History VideoGame / HalfLife2

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Gordon. As soon as he pushes the crystal into the anti-mass spectrometer, everything goes to hell. [[spoiler:This was orchestrated by the G-Man.]]
** Lamarr in ''Half-Life 2''. While trying to teleport Gordon to Eli's lab, Lamarr ends up messing up the teleporter, putting Gordon in Breen's sights and causing him to have to take the scenic route to Eli's lab. These events ultimately lead to the Uprising.
* TheUsualAdversaries: The Combine.

** In ''Half-Life 2'':
*** While talking to Eli, Alyx, Gordon, and Mossman, Breen states the following, revealing that ''[[OhCrap the Combine know about G-Man]]''
-->'''Breen''': And [Gordon] has proven to be a fine pawn for those who control him.
*** During the [[spoiler:explosion of the Citadel reactor]]:
-->'''Alyx Vance:''' Come on, Gordon, we have to get out of here! Maybe there's still--\\
[[spoiler:''(The reactor explodes, but as it does, time quickly slows to a stop.)'']]\\
[[spoiler:'''G-Man:''' Time, Dr. Freeman?]]
*** And during ''Episode Two'', when [[spoiler:the G-Man intervenes in the Vortigaunts' operation on Alyx]]:
-->'''[[spoiler:G-Man''': When you see your father, relay these words: ''Prepare for unforeseen consequences''.]]

-->'''Eli:''' You know who I'm talking about - ''[[ISeeThemToo our mutual friend.]]''

* ArtifactMook: Headcrabs appear at first mostly in places where the Combine have specifically used them as a biological weapon, and they're usually accompanied by the remains of their artillery shell cages. After the Ravenholm level however, they become more-or-less just GoddamnedBats ready to pop out of any vaguely abandoned area. At least it could be explained away that the Combine shelled Ravenholm in the past, which is why nobody goes there anymore.

* BreatherLevel:
** ''Black Mesa East'' has no combat or enemies ([[JustifiedTrope justified]] as it takes place inside the Resistance headquarters), serving instead to introduce several important characters including [[BigGood Eli Vance]], Judith Mossman, and [[RobotDog D0g]], as well as featuring a tutorial for the Gravity Gun.
** The first half of ''Our Mutual Fiend'' in ''Episode Two'' likewise takes place inside White Forest, another major Resistance base, and is dedicated mainly to exposition and exploring the base. After repelling a Combine attack on the base, the player is then treated to a second breather which features more exposition, a tutorial for the Magnusson Device, and some character development for Eli and Kleiner.

** In ''Half-Life 2'', it's the weapon Barney gives you before you make your run for the canals (and implied to be the same one Gordon dropped in Black Mesa).
** In ''Episode One'', he gives you another and lampshades that he's starting to run low on them, and Alyx mentions it in reference to a victory he just achieved.
** In ''Episode Two'', the ''G-Man'' cites its attack as what the Vortigaunts knew of humanity before Gordon freed them by killing the Nihilanth.
-->'''G-Man''':...when their only experience of humanity was a crowbar, coming at them down a steel corridor.

** ''Half-Life'' ends with Gordon Freeman successfully killing the alien being that prevented the scientists on Earth from sealing the portal that spewed forth endless hordes of alien invaders. He gets captured by the G-Man and put into a freezer, but at least Earth is safe. About two decades later, Gordon is brought back to Earth, only to learn that the alien being he killed was just desperate to allow its own people to escape from an even scarier and more powerful alien invasion of its home dimension. With Freeman taking care of their leader, the Combine quickly had the alien world conquered and continued its campaign by invading Earth as well.

** Despite popularizing the trend for never breaking gameplay in [[VideoGame/HalfLife the original installment]], this game and its expansions feature a subtle example of this trope: whenever Freeman is facing a friendly NPC, often while the NPC in question provides exposition, he will automatically lower his weapon, though this won't actually prevent the player from firing.

