Valve reveals early gameplay from canceled Half-Life 2 episode 3 and why it was never completed

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In Valve’s modern two-hour documentary, current and former members of the company open up about its founding Half-Life 2 and finally reveal the truth about what happened Episode 3, and even showing gameplay of early prototypes of the canceled game.

On November 15, Valve released a major update for Half-Life 2 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game. The update includes modern commentary, quality of life features, Steam Workshop support, and more. But perhaps the most thrilling thing to come out of this substantial deal Half-Life 2 celebrations is a modern two-hour documentary from Valve, detailing the development of the notable first-person shooter and its subsequent episodes. And yes, that’s what they talk about Half-Life 2, episode 3a game that was never made, even though millions of players begged Valve to make it.

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Here’s the documentary if you haven’t watched it yet:

At the end of the document, after the conversation with Fr EpisodeS 1 AND 2many people who worked on Half-Life 2 and its episodes began to be talked about Episode 3. Valve was apparently working on an ice cannon which would allow players to create ice structures, paths, and barricades during combat. Valve was also working on a blob-like monster that could split into multiple pieces and pass through air vents and chain-link fences. However, it was all very early, with HL2 engineer David Speyrer suggests that work on the project lasted only about six months before plans changed.

“Even in Episode 3I still don’t know what it would be like if we built it because it wasn’t built,” said series writer Marc Laidlaw.

According to Speyrer, Episode 3 The action took place in the Arctic – a fact confirmed by previously released concept art – and he explained that the episode would focus on the lost ship Borealis, which was mentioned in both Portal AND Half-life franchise.

Episode 3 was stopped after six months of development

Speyrer says this after six months of development Episode 3 it was still “a collection of playable levels in any order” and some story elements. He theorized that after another six months, they would have reached a “critical mass of mechanics” and at that point they could really start putting the game together for release in about a year or two, depending on “how ambitious” the team was.

Of course, that didn’t happen. In a documentary Half-life 2 developers explain that they were starting to run out of options with the tools and features they had developed. At one point they mention a canceled episode of Ravenholm Arkane and how the team had a hard time doing new and fun things with Half-Life 2 tool box and engine.

“Arkane was making Ravenholm and even they were having trouble doing cool new things with this toolkit, and if these guys don’t come up with some cool things to do with it, I think we’re running out of gas,” Laidlaw said.

Screenshot: : Valve / Kotaku

That’s why everyone at Valve focused on finishing the game 4 left dead and place Half-Life episode 3 on the rear burner. And then they felt they had waited too long to come back and finish the job.

4 left dead it turned out great,” Speyrer said. “But it went on long enough – and that’s the tragic and almost comical thing about it – did it go on long enough that by the time we were considering going back for Episode 3, the argument was like, ‘Oh well, we missed that.’ You know, it’s too late” and “We really need to create a new engine to continue Half-life series” and so on.

At the end of the video, Valve CEO Gabe Newell says this Half-life Alixthe ending was, in a sense, a “self-critical realization” that they had to continue the story.

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