Sierra Studios and Gearbox Software today officially announced that Half-Life, the hugely popular, story-driven first-person shooter, will arrive on PlayStation 2 by second quarter 2001.
Created by Valve for the PC, Half-Life has been followed up by a PC add-on pack (Opposing Forces), is also slated for Dreamcast for late 2000/early 2001, and has received both critical and commercial success. Gearbox, the developer of the add-on PC pack Opposing Forces, is in development with Half-Life for PS2, and plans to bring deathmatch, cooperative, and multiplayer modes to the PS2 version.
When called today via phone about whether Half-Life for PS2 will be two or four player, a Sierra rep said, "We don't have any announcements at this time on how many the multiplayer modes will be, we just don't know yet."
In other words, Sierra and Gearbox are still experimenting with how four-player will work out, and they haven't decided on what's best, two- or four-player. Many developers would love to create four-player split-screen games for PS2, but several aspects of a game's design are often compromised in four-player deathmatches. To keep framerates and top levels of speed high, developers often have to forgo complicated textures and AI, and in some cases alter entire levels.
Sierra added that it is currently undecided as to whether online play is a possibility. "I have no information at this time on online play," said the Sierra rep. "We are looking at online possibilities, and considering the timing, we'd love to do it, but Sony has not yet revealed any of its online plans yet."
Half-Life for PlayStation 2 will offer gamers a totally new multiplayer cooperative and competitive bonus games, not available in the PC or Dreamcast games. The PS2 version also will feature enhanced looking characters and weapon sets, "upgraded" environments, and brand new levels exclusive to Half-Life PlayStation 2. Sierra actually goes so far as to say that this version of the game is the "most advanced and impressive Half-Life ever made."
"The advanced technology in PlayStation 2 will allow us to take Half-Life's heart-racing action to the next level," said Jim Veevaert, vice-president of marketing at Sierra Studios. "Given the popularity of the franchise, as well as the mind-blowing capabilities of the next-generation console, we fully expect Half-Life to be a marquee title for the PlayStation 2."
"The console growth in Europe has been phenomenal and we are confident the Half-Life franchise will dominate this market," said Peter Rezon, managing director Havas Interactive UK.
"Gearbox Software's intimate relationship with Valve Software and the Half-Life universe matched with the power of the PlayStation 2 and our growing experience as next-generation console game developers will carry us to deliver first-hand the greatest incarnation of the most important action game of our time," said Randy Pitchford, Director of Gearbox Software.
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