First Half-Life 2: Ep 3 picture surfaces

By Robert Purchese Published 11 July, 2008

Gordon and crowbar face an Advisor.

The first picture of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 has surfaced on the Internet.

The artwork shows what appears to be Gordon facing the giant robot face of an Advisor from Episode 2 - and Episode 1 if you look closely. Freeman faces it heroically with a crowbar on the edge of a sheer, cavernous drop.

It appears as part of a collection on Into the Pixel (spotted by Kotaku) of some of the best drawings from videogames this year.

The entry, titled simply "Half Life EP3", is listed for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Its arrival adds mounting evidence to suggestions that Valve will be showing the third and final episode at E3, although the developer has only organised viewings for Left 4 Dead. We'll be talking to Gabe Newell next week, though, and be bringing you his thoughts as soon as we can write them.

'First Half-Life 2: Ep 3 picture surfaces' Screenshot 1

Use a gun!

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Blakester #1 4 years ago

    Best game series ever !!

  • MaxHughes #2 4 years ago

    Can't wait for Ep3 to be released, the other 2 episodes were awesome and HL2 was just mind blowing!!!

  • Horse #3 4 years ago

    Well, Ep1 wasn't that awesome. But the finale of Ep2 brought back all my love for Valve.

  • space_ace #4 4 years ago

    go, gordon!

  • Der_tolle_Emil #5 4 years ago

    EP2 was brilliant. Can't wait for EP3!

  • Dizzy #6 4 years ago

    Tasty!

    Looking forward to the last episode.

    Ep1 ending fight was much better than the Ep2 one IMHO. Both had some awesome moments.

  • monkie_king #7 4 years ago

    I should play Ep2 really, couldn't be bothered after the drudgery of Ep1.

  • Darren #8 4 years ago

    Half-Life 2: Episode 3... coming soon... December 2010!!! ;)

  • Hermiod #9 4 years ago

    After what happened at the end of Ep2, the Advisors will die by my hand!

  • Greebo #10 4 years ago


    "I should play Ep2 really, couldn't be bothered after the drudgery of Ep1"

    I nearly left it after Ep1 myself monkie_king, but as Horse said Ep2 really does bring back the love.

    Esp the finale!

    Can't wait for this!

  • Eraysor #11 4 years ago

    I don't think the advisors have robotic faces...either way I cannot wait to play this episode.

    I just hope they make it quickly, because if it takes them another year the engine is going to look ancient >_

  • DFawkes #12 4 years ago

    Still haven't played Eps 1 & 2, which is shameful really since I've owned them twice. I'll go for it at the weekend.

  • Dizzy #13 4 years ago

    "because if it takes them another year the engine is going to look ancient"

    If it has gameplay who cares?

    Also ep2 had a much higher poly count... and TBH I like my games with more stuff happening instead of stuff looking better.

  • andijames #14 4 years ago

    Didn't they say they weren't going to do anymore work on the PS3? (Valve that is?). Only as i have a PS3 and want to play this i'm wondering if they'll farm it out again to some other developer to get it on the platform.

  • FightingMongoose #15 4 years ago

    eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    /excited

  • Dizzy #16 4 years ago

    Yes andijames... Valve is not doing development on PS3. I guess it will be farmed out... but this time probably with better results since they have the engine now form ep1 and ep2. So a few tweaks should get that one up to speed hopefully.

  • Darren #17 4 years ago

    @Eraysor - "I just hope they make it quickly, because if it takes them another year the engine is going to look ancient >_"

    IMO, the Source engine looked dated two years ago and it's not like the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Half-Life 2 were improved much graphically bar the addition of some HDR lighting. In fact, textures are very low-res and flat-looking and there's no anti-aliasing in the console versions, which makes them look more dated even than the PC original which at least allowed you to pile on the anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering and bump up the resolution. Thankfully, Half-Life 2's art design makes up for its creaky technical values but nevertheless I don't think the Source engine was ever cutting edge in the same way as the UnrealEngine 3 or id's Doom engine.

