The HL2 Ep 3 you probably won't see (Gaming)

by petetheduck, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 16:35 (2503 days ago) @ Cody Miller

So I can mention this now. I don't know if there are any Half Life fans here.

Disclaimer: This will probably never come to pass since writers Erik Wolpaw and Marc Laidlaw are both no longer at Valve, this appeared to be brainstorming / early development, and it was 6 years ago.

While working on the highly reviewed Portal 2 Official Strategy guide, we had to play the game at Valve's headquarters. They were pretty adamant that the game not leave the building, so I lived in Bellevue for about a month and a half coming into their offices every day to play the game. We had a room set up on the perimeter of the floor, and the rooms off the hallway were all completely vacant. So it was basically just us on that section of the floor.

One day I skipped breakfast, and so got something from the cafeteria. Walking from the cafeteria to our room, I entered the hallway from the other side. I went through the door thinking it was our room, only to find that is wasn't. It wasn't even empty. The room had index cards taped all over the wall, and papers everywhere. They described what appeared to be the next Half Life game.

Of course I was curious so I read the cards on the wall. Afterwards I let Valve know that this room was completely unlocked, since later that day press were going to be visiting, and they might not want them finding the potential plot to HL2 Ep 3. I've never seen the color drain out of anyone's face before, but that's what happened when I mentioned I'd wandered into the room. Turns out, Erik liked to move around for peace and quiet, and had moved to this room without telling anyone.

So, here's where the game was at in 2011. Going from memory:

It would have started almost immediately after Episode 2 ended. Eli is still dead, but you would find a pice of combine technology in the Borealis to reanimate him, and find Mossman. Revived, his memory is extremely shoddy and he isn't himself, but he is able to protect you from the psychic attacks of the Advisors. I don't remember how exactly, but you'd learn that there are means on the Combine Homeworld to fully reanimate Eli. You would then take him, and travel to the combine homeworld on a rocket through a portal that you open up. Alex and Gordon would have sex on a bluff. You'd revive Eli fully, but as he was explaining shit to you the Gman would come and kill him. You'd then flee and end up stuck on the Combine homeworld, and the Gman would remain a mystery. Another cliffhanger.

So yeah. I only recall those big strokes, and not many small details. I wonder if we will see any of this come to pass should the game be finally made. As far as I remember, no portal gun!

That sounds terrible. Preorder cancelled.