Valve reveals new Ep 2 details

By Tom Bramwell Published 14 July, 2006

360, PS3 and PC - and it'll ship with Team Fortress 2.

In a really rather exciting presentation at EA's Studio Showcase in San Francisco, Valve has announced that Half-Life 2: Episode 2 will launch on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC simultaneously - and that's only the start of it.

Studio founder Gabe Newell was on hand to deliver the news, and to inform the audience that the console version will come complete with the original HL2 and Ep 1 for "the entire Half-Life experience."

Newell also revealed that Ep 2 will ship with a brand new FPS game called Portal. Set in the Half-Life universe, it sees you armed with some kind of crazy gun which allows you to create, well, portals. You can use them to transport yourself across rooms, or to teleport an object from one place to another - perhaps so that it falls out of the portal you've created to land smack bang on an enemy's head, for example.

And that's not all... Remember Team Fortress 2? You might not, seeing as it was first announced more than five years ago. Well, it's nearly here at last - and will also ship with Ep 2. A short trailer revealed that there's a much more cartoony look to the whole thing; think bright colours, new lighting effects and a visual style that's not a dissimilar from that of hit Disney movie The Incredibles. Character classes include the Spy, the Sniper and the Heavy, plus a brand new one - Pyro - whose weapon of choice is a big fat flamethrower.

Visually at least, it's clear that Team Fortress 2 will take the series in a new direction; but Newell is confident that it's the right one, telling the crowd: "It's going to be the best looking and best playing class-based multiplayer game on the market."

Newell also revealed some more info about your actual Ep 2, confirming that it'll see you exploring areas outside City 17 once again. You can expect new weapons and new enemies, of course, plus a rather fancy new Cinematic Physics system. It was invented by Valve's Gray Horsfield; he used to work for visual effects facility Weta, and produced the destruction scenes in Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Lord of the Rings films. Should be good then.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is due out in time for Christmas, according to Valve - although EA has not announced a release date. While you're waiting, why not check out our recent interview with Newell and fellow Valve exec Doug Lombardi, if you haven't already.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (51) Latest comment 6 years ago

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

  • Roachdog #1 6 years ago

    Well......seems a little bit more interesting than Episode 1 then ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 14/07/06 @ 11:43

  • space_ace #2 6 years ago

    nice

  • Salaman #3 6 years ago

    Team Fortress!?

    Wooooooooohooooooooooo

    /pre orders

  • Blerk #4 6 years ago

    Newell also revealed that Ep 2 will ship with a brand new FPS game called Portal. Set in the Half-Life universe, it sees you armed with some kind of crazy gun which allows you to create, well, portals. You can use them to transport yourself across rooms, or to teleport an object from one place to another - perhaps so that it falls out of the portal you've created to land smack bang on an enemy's head, for example.

    That sounds... really familiar. Isn't there another PC/Xbox shooter on the cards (or out already?) that does exactly that?

    Anyway - nice barg on the console versions, there. More of that, please!

  • bauhaus #5 6 years ago

    Team Fortress is indeed the daddy!!

    My first ever clan on the Wireplay league!! You never forget your first time do ya?
    Ahhhhh.. happy days

  • #6 6 years ago

    Holy Moly!

    This is probably the biggest news of the summer so far. Wowee.
    The console releases are straight out of left feild - especially a I though MS might try to make Valve do an 360-PC only deal.

    Really like the idea of TF2 - sounds a lot more like TF1, which was good fun back in the the day (Scout FTW!). God, that game was on the top of my list like 5 years ago - looked really promising, but CS took over and I thught it had just died.

    This is all excellent stuff.

  • bauhaus #7 6 years ago

    just re-read that article, Pyro aint a new class, that was in the original?!?!

  • karlidog #8 6 years ago

    Crikey, this all sounds amazing. TF2's new art style sounds like a refreshing break from all the gritty pseudo-realistic crap clogging the PC's creative arteries lately. Portal sounds like it could be great - it'd be great to see someone with some actual imagination using the technology. And hey, Episode 2. Omgwftbbq.

    See, this is what I love about episodic gaming when it's done right. I've just played, and loved every second of, a game that's about as long as Ico, and that was a sequel to my favourite game of all time. But there's another one out in a few months! Not three years. Four or five months. Episodic gaming is love.

  • Krusty #9 6 years ago

    Wow, TF2 lives!

