FiringSquad: There were also a number of big action sequences in Half-Life 2. Will Episode One have any epic action set pieces akin to, say, the Strider battles?
Doug Lombardi: Folks will find the action sequences in Episode One are not only plentiful but also constructed with greater complexity than in previous Half-Life games. The introduction of a very strong accomplice (Alyx) has allowed us to place Freeman in the middle of multi-layered combat scenarios – scenarios in which both he and Alyx must make quick decisions and play an active role if they wish to advance.
FiringSquad: How hard is it to craft an ending for Episode One that will make people want to have Episode Two?
Doug Lombardi: It has been designed as a Trilogy since the start. So, the teams working on Episode One and Episode Two have been in very close communication regarding the continuity between these two episodes and the final episode in this series.
FiringSquad: What sort of graphical improvements will Episode One have over the original Half-Life 2?
Doug Lombardi: With each of the episodes in the trilogy, we will advance the story and leverage the latest technology while also introducing new technology driven by the creation of said episode. In Episode One, we will be utilizing the HDR lighting tech introduced in Lost Coast, and the film grain and color correction technology introduced in Day of Defeat: Source.
In addition, we’ve expanded the Commentary system, and Episode One will contain over 100 commentary nodes (versus the dozen or so in Lost Coast). The near-constant presence of Alyx throughout the Episode has driven the creation of two and half times as many animations for Alyx as were created for Half-Life 2. And we’ve updated the Source facial animation system to provide her with an even broader emotional palette. These, and other improvements being introduced for Episode One, will be added and made available for MOD authors and Source licensees via the next Source SDK update.
FiringSquad: Valve will once again use Steam as a way to distribute Episode One. Do you expect that this product will have even more digital downloads than Half-Life 2 did?
Doug Lombardi: Right now, there are over 8 million registered Steam accounts. And, with each new game made available via Steam, we’ve seen that number grow along with customer transactions and overall Steam activity. As with Half-Life 2, however, Episode One will also be made available at retail and we’re hoping to see strong sales via Steam as well as at retail outlets.
FiringSquad: Finally, what's next for Valve beyond the Half-Life 2 episodic games? Will there be future editions of the company's multiplayer games (CS: Source, Half-Life 2 Deathmatch, etc) or will Valve concentrate on all new projects?
Doug Lombardi: We’re working hard on the trilogy. Like Episode One, both Episodes Two and Three will be stand alone products (do not require Half-Life 2 to run). They will offer four to six new hours of new single player gaming, and be priced around $20.
In addition, and more near term, we have two new maps and engine upgrades coming for Day of Defeat: Source in mid to late June. And we’re on our 15th or 16th update for CS: Source, with more CS: Source content releases coming via Steam later this year.
Mass Effect 3 PC Demo Impressions Mass Effect 3, EA/BioWare's third iteration in their series of sci-fi action RPGs and one of the most anticipated titles of the year, is fast approaching its March 6th release. This week, though, they released a playable demo on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 that offers a glimpse into both the single-player and multi-player portions of the full game.
Whether you're waiting impatiently for your download to finish or don't have the time to check it out yourself, go ahead and read some impressions of the demo from resident FSers Synch and Vandy in today's article!
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Intel Core i7-3960X Sandy Bridge-E Performance Review
Today marks the launch date for Intel’s Sandy Bridge-E line of processors, a new family of high-end Core i7 products based on the LGA 2011 platform. This new socket is poised to replace the existing LGA 1366 specification used by the more powerful Nehalem and Westmere parts from the past couple years, specifically Bloomfield and Gulftown, the Core i7-9xx+ line of CPUs.
With 6 cores, 15MB of cache, and support for quad-channel DDR3-1600 memory, the Core i7-3960X sounds like quite a catch. Want to know more about it and how it performs? Read on!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
![Half-Life 2: Episode One Interview [ @ 1360 x 768 ] > View Full-Size in another window.](images/10-s.jpg)
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