-> '''Dr. Breen:''' Really? Well, let's see how [Alyx' stubborness] serves you on the far side of a Combine portal.
-> '''Eli Vance:''' Go ahead, Breen, if that's the worst you can do, send us both through your portal!
-> '''Dr. Breen:''' Oh, it's hardly the worst. But you might find that hard to believe once you get there.

In 2004, Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} released the sequel to their revolutionary and critically acclaimed first game ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', ''Half-Life 2'', which itself broke new ground on many fronts in its graphics engine, physics system, artificial intelligence, and its online distribution/updating system. Unlike the previous game, it did not include a multiplayer mode on its own; instead, every retail copy of the game also came with ''VideoGame/CounterStrike: [[UpdatedRerelease Source]]'' to help fill out the multiplayer side of things.

''Half-Life 2'' starts off about twenty years after the ending of the original game, as the mysterious G-Man uses his time- and space-bending powers to place Gordon Freeman on a train headed for City 17, some undisclosed place in Eastern Europe. Gordon soon finds out that Earth has been invaded and conquered by a powerful alien force known as the Combine, which apparently detected the Black Mesa incident and took advantage of it to enslave humanity and add Earth to its collection of assimilated worlds. Having attained an almost messianic status among the fledgling resistance forces thanks to his actions in Black Mesa, Gordon attempts to survive and eventually strike back against the Combine by provoking a full-scale revolution. In this, he is aided by the Vortigaunts, an alien race whose enslavement he broke by his destruction of the Nihilanth; members of the Resistance, including several former Black Mesa scientists; and ActionGirl Alyx Vance, who accompanies Freeman throughout much of the game as a fully-qualified AI partner. He is opposed by the vile [[TheQuisling Dr. Breen]], former administrator of Black Mesa and now self-styled overlord of humanity.

The game has to date been followed by two MissionPackSequel[=s=], called "Episodes". In lieu of a full-out ''Half-Life 3'', these shorter games were intended to cut down on the development time that a full sequel would require, [[VaporWare but it hasn't worked out that way.]]

Episodes One and Two chronicle Alyx and Gordon's escape from City 17 immediately after the events of the main game, and the rebels' continuous struggle against the remaining Combine forces, who are seemingly controlled by the mysterious "Advisors". The games also further develop the relationship between the two protagonists. ''Episode One'' was released in 2006, and ''Episode Two'' was released in 2007 alongside ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' and ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' in [[CompilationRerelease The Orange Box]]. However ''Episode Three'' (also sometimes refered to as ''Half-Life 3''), intended to complete the StoryArc and resolve the cliffhanger that ends ''Episode Two'' was not released, and whether it was being worked on or not was for a long time the subject of a great deal of debate to the point of it becoming the next ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever''.

In August 2017, lead writer Marc Laidlaw (who had left Valve in 2016) [[https://github.com/Jackathan/MarcLaidlaw-Epistle3/blob/master/Epistle3_Corrected.md released the plot summary]] of the unreleased ''Half-Life 2: Episode 3'', framed as a letter from Gordon Freeman [[note]]all proper nouns in the [[http://www.marclaidlaw.com/epistle-3/ original blog post (titled Epistle 3)]] were changed in [[SueDonym in some way or another]][[/note]]. This all but confirming that the franchise had come to rest.

Then, on November 21, 2019, over 12 years after the release of ''Half-Life 2: Episode Two'', [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell a follow-up was finally announced...]] But not necessarily the ones that fans had expected. The next installment of the series was revealed to be a title for [=SteamVR=] called ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', a game that would allow players to experience a story set before the events of ''Half-Life 2'', controlling Alyx Vance for the first time. It involves Alyx and her father taking the fight to the Combine, in an {{Interquel}}, set between ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2''... And somewhere along the way, the G-Man factors into the story.

* DualBoss: The first boss fight in ''Episode Two'' is a fight against an Antlion Guard and Antlion Guardian (without the usual poison effect on its attacks, making it no different from its standard counterpart) [[FlunkyBoss and their normal antlion minions]]. They don't hesitate to attack you at the same time, but you've got a healthy supply of SMG and Shotgun ammo, a safe spot where they can't strike you, and several exploding barrels lying around the valley...

