What do you want Half-Life 3 to be?

[GTMippey]

Forgive me if this is just "another HL3 thread", but I wanted to talk about this while it was still fresh in my mind.

I've just completed my pretty much annual playthrough of the Half-Life games (expansions included) and as always, it's reaffirmed my love for the series and my anticipation for the next instalment. So assuming that next in line is HL3 (Episode 3 seems a bit unrealistic at this point) I was wondering what other people are actually wanting from the next game.

To clarify, I'm talking less about story and more about gameplay mechanics. There's no doubt that the first 2 mainline games innovated the FPS genre in huge ways, from storytelling to atmosphere, but in the time since HL2, FPS games are remarkably different. Cover based shooting, regenerating health, massive set pieces with lots of explosions, limiting the amount of weapons you can carry, more realistic movement, grenade indicators. With maybe the exception of the set pieces (they feel different in HL2 as they do in modern shooters,) do you guys think Valve should adopt and try to innovate any of this? Or should they stick to the old ways and have HL3 play like an upgraded HL2?

 

[GTMippey]

I'm trying to keep reasonably realistic expectations. I think the problem is that in between HL1 and HL2, the only real changes in other shooters were the graphics. But since HL2 the FPS genre has pretty much gone through a complete overhaul. Playing HL2 felt so old-school. Not to say that it's bad because it's not at all, but it felt much different. Things that were so new in HL2 (awesome physics, etc) is now very commonplace. I struggle to think of anything Valve can do to "wow" me like HL 1 and 2 did consistently back in the day.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I don't particularly want HL3 to be anything.

If it's good, then great... If it's not, oh well.

 

[hazabaza1]

Average.
Don't want it to be shit because then people will never shut the fuck up about it, but I don't want it to be that great because then people will never shut the fuck up about it.

 

[babinro]

I'd like it to have a good story.

Half-Life 2 had some great voice acting and a couple decent characters but the story completely fell flat. I wasn't invested in it at all but rather the music and environments and action pushed me through the game. Although to be honest the pacing is terrible IMO. You tend to stick around in an area or section long after it starts to wear thin.

If HL3 can offer an engaging story and tweak it's pacing it would be worthy follow up in the franchise. Nostalgia goggles make this game an immediate failure though as people state. That doesn't mean it's not worth creating. It just means die hard HL fans will endlessly nerd rage while people new to the series might become new HL fans.

 

[shrekfan246]

Average.
Don't want it to be shit because then people will never shut the fuck up about it, but I don't want it to be that great because then people will never shut the fuck up about it.

Regardless of its quality. People will never shut the fuck up about it. We're doomed regardless.

This right here.

Hell, it might actually be worse if it were average instead of terrible, because at least with terrible people would know why they were disappointed and hated something. If it were just ten-twenty hours of "Ehhhhh...", the internet would probably explode. Though, maybe my point of view is a bit stilted because I think the rest of the Half-Life games are merely average.

OT: To be honest, I don't want it to even exist. At this point, I'd rather it never be released, because even though there has never been a concrete announcement about the thing, people bring it up every month. Yeah, sure, it's a joke now, but you and I both know that a lot of the people who joke about "HL3 confirmed!" are still actually hoping for the game to be made and finished. And I don't care what the Valve fans say, there is absolutely no way that I can see Half-Life 3 is going to live up to the expectations. And about those guys who say "Well, there aren't any expectations!" Yes there are, stop trying to kid yourself. Valve hasn't needed to hype up any next Half-Life game, because the internet constantly does it for them and everyone still talks about how "revolutionary" Half-Life and Half-Life 2 both were. There are expectations for Half-Life 3, and if it actually comes out, it won't live up to them regardless of how good it is.

 

[Foolery]

Official word that it's not in development, so people will stop talking about it. I highly doubt that Valve is working on it. It's dead.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I would like it to be a thing that exists. Is that really too much to ask at this point?

 

[Whispering Cynic]

I would like it to be real. That would be really nice (and also a good start).

 

[chstens]

It's clearly going to be a MOBA. All the signs are there, think about it. What do you think Dota 2 is? You've secretly been playing HL3 all along.

 

[Shadowkire]

One word: finished.

I want to play it.

 

[Evonisia]

I want it to just be a game. It wouldn't be too wrong to assume that Half-Life 3 would have many self referential moments or references to how popular it is or it might pull a Duke Nukem Forever and just have pop culture references of shooters that have since surpassed it like BioShock.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Average.
Don't want it to be shit because then people will never shut the fuck up about it, but I don't want it to be that great because then people will never shut the fuck up about it.

Unfortunately, on the Internet most people's definition of shit is "not good". There's no room for average in our hyperbolic land of cats and whining.

Anyway, its not like it matters cause the game isn't even in development so we won't see it for another 5+ years at the least. I didn't particularity like Half-Life 2 though I totally understand why its a classic. But to make it good for me, they need to improve the physics engine. NOTHING in that game carried weight. Your guns might as well have fired BB's and your vehicles were practically made of wood. A friend of mine flipped out on the scene where the buildings try to crush you but too me it just looked like a really big moving 3D model. So I wants better physics

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Eh, I don't speculate about HL3 since I'll probably be wrong on all counts. But yeah, I hope it will be as good as the hype when it inevitably comes out, but I can't say when, where, or if I can realistically be right about that.

 

[Brian Tams]

I would like Half-Life 3 to be a real game (as in, to actually exist), and to be tucked in snugly into my game library.

 

[Lawyer105]

I would like HL3 to continue not existing.

At this point, there is no possible way that it could ever live up to the expectations that have been built up about it, and I (perhaps selfishly) don't really want to live through an internet s^*tstorm that makes the ME3 debacle look like a gentle breeze.

In addition, while the HL-series had an interesting story and some fun gameplay, I honestly don't consider it to be the sort of internet-Jesus-game that it's fans seem to think it is. It was alright, and it was a fun way to pass a few hours, but it certainly didn't change my life, and my existence certainly wouldn't be any poorer if I'd never played it.