Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle

The Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle (OSIPR), also known as Overwatch Pulse Rifle, Pulse Rifle, AR2 Pulse Rifle or AR2, is a weapon manufactured by the Combine.

Overview



 * The OSIPR is essentially a Combine variant of current assault rifles, commonly issued by Overwatch Soldiers and Overwatch Elites. It has a 30-round magazine, which is reloaded with a special mechanism built into the weapon, and a Dark Energy Orb shooter that can hold up to three Orbs at one time. The Orbs will disintegrate almost anything they touch.


 * The player first acquires the weapon at the end of Half-Life 2's sixth chapter, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...", where Gordon first encounters the Overwatch Soldiers. It can be found from a small group of soldiers fighting Zombies on the train tracks behind Shorepoint Base.


 * While the OSIPR is common amongst Overwatch Soldiers, it appears that only Overwatch Elites fire Energy Orbs.


 * The weapon has a mounted variant, which is used in bunkers, on walls, barricades, and other positions suitable for placing a mounted machine gun. Rebels use these mounted variants to protect Resistance bases such as Shorepoint or the Vortigaunt Camp from Antlions.

Tactics

 * The OSIPR's recoil is extremely strong. The weapon's spread is much worse when firing the weapon in automatic mode, so firing it in short bursts is highly recommended (this also conserves ammo). Furthermore, the player can only hold three spare magazines, which are easy to go through if firing in automatic mode.


 * The cores powering the weapon's alternate fire are rather hard to come by and should be preserved for special cases. They are efficient on lined up enemies, since it goes through them all before it hits a wall. Using it in small rooms is also efficient, since it bounces on the walls, floor and ceiling.


 * The cores are also known to be a one-hit-kill against even a Hunter (note that the orb is destroyed when it hits the Hunter).


 * OSIPR-fired Energy Orbs can be deflected by a blast made with the Gravity Gun, by capturing it. This happens whether or not the Gravity Gun is infused with the Citadel's Dark Energy.

Behind the scenes
At one point in Half-Life 2's development, there were three assault rifles: added to the OSIPR, there was the AK-47 (or AR1) and the Incendiary Rifle that used a slightly different OSIPR model and functioned as a Flare Gun with a five-round magazine. The OSIPR was originally slated to be an OICW and would be the Combine's weapon of choice. All three weapons were finally scrapped. Instead, the Incendiary Rifle's model was turned into the OSIPR's, which became the only assault rifle in the final game. The OSIPR's model still uses the name of the original model ("v_irifle").

Trivia

 * While all NPCs seen using the OSIPR hold it with two hands, Gordon holds it with only one hand.


 * The Energy Orb can disintegrate Barnacles only in Episode Two. In the other episodes, it will merely pass through the creature without harming it.


 * The reload animation used by NPCs for this weapon was recycled from that of the OICW.


 * When fired by enemies, the OSIPR uses sounds recycled from that of the OICW.


 * Similarly, the APC's Pulse Rifle sounds just like the player's OSIPR.

List of appearances

 * ''Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
 * Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
 * Half-Life 2: Episode One
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two