WARNING: Nerdgasmic and spoilerific!
Hey Valve! How’s it going? Left 4 Dead 2 looks neat. You can light dudes on fire with a shotgun. Hey, while I’ve got you, just a quick question. WHERE THE HELL IS HALF LIFE 2: EPISODE 3? Also, some other time we really need to talk about titling episodic content properly.
With the Half Life episodes so far, each has marked a major achievement on the part of Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance, and a great installment to the Combine storyline. While Episode 1 may have been “only the aftermath” to Half Life 2- due to its use of mostly familiar assets and locales from its predecessor- it also did a great job of not copping out in any way. Some developers may have found the idea of dramatically changing their world intimidating, but Valve rolled with the punches. Rather than finding some cheap story reason as to why they could still throw the same amount of enemies at you in the same frequency, they had enough respect for their story and confidence in their varying enemy types to hold back on the Combine a bit in locales where they would have been more fruitful- due to the cliffhanger ending of Half Life 2, involving all Combine’s attention being brought to the EXPLODING CITADEL CORE- and the story was noticeably cohesive as a result. Episode 2 continued this tradition with you hardly fighting the newly unorganized combine soldiers as a result of the final destruction of their Citadel concluding Episode 1. It is this consistency that made the most recent ending all the more powerful when you finally saw what you were up against. When the Combine Advisor infiltrated the rebel fortress in White Forest and killed the unkillable Eli Vance, who survived the Black Mesa incident and was kidnapped twice in the same game, still coming out victorious.When Gordon Freeman, who’s toppled every threat available to him, was so helpless that he would’ve been killed if it weren’t for Dog’s last minute rescue. It is the consistency of keeping the player in control that made the player feel Gordon’s helplessness in that moment and as a result made it truly horrifying- and it is this consistency that makes the opening of the final episode such a challenge for the developer.
We're coming up on the two year mark since we last saw these familiar faces, or...familiar face and familiar red-dot with mudflaps.
In Layman’s terms, Valve’s really screwed themselves with their most recent cliffhanger. Like I said before, the last two installments to the series before Episode 2 ended with a major achievement on the part of Gordon and Alyx, meaning they ended with a big boom. Literally. Half Life 2 ended with the explosion of the Citadel’s core and Episode 1 ended with the explosion of the Citadel and the implied train crash. This resulted in an instantly interesting opening for the next game without breaking from the idea of opening literally right where the last game left off. Episode 2 ended with Alyx crying, so Episode 3 will open with Alyx crying; the question is, how does Valve make an interesting opening out of watching someone cry? The way I see it there are three options: 1. you could ditch Alyx for the beginning part of the story, 2. you could spend the time when Alyx wants to cool off exploring the parts of the rebel outpost you didn’t in the previous episode, or 3. the poo could hit the fan, forcing Alyx to snap out of that whole “crying about her dead father” thing and get to the adventuring. Personally, I find the latter the most likely candidate as it fits the “trimming the fat” idea of Valve’s episodic content.
With our heroes finally on their way of an epic new adventure, and Valve essentially having dug their way out of the hole they’ve created, they’re immediately tripped up by a series of larger holes laced with dynamite. And crocodiles. The most immediate situations needing conclusions are the Borealis mystery, the Gordon/Alyx romantic tones, the imminent Advisor duel, the Combine’s grip over earth, the Combine’s grip over the Universe, the G-Man’s true nature, and his role in everything. For the sake of argument, I assume Valve will be approaching Episode 2 with the same “hit as many birds with one stone without feeling forced” attitude that they have with all of their games.
Now then. The Borealis is owned by Aperture. The portal gun was created by Aperture. We need a big-new-“blow up the Advisor”-gun. Let’s make it happen.
After being rushed out of White Forest- possibly via teleporter- Gordon and Alyx begin their journey to the Borealis. Upon completion of this short journey, the two find this mysterious Borealis along with part of its dock in an arctic location sticking out of the side of an ice wall… according to some concept art.
"some concept art"
This concept art also reveals the combine at the ships location. Perhaps they’re trying to find whatever the Borealis holds, but the deceased crew has sealed it off pretty tight. So after a few run ins/narrow escapes with the Advisors and a series of puzzles, Gordon finds the portal gun and- similar to the way that you finally took down the helicopter with the turret in Half Life 2- it is with this portal gun that you take down the Advisor.
