Portal 2 "Probably" Valve's Single-Player Swan Song

[Sniper Team 4]

Wha-wh-wh-wha-wh-wh-wh-wh-what?! I think I read that wrong. Multiplayer has no place in the Half-Life realm. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Co-op could only work if the second player takes over Chell (not Alyx because she talks and has scripted events), but that would mean she'd need to be available at the beginning of game, which would totally screw up the story. I'm sorry, but not even the G-Man can get away with magically making her appear. Plus, I feel the Half-Life series is meant to be a single player game.
Okay, I understand that we are seeing wild fires when it's really just a smoldering ember, but still. How did Valve think people were going to react when the STILL haven't even given a hint of the next Half-Life game?

 

[NoNameMcgee]

I hope this is either lost in translation somewhere or misinterpreted, and he means that the games will just likely include a multiplayer component but it wont necessarily replace singleplayer. But if he really stated it as "this will likely be the last game with an isolated singleplayer experience." I really dont see that being interpreted any other way than exactly what he said.

If he's right that means their future games will either be completely multiplayer team based/deathmatch stuff like TF2 (which I didnt really like) or coop objective-based stuff like Left4Dead (which I hated)

As someone who loves what Valve are capable of doing but hardly ever enjoys multiplayer, this is the biggest gaming related disappointment I've had in a long time. cue sadface

On the other hand, I'm trying to take it with a grain of salt as this doesn't have any kind of official basis.

 

[zombie711]

Yahtzee is gonna be pissed.
seriously why not focus on single playes. I get multiplayer and the fun chaoticness of it all, But It has to be a racing game or fighting or really good shooter for me.

 

[GeorgW]

I just think they want to add drop in coop. Or at least I hope so, Valve are the best on story IMO and needs to keep feeding me with good singleplayer stuff.
Any way to get that documentary on PC?

 

[ryo02]

well since I never play multiplayer I cant say Im happy about this

 

[Treefingers]

Meh. I don't care too much tbh. Portal is fantastic, but 2 Portal titles are enough.

I don't care for Half life, though they ought to make episode 3 still so to not displease the vast number of gamers that do.

 

[GeorgW]

Isn't this an INHERENTLY bad business plan?

I don't buy muliplayer games and I can't be the only one... surely the single player market is bigger than the multi-player ONLY one?

Ah well.. I guess Valve don't get any more of my money.

It isn't though. Multiplayer brings players, why do you think CoD sells and why every game now has to have multiplayer? Plus they usually buy more DLC.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Pointless speculation ahoy!

How I interpret this statement from Valve:

1) Future products featured a hot jump in co-op mode. (Half Life 2: EP 3, or Half Life 3)
2) Future products will contain multiplayer while still having a single player element.
3) Valve is going to launch a purely multiplayer platform that will demand ALL of its human resources and developers (DotA 2 fits this, but I wouldn't rule out an MMO of sorts)

 

[Flamma Man]

For fuck's sake people, stop lossing your shit over one fucking quote from a guy, who heard it from another guy.

Seriously, just fucking chill, people are blowing this whole quote way out of proportion.

Considering that it's a quote from Valve, I at least think we can we are justified in speculating and considering any truth of the statement.

Your insistance that we 'shut up' is just as bad as the people shouting. Just simply two sides of the same coin.

It's just the people overexageratting is so ridiculous.

Really, I think we should just wait for a clearer explanation from VALVe in the future, which I assmue it's soon considering how many people are losing their shit over this.

 

[Mr Thin]

For fuck's sake people, stop lossing your shit over one fucking quote from a guy, who heard it from another guy.

Seriously, just fucking chill, people are blowing this whole quote way out of proportion.

Considering that it's a quote from Valve, I at least think we can we are justified in speculating and considering any truth of the statement.

Your insistance that we 'shut up' is just as bad as the people shouting. Just simply two sides of the same coin.

Not really.