  • Amicus #18 4 years ago

    Oh god. I can't wait.

  • Schiraman #19 4 years ago

    Want!

    Although personally I thought Ep 1 was a lot better than Ep 2.

  • Tomo #20 4 years ago

    The artwork on that Into The Pixel site is really beautiful. Games can't be art etc etc...

  • penhalion #21 4 years ago

    Given the telekenetic abilities of these annoying advisors does it mean that poor gordon dies or is there a weapon that can stop them. At the end of Episode 2 Eli urged Gordon not to go to or indeed even contemplate using the apogie science experiment that was on the ship they had located. Even the combine seemed reluctant to go anywhere near it. Howerevr, it's also implied that it would reverse everything done to earth!

  • frostcircus #22 4 years ago

    I am excited! I loathed Ep1 (quote: "it represents everything that is bad about expansion packs, everything that is bad about sequels (despite not being one), and everything that is bad about the video game industry";), but Ep2 was amazing and I give it a 10/10 and slaver in anticipation of the next entry in the series

  • Muddtallica #23 4 years ago

    Speaking from a selfish perspective, I really hope they don't up the tech on Episode 3 too much, because that means I won't be able to play it. And after the ending of Episode 2, that would be too cruel. :(

  • Buztafen #24 4 years ago

    Far as im concerned Valve can do no wrong and the series is the pinnacle of FPS storytelling. My brain actually filters out negative comments about these games. The day EP3 comes out is the most important day since some one realised they could make money out of filming 2 hot girls get it on.

    I cried at the end of EP2.......and Halo 3......until i saw the part after the sad part, which then made me feel stupid......

    /is hungover
    /will regret the above comment tomorrow

  • Cadence #25 4 years ago

    ^^ LOL!

  • will. #26 4 years ago

    @ Darren: Thankfully, Half-Life 2's art design makes up for its creaky technical values but nevertheless I don't think the Source engine was ever cutting edge in the same way as the UnrealEngine 3 or id's Doom engine.

    When it was released the facial animation was far beyond anything else available. It was also one of the few engines that looked surprisingly good on even the shitiest computers. If you compare it to Far Cry which was out at a similar time, they had different styles, but graphically they were pretty much on par. Far cry however needed a behemoth of a computer to look good.

    What I'm getting at is that even though it was and never will be a graphical powerhouse, it's scalability more than made up for it. Playing Far Cry now looks incredibly dated. HL2 still looks pretty good.

    I've never played the console versions though, so can't comment on those.
    Edited by 1 at 11/07/08 @ 11:58

  • thedaveeyres #27 4 years ago

    There aren't many games I get excited about, but this is number 1 on my list of games to look forward to.

  • wizbob #28 4 years ago

    Playing Far Cry now looks incredibly dated. HL2 still looks pretty good.

    The art direction on HL2 is much better (and no blurry cutscenes) but the patched Far Cry engine delivers beautiful HDR and bump mapping. Unless you played them on a console, of course.

  • BobsUncle #29 4 years ago

    Is it just me, or do EG seem to be using a lot of Kokatu's stories lately?

  • mikeck #30 4 years ago

    I never finished Ep2 actually...I got to the bit where you faced off against two of the big ant-lion soldiers, and I could not progress past that bit and became a bit stuck. I usually always go back to a game I got stuck in after a few days, but I've been playing many other things instead.

    I should go back and complete the episode.

    Is it only me that is not largely impressed by this artwork (I'm not saying it's shit before anybody flames me)? Gordon's facing off against an advisor? Is he? I'll take your word for it, looks to me like he's looking at a big black smudge.
    Edited by 2 at 11/07/08 @ 12:51

  • david78 #31 4 years ago

    Getting revenge on those cunts will be oh so sweet.

  • penhalion #32 4 years ago

    Just replayed the end of EP2 again. Is it just me or does Eli seem to be suggecting that the apogie science experiment caused all of this crap in the first place? Kind of like they screwed up reality somehow and have no idea what a second use of the mysterious device will do....

