Four flechettes can vaporize an ordinary human soldier. Hunters primarily attack the player by bracing themselves and firing bursts from their flechette cannon. Late in the game, they can be found escorting Striders, using their flechette guns to protect the Striders that the player is trying to attack. "We want the Hunter to be able to express nervousness or aggression, whether it's aggressive, hurt, or mad." Hunters are very aggressive and they tend to operate in packs, but can also be found supporting other Combine troops. Ted Backman, senior artist for Valve, talks about how the Hunter can express emotions, being a somewhat non-human character. Erik Johnson, the game's project lead, states that the Hunters are "big and impressive, but they can go anywhere the player can go", as the player can encounter them both indoors and outdoors.
Īn interview in the August 2006 issue of PC Gamer magazine revealed that the Hunter stands 8 feet (2.4 m) tall. The Hunter is a powerful and resilient enemy which players must often run from while seeking a means to fight back Episode Two's environments are designed with this in mind. The Hunter serves as one of the most dangerous enemies within the game and as means of emotional development for Alyx Vance. Enemies Įpisode Two featured a new Hunter enemy, which had just been seen briefly in a recorded message in Episode One. Others are optional tricks or feats the player can perform, such as killing a Combine soldier with their own grenade or running down a certain number of enemies with the car. Some are essential to game progress, such as helping fight off an antlion invasion, or defeating the first Hunters.
As in the previous two games, Episode Two features numerous "achievements" (similar to PlayStation 3's Trophies and Xbox Live's Achievements) for carrying out certain tasks. Episode Two has more puzzles than Episode One, including the biggest physics puzzle yet in the series-a damaged bridge. However, the game retains its original linear style until the final battle. One of the focal points of Episode Two was meant to be increased use of vehicles in open areas. Sequences involving vehicles are interspersed throughout the game, breaking up moments of combat. Levels are linear but add a more open environment, consisting of puzzles and first-person shooter game-play. Īs with previous Half-Life games, Episode Two is played in the first person as Gordon Freeman against transhuman troops, known as the Combine, and other hostile alien creatures.
After canceling several further Half-Life projects, Valve released a prequel, Half-Life: Alyx, in 2020.
Episode Two received positive reviews.Įpisode Three was announced for Christmas 2007, but was canceled as Valve abandoned episodic development. The PlayStation version was produced by Electronic Arts.
Like previous Half-Life games, Episode Two combines shooting, puzzle-solving, and narrative, but adds expansive environments and less linear sequences.Įpisode Two was released for Windows on Valve's distribution service Steam, and at retail as a part of a compilation of Valve games, The Orange Box, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Players control Gordon Freeman, who travels through the mountains surrounding City 17 to a resistance base with his ally Alyx Vance.
Following Episode One (2006), it was the second in a planned trilogy of shorter episodic games that continue the story of Half-Life 2 (2004). Half-Life 2: Episode Two is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve.