

The brief clip shows a player standing off with a zombie, which rips a door off its hinges before being dispatched by a pistol melee attack. NoClip has been promoting the release with a series of clips and images from games that will be covered – today, that’s Half-Life 2: Episode 4. The footage comes courtesy of documentary series NoClip, which will run a full program on the history of Arkane next week. Today, in 2020, we finally have gameplay footage of that cancelled release. After the release of Episode 2, Valve was working with Arkane Studios – the dev behind titles ranging from Dark Messiah of Might and Magic to Dishonored – on a fourth episodic Half-Life 2 expansion, titled Return to Ravenholm. They can assess threats, navigate tricky terrain, and fashion weapons from whatever is at hand.Episode 3 and Half-Life 3 are not the only mystery Half-Life projects that have been lost to time.

The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around them, from the physical environment to the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies. Valve's debut title wins more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer, and launches a franchise with more than eight million retail units sold worldwide. HALF-LIFE sends a shock through the game industry with its combination of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling.
