Mark Laidlaw Reveals Half Life 2: Episode 3 Plot


With the launch of Duke Nukem Forever now more than half a decade behind us, Half Life 2: Episode 3 (or Half Life 3 depending on who you ask) has taken the throne as the king of vaporware. Initially announced in 2006, the next episode in the Half Life 2 series, which Valve ironically moved to an episodic format to avoid long development delays, has been in limbo with nary a shred of evidence that the developer is actually working on said title.

While Valve has been silent on their development plans for Half Life, one thing that the company cannot hide is that its Half Life writers are jumping ship. Over the past two years, at least four big writers have left the company: Eric Wolpaw, Chet Faliszek, Mark Laidlaw, and Jay Pinkkerton.

Mark Laidlaw, evidently not content with his story being lost to the Valve offices forever, recently posted a “fan fiction” story titled “Epistle 3” on his blog. The blog post is from the perspective of a “Gertie Fremont,” discussing the death of “Elly Vaunt” and heading to the antarctic with Alex Vaunt to find the Hyperborea. The story is a clear nod toward Half Life 2, with events detailed that have leaked out through interviews and documents over the years.

In Laidlaw’s story, Freeman and Alex go north to find the Aurora Borealis, a ship created by Aperture Science (thinking with Portals) that can phase in and out of existence and time. The duo comes across Dr. Breen who had transferred his consciousness to a Combine slug, now regretting his decision and wishing for death. They take over the Borealis and plot to crash it into the Combine homeworld, when the illusive Gman shows up and pulls Alex out to rescue her.

Gordon, meanwhile, remains on board the ship to realize that the plan is destined to fail, as the Combine power is too great. He is rescued at the last second by the Vortigaunt, setting the game up for a possible sequel. Gordon wakes up on shore, not knowing where he is or how much time has passed, or even if the resistance won. The story ends on a somewhat chilling note,

“Expect no further correspondence from me regarding these matters; this is my final epistle.”

The last full game to be developed by Valve was released in 2012, with much of the company’s focus being on maintaining Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Counter Strike: GO, as well as its various investments in competitive gaming tournaments, VR, and the Steam marketplace. More story-driven titles including Half Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead have sat neglected for the better part of the last decade.

As time goes on, the hopes for Valve wrapping up the Half Life series have understandably faltered. Valve remains silent, writers from the series are leaving, the voice actor for Dr. Breen passed away, and leaks from the company suggest that all attempts to revive the sequel have ultimately died off and gone nowhere. Valve is currently working on several VR titles, and the flat structure ensures that anyone can start working on Half Life as soon as they feel like it. So will they?

It feels less likely as they years tick on.

ArcheAge 4.0: All The News That’s Fit To Print


ArcheAge 4.0 hits PC in the fourth quarter this year, and Trion Worlds has released a fact list showcasing some of the features coming to the titular MMO. More information will be coming at a later date, however Trion Worlds has showcased the following new features coming with the next big version update:

  • 20 player naval battleground: ArcheAge’s first PvP naval battleground. Take your crew of five and go up against three other crews. Naval Battlegrounds promise new cross-server arenas as well as new rewards.
  • Open world raid finder: Exactly as it sounds, find or advertise your raid.
  • Simplified gem system: Streamlined lunagem system purported to be more user friendly.
  • Crafting updates: A new crafting tutorial quest line, new crafting interface, and specialization.

(Source: Trion Worlds press release)

Defenders Event Comes To Marvel Heroes Omega


Gazillion Entertainment has launched the Defenders event on PC with console launch coming tomorrow, August 24.

The event will run on both PC and consoles, and tasks players with fighting off The Hand, a faction of ninjas pulled straight out of the Daredevil comics.

A new Defenders event launches today for PC and soon on Aug. 24 for consoles. The new event finds players facing off against members of The Hand for a variety of limited-time rewards. The Hand has returned to New York and Misty Knight is on the lookout for heroes to stop the ancient order. Head to Avengers Tower and speak with Misty Knight for your assignment and take the first steps towards suppressing The Hand incursion.

The event gives Orders from the Hand, an event currency that can be spent on a handful of artifacts. According to the news post, it looks like console users will be rewarded in the form of loot boxes specific to the event. In addition, Daredevil, Elektra, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage will receive a 50% experience bonus for the duration of the event.

(Source: Marvel Heroes)

PSA: Brink Is Now Free To Play on Steam


In a rather surprising move, Bethesda Softworks has made first person shooter Brink free to play on Steam. Anyone can play the title without dropping a dime, however there is about $4 worth of DLC content.

Bethesda launched Brink in 2011, developed by Splash Damage, creators of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. The game was not well received, with critics pointing that the game felt incomplete and rushed to launch. On Steam, the game was virtually abandoned by the playerbase shortly after launch, and hasn’t broken 100 players on average since July 2012.

Speculation is running rampant that the free to play shift, especially after so many years of neglect, may be Bethesda or Splash Damage attempting to gauge interest in the IP. The game was not updated with any new monetization schemes, so players can sleep well knowing that this appears to be just a simple removal of the price tag.

