Half-Life

Template:RelevantLinks

PS2 version box art

Half-Life was a first person shooter developed by Valve Software utilizing a heavily modified version of the Quake engine; known as the Goldsource engine, which also included small amounts of the Quakeworld and Quake II source code.

Half-Life was released in November 1998 on PC CD-ROM to wide praise and critical acclaim, winning over 50 Game of the Year awards across the globe. Starring a hapless scientist named Gordon Freeman stuck in an Alien Invasion, the game was praised for its cutting-edge graphics (implementing texture decals, skeletal animation and blended lighting), lifelike artificial intelligence, and an immersive storyline. Upon the release of the software development kit (SDK), Half-Life became one of the most heavily-modded games in existence, spawning a multitude of mods and add-ons, including the most popular online action game in the world, Counter-Strike.

In November 2001, a port of Half-Life for the PS2 was released, feature revamped graphics and a new cooperative episode. On November 16, 2004, Valve Software released a partially revamped version of Half-Life built on the Source Engine alongside it's sequel, Half-Life 2.

The Story of Half-Life

Half-Life pits the player as Dr. Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist employed at the Black Mesa Research Facility a former military base and missile silo that now serves as a secret underground government laboratory. Gordon Freeman was recommended for the position by his mentor from MIT, Dr. Isaac Kleiner.

{{{1}}}

The game starts off with Gordon arriving late to his job at the Anomalous Materials Laboratory via the facilities tram transportation system. At the lab, the science team is being hard-pressed by the Administrator to get results with a rare, unusually pure crystal sample. They decide to push their equipment as hard as they can, but this decision proves to be disastrousm as a Resonance Cascade rocks the facility and alien fauna begins to randomly teleport in and around the Black Mesa Research Facility. Gordon, who was wearing a Mark IV HEV (Hazardous Environment Suit) at the time of the cascade, managed to survive after getting a brief glimpse of the alien world.

Gordon wakes up a short time later to find the Black Mesa Research Facility in ruins, and begins his journey to the surface to call for help; all while being watched by a mysterious man in a blue suit wandering the facility. Eventually, Gordon learns that the Military has been called to the facility, making reaching the surface even more imperative. However, upon reaching the surface, Gordon finds that the military is not there to conduct a rescue; they're under orders to silence the facility and cover up the incident. Unable to escape, Gordon is forced deeper into the Black Mesa Research Facility, where he is conscripted by his fellow scientists. They tell him to head to the Lambda Complex on the other side of the research facility, where they are attempting to stop the catastrophe.

On his way, Gordon manages to launch an important rocket before eventually getting captured. Gordon is left for dead in a garbage compactor, but escapes and continues his journey to the Lambda Labs complex, only to discover a lab where the alien creatures are locked up, under close observation; and they look to have been there prior to the Resonance Cascade. Gordon continues travelling across the facility on foot, fighting military soldiers and an increasingly hostile alien force. It becomes obvious that the aliens are no longer just randomly teleporting animals, but are in fact a focused alien invasion force, complete with soldiers.

As he reaches the Lambda complex, Gordon discovers that the military is pulling out, and resorting to bombing the Black Mesa Research Facility, making it imperative that Gordon reach the Lambda team. As he fights into the facility, he makes another alarming discovery: not only was the Black Mesa Research Facility studying the alien creatures, they were also experimenting with teleportation, and bringing the creatures directly from their homeworld in another dimension. Gordon fights back an army of alien soldiers to reach the tip of the Lambda reactor where he finds the Lambda team holed up in a supply room. The Lambda team informs Gordon of an immense being keeping the portal to Earth open, and that killing it is the only way to close the interdimensional rift. They power up the generator, prep Gordon with a special Long Jump Module, and send him to the strange dimension of Xen. Gordon then fights his way through the alien wildlife, past mining camps and even to the heart of an alien factory mass-producing the soldiers Gordon fought on Earth.

Gordon finally reaches this immense being, known as the Nihilanth, who draws power from strange massive crystals, that are similar in appearance to the pure sample that originally started the Resonance Cascade on Earth. Gordon destroys the three crystals on the walls, starving the Nihilanth of power, and then manages to destroy the Nihilanth. Opun his death, tendrils of energy shoot from the Nihilanth's head, similar to the Resonance Cascade, and Gordon is once again teleported into darkness.

As Gordon comes to, he's face-to-face with the mysterious man in blue that he saw wandering through the facility. The man congratulates Gordon on his success, stating that he has done a fantastic job, and that his employers want him to offer Gordon a job. The man then opens a portal gives Gordon an ultimatum, join him and enter through the portal, or face a "battle he has no chance of winning."

