- Free access to Half-Life 2 on Steam until November 18.
- Anniversary update enhances visuals, fixes bugs, and adds content.
- Bonus documentary, commentary, and book edition included.
The legendary Half-Life 2 is marking its 20th anniversary in style, offering fans a nostalgic trip back to City 17 while welcoming newcomers with a host of updates and surprises.
A Celebration of Two Decades of Half-Life 2
Valve has announced free access to game on Steam until November 18th at 1 PM ET. After this, players can purchase it for $9.99. This iconic update breathes new life into the 2004 classic with fixes, in the update post they mentioned,
“Every map in Half-Life 2 has been looked over by Valve level designers to fix longstanding bugs, restore content and features lost to time, and improve the quality of a few things like lightmap resolution and fog”
The light adjustments are made to balance HDR and non-HDR modes, smoother horizon lines with updated radial fog, Improved visual quality through upgraded lightmap resolution and the list goes on. The best part— Episode One and Episode Two expansions are available for players to grab them.
“Half-Life 2 now includes the complete Episode One and Episode Two expansions along with the base game. They’re accessible from the main menu, and you will automatically advance to the next expansion after completing each one.”
Bonus Content and a Nostalgic Dive
But that’s not all. The update also introduces the bonus goodies: Free documentary— a two hour Youtube video for fans who are eager to know about the game’s history, the infamous 2003 hacking incident, and the challenges the team faced and more.
Moreover, Behind-the-Scenes videos, Developer Commentary— 3.5 hours of new insights, and a new Edition of book— Re-Raising the Bar, all are included. Originally launched in 2004, Half-Life 2 is still known as best among the first-person shooter games due to its realistic and engaging gameplay.
While the anniversary has reignited the thrill, fans are demanding for Half-Life 3. The developers have not uttered a single word regarding the next installment but community is hopeful to hear something about it in near future.
