The player guides Gordon Freeman through the City 17 and the wilderness that surrounds it. Half-Life 2 is a linear first-person shooter with light puzzle-solving elements and many setpieces, similar to its predecessor in concept. Gordon is soon brought into a resistance group, and makes a seemingly futile attempt to bring down the Combine and liberate the Earth. Meanwhile, Gordon Freeman, the man who was at the center of the events that took place shortly before the rise of the Combine, awakens from his stasis and is inserted into a train to City 17 by the mysterious G-man. Earth is turning into a grim, oppressive police state. An energy field prevents humans from procreating, and no new children are born. Wallace Breen, a human scientist, rules the city on behalf of his new masters. A Combine Citadel is erected in City 17, a town in Eastern Europe reminiscent of World War II ghettos.
The value of the separate items on offer is around $56.Ī Valve statement on the deal said that the promotion is designed to pave the way for Half-Life: Alyx which is set before the events of Half-Life 2 and its subsequent episodes. Half-Life 2 is also part of the package, as well as follow-ups Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two. With the launch of virtual reality shooter Half-Life: Alyx set for March, Valve is opening up the 2004 digital remaster of 1998’s Half-Life for free, as well as DLC missions Opposing Force and Blue Shift. Valve’s classic narrative shooter series Half-Life is now free on Steam, and will stay free for the next two months.