Gordon accepts, much to the mysterious man in blue's delight. The man informs Gordon that he'll see him "up ahead", and the credits roll.

Gameplay

Half-life is notable for it's unique blending of typical first-person dynamics and platforming. Progressing through levels is very linear, where the player must continue down a single route, with traps, puzzles, enemies, and platforming perils for the player to overcome. Half-life also features a massive variety of enemies, ranging from alien creatures with unique battle abilities, to military personal offering a classic gun on gun combat situation, as well as many heavily armored vehicles such as tanks and Apache helicopters. The game is also known for it's weapon inventory system, where instead of having a small set of guns, which you can swap in and out with other guns you find, when a gun is found it is placed in your inventory and cannot be removed, and by the end of the game you will be holding up to 20 different and unique weapons simultaneously. This gives you the ability to better strategize how you attack your enemy, as well as making it where you rarely run out of ammo.

Characters and Creatures

Black Mesa Personnel

These are Gordon's fellow employees who are also caught up in the chaos caused by the resonance cascade. They're both under attack from the Alien Invasion and the Military Cleanup mission, and will aid Gordon as they can.

• Scientists - Scientists aren't the bravest of the bunch, and they're definately not reliable in comabt, but they're willing to aid Gordon in whatever way they can; whether it's through imparting information, opening a door locked by a retinal-scanner or giving Gordon a shot to help take restore some of his health.

• Security Guards - The security guards of Black Mesa are more than willing to lend a hand in killing the various menaces to the research facility. They act as secondary combat allies, helping you fight off enemies. Armed with a 9mm Glock, they are deadly accurate for security guards. Must be all that free time on the firing range...

Gordon can have two allies at one time, meaning you can have two scientists, two security guards, or one of each.

Military

Under direct orders to silence the facility by way of killing or capturing any non-Military personnel, the Military is ruthless in its execution. The chain of command keeps even the few Grunts who have second thoughts about the mission to kill civilians from doing anything about it.

• Soldiers - The main bulk of the military forces, comprised of members of the US Marine Corp, identified as the HECU combat division in later installments; they are highly capable soldiers, able to work as a team and employ advanced tactics. The average Grunt is equipped with a MP5, with balaclava troops carrying shotguns, but both carry grenades.

• Female Assassins - It's not entirely clear who they're working for, but the deadly assassins are equipped with silenced 9mm Glocks, grenades, and are capable of incredible acrobatic feats. They're encountered only twice throughout the entire game, but that doesn't mean that they aren't memorable, and they certainly are easy targets.

Vehicles

• AH-64 Apache - The Apache is a strategic combat helicopter, equipped with a machine gun turret, and rockets. A single Apache is encountered in the game, acting as an unbeatable opponent forcing you to take precaution while advancing through areas. Capable of high damage and deadly accuracy, the Apache is very formidable, but is easily taken down with explosive arms or high-powered energy weapons. Upon finding the Rocket launcher, the Apache flies in for a close up attack, allowing you to shoot it down, leading to a climatic crash at the edge of a tall cliff.

• V-22 Osprey - Having no weaponry of its own, the Osprey instead carries troops into battle, acting as a flying "soldier factory. Typically, it will hover over a battlefield as soldiers rappel down to the ground, dropping two at a time. When an Osprey drops troops, it will not drop more until you kill of it's previous soldiers, so you can't be overrun by an endless army of soldiers. But the Osprey will never run out of soldiers, leaving you either the option of working around it and it's troops, or shooting it down, which requires you to inflict equal damage on both of it's propellers, which can be difficult when it's moving.

• M1A1 Abrams -The main battle tank of the military, it acts as one of the most deadly and difficult to traverse enemies in the game. The Abrams acts as an environmental enemy, as it doesn't move, and it's main priority is to keep the player ducking low, and moving carefully. The Abrams can be killed, but it has plenty of health, and getting a clear shot would put you in immediate risk of being killed by it. The only way to get a good shot would be to get behind, where it can't shoot you, but then you wouldn't have to worry about killing it, so it would be pointless. On an entertaining note, the tank can be killed by any weapon, even the crowbar, but it explodes on death, so doing this would cause you damage.

• M2A3 Bradley -A secondary armored vehicle encountered in the game, the Bradley acts similarly to the Abrams, as it stands still and acts strictly as an environmental enemy, but instead fires rockets, and at a much faster rate than the Abrams. It also has the irritating benefit of being able to fire at 360 degrees, unlike the Abram, which had a massive blind spot behind it.

