On November 16, 2004, Valve shocked the gaming world once again with the release of Half-Life 2. The sequel to the original 1998 game, this first-person shooter quickly became a classic in the eyes of PC gamers. Even today, the game maintains its Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam. In celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary, Valve has released a giant update for the game. But that’s certainly not all. Here’s a look at how tribute is being paid to this beloved game.
What’s In The Anniversary Update
The Complete Edition
One of the biggest jumps Valve decided to make with the anniversary update is making Half-Life 2 include the Episode One and Episode Two expansions. The expansions can now be simply accessed through the game’s main menu screen. Not only are they now readily available, but players will now automatically progress to the next expansion after wrapping up the previous one. This helps the full experience of Half-Life 2 feel much more seamless, even if the game is older than many current-day PC gamers. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast has also been integrated, and it is now available to play through the Extras menu.
Developer Commentary
The expansions aren’t the only new items players can find on the menu. There is also now an option to listen to three and a half hours of new behind-the-scenes commentary from the people who helped make Half-Life 2 possible. Both of the Episode expansions for the game already had this kind of commentary. Now, the base game will no longer be neglected by the lack of it. Perhaps the biggest beauty this new addition brings is another reason to play through Half-Life 2 once again.
Workshop Support & Fixes
Player-created content has almost always been another way to keep people enjoying the same game. Thanks to the update, the game now features integrated Steam Workshop support. This means that players can access mods without having to leave the game at all. Those who want to explore what the dedicated fans of the now 20-year-old game have made can do so through the Extras menu.
As with all updates, the anniversary update has brought a host of fixes and improvements. In total, the official patch notes for the update list 115 changes. These fixes and updates range across 9 categories. This includes fixes and noticeable changes for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. One big change that has been added to Deathmatch is an increase in player spawn locations across many of its maps.
Celebrating Outside Of The Game
Of course, Valve isn’t just celebrating one of its most beloved games with only a big update. Valve once again partnered with Secret Tape, a video production company, to create a free two-hour-long documentary detailing the journey of creating Half-Life 2. Secret Tape also helped Valve create a documentary about the first game on its 25th anniversary. The documentary details the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making the iconic game. This includes the juicy details involving a painful and terrifying lawsuit that threatened Half-Life 2 and Valve as a whole.
Along with the documentary, Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar is set to return in 2025 with an expanded second edition. The book, originally published in 2004, features an abundance of art, interviews, game location tours, and more involving both Half-Life games. The new edition will include never-before-seen concept art from the Episode Expansions. It will also include concepts for the Episode 3 expansion that ended up never seeing the light of day.
A Game Turned Legend
In the 20 years since the 2004 release of Half-Life 2, the game has been cemented into Valve’s legacy. To the dev team’s immense delight, the game ended up winning almost 40 awards, all of them being well-deserved. A game with the magnitude that this one still has deserves to be fondly remembered forever. As someone who began PC gaming with games like Half-Life 2 on a poorly made laptop, it makes my heart swell seeing it continue to be so loved. The same goes for the love people have for the legendary protagonist, Dr. Gordon Freeman. In the words of G-Man, “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.”
