Half-Life 2 Ep. 2: prepare for a Seven Hour – er, Eight Hour War.

Of course the fate of humanity must lie on the shoulders of Gordon and Alyx. As project manager Erik Johnson tells Gamespot, in Half-Life 2 Episode 2 (PC, but also for PS3 and Xbox 360) “if (you, the player) fail (in the episode objectives), then in the words of Eli Vance, ‘It’ll be the Seven Hour War all over again. But we won’t last seven minutes this time.'”

Yeah, well be glad that Episode 2 should last around eight hours, Erik reveals. That’s based on Valve play tests of the episodic content. That’s eight hours of running through a White Forest filled with lots and lots of Combine troops. If a bear ever crapped in those woods, he’d be more extinct than the average bear by then.

That’s eight hours of combat, major characters returning (Great. More G-Man. Why, oh why, didn’t I take the blue pill? Oh yeah, that choice would really hurt), new “cinematic physics” tech in the Source Engine, tweaked for multi-core PC rigs, and oh yes, a hot rod to ride in. Really, a hot rod. Gamespot’s screen says it all. Gee, at least Alyx’s got more clothes on than Daisy Duke…

Of course the fate of humanity must lie on the shoulders of Gordon and Alyx. As project manager Erik Johnson tells Gamespot, in Half-Life 2 Episode 2 (PC, but also for PS3 and Xbox 360) “if (you, the player) fail (in the episode objectives), then in the words of Eli Vance, ‘It’ll be the Seven Hour War all over again. But we won’t last seven minutes this time.'”

Yeah, well be glad that Episode 2 should last around eight hours, Erik reveals. That’s based on Valve play tests of the episodic content. That’s eight hours of running through a White Forest filled with lots and lots of Combine troops. If a bear ever crapped in those woods, he’d be more extinct than the average bear by then.

That’s eight hours of combat, major characters returning (Great. More G-Man. Why, oh why, didn’t I take the blue pill? Oh yeah, that choice would really hurt), new “cinematic physics” tech in the Source Engine, tweaked for multi-core PC rigs, and oh yes, a hot rod to ride in. Really, a hot rod. Gamespot’s screen says it all. Gee, at least Alyx’s got more clothes on than Daisy Duke…