• F-16 Fighting Falcon -A strategic bombing fighter jet aircraft, the Falcon also acts as a strictly environmental enemy. The Falcon cannot be destroyed by any means, even if it could it would be too fast to hit. The Falcon's only ability is dropping bombs in quick bursts as it flies by, for the most part however this is only used for cinematic purposes, and usually doesn't pose any real threat to the player.

Alien Fauna

The animalistic wildlife of Xen. It's unknown whether or not they are just the native fauna of Xen, or if they are utilized by the Alien Invaders as an attack force.

• Headcrabs - Small parasitic aliens who launch themselves onto their prey, and attach themselves to their heads and take control of their cerebral, mutating them into zombie-like creatures, known as Mawmen. Headcrabs seem to prefer dark, tunnel-like areas and are often found in air ducts. They are also known to burrow into the ground while they wait for prey. All headcrabs are the offspring off a much larger and mature headcrab, known as a Gonarch (nicknamed Big Momma).

• Mawmen (Zombies) - A Mawman is the gruesome result of a Headcrab's coupling with a human host. The Headcrab mutates the host, causing it to grow deadly bone-like claws where it's hands used to be, and to develop a giant, vertical mouth on its chest, giving the Mawman its moniker. It's rumored that even larger and more mutated zombies lurk in the darker parts of Black Mesa.

• The Gonarch (Big Momma) - An elephant-sized creature vaguely resembling a Headcrab, is the final part of the strange lifecycle of the small parasite. The Gonarch is essentially armor plated, except for the large egg sac that dangles beneath its body where it rapidly produces tiny infant Headcrabs. The Gonarch is red with four large sharp legs, giving it great mobility, which it quickly exploits with a series of charging attacks and stomping on you. Additionally, the Gonarch can launch a large glob of biotoxins at its foe, making it a difficult foe to fight. Only one is encountered in the game as a boss, the battle that takes place upon encountering is so great, it takes place in it's very own chapter, known simply as "Gonarch's Lair".

• Barnacle - Seemingly a long-lost cousin of the sea barnacle, this red lump of a creature hangs from the ceiling, where it dangles a long, sticky green tongue down to the floor, waiting for prey to walk into it. Once caught, it will draw its prey up into its mouth to eat, with it's two sets of mouths. The barnacle acts as an environmental enemy, almost like a "ceiling land mine" if a barnacle pulls you all the way to it's mouth, it will kill you in one bite, so "look out for tongues!"

• Houndeye - A small, green, three legged dog-like creature with one large, multifaceted eye; it travels in packs and can generate a powerful burst of sonic energy, that can deafen and disable potential attackers and prey. The hound eye is a fast and common enemy, but has little health, making it rather threatening, but be careful, their sonic blast blaring in your ear buds is deadly in it's own sense.

• Bullsquid - The natural predator of the Headcrab, and anything else it can find. The Bullsquid is a highly aggressive life form about the size of a lawnmower, and twice as likely to tear you apart. The Bullsquid is bipedal, that it walks on two legs, with tentacles surrounding its mouth. Due to it's aggression, it will attack its own kind just as readily as a Headcrab or human. It will bite, ram, lash with its tail, and even spit a glob of acidic saliva at its target with deadly accuracy.

• Leeches - Small, white worm-like aliens that dwell in water, are found in certain areas of the game. Not capable of doing much damage alone, they're encountered in large groups and can do sufficient damage if you don't keep up the page.

• Ichthyosaur - Said to have been hauled from the Challenger Deep, and supposedly from the Triassic period, the Ichthyosaur is a large sea predator whose true origins are much, much farther away. Capable of swimming at high speed to chase down its prey, the Ichthyosaur is a deadly predator and extreme caution should be taken when one is suspected to be in the water. The Ichthyosaur is encountered throughout the game in large bodies of water, and acts similar to a mini boss, as it isn't encountered common enough to be a basic enemy, and is usually found in an area that requires you to kill it in order to progress ahead.

• Snarks - Small creatures that nest in tight spaces, these enemies also act as living weapons that scramble around until they find any life-form they can attack, including you, at which point they will go berserk and pursue that target, attacking viciously until they self-destruct fifteen seconds later. Snarks can be found as ammo in small organic nests, which are hard to find, making them a special weapon meant to be reserved for special purposes.

• Tentacle - The Tentacle is a long, green, plant-like creature encountered in various locations throughout the game. Tentacles are blind, leaving it to hunt by sound, making silence important for sneaking past it unharmed. When it finds its prey, it uses the heavy armor plating at the end of its beak to crush or skewer it, and then drag the mashed creature to the ground beneath it. Tentacles are environmental enemies, and cannot be killed, damaging them will cause them to retreat back into their burrows, but they will resurface seconds later. Tentacles can be encountered either alone, or in groups of two or three.

