There probably isn't a gamer alive who hasn't complained about the lack of "Half-Life 3" at some point in his life and for a good reason. It is one of the most famous cases of vaporware in the video game industry and, unfortunately, an unfulfilled dream of millions of gamers worldwide. A couple of days ago, however, a glimpse of hope for the third installment appeared in the form of a leaked synopsis for the game by one of Valve's former scriptwriters, Marc Laidlaw. Unfortunately, it seems that this synopsis of what could have been is all we'll be getting.
The History of Half-Life
So, for those of you who (somehow) aren't familiar with this influential game, here's a breakdown. The first installment of this legendary franchise was released back in 1998, and for its time, it was considered groundbreaking. You control Gordon Freeman, a physics expert who arrives at a secret underground facility called Black Mesa to help out with an experiment. Of course, disaster strikes and he is forced to fight his way through the huge facility filled with zombie-like aliens, weird creatures, and hostile infection-containing soldiers. What made "Half-Life" so groundbreaking was the fact there were no cutscenes or other cinematic elements in the game. The story instead unfolded as the player progressed.
Besides the original game, there were a lot of popular mods, like the famous Counter Strike, which eventually grew into a separate game.
Half-Life 2 and Episodes
About seven years after the original game, Valve released a sequel, "Half-Life 2" that introduced a whole new story, gaming elements and again managed to impress longtime fans.
This time, Gordon Freeman found himself in a dystopian futuristic city filled with soldiers, robots and surveillance systems. Along the way, he meets some old and new friends but, most importantly, gets to play with some new toys like the almighty gravity gun. Not only were the graphics much better, but the story was also quite engrossing and carried on into two other expansions called Episode One and Episode Two.
The problem, however, is that Episode Two ended on quite a cliffhanger and the players never actually got the closure they needed. Since Episode Three didn't arrive for quite a while, fans assumed "Half-Life 3" was in the making. Sadly, it will never come.
Synopsis of Half-Life 3
Now, one of Valve's former writers, Marc Laidlaw, decided to share with us some plot points from this elusive "Half-Life 3," while it was still in the making. His NDA contract finally expired, and he chose to tell us the planned story. Episode Two ended with a couple of "advisors" capturing Gordon, Alyx, and her father, Eli. They murder Eli but, before they get the chance to do the same to Alyx, they are chased away by her powerful robot Dog.
Laidlaw's post states that Gordon and Alyx set out to find the legendary ship Borealis that would give them access to Combine HQ. The main problem is that this ghost ship regularly phases in and out of existence, traveling through time and creating parallel realities. Once they managed to take control of the ship, they teleport to Combine and self-destruct, annihilating it in the process. Before the explosion, the mysterious force that is the G-Man rescues Alyx, while Gordon is saved by his old acquaintance, Vortigaunts.
This short synopsis seems to conclude the story started in "Half-Life 2" nicely but also means its unlikely Valve will ever go back to this game. For what it's worth, at least we got to hear what happened to the main characters and end this chapter once and for all.