* DualBoss: The first boss fight in ''Episode Two'' is a fight against a pair of Antlion Guards (technically a Guard and a Guardian, which is just a palette-swapped Guard) and their normal [[GoddamnedBats antlion minions]]. They don't hesitate to attack you at the same time, but you've got a healthy supply of SMG and Shotgun ammo, a safe spot where they can't strike you, and several exploding barrels lying around the valley...

* AndIMustScream
** It is implied in-game that headcrab zombies are fully conscious and aware of their situation. Also, if you play their audio backwards, it becomes [[spoiler:"Oh god, help me!"]]

** Gunships demonstrate an instance of this that actually surprised the developers. They decide what to shoot with their auto-cannons by way of determining what the current biggest threat they can see is. Normally this is supposed to mean [[GangUpOnTheHuman they will prioritize the player over everything else]], but what the devs hadn't counted on was that the gunship's AI was able to determine that a rocket-propelled grenade fired at them ''by'' the player - a rocket that is still a physics object that can be shot down, most importantly - was an even bigger threat than the player themselves. Thus the need to fire at them from behind or [[{{Roboteching}} circle the rocket around]] so they can't shoot it down. Gunships also display remarkable teamwork when deployed in groups of two or more, with one of them exclusively acting as a mobile point defense system against missiles while the other(s) focus their fire on any enemy forces they can see. This makes fighting two gunships simultaneously one hell of a lot more difficult than one would expect it to be because getting a solid missile hit in without getting smeared across the closest wall turns into a real challenge, and you need at least three hits to take down one gunship.

* ArtisticLicenseEngineering: Apparently the Combine do not know ''hand brakes'' which is why they have to secure their [=APCs=] using wooden stop blocks. Just so Gordon could knock them away with his Gravity Gun sending the vehicle down a cliff.

** The gunships' ability to shoot down the player's [=RPGs=] was likewise unintended - they're supposed to target the "most dangerous" thing they can see, and under most circumstances the player is supposed to be the most dangerous thing they can possibly see. However, distance also factors into the calculation, so when a rocket-propelled grenade launched ''by'' the player starts moving towards them, [[ArtificialBrilliance its AI realizes that's even more dangerous]] and opens fire on it, promptly shooting it down because rockets are a physical projectile with a set health limit. This was left in to add challenge to the fights against them.

* TheBerserker: The Shotgun wielding combine soldiers, distinctive for their orange shoulder patch and their reckless disregard for personal safety when rushing you. They are dangerous enough to be able to kill Alyx Vance, whose rapidly regenerating health is usually enough to render her invulnerable. They are introduced in ''Episode Two'', but have been retroactively inserted to the previous games.

** The gunships' ability to shoot down the player's [=RPGs=] was likewise unintended - they're supposed to target the "most dangerous" thing they can see, and under most circumstances the player is supposed to be the most dangerous thing they can possibly see. However, distance also factors into the calculation, so when a rocket-propelled grenade launched ''by'' the player starts moving towards them, [[ArtificalBrilliance its AI realizes that's even more dangerous]] and opens fire on it, promptly shooting it down because rockets are a physical projectile with a set health limit. This was left in to add challenge to the fights against them.

In 2004, Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} released the sequel to their revolutionary and critically acclaimed first game ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', ''Half-Life 2'', which itself broke new ground on many fronts in its graphics engine, physics system, artificial intelligence, and its online distribution/updating system. Every retail copy of the game also came with ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'': ''[[UpdatedRerelease Source]]'' to help fill out the multiplayer side of things.

The game has to date been followed by two sequels, called "Episodes". In lieu of a full-out ''Half-Life 3'', these shorter games were intended to cut down on the development time that a full sequel would require, [[VaporWare but it hasn't worked out that way.]]