Assuming the quote is 100% accurate, this means basically nothing. The only Valve games I can think of that offer an 'isolated single-player experience' are Portal 1 & 2.

So... who gives a damn? Half-Life 1 & 2 had multiplayer, most people seem to think the single-player of those games was rather good. People are completely overreacting to this news.

 

[Mahorfeus]

Valve called Portal 2 an "isolated" single player experience. Note: Chell is the only human character to appear in either of the games. Hell, character interaction was kept to a bare minimum, with a cast list consisting of no more than five or six people.

Compare that to any of the Half Life games, which had plenty of character interaction amongst the numerous NPCs running around. I'm thinking that Valve just means that this will be the last time a single character is thrown into such an environment.

Or it could just be a really around-the-bush way of saying "There will be no Portal 3."

 

[V8 Ninja]

Well, this is vague. I'll just wait until Half-Life 3/HL2:Ep.3 to see what they mean by this.

 

[snave]

Uhhh... this is not news? Link to prove it:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/105115-Playing-by-Yourself-Is-Fine-With-Valve

Seems they want to push co-operative or ancillary multiplayer communication features on single player games ala Demon's Souls. I guess the only thing new to take from this announcement is that it basically states HL3 specifically won't be strictly single player. A Demon's Souls (hint scrawlings on walls leftover from mild timetravel/multiverse travel from the protagonist or deceased Aperture scientists on the ship) or a co-op (Alyx playable) approch would both fit the current storyline, so I can't see this affecting the next single player release at all given the little info available.

A big concern of course is whether they choose to make it a company philosophy and shoe-horn co-op into all parts of a game forevermore. A lot of the most memorable moments in the Half-life series only work because you're a) alone or b) in a tight space that could only hold one. Examples for each being Ravenholm from HL2 and the cliff climb vertical segment in HL1. But then, this isn't a company with much precedent for shoehorning things in needlessly.

 

[Slimshad]

I dont think you are a blatant fanboy just because of the statements in this thread. I think so because you are all over the forums and have been for years acting like some kind of Escapist Forum defense force/lawyer for Valve defending there every act and fuck up even in the most ridiculous of cases, all the while keeping the same lofty irritating and disagreeable personality that deems it necessary for you to point out your superior intellect and intelligence every other post. Yeah, im no better, but if someone calls me an asshole I will say "Yup, I am, I am not a very agreeable person". While your response is, without one exception, always "Yeah but your IQ is under 100 while mine is not which makes me better than you so take that".

Jesus christ, I just have to point this blatant fallacious-ness out. What's going on here is you are placing an ad hominem attack on him for past posts, and ignoring his point about multiplayer modes being prevalent in all valve's past titles. Stating a fact isn't fanboyism, neither is defending a company which you like. Stating that X is bad no matter what only because it isn't Y is fanboyism, which his argument wasn't. As for the other guy with the 3 digit IQ whatever, the points you make are equally valid as anybody else', even if taking Valve's cock is such a pleasurable experience (which I know it is <3).

OT (After that fucking rant): So what if co-op and multiplayer experiences are gonna be their big thing now? Half life 2 was basically a co-op game throughout the entire thing, with all the scripted Bot help you got, and the episodes were even more co-operative, as Alyx lost her god mode scripty-ness and became your hurdle mate. As long as it isn't completely community-multiplayer based (like the aforementioned TF2), I'm happy. Still waiting for my Portal 2 to deliver though. /grumble

 

[Icehearted]

Interesting to see how they do this for Episode 3.... and by interesting I mean nope.

It's been a good run, Valve. Hasta luego.

 

[Rivers Wells]

Valve has one of the worst marketing and public relations groups in the industry. Seriously.

 

[TimeLord]

whats this mean for half life 3

An online mode

 

[Owlslayer]

Well... i don't know what to say.
I suppose i hope the games Valve will be making will be really awesome and fun.
Don't really think that this is something bad (though i know Valve is capable of making great single-player games). I love the L4D series and TF2, so... go multiplayer and/or co-op!