Email: Valve is only "thinking" about a Half-Life 3, according to voice actor of the TF2 Sniper

http://lowrie.camelpress.com/?p=306#comment-2264

Hey John, Have you hear anything of a new Half Life yet? Half Life 3 was listed on the Gamescom list but it was then removed. Gamescom organisers say Valve asked for it to be put on there but then wanted it removed. Valve claims they didn’t know about it.

Have you been recording any Citizens or anything?

Nope, sorry. I had a conversation with a Valve employee recently about some of the challenges involved in making an HL3, so I know they’re thinking about it, but whether they can solve those challenges or will choose to solve them rather than concentrating on other projects, I just don’t know. They are certainly aware of fan desire to see HL3. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Take this with a grain of salt–they might not necisarily want to reveal everything to the voice actor–but you’d think they might at least say “we’re working on it.”I am also curious about what “challenges” Valve is facing with Half-Life 3. The only need to make solid cinematic, linear first-person shooter to please Half-Life fans. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel here.Though if I may give my opinion, I think what is going on is Valve is having a hard time making a GOOD game. I remember when I played Half-Life 2, I was extremely underwhelmed. This was probably the most boring FPS I’ve ever played. About a fourth of the game was devoted to the driving sections, which even ardent defenders of Valve will tell you were terrible. Another fourth was devoted to the pseudo-cutscenes where the characters will talk to you about the uninteresting plot, and the only things you can do those moments is either stand around and listen or play with boxes and crates. And then came the shooting sections, which weren’t exactly bad, but they weren’t that great either. The guns, for most part, all feel very weak, like airsoft guns. They lack that ‘oomph’ you get when firing the Doom shotgun, for example. The level design and challenge and all was okay, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. In all, I thought HL2 was completely mediocre, and I was wondering what was it that people saw in this game.

I asked, and after they accused me of being a 12 year old  and telling me to go back to CoD (funny thing is, I consider CoD to be just HL2 with all the boring crap taken out), this is what they told me:

-The storytelling experience–since apparently it tells a ‘compelling’ narrative without technically using cutscenes.
-The fact that it had ground-breaking graphics for its time (this is legit–when I first saw footage of HL2 I thought games had become photo-realistic at last.)
-The fact that it had impressive facial animation technology
-The fact it had the most realistic video-game physics at that point and time

I couldn’t get them to tell me why the GAME was fun.

And it struck me–HL2 is the perfect example of a game that relied purely on spectacle to create its value. The actual gameplay fundamentals are sloppy, and since the tech used in HL2 has long since been surpassed, and gamers seem to be getting bored with cinematic drivel now, there isn’t much that could make Half-Life 3 stand out. I have a feeling that if HL3 ever does come out, it will be followed by massive disappointment, much like Duke Nukem Forever was. I also don’t expect HL3 to sell that well–if I’m not mistaken, HL2 actually sold less than the first Half-Life, and keep in mind Half-Life 2 was bundled with Counter-Strike Source.

Speaking of Duke Nukem Forever, RockCock64 (a parody of hardcore gamers) points out how similar DNF and HL2 are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHRkQoOygxY&feature=plcp

I do believe Half-Life 3 should be declared vaporware at this point. The Valve Corporation doesn’t get to slide by just saying they are working on it and game developer friends of the Valve Corporation don’t get a pass by saying, “I have seen it. It is awesome.” In terms of perspective to the gamer, it might as well not exist.

I think they keep adding more and more junk to the new Source engine. Remember, the Valve Corporation relies on gamers to make mods on that engine so they can declare them to be Valve Corporation games.

If we don’t SEE anything about HL-3 when the new Sony/Microsoft systems launch next year, Half-Life 3 then deserves to become mocked like Duke Nukem Forever.

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