Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second installment in a series of episodes for the 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, from Valve Corporation.

Continuing with Valve's method of orienting each episode around a particular theme or set of technologies, Episode Two focuses on expansive environments, travel, and large, nonlinear battles. Following the closing events of Episode One, it sees Gordon Freeman and the series' other major characters moving away from City 17 to the surrounding wilderness.

The first two episodes of Half-Life 2 were developed concurrently by separate teams. Episode Two was originally intended to be released in two different packages: the "Black Box" – which was to ship for the PC only, and was to contain Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2 – and the "Orange Box" – which was released for the PC and XBOX 360 (with the PS3 version delayed), and contains all the Black Box games in addition to Half-Life 2 and Episode One. The Orange Box is now available at retail stores and on Valve's Steam content-delivery system, however, the Black Box was cancelled. Instead Valve introduced a gift feature to enable those who already own Half-Life 2 and/or Episode One to give the extra copies they buy in the Orange Box away as gifts. It is possible to buy one or all of the Black Box games seperately on Steam, but even if you already own Half-Life 2 and Episode One, the Orange Box is still cheaper than buying all three games individually.

Gameplay
As was suggested in press releases, Episode Two generally concentrates on more expansive locales as compared to the claustrophobic Episode One, particularly in its latter chapters, although it ends similarly to Episode One with a pitched battle in a fixed environment. The Muscle Car chapters are very reminiscent of the Highway 17 Chapter of Half-Life 2. Episode Two is longer than Episode One, approximately two thirds the length of Half-Life 2.

Episode Two introduces two new enemies: the Acid Worker Antlions and the Combine Hunters. As discussed in the commentary of the game, both display new, sophisticated types of A.I.: the Antlion Workers' in their standoffish approach, and the Hunters' intelligent flanking and flushing out maneuveurs. With the Hunters in particular, with their resistance to conventional attacks, their deadly close combat moves and their weakness to thrown objects, the developers hoped to encourage players to interact with the game environment more closely, and try different tactics each time. The game also introduced Antlion Grubs and Antlion Guardians, the behaviour of whom make the first chapters of the game different from anything yet experienced in the Half-Life games, and were also used to explain the inner workings of Antlion society. The game also gradually reveals the characteristics of the sinister Combine Advisors, and they play a much more central role to the Episode than in previous installments.

Although no new weapons as such are introduced, the Strider Buster, used to defend White Forest against a Combine offensive, is crucial to the last stages of the game. Valve stated before the release that they were not interested in creating new weapons, as they were more interested in exploring every dimension of the Gravity Gun, the Strider Buster being the outcome of this. This decision came in spite of the fact that the lack of new weaponry in Episode One was one of its most criticised aspects.

Chapter Walkthroughs

 * To The White Forest
 * This Vortal Coil
 * Freeman Pontifex
 * Riding Shotgun
 * Under the Radar
 * Our Mutual Fiend
 * T-Minus One

Plot summary
After a cut scene recapping the events of Episode One, Gordon Freeman awakes in the wreckage of the train he and Alyx used to escape City 17, which had derailed while travelling over a bridge. Freed from the wreckage by Alyx, the two of them move on, pausing briefly to view the smoldering ruins of City 17 in the distance and the beginnings of a 'superportal' originating at the base of the destroyed Citadel. Shortly afterwards a portal storm, which seems to originate at the Citadel ruins, sweeps the area, destroying the already critically damaged rail bridge nearby. Alyx and Gordon are unharmed.

