Poll: Half Life 3: Do You Still Think It's Ever Coming?

[Auron225]

I'm somewhat lucky in that I only played HL2 and its episodes last year so I haven't been waiting for years, I've been waiting for months. At the same time, I know it's pointless to get my hopes up that it'll come out. So when irrefuteable evidence surfaces that it will be out soon, then I'll get excited. Until then I'm not even considering that they will do it. I'll just forget it ever existed until one day I decide to play it again and I'll lie to myself that it is a finished product.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Who knows? Valve might, but they've never announced it officially so on that basis I think it's unreasonable to moan that it's taking too long. It's perfectly fine to criticise them for taking so long to release HL2 Episodes when their entire purpose was to speed development times. But HL3 hasn't been announced and as such is not a valid cause for complaint.

To add to the discussion, with Valve's unique internal structure (or lack thereof) being what it is, if HL3 *is* in development (let us assume that it is) then it could be being worked on by a single developer, a small team, a huge team or the entire company for all we know.

Add to this Valve's preference (and my own) for games to remain unreleased until they're ready, if HL3 is in development it's better that it comes when it comes and is incredible, than to ship sooner with less content, polish or quality. For one thing, after the first two games and their legendary status, to make an equally good or better game capable of meeting (or exceeding) player expectations is a monumental and unenviable challenge.

Lastly, I personally prefer fewer, quality, well-supported games than the EA/Activision style of re-releasing the same, identical game annually with and incremented number and new maps, double the cost of excluded content to be nickel-and-dimed back in over 11 months and the same boring, bland and uninspired gameplay that I don't spend a penny on anyway. A quality addition to a well-loved franchise has to strike a balance between "more of the same", new and interesting and expanding on what's come before. Better to have fewer, better games than more rushed identical ones. Still HL3 has been an awfully long time in coming. I think 3 years is about right to aim for, 4 to really nail it. More than that is missed opportunity.

Imagine how many good games could have/would have been great games if they'd been released when ready, and not before? Alpha Protocol, KotOR2 and VTM: Bloodlines for starters. Better to wait, no need to announce things early, raise expectations and hype then fail to deliver. Quality beats quantity any day.

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

Honestly? I don't even care at this point. HL2 has not aged well IMO, and while I do still love HL1, it just doesn't matter anymore. I've got Dead Space, Bioshock... and half a dozen other franchises with actual new game releases that I'm enjoying now. Waiting on Valve... not my idea of fun.

 

[Omega500]

I just don't care anymore.

I loved Half-Life and it's games. I played through HL Ep2 and was left absolutely speechless by the giant "fuck you" cliff hanger. Then I waited with giddy anticipation for HL Ep3...

...and waited
...and waited
...and waited

I just don't care anymore. I'm tired and jaded at Valve for this and I just plain don't care anymore. I will no longer purchase any story games from Valve after this kind of treatment.

So come on out Episode 3 or whatever you want to call yourself. Or don't come out. I don't care anymore. You've crushed the love I've had of your series out of me with this wait.

Sorta how i feel i do think that if it comes (i voted for i doubt it) i will be old and not care for it

 

[Mausthemighty]

Yes. It will come. In this life, or the next.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I love the way we've all given up on calling it Episode 3 now.

It's their flagship title, both Half Life and Half Life 2 won a bunch of awards and they're always received with critical acclaim. There's no way Valve would simply abandon a franchise like that.

We just gotta be patient guys. It'll come and when it does... it will be glorious.

 

[Zeraki]

If it ever does, people are going to hate it. It's been far too long and people have their expectations built up so ridiculously high that even if the game is good, it won't live up to the huge gap in time. I really don't care much for the Half-Life games, but I've seen this happen countless times with other games.

If a game spends too long in development hell, it will almost certainly disappoint.

 

[TIMESWORDSMAN]

My guess is it's been shelved out of lack of interest. Not from fans, but from the devs. We've seen how Valve's company structure works, employees just roll up and start work on something if it interests them, and that's granted us with some great titles. (Along with, if someone did some number crunching, the most official DLC for one game in gaming history.) This is the reason for Valve Time.
So, if nobody in the company is working on Half-Life-ey things, then there's no game. We'll probably get one someday, but I wouldn't start naming dates, or even whether or not it'll continue after that. Valve's creative process is more fluid than any other major developer, and it's made them one of the top dogs in the industry with some of the best games under their belt.
Fluid Process, Fluid Schedule.

 

[Olas]

You know it's funny, everybody says that if and when it does come out it won't live up to the hype, yet nowhere in any of these threads do I see much actual hype. Perhaps this is all part of Valve's plan, let the previous games age, and the fanbase cool down before shoving anything new at us.

Anyway, I tend to give Valve the benefit of the doubt since if they were willing to release a mediocre sequel they could have done so by now.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

Part of me hopes that it won't. After all this time, no matter what they do, it will be a moderate to massive disappointment to all parties involved.

