Half Life 2 wins E3 top honors

[Keith Heitmann]

Best of Show

Half-Life 2

(Valve LLC/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)

When the doors to E3 are flung open, what do you want to see first? The E3 show is about celebrating the next big thing in the interactive entertainment industry; it's about being okay waiting in line to get a glimpse of a hot property. If ever a game lived up to that billing, it was Valve's Half-Life 2. As the sequel to one of the most lauded products in PC gaming history, expectations were through the roof. The demonstration didn't disappoint.

Between the demo shown in a darkened theater, and the fully playable code witnessed by the Game Critics Awards judges and others, Half-Life 2 stood out as a marvel-in-the-making. The blend of incredibly realistic new technology and interactivity in the game world blows away the high bar set by the original game. Between the interaction with NPCs, vehicle driving, object manipulation and stunning cinematic action sequences, this was the product that appeared to encapsulate every detail of next-generation game design in one package. It's the game that gets gamers excited about their hobby, and as such is a hugely deserving recipient of the Game of Show award.

- Rob Smith, Associate Chairman, Game Critics Awards Editor-in-Chief, PC Gamer

Best PC Game

Half-Life 2

(Valve LLC/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)

If proof were needed that the PC's power is what leading game developers want to harness for their most cutting edge games, then Half-Life 2 was it. Just ask those people in line to see the demo -- some of them waited four hours to see what all the fuss was about. The wait was justified with a demonstration of breathtaking graphics and stunning audio effects. Packaged with AI routines that bring enemies to life, the experience promises to be all the more immersive as you sit a few scant inches from your PC monitor. With the inimitably intuitive control of the mouse and keyboard, we all expect Half-Life 2 to deliver a definitive PC gaming experience.

- Darren Gladstone, Previews Editor, Computer Gaming World

Best Action Game

Half-Life 2

(Valve LLC/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)

Half-Life 2 certainly made the biggest buzz at E3 2003. You couldn't go anywhere in the LA Convention Center without overhearing somebody talking about the sequel to one of the best first-person shooters ever, and with good reason -- Half-Life 2 was simply amazing. With its incredible AI, realistic physics system, action-packed gameplay and impressive graphics, Half-Life 2 was the clear choice for Best Action Game of E3 2003 across all platforms. And the great thing is, with a promised September 2003 release date, none of us have to wait long to play it for ourselves. Has Valve been busy for the past four years? Yes, and it shows.

- Tal Blevins, Editorial Manager, IGN.com

Best Action/Adventure Game

Special Commendation for Graphics

Half-Life 2

(Valve LLC/Vivendi Universal Games for PC)

We expected to see cutting-edge graphics at E3, but there was simply no way to prepare for Half-Life 2's stunning visual assault. Running on Valve's new Source engine, this graphical tour de force awed show goers with eerily realistic character models, flawless water and lighting effects, fully interactive environments and perhaps the most impressive physics system to date, leading to a myriad of innovative gameplay concepts. Garnering countless oohs and ahs from critics and general attendees alike, Gordon Freeman's next nightmare might very well set a new standard in technological excellence. If looks could kill, we'd all be dead.

-- Ben Silverman, Editor-in-Chief, Game-Revolution.com

www.e3awards.com/win.html

[Galland]

This game alone is reason enough for me to buy a new computer. I enjoyed Half-Life and spent way too many hours playing Counter-Strike. I just hope it lives up to the hype and the previous game.

Galland

[PUFF88]

have u seen any of the movies from e3? i have them all but the main one cause its 503 mb , but man it looks great, the new max pc mag has a writeup about it as well. i know its a long time in development but seems like its worth it. they said they were gonna make it as easy as possible for mod authors as well.

[Keith Heitmann]

PUFF88 said:

have u seen any of the movies from e3? i have them all but the main one cause its 503 mb , but man it looks great, the new max pc mag has a writeup about it as well. i know its a long time in development but seems like its worth it. they said they were gonna make it as easy as possible for mod authors as well.

No, I haven't seen any of the movies. I'm just a 56K DUN so most huge movies are out of the question. There is a new review of HL2 on the PC-Zone game magazine site.

www.pczone.co.uk/news/news_story.php?id=93956

[Galland]

Keith said:

No, I haven't seen any of the movies. I'm just a 56K DUN so most huge movies are out of the question. There is a new review of HL2 on the PC-Zone game magazine site.

www.pczone.co.uk/news/news_story.php?id=93956

Heh... there are wooden crates in the screenshots! Will the PC world ever update it's freight packaging technology depictions? Everything I see in warehouses these days is shrink-wrapped on wooden forklift pallets. I'm just being a smarty pants of course. HL wouldn't be HL without lots of wooden crates.

Those tanks of red stuff are impressive.

Galland

[Keith Heitmann]

Ihave the original HL and Blue Shift (which I have never played). If they can top the original HL then they've really got something.

I still remember that long long monorail ride into the facility at the beginning of the HL then trying to figure out why I could not get out of the rail car at the station.

I finally figured out that if in one spot where you see a transport aircraft landed outside a tunnel entrance where the military types are killing the people near the tunnel it was time to restart the game. If they didn't kill the scientists then I could continue and would be able to get out of the rail car.

I remember that the original HL had that scene in one outdoor warehouse area where the Osprey flew in and hovered while troops repelled down on ropes. And later the Osprey was shooting at you near the reservoir. I thought those sequences were pretty awesome.

I'll probably pickup HL2 when it's released and see if I like it enough to play it through.

[PUFF88]

Here's the quote from Valve's Doug Lombardi:

The previously announced September 30th release date for Half-Life 2 is being pushed back. We are currently targeting a holiday release, but do not have a specific "in-store" date to share at this time. We will release that information as soon as we have confirmed a new date.

[Keith Heitmann]

Yep. I just saw that mentioned on the Sierra Moderator's Treehouse forum today. A number of games that were due out this fall have been pushed back, including Lords III which is in beta now. It was to be released in September, but has been delayed until November.