They continue through some abandoned mining tunnels and stumble across an abandoned, but functional, Resistance communications center. They establish communications with Dr. Kleiner, Eli Vance and Dr. Arne Magnusson at White Forest base, and determine that the Combine are attempting to open a new gateway on Earth and re-establish their hold on humanity. It becomes apparent that the data Alyx stole from the Citadel may be the Combine portal code, needed to close the growing superportal. Soon, however, the signal is lost, and the Overwatch announcer is heard in the distance as a Hunter-Chopper flies over, indicating that the Combine, despite their losses, are still actively searching for Gordon and Alyx, and the data packet they possess. Moving on, Alyx and Gordon head towards what appears to be an old mining complex. Along the way, Alyx explains that Dr. Magnusson has been working on a rocket capable of launching a satellite into space to tap in to the satellite array at Black Mesa, but that it was impossible to launch the rocket before the uprising. She explains that the satellite will, hopefully, be able to shut down the superportal. Shortly thereafter, Alyx catches a glimpse of a creature squatting on a nearby rooftop, which then disappears. They cautiously move on, only to find their path blocked by a gate. Gordon finds his way into a nearby building, opens the gate and exits the building through a crawlspace underneath it, only to become pinned by debris as Alyx is viciously attacked and severely wounded by what appears to be a miniature Strider, a Hunter. Gordon blacks out. He regains consciousness as an Antlion closes in on an unconscious Alyx. Fortunately, a Vortigaunt intervenes and kills the Antlion just in time. He frees Gordon and explains that Alyx is close to death that if she is to have any chance of survival he must get her to his kin. Gordon leads the way, while the Vortigaunt follows behind, carrying Alyx. They are separated when Gordon drops down into a jammed lift, which then shakes loose and plummets down to the bottom of the shaft. Gordon then has no choice but to continue alone through the abandoned mine, eventually finding his way into an extensive network of tunnels inhabited by a colony of Antlions. He encounters Antlion Grubs and the Antlion Worker for the first time.

After navigating through the Antlion tunnels, Gordon meets two Resistance members, Griggs and Sheckley, and the Vortigaunt, who is attempting to stabilize Alyx, holed up in a large tunnel intersection. The Vortigaunt is awaiting his kin who are still some distance away. Griggs and Sheckley offer Gordon some supplies and explain their defenses, including a monitoring system - which indicates the direction and size of incoming Antlion attacks - two reprogrammed Combine turrets and a number of hopper mines. The Vortigaunt is literally acting as Alyx's life support at this time, and cannot be disturbed, so Gordon, Griggs and Sheckley must hold off the incoming Antlion attacks, protecting the Vortigaunt. The attacks gradually get more aggressive until finally the other three Vortigaunts arrive. They join Gordon, Griggs and Sheckley to fend off a massive attack in which hundreds of Antlions attack simultaneously from every direction.

After the battle, the Vortigaunts explain that a substance known as the 'larval extract' is needed to heal Alyx's wounds. Gordon and the Vortigaunt set out to acquire some while the others stay behind. After battling downward back into the tunnels, Gordon and the Vortigaunt catch sight of an Antlion Guardian, revealing that the retrieval of the extract may be more difficult than previously anticipated, since killing the beast would spoil the extract. After separating from the Vortigaunt, Gordon makes his way back into the Antlion colony, and has to navigate through the maze of tunnels while avoiding the Guardian. Once he escapes the Guardian, he activates an elevator, allowing the Vortigaunt to rejoin him and harvest the extract. They return to Alyx and, using the extract, begin the healing process. Suddenly, the G-Man interrupts, saying that he had to wait until the Vortigaunts were "otherwise occupied" so that he could talk to Freeman undisturbed. He cryptically explains how he saved Alyx from the Black Mesa Incident, despite the objections of 'naysayers' who saw little use for her, and goes on to tell Gordon that he will take something as payment for his survival of the Mesa Incident. He states that he can only observe Gordon now, because he has agreed to "abide by certain restrictions.". Finally, he leans over the unconscious Alyx and tells her to relay a message to her father, 'Prepare for unforeseen consequences'. Having been revived by the Vortigaunts, Alyx wakes up, dazed, and slowly starts to recover. The other Vortigaunts explain that they will resume searching for Advisors, while Alyx, Gordon and the Vortigaunt take the lift up to the surface.