• Gargantua - The Gargantua is an large, hulking blue armored alien beast with a single small eye, with two tree-sized arms, and two vestigial arms, used to pick up and devour it's deceased prey. Its armor has the ability to resist most conventional forms of damage, and its physiology makes it capable of performing incredible feats of strength. It's primary arms end in heavily armored beaks, which have been shown to crush soldiers into red paste, can split open to reveal organic flamethrowers. And by stamping its foot, it can generate a streak of energy that races toward it's target. The Gargantuan is by all means a boss enemy, and often requires extraordinary means to defeat, whether it being a massive surge of electricity, or a military artillery strike. However the Gargantua can also be defeated by using basic heavy weaponry, such as Rocket's, explosives, and energy weapons.

Alien invaders

Sapient, three armed aliens who inhabit the Borderworld of Xen. They utilize organic technology and are apparently telepathic. There's also reason to believe that they are enslaved.

• Vortigaunt (Alien Slave) - A humanoid green alien with one large red eye surrounded by several smaller eyes. The Vortigaunt is capable of generating a bolt of green electricity, and is able to use its natural claws to attack its target. The Alien Slave wears collars and shackles as part of their bondage.
• Alien Grunt - Large, powerful humanoid who grows thick, metallic body armor and wields an alien Hivehand as its primary weapon. It is also strong enough to beat its opponent senseless, having been witnessed throwing a human through a concrete wall. They are either mass-produced, or packaged in factories on Xen.
• Xen Masters (Alien Controllers) - Small and weak aliens with impressive psionic powers. Capable of flight and generating balls of energy, some of which home in on their target. Its large, flower-like head contains a strange, pyramid-like structure of unknown purpose.
• The Nihilanth - The immense being capable of holding open the rift to Earth, and who gains his power from the crystalline structures found in Xen, which adorn its chamber, and is even contained in its flower-like head - similar to the Xen Masters. The Nihilanth bears a resemblance to the Xen Masters and a Human Fetus and features cybernetic augmentation and marks of surgical alteration, which seem incongruent to the organic technology of the Xen aliens.

• Manta Flyer - A large flying creature that bears a resemblance to Manta Rays on Earth. Instead of being harmless tourist attractions, however, the Manta Flyer is capable of generating a deadly beam of energy that can take down an Osprey transport. Additionally, Manta Flyers can be used as teleport destinations, allow them to drop troops into battle.

Unknown forces

• The G-man - The mysterious man in blue. Not much is known about this figure, and even his name is a mystery, having only been nicknamed the G-man by Valve and the fan community. We know that the G-man is employed an unknown organization, and that he has the capability to teleport himself and others at will. He also seems to have connections with Black Mesa and the military, but his true allegiance is, as yet, unknown.