  • Aga #10 6 years ago

    and so it begins

  • Hicksy #11 6 years ago

    bloody brilliant news \o/

    /frolicks and prances

  • myiagros #12 6 years ago

    excellent news, at least now i can stop scouring at my PC because its not good enough to cope with HL2.

    and the unexpected news of Team Fortress 2 is superb!!

    Does this mean that HL2, Ep1 and Ep2 will be released on 360 and PS3 by xmas?

    yes, its is coming out simultaniously on all three formats
    Edited by 1 at 14/07/06 @ 12:06

  • Kiigan #13 6 years ago

    All great news!

    (Except possibly the bit about EA being involved)

  • octo #14 6 years ago

    Cool. I've never played half life or half life 2 so I shall be picking this little lot up for the 360.

  • Steroyd #15 6 years ago

    excellent news, at least now i can stop scouring at my PC because its not good enough to cope with HL2.

    damn straight i got a Xbox because of this game.... but the original release date got so delayed I sold my Xbox before it eventually launched.

    /shakes fist in anger

  • Aga #16 6 years ago

    pyro new class? whaaaaaaaa

    it has been in all previous fortress releases.

  • holloguts #17 6 years ago

    It's good news, but with a bit of a downer unfortunately. It seems that the TFC2 will not be released with the console versions (but looks as if CS source will be).

    Shame, because I no longer play PC games and playing TFC2 on the 360 would have been welcome (more than HL2).


    [link url=http://www.xboxic.com /news/1270
    ]http://www.xboxic.com /news/1270
    [/link]

  • Kiigan #18 6 years ago

    Does this mean that HL2, Ep1 and Ep2 will be released on 360 and PS3 by xmas?

    No, it absolutely does not. There is no way it'll be ready on all platforms this side of Xmas. Make of that what you will. Whether it means that the PC version will be delayed to coincide with the PS3 and 360 versions, or whether it means some bizarro-world definition of "simultaneous" that sees the PC version come out this side of Xmas and the other versions some time next year... I don't know.

  • Aga #19 6 years ago

    Steroyd: People bought Half-Life and a new PC in 1998/1999 to be ready for TF2, join the club =)

  • Wobble #20 6 years ago

    conc jumping ftw \o/

    I hope thay haven't messed with the TF physics :o(

    /still has TF2 Tshirt from ECTS about 5 years ago.

  • Inflatable #21 6 years ago

    @Blerk, I guess you mean Prey.. Well, that doesn't let you create portals afaik, and portals have been in FPS games since Quake1, so I don't really see your point.. This HL2 portal game will afaik the 1st MP game that lets you create portals as part of the gameplay..

    Can't wait for EP2 even more then before now it comes with TF2 and portal.. Also a great package for consolegamers, they bassicly get 3 games in 1 (HL2 + Episode 1&2)

  • jack_klugman #22 6 years ago

    Does this mean that HL2, Ep1 and Ep2 will be released on 360 and PS3 by xmas?

    No, it absolutely does not. There is no way it'll be ready on all platforms this side of Xmas.

    I hate to counter what Kiigan said, but based on what I've heard and read the plan is definately to have HL2, Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 out on 360, PS3 and PC before the end of the year.

  • neilka #23 6 years ago

    So what's going to happen with Episode 3 for the consoles? Downloadable via Xbox Live Marketplace/PS3 equivalent?

  • oerhoert #24 6 years ago

    <em>So what's going to happen with Episode 3 for the consoles? Downloadable via Xbox Live Marketplace/PS3 equivalent?</em>

    Exactly what I thought as well. Prolly a good question to as Valve next time you see'em, eh, EG? :)

  • Paleface #25 6 years ago

    Ah, TF2. If TF2 is also on 360... I'm sold.

    I never got on with TFC, purely because it wasn't Quakeworld Team Fortress, which is the *only* one worth mentioning. TFC was too slow.

    Spent about 3 years on Wireplay playing QWTF - bauhaus, which clan were you in?

    Anyhow, this all sounds jolly good. Valve do surprises right.

  • Azazel #26 6 years ago

    Quakeworld Team Fortress, which is the *only* one worth mentioning

    +1

  • Carpathian #27 6 years ago

    Everything comes to those who wait - it's quite a mantra to remember these days, isn't it.

    I bought the PC version of HL2 but never got round to grabbing the Xbox version - to see I can grab that for my 360 and get HL2, Ep1, Ep2 AND the "new Portal thing" in one hit is a bit of a reward for my patience.

