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Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game series which consists of two full games and five expansions, as well as a number of demos featuring exclusive content. The series has been ongoing since 1998. Most of the games and expansions in the series have been developed by Valve Software and published by Sierra Studios, although some of the expansions were produced by Gearbox Software. Electronic Arts also took over distribution of the games in the series from Sierra from 2005 onwards. The series was initially released for the PC, but console ports of most installments have also been released.
The protagonist of Half-Life is Gordon Freeman, an employee of the Black Mesa Research Facility. Some of the expansions feature other controllable characters.
[edit] Half-Life 1 era
[edit] Half-Life
- Half-Life is the first game in the series and follows Gordon Freeman, after he and his team accidentally open a dimensional portal that allows aliens to teleport into the Black Mesa facility. Gordon travels throughout Black Mesa attempting to remedy the situation. Half-Life was released on 19 November 1998.
[edit] Uplink
- Half-Life: Uplink was the official demo to Half-Life (although an OEM demo version entitled Half-Life: Day One was released earlier), featuring a small level cut during Half-Life development. It involves sending a signal to allow access to the Lambda complex. Uplink was released on 12 February 1999.
[edit] Opposing Force
- Half-Life: Opposing Force is the first expansion pack for Half-Life, following the role of the "enemy", U.S. Marine Corporal Adrian Shephard. Shephard is assigned to a cover-up operation at the Black Mesa facility, and has to fight previously unseen aliens. Opposing Force was released on 31 October 1999 and produced by Gearbox Studios.
[edit] Blue Shift
- Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second expansion pack, this time featuring Black Mesa security guard Barney Calhoun, who is attempting to escape the alien invasion. Blue Shift was released on 12 June 2001.
- Half-Life: Decay is the third and final expansion for Half-Life, only accessible in the PlayStation 2 port of Half-Life. It stars Gordon Freeman's colleagues Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green. Unlike previous releases, Decay can be played in co-op mode. It was released on October 29, 2001, as part of the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life, and is currently being ported to PC by fans.
[edit] Half-Life 2 era
[edit] Half-Life 2
- Half-Life 2 is the sequel to Half-Life set in and around City 17, in the near future. It was released on 16 November 2004.
[edit] Half-Life: Source
- Half-Life: Source is a port of the original Half-Life to the Source engine. It was also released on November 16, 2004 as part of some editions of Half-Life 2.
[edit] Lost Coast
- Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is a technology demo to test high dynamic range rendering. This was originally to be part of the Highway 17 chapter of Half-Life 2, but was dropped. It was released on 27 October 2005.
[edit] Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a series of sequels to Half-Life 2, set around City 17 after the events of the original game. It was released on 1 June 2006.
[edit] Episode Two
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second sequel, and acts as a follow-up to Episode One. It was released on October 10, 2007, bundled with the games Portal and Team Fortress 2 as well as Half-Life 2 and Episode One in a package known as The Orange Box.
[edit] Portal
- Portal is included in the Orange Box with Half-Life 2: Episode Two. A new single-player game, it is set in the Half-Life universe. The player controls a female test subject named Chell as she moves through the Aperture Science Laboratories completing various tests with a device that allows her to create linked portals in physical space.
[edit] Episode Three
- Half-Life 2: Episode Three will be the third sequel, and will act as a follow-up to Episode Two. There are currently no details revealed about the game.
[edit] Portal 2
- Valve's acclaimed puzzle-action hybrid Portal will be given a sequel, Portal 2. There are currently no details revealed about the game.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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The Half-Life series and related topics |
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| Main series |
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| Other games |
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Video games developed by the Valve Corporation |
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| Half-Life series |
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| Day of Defeat series |
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| Team Fortress series |
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