Upon reaching the surface, the trio see a large Combine attack force crossing a bridge, heading north towards White Forest. The Vortigaunt explains that there is a vehicle at a nearby base that could be used to reach White Forest ahead of the Combine. Soon after departing, however, they are ambushed by Antlions. Eventually the Antlion Guardian and a regular Guard join the fray, and Gordon is forced to kill them both, while Alyx, still recovering from her injuries, struggles just to keep up. Afterwards, they ride an elevator up to the Rebel base, an old sawmill. They soon discover the remains of both Combine and Resistance soldiers, as well as some headcrabs, revealing that the base was assaulted and bombarded with headcrab shells, leaving no survivors. Alyx spots the car, a Hotrod, on the other side of a damaged road bridge. Gordon is tasked with getting the car, while Alyx covers him with a mounted sniper rifle. Gordon has to make his way through the zombie infested complex, and eventually crosses the river beneath the bridge. Another Portal Storm takes place, severely damaging the bridge, but Gordon manages to jump the car across the gap to the other side before it collapses.

Having acquired transportation, Gordon and Alyx begin their journey to White Forest base. After a collapsed tunnel forces them to take a detour, Alyx spots a radio antenna and suggests they could use it to warn White Forest of the upcoming Combine attack. After restoring power, the two are ambushed by a group of several Hunters. Despite the Hunters' cunning and incredible endurance, the two dispatch them and return to the transmitter, which they use to contact White Forest. They Reach Dr. Magnusson, who is not pleased with their delay, since the data Alyx is carrying is vital. However, seconds before they can tell Dr. Magnusson about the Combine's plans, the transmission cuts out, the image of an Advisor flashing on the screen. This suggests that the Combine were monitoring the transmission. After a short drive, Alyx and Gordon discover a crashed Advisor Pod and, while investigating the nearby buildings, they come across an Advisor. When they shut down it's life-support system, the Advisor emerges from it's pod and telekinetically pins Alyx and Gordon to the wall while it examines the objects in the room with a tongue-like appendage. First, it inspects a barrel, then a corpse, and finally, Gordon, who it is about to impale it's pod explodes, severely wounding it. The Advisor drops Alyx and Gordon and escapes via the roof of the barn, leaving the pair to deal with a squad of Combine soldiers who have arrived on the scene. Returning to the car, they escape as a Hunter-Chopper arrives on the scene. A chase ensues along the railway lines, and the car's engine is damaged when Alyx and Gordon ram the gate at a Resistance stronghold. After Gordon helps the Rebels take the chopper down, they offer to fix the car.

While the car is being repaired, Gordon is volunteered to destroy a device known as the "Autogun", a motion-sensitive automatic defense weapon being employed by a squad of Combine soldiers nearby to kill zombies and headcrabs. Using the rows of wrecked cars and other cover to sneak up on the fortified building containing the gun, Gordon dispatches the squad of soldiers and destroys the gun. By now, the car has been repaired, and has also been upgraded with a radar capable of detecting hidden Resistance supply caches.

After travelling through the wastelands, Alyx and Gordon find the road blocked off and are forced to take a detour through a small village, the centerpiece of which is the White Forest Inn. After some brief exploration, the Combine forces, waiting in ambush, activate a forcefield, blocking the road. Alyx and Gordon now find themselves pinned down in the Inn, surrounded by dozens of Combine soldiers with Hunters in support. After a few minutes of heavy fighting, Alyx and Gordon manage to fight their way out of the Inn and search out the generator powering the forcefield to shut it down, they do so and escape.

As they get closer to White Forest, a Dropship is seen flying over, carrying a Strider. Seconds after it disappears over the treetops several explosions are heard as it is shot down by the base defenders. Alyx and Gordon reach the outer gate of White Forest base, where they find the crashed dropship blocking their path. The Strider, which seemed to be pinned underneath the wreckage, suddenly wakes up and frees itself, and is about to attack Alyx and Gordon when Dog arrives on the scene and attacks the Strider, which is killed after a brutal face-off. After Dog clears their path, Alyx and Gordon race him to the base in the Hotrod.

Technical Information
The graphics and physics of Episode Two have again been improved over previous installments, to the point that machines that could run Half-Life 2 may struggle with Episode Two. Lighting effects have been improved, notable in the players' torch beam; shadows cast by foliage has been improved; character models, particularly that of Alyx, have again been improved; and the A.I. is slightly more sophisticated, most notable in the behaviour of the Hunters.