I’m interested in getting into the Half-life story, and I picked up a copy of the Game of the Year edition from eBay, but it’s looking like the game has come out in many versions and it’s unclear what to pick up as a minimal purchase to follow the story through to its current state.
Supposedly the Platinum Edition also has Opposing Force, which I don’t know if I need that to follow Gordon Freeman’s story. Then there’s the Team Fortress and Counter-Strike, which I thought were just online shooter games. Okay, so they’re set in the same universe, but is there a story there, and will I be missing an important part of the ongoing story of Gordon Freeman? How about Blue Shift?
Half-life 2 is also a bit confusing. Is Episode 1 the first part of Half-life 2, or is it an add-on to a standalone Half-life 2?
Team Fortress and Counter-Strike are standalone games (or rather mods) built on the same engine that Half-Life 1 used, while Episode 1 and Episode 2 are short expansions that continue the story of Half-Life 2 from Freeman’s point of view.
As far as the HL1 expansions (Opposing Force, Blue Shift) go I’m pretty sure that Opposing Force contains virtually no new plot relevant to the main story. It’s been years since I played it, however, and I’ve never played Blue Shift, so you should probably wait for feedback from someone who knows them better.
The Gordon Freeman story goes like this:
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
(Half Life 2: Episode Three)*
*Not yet released.
The following “official” games in the Half-Life universe have also been released:
Opposing Forces (following a marine team in the HL universe. Not directly connected to Gordon Freeman’s storyline, but there are referances that affect canon and continuity. Worth playing afterwards. For Half-Life.)
Blue Shift (A game about a “Blue Shift”, i.e. a Black Mesa Research Institute security guard in Half-Life.
Team Fortress: The Half-Life(1) death match, essentially. Multiplayer game.
Portal (HL2) A game set in the Half-Life universe, created around a physics gimmick. Worth playing.
Team Fortress 2 (HL2) - Pure multiplayer game, not set in the HL universe.
Counter-Strike (including CS, CS Source, CS Condition Zero, et all) is a terrorist vs anti-terror multi-player FPS released as a mod to the Half-Life engine. Was graphically rewamped when HL2 was released, into Counter-Strike: Source, to give Half-Life 2 an official multiplayer component.
Am I missing anything?
You really only need to play Half-Life 1, 2 & episodes (should take you a weekend) to get all of Gordon Freeman’s storyline. The pieces thrown out in Blue Shift and Opposing Forces are mostly of peripheral importance.
Oh, and Portal. Because it’s awesome. (And there’s cake!)
I still have my extra copies of Half-Life 2 and HL2 - Episode 1 from getting the Orange Box. If you’re willing to download/have got Steam, they in turn can be yours for download.
There is a very brief touchpoint between Portal and Half-Life 2: Episode 2 that will give you a tiny bit more insight into some backstory if you have played Portal first but it isn’t that big of a deal.
And there really was a cake. It was delicious and moist.
No fears. Part of the deal with The Orange Box package was that you can ‘gift’ the games you already have to others who don’t have 'em. Valve is just that cool.
Some whiny types were bitching about being ‘forced’ to buy HL1 and HL2 along with the three other games that were part of the Orange Box package. (Y’know, because Valve was allegedly ‘charging extra’ for including HL & HL2. Apparently $50 for three new games wasn’t a good enough deal on its own; these folks felt The Orange Box would’ve/should’ve been a cheaper package if Valve hadn’t included the first two HLs.)
I wish I knew someone who’d ‘gift’ me the original HL. My original CD won’t work.
Specifically Barney, the CitSec double agent for the resistance (the one you meet right in the beginning who pulls you aside when you’re going through security). It’s not really necessary, but it does at least follow one of the major characters.
Only a weekend?? Holy crap. Thats some marathon gaming. Even if you’re decent at 1st person shooters, I’d think you’re looking at at least 30-40 hours of playtime for HL1, HL2 plus both additional episodes. Probably more if you play on Medium or Hard difficulty.
