished trilogy, and sometimes they're just a reminder of what Source did well. Other times, though, they manage to articulate More Half-Life 2 while at the same time having a strong whiff of first-order originality, served with their own own flourishes of design brilliance. Minerva was one such outing, and Mission Improbable is another.

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There Are Six Sides To Every: CUBE Modhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/there-are-four-sides-to-every-cube-modCraig PearsonWed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:56 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/there-are-four-sides-to-every-cube-modimpressionsHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoPortalMod newslost

The movie Cube, the TV show Lost and, Portal are all broken down and reassembled in CUBE, a Half-Life 2: Episode Two mod about self-assembling test chambers. Unsurprisingly, I spent a lot of time stuck, but in a good way. CUBE’s an odd one: accomplished and beautifully designed in most respects, but always on the cusp of crashing. Engine errors are as ubiquitous as new puzzles. I'm still working my way through it: there's hours of content and multiple endings to complete, but it’s worth picking up and persevering if you miss Valve’s elaborately designed roomy puzzles.

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CANVAS Teaser Is Sinister, Awesomehttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/canvas-teaser-is-sinister-awesomeJim RossignolWed, 15 Jun 2011 07:47:46 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/canvas-teaser-is-sinister-awesomeHalf-Life 2: Episode Two

Canvas is a Half-Life 2 Ep 2 modification that, as mods go, is one of the most impressively produced efforts you are likely to see. It tells the story of a girl with psychic powers, her psychically animated/possessed teddy bear, and the disappearance of her father, which the pair must investigate. Canvas is a 3D puzzle game, where the protagonist and her companion bear must use their powers to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. Intriguingly, it's also set within the worlds of various paintings, which they must enter to unravel the mystery.

The teaser is below, and it's genuinely worth watching.

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RPS Verdict: Half-Life 2 Episode Twohttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rps-verdict-half-life-2-episode-twoJohn WalkerWed, 10 Oct 2007 07:02:05 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rps-verdict-half-life-2-episode-twoValveReviewsVG247Half-Life 2: Episode TwoHalf-Life 2

A New Day

It’s imperative that you play another first-person shooter immediately after finishing Episode Two. Any – it doesn’t matter. Because you need to remind yourself, after the six or so hours, that games aren’t anywhere near this good. Games aren’t so precise, so damn perfectly laid out. Games don’t hide tutorial and training such that you never notice them. Games aren’t built with such ludicrous care that they never leave you lost or frustrated. But Episode 2 is these things with such an air of nonchalance, such a relaxed ease, that it’s vital to remind yourself it isn’t normal. You’ll need perspective.

It’s like a perfectly constructed sentence. You likely don’t notice a perfectly constructed sentence, just won full off mistakes. Errors and niggles stand out, well written text is absorbed. The great book’s structure sits modestly in place, letting its tale sweep you up and carry you somewhere wonderful. Videogames tend to have a nasty habit of reminding you they’re a videogame. We accept this – it’s part of the deal. When it doesn’t happen, it’s only upon reflection that you realise.

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