Opinion: Valve Should Not Focus On Half Life 3

MediaKick: "There aren’t many studios that make you wait for sequels quite as long as Valve do – with the possible exception of 2K with Duke Nukem, but we wont go in to that – yet in a sense that’s what makes this particular studio so special. Instead of hauling out the same old thing every year, Valve ensure their sequels are unique in their own right, not only improving on the original games concept but redefining the franchise as a whole."

[Harelgur]

Stupid article.
Half Life 3 is the only thing Valve needs to focus on.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Clearly its not the only thing they need to focus on ...but I do agree they need to focus on getting it out. It's a tad ridiculous that they have waited this long with nada. They have done fans of the series a disservice by completely ignoring the final chapter. In a way its kind of insulting to the fans.

[turgore]

exactly !

[ATi_Elite]

1. "There aren't many studios that make you wait for sequels quite as long as Valve do"

BLIZZARD!........10+ years between Diablo II to Diablo III and Starcraft to SC2 sequels so right now HL3 is nothing compared to those.

2. If you paid attention and really knew about Valve you would know that Valve ALREADY DOES NOT focus purely on Half Life and will NEVER purely focus on one game.

they work on HL for a while then when it feels like a grind then they back off and work on something else therefore the work done on HL or any Valve game always feels fresh and fun and this comes from Gabe's mouth.

Valve is more than a "one trick pony" and I'm looking forward to DotA 2 while still replaying the great Portal 2 and TF2 is always on the playlist.

Most HL fans just want some info on the game but clearly Valve wants to release CS:GO and DOtA 2 before releasing any HL info as to not overshadow these two great titles and AGAIN this is from Gabe's mouth.

you gotta pay attention when Gabe speaks!

[Psychotica]

Why wasn't Half Life 2 called Full Life?

[sprinterboy]

Yep, I am 36 yrs old now and actually want to finish the game before I get too old lol, developers should bare that in mind when making a game imo

[Getowned]

too old to play video games ? What blaspheme is this!?!

[Bakkies]

I agree with the article, because we only have two options:

1. Half Life 3 gets released now on the current Source engine, which is a bit updated from HL2's day, but nothing spectacular.

2. Wait until the next generation, where the Source engine would be updated significantly, where HL3 could be as revolutionary as HL2 was back when it was released.

(3. Bonus option would be Valve licenses CryEngine 3 or something else, which will never happen, ever.)

[Harelgur]

All you care about is graphics?
And the Source engine isnt that bad.
Left 4 Dead 2 came out 3 years ago and looks great, and HL3 will obviously take a leap forward.

[Bakkies]

I didn't mention graphics in anything I wrote. A engine comprises out of many aspects, such as animation, physics, rendering techniques, sound any many many other features. The Source engine revolutionized the way physics and facial animation could be used in a game, so much so, that it raised the bar for FPS's to come.

If they create HL3 for the next-gen or higher up PC's, the engine may be updated to include new ways to raise the bar gameplay wise, again.

[turgore]

one reason why Half Life 2 was so succesful was because of it's graphics.

[wallis]

Or option 4 where valve do something that they have never contemplated doing in the history of anything half life related ever which is... *drum roll*

...let us know what's going? Like seriously just let us know. A teaser trailer... an interview. A yes or a no. I don't mind taking half life's dev time with a sense of humour but they're just taking the piss now. I was 13 when I played half life 2 and my 20th birthday just went past. In the time it's taken valve to draw some concept art my arse got hairy and my balls dropped. The complete metamorphisis of the human body takes less time than valve does and still manages to give more warning. In fact my little sister is about 7. Which means in the time it has taken valve to say zero about half life my sister went from a cell to a hyperactive spongebob watching puddle of energy. The creation of life from somebody's nutsack takes less time and STILL gives more warning than valve's PR relationships.

This is the thing... I'm not complaining about the dev time. I'm complaining about the PR. I don't care if they take thirty years to make it but I do think that Valve should really start just appreciating their fanbase's patience. Acknowledging it would be nice. They're not being cute any more they're just being flat out annoying. They're taking the fanbase for granted and just ignoring us completely despite the fact that I wake up every damn day and log into this website not for the latest news on Sims 3: Vajazzle edition, but for some glimmer of hope regarding half life.

7 years. 365 days a year. Multiple logins per day... my patience is wearing a bit thin. Valve may the friggin' saints of the gaming industry but that doesn't give them free reign to take their fanbase for granted.

[Bakkies]

Lol! Best thing I've read in a very long time! I agree with you totally. Valve believes they can get away with murder, and they usually do, like that $99 ring they sold on Team Fortress 2 that does nothing.

Later on their PR department will have to spin like Taz when they lose their fans bit by bit.

[Getowned]

somebody give this man 1,000 bubbles .. that was the best comment I have ever seen in the History of N4G.

[Kran]

Did you ever play Portal 2? I think it looked rather decent on the source engine; hugely improved from the first.

[MrDead]

Half-Life was the benchmark for FPS, Half-life 2 set the new benchmark for current FPS. Half-Life 3 will no doubt do the same but I think we will have to wait for next-gen. we need to be patient as Valve has never failed to bring us the spectacular when it comes to this series, it will take as long as it takes.

[isa_scout]

Totally disagree with the article. Half-Life is the best FPS in terms of atmosphere and story. I want Half-Life 3 now not later. They should be doing nothing but focusing on 3.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

The problem with waiting is that it builds the hype even more. It's already to the point that it can't live up to what people expect from it. The longer it takes to make a game, the better the game people expect. We've waited so long already that I honestly don't think the game will ever be as good as what I, or many others, expect.

They should have been working on Source 2 for years now fully expecting to debut it on HL3. Source 2 should already be made and HL3 should already be well underway- and I mean like at least 75% done. Release it early to mid next year and it can be put on next gen consoles and still look as good as what will be releasing on them.

That's what I think should happen but I don't think it will. Valve will always go at their own pace so who knows when it'll be done. I just feel that at this point, it's been so long that I'm actually starting to lose interest.

[SlxTeN]

Game developers should keep in mind that gamers age too.

[Rupee]

STUPID ARTICLE!!! If they started working on it now it would be for next gen hardware, which would be amazing. If they've already put years of work into it won't make any difference if they do it now or later. Either way, they need to focus on that game. They owe it to their fanbase.