For years now, Half-Life 3 has remained an enigma. Stuck in development for decades and only teased ever now and again, details about the game are far and few. The story, the characters, the gameplay… any and all of these things are now just a mystery for the ages.
And unfortunately, it seems Valve isn’t willing to give any answers any time soon. Oh no, they don’t even seem interested in making Half-Life 3 any more, let alone giving details about it. It’s like the game got lost in limbo. Stuck in endless development hell with no escape in sight.
But all isn’t lost here! Oh no, thanks to former writer Marc Laidlow, a plot summary for the game has now been posted online! Here is it, straight from his personal website:
Half Life 3 Story
Yeah, he’s obviously changed a few names here and there. But it’s obvious what he’s referring to, and makes one thing very clear about the game.
Namely, it’s not some epic conclusion to the whole series. There’s no big battle with the Combine, Earth never gets saved, the resistance never wins… If you were expecting that sort of storyline, this will not be what you’re looking for.
Instead, it’s a more down to earth finish that emphasises a very important aspect of the series.
Gordon Freeman is not Jesus. He’s not a superhero saving the world by himself in a blaze of guns and glory.
He’s a normal man who went above and beyond to help out and do the right thing. His final bow isn’t a great battle, it’s a sacrifice that’s arguably more symbolic than dangerous to his foes. In his own words, the resistance will have failed or succeeded, no thanks to him.
So while he used the Hyperborea to strike a blow against the enemy, it’s the people he inspired who are continuing the fight where it matters. Or at least they are for this one. Lord knows his last-minute save was setup for future sequels or DLC along the line.
But yeah, that’s apparently the story for Half Life 3. Or at least, an outline of the ideas Mark Laidlaw had for it.
Still, it’s as good an official conclusion as any.
So what did you think of it? Did he do a good job with the story? Is it possible Valve may actually finish Half-Life 3 because of it?
Post your thoughts in the comments here or on the Gaming Latest forums today!
Well, this is a piece of news we didn’t expect! Turns out that classic SNES RPG Secret of Mana is getting a remake, which will be released on the PS4, Vita and PC on February 15th 2018! Here’s a trailer showing the game in action:
As you can tell, it looks okay. Nothing spectacular mind, but a decent enough 3D rendition of the original game none the less. The art style works fine, and every aspect you enjoyed is ready and accounted for.
However, there are a few things I’m not a fan of here.
Firstly, why isn’t this game coming to the Nintendo Switch? Or heck, even the Xbox One for that matter?
Because it’s not a hugely ambitious game that can’t run on either platform. It’s a decent looking 3D remake of a SNES title that worked on far inferior hardware.
So there’s no apparent reason it’s not coming to all platforms. It’s not sales related. Cause the game would sell much better on the Switch or even Xbox One than on the Vita. Is it exclusivity deal related? Possibly, but then you’d think Sony would tell Square Enix not to make a PC port. At least, for the time being.
Console release wise, something doesn’t make much sense here.
Continue Reading…
Are you a PC gamer and Final Fantasy fan? Or perhaps someone who genuinely thinks the game are better on PC?
If so, you’d better have a lot of hard drive space when Final Fantasy XV comes out. That’s because as the title says, the game uses a massive 170GB of space when installed on a computer. No, that’s not a typo. The game really does require 170GB of space to install.
And that’s absolutely insane. Seriously, have you seen how big other games are on PC? Because as of this point in time, the likes of Star Citizen and Gears of War 4 are only about 100GB.
So, for a Final Fantasy game to require 170GB of space… that’s just insane. It’s like the game has no compression on any textures or sound files whatsoever, and was designed for 4K screens rather than anything else.
What’s more, it’s also extremely impractical when you consider most people’s internet connections. I mean, think about it. The average US internet connection is about 13-14 Mbps. Assuming the averages from this caculator are correct, that means your typical American Final Fantasy fan would be waiting 30 hours for the game to download.
That’s only in the average area too. Stuck in a rural location with few internet options? Well, better get the game for consoles then, because you could be waiting about a week for your download to finish. Good luck with that.
So, unless you’ve got a great internet connection (of the kind found in South Korea), it’s probably best you buy this on consoles instead. The file size and download time is just not worth it for anyone else.
Final Fantasy XV PC Recommended System Requirements Revealed (Game Debate)
Back in 2015, Shenmue III was announced on Kickstarter. A revival of Sega’s ambitious open world series from the early 00s, it promised the finale for the series that fans had been waiting years for. It was a dream come true. A once in a lifetime opportunity to fund a sequel to one of the most ambitious, expensive franchises in gaming history.
And oh, did the industry go wild for it. Meeting its $2 million goal in a mere eight hours, the game eventually smashed Kickstarter records, becoming the highest funded video game project in the site’s history and the sixth best funded project overall. It was an absolutely massive success which blew past all expectations.
However, fans didn’t really see much of the game at this point. Yeah, they knew it existed. Yes, there was a Kickstarter video consisting of footage from the existing game to go with it.
And obviously some concept art existed. But that was it. For months, there’s been practically no footage of the game at all.
Until today. Because at Gamescom earlier this week, the official PlayStation YouTube posted the first ever teaser for the game! So here it is. Here is the first ever footage from the upcoming Shenmue III:
Sadly for the team behind it, it’s gained mixed reactions online to say the least. On the one hand, you’ve got some a decent amount of people who like the look and think it works well. After all, it’s only a start. The game’s gonna look better in future, and it’s certainly no Mighty No 9 as far as disappointing Kickstarter game aesthetics are concerned.
Yet at the same time others consider it a disappointment. They say that the facial expressions just don’t look right, and the effects seem rather cheap for a game like this.
And that’s a fair point to make too. Remember, Shenmue 1 and 2 prided themselves on the great graphics and overall high production values. There’s a reason the former cost around $50 million to make after all.
So, the fact that Shenmue III looks the way it does has caused controversy here. People just aren’t sure whether it looks up to modern standards or not.
But hey, that’s not the only thing that matters here. No, the main key to the original’s popularity (or at least cult following) was its large world and the options it opened up. You could play old Sega games in an arcade. You could get a part time job as a delivery driver at the docks. Heck, you could just live in a realistic seeming world with weather patterns, a full day and night cycle with shop opening times, a daily routine and absolutely everything else needed to make the world immersive.
And the teaser for the third game… well it doesn’t really give more detail on much that aspect of the game.
So, until we do get a bit of info there, it’s probably best to look at in an optimistic manner. The creators have proven the game is in development, it’s moving along at a decent pace and hey, it seems likely we’re getting a new Shenmue game after a decade without one.
That’s what really matters overall. Let’s wait until it’s further into development (and more footage is available) before judging this game overall.
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