Weaponry

• Crowbar - A red and silver stick of metal typically used to pry open manholes. Probably the most iconic weapon of the Half-Life franchise, and with the way Gordon waves that thing, it's no wonder why. Can be used underwater.
• 9mm Glock - Holds a 17-bullet clip and causes minor damage. Primary fire is normal speed, secondary fire is fast and inaccurate. Shares its 9mm ammo with the MP5, which comes in 17 and 50-bullet clips. Gordon can carry a total of 250 rounds. Can be used underwater. (This weapon is a Beretta when using the High Definition Pack)
• Colt Python .357 - A large hand canon of a revolver; six chambers each hold a bullet for up to six bullets at at a time. Does a lot of damage and in multiplayer, the secondary fire allows for a sniper mode. Uses .357 ammo which comes in six bullet boxes. Gordon can carry a total of 36 rounds. Cannot be used underwater.
• Shotgun - Powerful at short range, inaccurate at long range. Primary fire is a single shot, secondary fires twoshots. Carries 8 rounds at a time, which come in 12-round boxes. Gordon can carry a total of 125 rounds. Cannot be used underwater. (This weapon is a SPAS12 when using the High Definition Pack)
• MP5 with attached grenade launcher - A sub-machine gun based on the Heckler & Koch model. However, this weapon can hold up to 50 rounds, instead of 30, and has an attached grenade launcher. Utilizes the same 9mm ammo as the Glock, which come in 17 and 50-bullet clips. Gordon can carry a total of 250 rounds. Cannot be used underwater. (This weapon is an M4 Carbine when using the High Definition Pack)
• Crossbow - A weapon that fires tranquillizer darts and has an attached scope to allow for longer ranged attacks with secondary fire. In multiplayer, secondary fire also switches the darts to explosive. Uses dart 5 dart clips and Gordon can carry up to 40 extra darts. Can be used underwater.
• RPG with Laser Guide - Fires off a rocket-propelled grenade which then can be guided to the target with the attached laser sight. Secondary fire turns off the laser sight. Uses RPGs, which come in singles, and Gordon can carry five extras. Can be used underwater.
• Tau Cannon (Gauss Gun) - Gauss was a term a unit of measurement for magnetic flux density, before being superseded in favour of the SI system. Designed at Black Mesa, this experimental and highly unstable Tau Cannon prototype operates by generating a powerful magnetic field, similar to a railgun, which fires off particles. Primary fire shoots rapid-fire bolts which can ricochet off walls. Secondary fire charges up the Cannon until it fires off a bolt that can pass through walls up to a certain thickness, killing whatever is behind it. The Tau Cannon uses a propriety power source from Black Mesa, which comes 20 units to a brick. Cannot be used underwater.
• Gluon Gun - Gluons are elementary subatomic particles that mediate the strong interactions of quarks. How this is turned into a weapon is anyone's guess. The Gluon Gun (nicknamed the Egon due to its resemblance to the proton packs of Ghostbusters fame) is an experimental weapon designed at Black Mesa that generates a beam of blueish energy that does massive amounts of damage, though it uses energy at a rapid rate. Secondary fire does nothing unless you use primary fire, hold down secondary fire, then let go of primary. The blue energy beam will continue to project to wherever you were aiming before, no matter where you look. Useless, but it looks funny. The Gluon Gun uses the same propriety energy source that the Tau Cannon utilizes; which come in 20 unit bricks. Gordon can only carry 100 units of energy at any time. Cannot be used underwater.
• Hivehand - The Hivehand is the primary weapon of the Alien Grunts. Gordon can stick his hand into it and use it as well. Primary fire shoots heat-seeking thornets that will home in on a target, and even go around corners. Secondary fire shoots off all 8 thornets in rapid succession without the seeking ability. The Hivehand will regenerate its ammo gradually until it has 8 again. Can be used underwater.
• Grenades - Standard issue military grenades. Pull the pin and the grenade will explode in five seconds unless the pin is replaced. Gordon can carry 10 grenades at one time. Can be used underwater.
• Tripmines - Tripmines are placed onto walls and emit a laser beam to the opposite wall. If the beam is broken or the tripmine is moved, it detonates. Gordon can carry 10 tripmines. Can be used underwater.
• Satchel Charges - Primary fire drops a charge, and then blows it up. In order to drop more charges, secondary fire needs to be used. Gordon can carry 5 satchel charges. Can be used underwater.
• Snarks - Snarks come five to a living nest and can be thrown at certain enemies. Gordon must be careful that a suitable target is nearby otherwise the Snarks may come back and attack him. Gordon can carry up to 15 Snarks at one time. Can be used underwater.

Trivia

• The German version of Half-Life replaces the human soldiers, with robotic ones, as to comply with Germany's regulations on gore in video games.

Related Games

Expansions

Half-Life had a number of official expansions:

• Half-Life: Counter-Strike: Based off of the original Counter-Strike modification, this was sold at retail by Valve Software and Sierra Entertainment.
• Half-Life: Opposing Force: An Official Expansion, developed by Gearbox Software and released on PC CD-ROM in November 1999
• Half-Life: Blue Shift: A Standalone Expansion developed by Gearbox Software and released on PC CD-ROM in June 2001 (Originally developed for the now-defunct Dreamcast version of Half-Life) Also included a High Definition model pack for Half-Life.
• Half-Life: Decay: A Cooperative Expansion developed by Gearbox Software and released with the PS2 version of Half-Life in November 2001 (No PC release)

Sequels

Half-Life currently has a single released sequel, as well as 2 episodic expansions with a third in production. In addition, Valve has confirmed that they will do a Half-Life 3.

• Half-Life 2
• Half-Life 2: Aftermath
• Half-Life 2: Episode One
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Mods

Several official mods were released for Half-Life, including

• Counter-Strike
• Day of Defeat
• Team Fortress Classic
• Deathmatch Classic
• Ricochet

There is also a multitude of fanmade mods: Far too many for a complete list here! A partial list follows:

• Natural Selection
• Sven-Coop
• They Hunger
• Science and Industry
• Action Half-Life

External links

• Valve Software
• Steam Webpage
• Gamers 2.0 Gamers2.com is a new gamers website with reviews, news, discussion communities. Half Life 3 Fallout is a part of this site.
• Loonygames Interview with Marc Laidlaw
• Half-Life's Code Basis on VERC
• Main Page of the Half-Life Wiki