“But Dylan, the Advisor’s telepathy is so strong they can always sense where Gordon is, a portal gun wouldn’t change this,” you say. To which I respond “HA! Then how come the Advisor at the end of Episode 2 didn’t see Dog coming?” SO after killing this Advisor with your new portal gun, you and your friends narrowly escape whatever else the Combine throws at you in a grand finale. It is now apparent that the war looks to be won and the gang can’t help but chatter in disbelief upon arrival to their safe house.
Gordon Freeman carries with him the tool necessary to defeat Earth’s greatest enemy of all time, and that feeling of oppression is finally starting to wear off. Alyx takes you aside and begins consulting with you about her dad. Alyx’s eyes are filled with admiration as she begins to confess her love for you. However, this is the ending to a Half Life game. You haven’t saved all the little sisters and you won’t be receiving the “good ending.” So, as time slowly begins to halt, it’s immediately apparent that there’s one last loose end that needs tying up.
I want you to take off you pants now, Mr. Freeman.
You freely roam the frozen party, admiring the looks of true happiness on everyone’s faces, but a slow feeling of dread hits your gut when that familiar voice echos from your speakers again. The G-Man slowly steps out of the darkness. “*Something cryptic,* Mr. Freeman,” G-Man says, before finally explaining his motives…cryptically.
From here things can go a lot of ways. The nature of G-Man has been one of the most widely theorized aspects of the Half Life series, but so far the best explanation I’ve read was from http://www.members.shaw.ca/halflifestory/. The gist of it is that the G-Man is working for an interstellar rebel corporation opposing the Combine. He’s taking the form of a human to make you more comfortable with trusting him. The only reason he’s had you on Earth was to blow up the Citadel and distract the Combine so his associates can attack the Combine Overworld.
Let’s just say that this theory is true. A cool way to end the Half Life 2 story arc would be to play on the whole “Gordon Freeman tragedy” aspect of the story. So in this moment, when Gordon Freeman is finally a free-man, experiencing his first personal plot development- as opposed to plot development on a grand scale- the G-Man pulls him out for the first time in a while, stripping him of this freedom and removing him from his new family for his next assignment- the Combine Overworld.
Remember in Half Life 2 when there was a Citadel? That was pretty cool right? Well now we've got SIX OF THEM! AND A MONSTER TRUCK!
And this is where our story ends. With all of your questions answered and the first landscape view of the Combine’s homeworld filling your monitor, the only question left is, “what happens next?”
Perhaps in Half Life 3 Gordon could be forced to fight his way off of the planet, heading back to Earth to save his friends in peril due to his absence; this new location would surely provide a big enough change to justify this being the “new” Half Life story arc, but that’s not what I’ve set out to theorize. The Half Life series is an important series to nearly all gamers, so the grand finale to so many biting questions demands articles such as this. So Valve, I know you’re taking a long time with this one, but now I know it’s because of all the things you need to accomplish. In other news, if I find this exact plot in Episode 3, you’d better expect a class-action lawsuit on your hands.
Yours truly,
The Technology Goat’s loyal servant,
Dylan
"I am so awesome..."
Worth Noting-
-A cool idea for your journey to the Borealis would be to pass through the leveled City 17. I know what you’re thinking… “2 installments is enough City 17!” but even just briefly passing through a landmark you remember would simultaneously give the series a nice “full circle” feel while also giving the Combine an appearance of inconceivable power at the realization that after this much destruction, the Combine are still going strong.
-Whatever you do, don’t go back to Black Mesa. I understand that it was bombed, but if you were to travel through landmarks you remember from the game that still remain, it would be more about the updated graphics than legitimate nostalgia. Trust me, Metal Gear Solid 4 did it; it worked in a game that contrived but Half Life doesn’t need that.
-I actually don’t know what a class-action lawsuit is. I just heard it in class one time and thought it sounded pretentious.
-Woodnt it b kool if u went 2 a space-planet in tis game???? Like teh world “Xen” in HL1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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NICE job