Even taking the stigma that comes with ending a game “improperly” in the eyes out the fans out of consideration, what could end up setting the game back may be its central character, Gordon Freeman. In the time that the series has been at a standstill, gaming has more or less moved away from the idea of silent, blank slate protagonists. Series that started out with silent heroes, such as Halo, Call of Duty, Dragon Age, and Dishonored have given their lead characters depth and voices to go along with it. The only other thing for Valve to do would be to give Gordon a voice, but that’s a Catch-22. Whoever they cast is going to be viewed unfavorably with what people have imagined in their head, and people are also going to wonder why he didn’t speak before, and simple explanations aren’t going to cut it.
Perhaps more importantly, isn’t Half-Life sort of in this weird zone where it’s a staple of gaming, but also a cult classic? Sure, it’s important for several things in shooters and games that we use today, but it’s also more or less been overshadowed by its spinoffs at this point. There’s probably more people in the world who have played both Portal games and haven’t heard of its sister series than there are people who are aware that both series are in the same universe. Sounds outlandish to say, but you also have to remember that some thought that Doom was a brand new series instead of a dormant franchise just getting a shot in the arm. Yeah, the internet knows of the game’s importance, but that doesn’t automatically guarantee the attention that one thinks it deserves. Valve and their fanbase can do what they can, but they also have to sell the game to complete newcomers, and that’ll be an uphill battle.
The thing about hype is that you have to balance what you want the thing in question to give you with what its marketing is telling you. As easy as it is to get swept up in the music and the atmosphere of trailers or the accolades the game throws at you in its post-launch trailer that basically amounts to a victory lap, it helps to chill out. Which isn’t to say to not get swept up and taken in, which is virtually impossible. No one can look at anything in the world and not get swept up with emotion at its beauty or magnificence. But when the thing in question is highly anticipated, despite for not having actually been out yet and there’s no real news around it beyond vague rumors? Yeah, it’s probably good to temper expectations so you don’t end up immensely disappointed. Case in point, let’s admit it: as cool as it looks, this is absolutely the same issue we’re going to run into with No Man’s Sky in a month and a half.
If and when Half-Life 3 releases, it’s definitely going to be a good game, that much is certain. But a great, fantastic game that makes up for all those years of zero news, memes, and worries of cancellation? That ultimately depends on you, the player, but as a whole? Probably not, no; no game is worth nearly a decade plus of waiting. And it’s okay that it won’t.