  • grantc7 #33 4 years ago

    Epic series, with so many questions left unanswered.

  • Dynamize #34 4 years ago

    Want want want. I want to get my theoretical physicist on.

  • Nithron #35 4 years ago

    The Source engine is a little dated, granted. IMO, though, Ep 2 is still one of the best-looking games out right now, simply because the art style is so fantastic. It doesn't matter if your engine pumps out enough polygons to render the underarm hair of an enemy six miles away, if all you're using it for is animating eight foot tall space marines with twelve foot wide shoulders going "Motherfucker!" and shooting generic enemies in the face.

    Also, valve, bring back Father Gregory(sp?)! That guy was awesome!
    Edited by 1 at 11/07/08 @ 13:48

  • Trakerz #36 4 years ago

    Something tells me that crowbar will be the most important item you ever had at the end of the game :D

  • AphoticCosmos #37 4 years ago

    I cried at the end of episode II.

    AVENGE HIM! YEEEAH!

    Damn Valve know how to make a good game

  • agparrot #38 4 years ago

    Discussions of graphics and other such nonsense aside, I had a blast playing through The Orange Box on my 360 recently - Main game is solid, ep1 is the weakest of the 3 storyline games and ep2 is well worth playing (monkie_king) if you haven't made it that far through.

    Portal is a work of complete genius, and am looking forward to more Cake in ep3 - as penahlion notes, there are some pretty glue-like clues about ties between Aperture Science and the Black Mesa facility , beyond what was mentioned in the Cake Song.

    Perhaps Gordon will even get to do some science.

  • agparrot #39 4 years ago

    @kelly's_h

    The first Half life and ep3 in a box would be awesome. Along with portal ep2, I would die a small death of joy should this holy trinity come to pass.

    The rational part of my brain tells me it is unlikely.

    The other part is thinking of cake.

    Half Life: The Cherry Box.

  • Bremenacht #40 4 years ago

    Back to Xen.

  • derfs #41 4 years ago

    @benny_hill

    look here

  • Wyrm #42 4 years ago

    Both Ep 1 & 2 are great and superior to the original sequel.

  • Pulsar_t #43 4 years ago

    I hope this time they wrap up Gordon's story at least.. It has dragged on needlessly for ten long years.

  • Razorus #44 4 years ago

    Overrated.

    *prepares to battle fanboys*

  • frostcircus #45 4 years ago

    The internet developed immunity to that word

  • Mudo #46 4 years ago

    Played through Half-Life 2 up to some point in the canals IIRC. Got bored there.
    Got bored of Ep1 almost as soon as Alyx told me to go off and figure something out on my own very very early on.
    Played through Ep2 to the end and found it unbelievably good. Amazing through and through. No doubt this is skewed by the fact I had never fought nor /seen/ a strider in action before the excellent climax, but I don't care. I love it.
    Though I fucking hate zombies and why in fucking hell does every game have to fucking have them??? Fucking zombies and fucking headcrabs are just not fun to fucking well fight.

  • Buztafen #47 4 years ago

    I bet you eat the gooey heart out of jammy dodgers and leave the biscuit part, dont you Mudo!!!

  • cellar_door #48 4 years ago

    I hope they keep the developer commentary in. That was ace.

  • karstux #49 4 years ago

    My problem with the HL series is that the games so far just don't provide any closure. HL2 and Ep1 (haven't finished Ep2 yet) both end in cliff-hangers. What good is excellent story-telling if you're left hanging in the end? I certainly see the financial reasoning of this (if you end a game craving more, you're likely to buy the sequels), but it's a bit disrespectful to the audience. More than the purchase price, as a gamer I invest emotionally in a game. There needs to be a return on that investment - not just in gameplay experience (moentary value) but also in closure (emotional value).

    And with years between releases, the concept of "episodic gaming" is really stretched to its limit.

  • timberwolf #50 4 years ago

    here's my money EA... now where's that 'old rope' you promised.