Half-Life 2 Pack Announced for Xbox 360 & PS3

Wowzer writes "Valve's Gabe Newell revealed at EA's annual summer press event that Half-Life 2 will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3. It will include all extra content released on the PC and a new puzzle/fps game mode where you blast Prey-like portals into floors and walls. If that wasn't enough, Team Fortress 2 showed up in cartoon-style. From the article: 'The console versions will include: Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Half-Life 2: Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The latter and possibly both will also be included in Half-Life 2: Episode Two on the PC.' Release TBD, but it's in 2006 alongside the PC's Half-Life 2: Episode Two."

EA?

[Synic]

Since when is Valve publishing anything through Electronic Arts?

I'm fine with the 360 release...

[transmetal]

... as long as it doesn't result in any delays for HL2: Episode 2. I enjoyed the first one, but waiting any more than 6 months for another four hour game would test my patience. On another topic, why are they releasing HL2 for consoles AGAIN? Wasn't the xbox release less than stellar (sales wise)?

The Apparent Demise of TF2

[Anonymous Coward]

In 1998-1999, Team Fortress 2 (TF2) was advertised to be the greatest online team-based action game of all time. Tons of multiplayer levels, missions spanning multiple maps, single player campaigns, and assloads of features and great gameplay ideas. It would be a massive stand-alone game release, not just a modification of a new game. Of course, it was pushed back. And since then, countless games have implemented the ideas (although there are still some great ideas in old TF2 interviews which would still be nice to see) which were originally planned for TF2. But there was still hope- Valve was still committed to TF2 and announced it would be released after HL2 on the "next version" of the Source, presumably something like "Source 1.5" and most felt it would still be packed with innovative new features and gameplay which would make it the best online team-based shooter. It would be the multiplayer equivalent of Half-Life and Half-Life 2.

What has happened? Well, it went from what I described above, to being an "extra bonus" to an expansion pack for HL2. WTF? And judging by the description and the fact it's not a stand-alone game anymore, it may be closer to a remake of TF or TFC than it is to a whole new game. It may be better titled "Team Fortress: Source".

Now of course, because of the games released since the original TF2 design we seen so many years ago, the same game released now wouldn't have as big as an impact. So a redesign of the game itself would be in order. I have no problem with that. My problem is the scope of the project. Saviour of multiplayer gaming to an extra for an expansion pack? Ack.

Maybe Valve will prove me wrong, but all signs point to the fact the game's scope has been seriously reduced and TF2's potential greatness crushed.