The recent release of Half-Life: Alyx was a tremendous surprise for fans of the franchise who felt that Valve had completely given up on any new titles. After all, the last time audiences had a chance to experience Half-Life, it was 2007 and Episode Two ended on a cliffhanger.
Half-Life: Alyx has experienced excellent positive feedback from fans since it dropped, which means Valve has a chance to bring the official third installment to market. Here’s 5 reasons why Half-Life 3 needs to happen right now, and 5 reasons why it shouldn’t.
10 FOR: IT’S VALVE’S LAST CHANCE
13 years is a long time to keep a franchise dormant, and Valve seriously needs to take advantage of Alyx’s quick success if they hope to capitalize on a resurgent fan base. Half-Life: Alyx was a bold move at a time when gamers were just beginning to accept a world without the franchise. If it all stops here, there’d be proverbial hell to pay.
If the Alyx team is willing to tackle the project, Valve should immediately announce that Half-Life 3 will be going into development, and then stick it. There are a few franchises that can play a Get Out Of Jail Free card, and Half-Life is one of them.
9 AGAINST: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
With such a long period of hibernation following the release of Episode Two, can Valve really make this a reality? After all, an entire generation has moved onto newer properties and game experiences. Has time run out?
This is a question Valve seriously needs to answer before committing to another Half-Life project. Where Alyx was largely a franchise anomaly in the form of a stand-alone spinoff, Half-Life 3 would require placing down a much larger and riskier bet.
8 FOR: GOING ALL IN ON NOSTALGIA
The long history of Black Mesa’s production proved one thing - gamers are driven heavily by nostalgia, and will flock to it on the promise of rekindling those fond gaming memories. Half-Life is a franchise remembered by millions, which means it might be enough to bet the farm on the nostalgia factor and go ahead with the third game.
There are of course risks to this kind of approach, as one can never substitute nostalgia for gameplay. The two must coalesce perfectly if Half-Life 3 hopes to be a major success. Sure, nostalgia might play a big part in the overall design, but it could also serve up trouble if Valve doesn’t nail those subtle HL nuances all over again.
7 AGAINST: THE CHARACTER RISK
Remember how Episode Two ended. Eli had just been murdered by a Combine Advisor, leaving Alyx to weep over his dead body after Dog had chased away the second. Half-Life 3 would have to begin at that point, or sometime later.
A third installment would need to capitalize on remaining characters while introducing new ones Gordon can ally himself with in the fight against the Combine. The biggest risk here would be sticking entirely to the former, as it would negate the possibility of expanding the story and the action sequences. Half-Life 3 needs to grow, and in order to do so, it’s going to have to rely on more than just Alyx and Dog as key supporting characters.
6 FOR: IT CAN’T END ON A CLIFFHANGER
Many TV shows and movies fall victim to their own ambition before they’re forced to pull the plug and leave a potential franchise without a resolution. It shouldn’t happen to Half-Life. The game’s groundbreaking influence on the FPS genre has put it into the annals of gaming history, and Valve needs to either soldier on, or give it a proper send-off.
Half-Life 3 could act as a series end, which wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Given how long it’s taken for us to get another Half-Life game, it might be better for Valve to bite the bullet and go all-in for one final chapter in the franchise, rather than risk dropping game quality with future sequels. After all, there are a lot of plot threads to wrap up, predominantly around the Combine and their takeover of Earth. It could be the right time to fully explore the how and why of their conquest, and how the infamous G-Man fits into everything.
5 AGAINST: THE RISK OF A BAD STORY
If Valve finds themselves on the rustier side of the storytelling spectrum, that might spell trouble if they attempt to tackle a follow-up. Half-Life 3 would need to be groundbreaking in every way, including a story that goes far above and beyond what has come before. If that fails, it’s lights out for the franchise.
Does Valve have what it takes to make this happen? Can they craft a compelling storyline after so many years out of the franchise’s sphere of influence? The last thing Valve wants is to release such a monumental title to lukewarm audience reception.
4 FOR: INTRODUCE SOURCE 3
We never know what Valve has cooking behind closed doors, so it’s possible they’re working on a follow-up to Source Engine 2 as we speak. If that’s not the case, perhaps they’ve considered creating Source Engine 3 to coincide with the release of a future Half-Life project, such as the third installment.
It would make perfect marketing sense to kill two birds with one stone and release Half-Life 3 on an updated engine that further takes advantage of the Vulkan graphics library, especially in an age where Unreal Engine 4 has gained so much traction. Half-Life 3 could be Source Engine 3’s demo sales reel, with ray-tracing support for extra future-proofing.
3 AGAINST: FPS GAMES HAVE EVOLVED
Like it or not, time waits for no one. FPS games have undergone quite an evolution since 2007, from single player campaigns to multiplayer action. Battle Royale titles and new franchises like Metro have taken FPS games into creative and engaging new territories that are embracing an entirely new generation of gamers who weren’t even born when Half-Life 2 dropped.
Luckily, Half-Life’s inventive storyline and mystery element is enough to carry it over the threshold, but just barely. Valve has two choices - let the franchise go unresolved, or step on the gas and show why it’s still a king among men!
2 FOR: IT CAN FURTHER PUSH V.R.
While V.R. games are technically different in design and operation as opposed to traditional FPS titles, the newfound V.R. angle of Half-Life: Alyx has given the franchise some bragging rights for being one of the best games for the format. If Valve could figure out a way of bridging the gap between V.R. and traditional gameplay, they could end up taking advantage of burgeoning V.R. technologies that are continuing to move away from complex setups, in favor of simplified tech as seen in the Oculus Go.
Since Half-Life 3 will take at least 2-3 years to develop, it could be an opportunity to move into new gameplay territory. If nothing else, the ability to play the game in either traditional mouse/keyboard format or V.R. style could not only help the technology move forward, but it could serve as a a bridge between the two. Valve has openly expressed their desire to see the modding community create a non-V.R. version of Half-Life: Alyx, so maybe there’s more to this than meets the eye.
1 AGAINST: THE DREADED TRILOGY CURSE
Many movies and video game franchises tend to really stick it to themselves in the third installment of a trilogy series, mostly because they’ve written themselves into a corner by the time the second act has finished. Could Half-Life have suffered this fate?
Let’s not forget that Episode Three was in development before Valve shuttered production. Sure, they could gobble these elements up and apply them to Half-Life 3, but would it be enough? This would be a crushing decision for Valve, but they’ve essentially committed themselves back to Half-Life with the release of Alyx. It appears as if the train has left the station, and one way or another, Valve must now meet gamer expectations and move forward with what could only be Half-Life 3. Anything less, and Valve will never hear the end of it.