    "Not playing games straight away" is the new "playing games"

    Patience ftw ! ;o)

  • bauhaus #28 6 years ago

    ACC - Anti Clan Clan
    Et Vu?

  • skillian #29 6 years ago

    Valve, we love you.

    Best story I've read all year.

  • Ryuken #30 6 years ago

    @Inflatable: who says Portal is a multiplayer game too? Nearly all reports claim it as being a puzzle-singleplayer experience. Creating your own portals was a Prey-multiplayer idea right from the start. It didn't make it into the new, actually released version though.

    Hopefully the style of the new TF2 doesn't have much impact on the gameplay.

  • Feanor #31 6 years ago

    Just finished HL2 on the Xbox, and after the cliffhanger ending it's nice to know I can play Episodes 1 & 2 on either the 360 or the PS3 sometime next year. I say next year because I won't buy a new console till 2007.
    Edited by 1 at 14/07/06 @ 14:48

  • TiTaniXNEz #32 6 years ago

    Having been playing TFC since the night I waited up and downloaded the BETA I can assure you all that this had made my day/week/summer. I too hope they haven't messed around too much with the core mechanics of the game, it's without a doubt my favorite online game of all time. I did defect for a while to Q3F and Natural Selection but eventually returned to the TFC goodness.

    Let's just hope they sort out the power of the fat bastard class.
    Edited by 1 at 14/07/06 @ 15:01

  • alimokrane #33 6 years ago

    Well good news !

  • jimbob101 #34 6 years ago

    So on the XB360/PS3 will Ep3 be a download?

  • zoidberg #35 6 years ago

    i am already building a shrine to honour the Valve Gods.

  • HarryB #36 6 years ago

    but why no DOD or TF2 for consoles?
    and is CS definitely on there?

    arghhh gimme gimme gimme

  • Aga #37 6 years ago

    Because they play better on the PC.

  • wayn3h #38 6 years ago

    Episodic content... On a console. yea.....

  • oeNeo #39 6 years ago

    Is the video online anywhere? I'd love to see it.

  • MrChuckles #40 6 years ago

    Bah, i only want TF2 and CS:Source, i've never got on with single player FPS's (Although COD2 was alright).

    Can't they just release the multiplayer games for a tenner? :-)

  • rudedudejude #41 6 years ago

    Whats the bets TF2 will be another $10 job like the new DOD.

  • SeesThroughAll #42 6 years ago

    ...it sees you armed with some kind of crazy gun which allows you to create, well, portals...

    Isn't there another PC/Xbox shooter on the cards (or out already?) that does exactly that?

    Yes there is, it's called Half-Life: Opposing Force. :-)
    Edited by 1 at 14/07/06 @ 16:13

  • GitSomE_UK #43 6 years ago

    Out by Xmas... my arse! More like Xmas 2008.

    HL2 was delayed for ages (remember the free version with video card fiasco)... this will be no different.

    Do not trust Valve announcements it'll end in disappointment.

  • skillian #44 6 years ago

    Shipping a new episode isn't exactly like shipping a new game with a toyally new engine. I reckon Valve's estimate will be pretty close to reality.

  • Bits #45 6 years ago

    Yus, I was expecting the episodes to get released on console eventually but this is far more than I anticipated. Can't wait to get a 360 now, been playing Half Life 2 on me Xbox lately, first time since I completed it, I'd forgotten just how brilliant it is.

  • Mock #46 6 years ago

    HL2 may have taken ages to ship after the free Radeon voucher scheme, but at least when it did ship it was still free with the voucher. Delays happen, some companies still deliver afterwards, some don't.

    The jury is still out on 3DRealms.

  • stephen #47 6 years ago

    Anyone got any screenshots/clips of the new TF2 ? The only ones I can find are the utterly gash original ones from 1999-2001.

  • login_name #48 6 years ago

    "...the console version will come complete with the original HL2 and Ep 1 for "the entire Half-Life experience.""

    It's not really the entire Half-Life experience though is it. What about Ep3? Although I'm sure that will come out as well, I would have thought it would make more sense to wait until that was ready to ship and bundle the whole lot together, including The Lost Coast. Better yet, do a proper HL source version, like the CS and DoD updates, and bundle that in there too. Now that would be the entire HL experience.

  • oeNeo #49 6 years ago

    http://www.trepi d.net/images/tf2.jpg

  • Kostabi #50 6 years ago

    Scorpius from Farscape!

  • Talha #51 6 years ago

    Best news of 2006 for me