GameSpot's E3 2003 Game of Show

Half-Life 2
Developer: Valve Software
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Release Date: September 30, 2003

	What's Ahead: Valve's demonstration of Half-Life 2's technology and gameplay were amazing, but for the record the game didn't look completely polished. If you watch the video of the action sequences over and over like we have, you'll eventually spot a few rough edges with the animation and so forth. Will issues like this be addressed before the game ships? The answer is, we hope so. We also have no real evidence of how long the game will be or how engaging the gameplay will be in between the set-piece action sequences that Valve showed off. The demo also implies that the levels are quite open-ended and that challenges can be surmounted using different tactics, but it remains to be seen just how much replay value Half-Life 2 will have. We also don't have any specifics on the multiplayer content (except Valve's assurance that the game will ship with multiplayer), and despite our faith, we still can't completely believe the September 30 release date. So again, here's hoping Valve follows through.

It's not that there weren't plenty of great-looking games at E3, because there certainly were. It's just that none really compared to Half-Life 2. It's like we were looking at a game from two or three E3s into the future, rather than something comparable to the already high current standards of gaming quality.

Some games show amazingly well at E3. Over the years, games like Freelancer and Star Wars Galaxies have wowed us at the show, and then proceeded to wow us less with each passing year, as they're delayed time and time again. The thing is, by all accounts, Half-Life 2 isn't going to be at another E3. Valve steadfastly maintains that the game will be released in the fall of this year.

Are we being gullible, and just buying into Valve's tall tale that this game will be ready in an unrealistic timeframe? After all, the game's imminent release is definitely a factor in our decision to name it our number-one game of E3 2003. But no, we think there's good reason to trust Valve's claim that Half-Life 2 will be released worldwide at the appointed time. Half-Life 2 has been in development for the past five years, and Valve's intention was to reveal the game only when the finish line was in sight. That way, no one would really be able to catch up. Put another way, what would motivate Valve to announce a firm release date for Half-Life 2, which is an entirely self-funded project, unless the company was reasonably certain this date was feasible? Yes, the fact that Half-Life 2 is supposedly just four months away from release is almost unbelievable. But then again, so is what we've seen of the game so far.

From a graphical perspective, Half-Life 2 doesn't destroy the competition--though a few aspects of the visuals are without peer. The game's incredibly lifelike character models are undoubtedly some of the best seen in any game to date. And the Source engine's ability to handle realistic physics--objects seem to have real mass, an effect that needs to be seen to be appreciated--gives Half-Life 2 a realistic feel that is unrivaled in the genre.

As a matter of fact, the Source engine is at least as exciting as Half-Life 2 the game. Valve has gone to great lengths to make the Source engine accessible to mod makers, effectively opening the floodgates for a whole new generation of high-quality user-created content. Just about anyone who's seen the Half-Life 2 footage quickly begins wondering at the possibilities--for example, how long before Counter-Strike 2?

When the original Half-Life was released in 1998, it became an instant classic that's had an extraordinary influence on gaming ever since. It seems difficult to imagine that a sequel could possibly live up to the legacy of the original. But judging from all that we've seen of Half-Life 2 thus far, the odds look surprisingly good.