Valve Just Raised The Game Development Bar With Half-Life (Again)

27.11.2023 - 12:01 / screenrant.com

The pivotal first-person shooter is still breaking barriers today. was first released for PC on November 19, 1998. It was followed up by a direct sequel, 2006's, and then, after a decade and a half of rumored revivals and canceled projects, 2020's VR prequel. was notable at the time of release for its realistic world, fluid movement, and unique methods of video game storytelling. By using scripted events instead of cutscenes to move the plot along, it keeps control constantly in the player's hands.

As a result, has held up exceptionally well in a way that most 25-year-old games simply don't. Its satisfying, fast-paced mechanics are still familiar to modern FPS players, and its approach to engaging storytelling is just as captivating as it ever was. But not content to simply rest on its laurels, having created one of the most highly profitable, highly regarded, highly influential video games of all time, developer Valve is still improving in 2023.

Related: Half Life Lives On In Isometric Fan Game Approved By Valve

In 2023, decades after its initial release,received a significant update. For the 25th anniversary, Valve has renewed multiplayer support for , adding four brand-new multiplayer maps along with some old favorites. The classic maps, plus a variety of new character skins, come from the 1999 retail-exclusive expansion. Also available as multiplayer skins are the two protagonists of 's alpha build: Ivan the Space Biker and Proto-Barney. The update includes the mini-campaign, originally a demo bundled with PC gaming magazines. It also updates settings for modern displays, and restores the splash screen and intro to their original 1998 forms.

But the update focuses on the minor as well as the major. According to <a href=«https://twitter.com/VinciusMedeiro6/status/1727493498054611004?ref_src=» https: rel=«noopener noreferrer» target="_blank">@VinciusMedeiro6

on X (formerly Twitter), 's 25th anniversary update fixes a persistent animation bug that's existed ever since its initial release. During the Blast Pit level, protagonist Gordon Freeman enters an observation room to find a scientist watching a tentacled beast from behind a window. The glass shatters, an appendage reaches in, and the scientist is dragged out to meet his fate. In the original scene, there's a slight delay between when the tentacle picks up the scientist and when the scientist begins to move. However, as of the update, the two work in perfect sync.

This kind of attention to detail represents persistent devotion on Valve's part. To go back into a 25-year-old game, make it work better on modern PCs, and plop down some old, half-forgotten content for nostalgia's sake is one thing. To go deep into its source code and resolve