** The gunships' ability to shoot down the player's RPG's was likewise unintended - they're supposed to target the "most dangerous" thing they can see, and under most circumstances the player is supposed to be the most dangerous thing they can possibly see. [[ArtificialBrilliance The behavior is simply because the gunship realizes]] that a rocket-propelled grenade launched ''by'' the player, the thing that actually damages them, is ''even more'' dangerous, so it was left in to add challenge to the fights against them.
** At the beginning of ''Episode One'', Dog shaking his head after Alyx asked if he did the math was unintended (specifically, a run-through of the dialogue before the accompanying animation was finished had Dog insert his head-shaking idle animation with perfect comedic timing). It was funny, so they decided to ThrowItIn[[invoked]].

* TriangRelations: Alyx Vance, Eli Vance and Judith Mossman are an example of Type 7a. Alyx loves her father Eli, but does not get on with Judith. Eli and Judith, however, seem to feel something more than professional respect for each other.

** Whenever you encounter enemies that are only vulnerable to the rocket launcher, there will be a crate near by that provides endlessly respawning rockets, as otherwise it would be [[UnwinnableByMistake impossible to destroy the enemy in question if you ran out.]]

* MadnessMantra: A 'passenger' at the very start at the game keeps repeating "...they're always departing but they never arrive... and the ones that do arrive, they-they never leave... you never see them go... they're always full... no one ever gets on... but they're always... they're always departing but they never arrive..."

** When entering City 17, Dr. Breen welcomes you to the city via a tele-screen and [[BlatantLies assures that it's save there]]. Right after that, you see a Civil Protection guard hassling a citizen.

** ''Episode Two'' has "Little Rocket Man": find a garden gnome in the first map, carry it with you for most of the game, and drop it into a rocket. This does not, of course, come without it's fair share infuriating moments, mostly when you acquire the jalopy. The jalopy does not have any doors and the only spot to put the gnome is between you and Alyx. Taking any sharp turns will cause the gnome to slide right out and require to go back for it.

** ''Episode Two'' has "Little Rocket Man": find a garden gnome in the first map, carry it with you for most of the game, and drop it into a rocket.

Then, on November 21, 2019, over 12 years after the release of ''Half-Life 2: Episode 2'', [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell a follow-up was finally announced...]] But not necessarily the ones that fans had expected. The next installment of the series was revealed to be a title for [=SteamVR=] called ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'', a game that would allow players to experience a story set before the events of ''Half-Life 2'', controlling Alyx Vance for the first time. It involves Alyx and her father taking the fight to the Combine, in an {{Interquel}}, set between ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2''... And somewhere along the way, the G-Man factors into the story.

* TheCanKickedHim: There's an achievement in ''Half-Life 2'' for killing an enemy with a toilet.

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler: The Combine Advisors]]. They are the ones commanding Breen and Overwatch and are responsible for the destruction of Earth but have no (substantial) physical presence until ''Episode 2'' and little about them is known outside of what is shown.

* NoEnding: One of the essential complaints about the game, as time has gone on. Episode 2 ends on a CliffHanger that, yes, deals with the ''immediate'' crisis but still leaves the larger conflicts of the game completely unresolved and a huge number of plot angles and character arcs unfinished.

* PostClimaxConfrontation: Happens in Episode 2. After successfully fighting off a force of Combine Striders, the White Forest rocket launches safely and successfully closes the Combine superportal. It seems that you have achieved victory and you are heading off to find the Borealis, [[spoiler:that is, until Combine Advisors appear, pinning you against the wall and killing Eli, while you and Alyx helplessly watch. Thankfully, D0g appears, attacking the Advisors and forcing them to flee]].

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In Episode 1 Barney states that the main obstacle between the rebels and the train station were mostly Metropolice who were getting second thoughts about defending the city.

** During the "Our Mutual Fiend" chapter of ''Episode 2'', the valley's buildings are not only equipped with respawn points for Magnusson devices, the shelves also restock with batteries and medkits to keep you alive as you fight the numbers of Hunters and Striders outside.

** In ''Half Life 2'':

** The underground tunnel you visit in Episode 1 counts, and there, the zombies are in a turf war with the antlions.
** The Outlands in Episode 2 appears to have suffered from this, with zombies being found pretty much everywhere.