Brink currently carries a 61% “mixed” approval rating on Steam.

(Source: Steam)

EB Games Australia Settles Harassment Claim, Denies Wrongdoing


Kotaku Australia is reporting that EB Games has settled a harassment claim brought by at least one employee.

EB Games has settled the claim, according to Alex Walker, for a paltry $8,500, a sum which the employee (Randall) claims he was pressured into, along with the company refusing to admit any wrongdoing. The employee also notes that he will not be given a reference by EB Games.

This whole ordeal started in 2015 with several employees bringing claims against District Manager Mark DiStefano, alleging racist conduct and underpayment, among other offenses. EB Games has refused to comment on the lawsuit as has Mark DiStefano.

Secret World Legends Returns to Tokyo


Secret World Legends is going to Tokyo, again! Players familiar with the original The Secret World storyline will be well acquainted with Tokyo and its quirks, but the zone has just become available on reboot title Secret World Legends.

Tokyo marks the first of three major content additions that will add new areas, content, and story. True to its name, the Tokyo update brings players to (you guessed it) Tokyo to continue the fight against the filth and the evil that it brings.

“The Tokyo updates represent the final part of the storyline that was The Secret World,” says Executive Producer Scott Junior. “Secret World Legends has opened up the game to an entirely new audience who will experience the Tokyo storyline for the very first time. But there is much more to come, and we especially want our veteran players to know that as the storyline of The Secret World ends, the storyline of Secret World Legends is about to start. This winter, a brand new story will be revealed.  Players will get to go to new locations, meet new characters, and experience adventures they never have before.”

Secret World Legends is free to play on Steam.

Guild Wars 2 Expansion Weekend Is Live


Arenanet has officially launched the second preview weekend for Guild Wars 2’s next expansion, Path of Fire. You don’t need to have pre-ordered to get in on the action either, as any active account can join in on the festivities. Players will be able to take part in the demo until Sunday, August 20.

To participate, go to the Character Select screen and choose the option to create a demo character. If you don’t have a Guild Wars 2 account, register now to play for free.

Marvel Heroes: Mighty Women Loot Box Going Away


Gazillion Entertainment today announced that the Mighty Women loot box will be leaving Marvel Heroes Omega on consoles as of August 24th. In opposite of its PC counterpart, the console version of Marvel Heroes does not sell costumes directly. Instead, the only method to obtain them is to buy into loot boxes which rotate on a periodic basis what is available.

The costumes will presumably be available again at an unknown point in the future.

(Source: Marvel Heroes)

[PSA] Humble 2K Bundle Offers Playstation Games Cheap


The latest Humble Bundle is upon us, and this time around you won’t be excluded just for owning a console, unless your console is the Xbox in which case you’re out of luck. The bundle contains a ton of Playstation 3 games, a small handful of Vita games, and a couple of Playstation 4 games. If you’re looking to pick up the Vita titles, you’re in luck: Both are at the $1 tier. The ultimate prize, of course, is getting XCOM 2 plus all of the other games for a mere $20.

Check out the tiers below. (not an affiliate link). Code scalpers are out of luck, the sale generates bundle keys and does not provide a separate key for each game. Sorry!

$1 or more

  • XCOM: Enemy Unknown Plus (Vita)
  • Civilization: Revolution 2 (Vita)
  • The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (PS3)
  • Evolve (PS4)

Average or more

  • XCOM: Enemy Within (PS3)
  • Bioshock (PS3)
  • Battleborn Cash (PS4)
  • Borderlands (PS3)
  • Borderlands 2 (PS3)
  • Mafia 2 (PS3)
  • Spec Ops: The Line (PS3)

$20 or more

  • XCOM 2 (PS4)

H1Z1: Just Survive Rebrands Itself, Relaunches


Much like the cycle of the moon, one can pretty much anticipate that another H1Z1 rebranding or new direction is just over the horizon. Daybreak Game Company announced today that the survival half of H1Z1, subtitled Just Survive is being further split off from its brother King of the Kill and will completely lose the H1Z1 branding. From today going forward, the game will just be called Just Survive.

In perpetual early access since its initial release of January 2015, H1Z1 has undergone quite a history of changing directions, starting with Daybreak announcing and then reneging on plans for a free to play model, chopping the game into two halves (Just Survive and King of the Kill).

“Our new logo and key art highlight all the aspects of the game that players know and love—from base building and defending, to looting and exploring, and also reflects how Just Survive is developing into a more mature and polished game,” said Ben Jones, Just Survive Creative Director. “Just Survive is about more than just killing zombies, it’s about the player’s survival journey. Re-establishing society isn’t an easy task, and this update introduces a variety of features, like Strongholds, that encourage players to band together through the dangers and tension of post-apocalyptic life while striving to reclaim their world from the zombie hordes.”

The update comes alongside a massive rework of the game’s fundamentals. Players will now start in a guarded military zone which also introduces a currency that can be obtained by selling items to NPCs. The gold will be needed to buy stronghold locations as it is no longer possible to construct a base wherever you want. For more information, check out the trailer below and take a gander at the patch notes on the official website.