The Half-Life series is a complicated beast. Whilst the series has serious has prospered on the PC attracting massive critical acclaim it never really got off the ground on games consoles.

The original Half-Life was released in 1998; it took three years until it was ported to the PlayStation 2 and when it was released, it didn’t get the hype and fanfare it really deserved. Half-Life 2 followed in 2004 and pushed the boundaries of what people expect from their first person shooters even further. It took another year for a console version to be released, the sadly lacking Xbox version. With the release of the xbox360 occuring about the same time as HL2’s console appearance the game was again overlooked.

This time though I think Valve will get it spot on. Not content with releasing Half-Life 2, Episode 2 at the same time on both PCs and next-generation consoles, the PS3 and xbox360 versions will also contain the original Half-Life 2, Episode One, Team Fortress 2 and a particularly interesting new title- Portal.

Anyway, sticking with the game’s primary focus, Half-Life 2 Episode 2 looks set to continue the story of Gordon Freeman’s attempts to save humanity from alien lifeforms. In this episode the focus appears to be much more on vehicles and a departure from the urban environment to countryside and forests. The latest High-Res trailer from IGN also shows the game will maintain its cinematic style and boasts the very impressive physics you would expect from a Half-Life game.

Personally I cannot wait, whilst it might look a bit like Coded Arms or Resistance it is worth remembering that this is still the benchmark. My laptop would never be able to do Half-Life 2 any sort of justice and the bundle of goodies that the console version will come with make the deal even sweeter! Anybody else looking forward to this?

IGN Half-Life videos

Gamespot just ran a new preview on Resistance with some new screenshots and footage.

Here are the top reasons why I think Resistance is going to be the best game of this season:

• Multiplayer: Offline and online. Full Co-op through the entire single player mode. Deathmatch and team-play. Lots of highly polished and balanced play modes and maps and options. Text chat, voice chat, player ranking systems, and all the trimmings. That was the online functionality from Insomniac’s last game for the PS2, Deadlocked. With Resistance on PS3, we will see all that and a lot more.
• Technology: Amazing graphics, detail, animation, particle effects, sound, lighting, and cutting edge physics. Lots of shooters in the past few years have done this stuff really well. For me at least, this is the stuff that needs to be there, but for a triple-A 2006 title, it is expected and it probably won’t make the game special or make it stand out among the competition.
• NPC Allies: They’ve described “hero moments” where you will have the chance to save your teammates from dramatic deaths and they can help turn the tide of a battle. A well done NPC ally system can really help immerse the player into the game world.
• Vehicles: Insomniac has mentioned that you will be able to commandeer vehicles but they are keeping the details under wraps. Deadlocked had four vehicles to control and they were all pretty polished; let’s hope that carries over.
• Weapons: The Auger and the hedgehog sound very cool and there are many more that they haven’t demoed yet. Insomniac has stressed the emphasis on different weapon strategies throughout the game. Sounds good.
• Controller: We already know you will use the motion sensitivity to shake off enemies and deliver weapon butts. I’d also hope that it is used control the vehicles and other exotic weapon attacks as well.
• Content: Artistic flair, sound effects, level structure, pacing, script, and game balance. This is the stuff that makes or breaks a title. Insomniac has a very strong reputation in this area, and so far all press reports have been positive. Ultimately, we will have to wait to see how this really shapes up.

GameSpot Resistance Preview

There’s a lot of PS3 related news coming out lately so click the links & enjoy:

The Darkness Preview Full movies can be watched in the game. Hmm…

Fancy a PS3 bundled with MotorStorm for just £609? Me neither.

Virtua Fighter 5 screens and how does a Virtua Fighter 5 trailer take your fancy?

Check out some new images of Genji: Days of the Blade here. Looks nice although the gameplay looks a little bland from the trailers that I’ve seen.

There’s an interesting Stranglehold Q&A if you’re a fan of John Woo.

Cnet.com has an interview with SCEA President, Kaz Hirai and he is understandably upbeat about the PS3 meeting it’s launch deadline.

Kaz once again says the PS3 will be around for 10 years, however this doesn’t mean we won’t see a PS4 within 5/6 years though. The PS2 has been going for over 6 years & it will still be supported for at least another year so it’s quite clear what Kaz is saying when he says “the PlayStation 3 is going to be a console that’s going to be with you again for 10 years”.

He also defends the decision to include a BD drive in every PS3 arguing that the extra storage space will prove vital in the long term for the best gaming experience.

I have to agree with him. Resistance is already using more than 20GB with a rumoured end usage of 30GB+, and people may argue that it isn’t being compressed or the extra space is being taken up by needless extra content, but we will soon see more & more games using the extra space that BD offers & long term, it is an advantage over what the 360 or Wii can offer.

Kaz Hirai Interview

Sony recently gave a demo of a PS3 playing a Blu-ray Disc (BD), and, well, it looks a lot like a PS2 playing a DVD, or a PSP playing a UMD.

What did you expect?

PS3 Blu-Ray Player images

I got some pretty cool stuff for you here. Every once in a while you learn something or see something, and you just have to say “cool!”. This is one of those things. Just watch this video:

PS3 Up Close, Colours

Neat huh?

Power supply is inside the PS3. Confirmed.
Under the flap - memory card readers. This has always been an obvious conclusion, but now we’ve seen it. Confirmed.
You can turn on and off the PS3 with the middle controller button. Confirmed.
We’ve seen the controller’s triggers. But now you can see them in action. Nice trigger action!
Weight? 5kg or about 11 pounds.

But wait! There’s more! Supposedly the 60GB PS3 will have a shiny black finish with a chrome front. But the 20GB PS3 will be transparent black!

Click on these images. Especially the second one - you can see into the case! Uh, I forget where I got those images. If I’m stepping on any toes, please tell me and I’ll take them down.