Fans Try To Make 'Half-Life 3' Games Based On Leaked Synopsis
The wait for "Half-Life 3" has been an agonizing one that it has been immortalized by the gaming community in the form of jokes involving the number 3. But while Valve continued to hold gamers hanging, a group of die-hard fans took it upon themselves to create the highly anticipated third installment of the critically-acclaimed shooter.
In late August, a former Valve scriptwriter by the name of Marc Laidlaw published a strange letter titled Epistle 3. In it, Laidlaw detailed what appeared to be the conclusion to the Half-Life series, possibly intended for the third installment that Valve never produced, at least not officially.
One day after the letter was published, game developer Laura Michet launched Epistle 3 Jam, a two-month-long non-competitive hackathon. The hackathon only had one rule: to make a game based on the leaked "Half-Life 3" plot synopsis.
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The results of the hackathon were mixed with some making serious, Source-powered attempts at recreating the magic of the original game while others are what can only be described as bug-riddled, sad excuse for a game. Still, others were creative adaptations of Gordon Freeman's adventures into new styles and genres while some were just plain unfinished games.
Among the most notable ones include "Expo Decay," a top-down shooter resembling a mix of "Hotline Miami" and "Lego Star Wars." The game follows a tiny, stylized Gordon Freeman as he hacks his way through headcrabs and attempts to break into a snowy compound full of Combine soldiers.
"Lamda Wars," on the other hand, was already in development even before Epistle 3 Jam was announced so it's not surprising that it's the most impressive in terms of scope. A Source Engine mod for Alien Swarm, the game turns the world of "Half-Life 2" into a real-time strategy game with players taking control of either Combine or Resistance Armies. Players can also compete against each other in multiplayer or battle it out against bots.
Game time for these fan-made "Half-Life 3" games ranged from a few minutes to just over an hour. However, all of them are legitimate attempts from fans who for decades have endured jokes about their game being nothing short of a broken dream.