 

[lord canti]

I believe the better question is how many people actually care at this point?

 

[NightmareExpress]

Don't you guys recall that they're working on Source V2?
That's when I expect number three to come to be. But when that is, I have no clue and can only expect it to come out of the blue.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

Here's my prediction: it will be released, but if Episodes 1-2, and Portal 2 are anything to go by then it will be so playtested to death that you will be able to complete it in less than seven hours. It will be fun and will be and not necessarily short....but incredibly easy which will make it short.

 

[AT God]

Since they announced they are making Source 2, it will be a while before anything new comes out. My guess is that if Valve still has the means to make video games, they will make a Half-Life 3. However if Source 2 takes a couple years, Valve might not be around to make a Half-Life 3. But yes, if they are still in business Half-Life 3 will be made.

 

[mateushac]

Gaben must be grinding his brains off trying to find a way to make F2P work for SP games before releasing HL3.
You heard it here first, folks!

 

[Vigormortis]

Why do I get the feelig that Escapist is the only site that is discussing the merits of a game that is not even announced. First of all, why would you start a topic like that If you don't believe it will be released? To rub it on the face of the fans who do? Why bring up a discussion with no discussion value or concrete data to base off of. It looks like you have been on this site long enough. Haven't you seen the other threads about HL3's release date that went to nowhere and just caused empty noise and lots of bitterness for absolutely no reason?

Play something else, talk about the games that you actually played, and be adequate.

Oh OT: Yes, yes I do.

Oh, it's not the only site. But, it is certainly one of the most vocal.

Really, though, does a thread like this surprise you? I know you've been on this site long enough to know these things are practically a weekly occurrence. Hell, just the other day we had one titled: "I'm starting to hate Valve". It too was about Half-Life 3, or rather the lack of it's existence.

And, as predictable as their appearance, so to is the course they all take. The OP starts off with a thinly-veiled insult towards any fans*; one hidden behind a request for "discussion" or "clarity"; and reinforces it with a host of assertions based on misinformation or opinion.
[sub]*Not always, of course. There are exceptions, like the OP of this thread.[/sub]

What often follows is a wealth of tempered responses to the OPs questions. Some in agreement. Some in disagreement. Many, regardless of stance, with explanations that poke holes in many of the OPs assertions, should there be any to be refuted.

Only occasionally do you see someone show up to irrationally attack the OP and everything they're claiming.

However, before long, you start to see the "hater" posts. The posters that seem to relish in simply hating things and passive-aggressively (or sometimes actively) insulting anyone that isn't in complete agreement with them. Even if their absurd assertions are refuted with quantifiable proof, they will not relent. They simply repeat their assertions until everyone else gives up on the discussion. (sadly, you see these types of posters in almost every discussion now-a-days, regardless of the topic)

The irony, of course, comes when these same people start warning the OP that these types of threads only ever turn into "circle-jerks" for the fans to congratulate themselves on how awesome they are for liking what they like. That irony being that the only ones self-congratulating themselves are the ones making that claim.

Regardless, I've learned there is only two ways to respond to such threads. One way is to make a single post answering the OPs questions and hoping that they realize the difference between truth and hyperbole; or that people are allowed to have differing opinions. The other way is to just patently ignore the thread and go on about your day.*

[sub]*yes, I'm aware this post is neither of those things. I just felt compelled to respond to your post.[/sub]

Anyway, on topic:

Yes, Half-Life 3 is coming. I don't have to "think" it is. I don't have to "hope" it is. Valve themselves have said that it is. Not even that long ago Newell made it clear they were working on it. (not going to search up the link unless requested) They haven't abandoned the series. In fact, most of the people working there joined Valve partly because they were all avid fans of the Half-Life series. So to say they "no longer care about it" is ridiculous.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a side note to all of those saying it's been "so long" that they "don't care anymore", I have only this to say:

Bullshit.

If you really did enjoy the series, you'd still be looking forward to the next installment. Saying it's been "too long" is nonsense.

But let's say it's true. Let's say that you, in fact, feel that it has been so long in between each installment that you aren't interested in the next one.

Fine. You're welcome to feel that way. But, I'm going to hold you to it. And, if you, in another thread, say you're excited that someone is finally making a sequel to one of your favorite games from over a decade ago, I'm going to call you a hypocrite. Because that's what you are.

 

[00slash00]

i thought valve pretty much said theyre done with half life. in any case, no. if i see an episode 3 i will be quite happily surprised, but i have long since accepted that the series is over

 

[Doom972]

I doubt it. Valve don't seem interested in making that kind of game anymore. Half-Life doesn't have many jokes in it, it's not cartoonish, and I doubt that it has any hat-selling potential. It sucks that we won't have closure, but it seems like they wrote themselves into a corner anyway.

In short - it's not impossible but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Still Life]

Valve wear a lot of hats. But the HL series is Valve's iconic series, so you can be almost certain that it'll appear again. I think we'll probably see it with a new engine.