Half-Life 2: Episode 2
| Half-Life 2: Episode Two | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Developer(s) | Valve Corporation |
| Publisher(s) | Valve Corporation |
| Distributor(s) | Electronic Arts (retail) |
| Composer(s) | Kelly Bailey |
| Series | Half-Life |
| Engine | Source |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, OS X, Linux |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 90.68% |
| Metacritic | 90/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A+ |
| CVG | 9/10 |
| Eurogamer | 9/10 |
| GameSpy |   |
| IGN | 9.4/10 |
| PC Gamer (UK) | 93% |
| New York Times | 86% |
Half-Life 2: Episode Two is a first-person shooter video game, the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform. The episode was released both separately and as a part of a bundled package, The Orange Box.
Episode Two gameplay consists of expansive environments, travel and reduced linear play, continuing Valve's policy of orienting each episode around a particular theme or set of technologies. Following the closing events of Episode One, it sees Gordon Freeman and the series' other major characters moving away from City 17 to the surrounding countryside.
The retail version was released on October 10, 2007, in North America and Russia for Windows and Microsoft's Xbox 360 after repeated delays. The version for the PlayStation 3 was to be released "around two or three weeks later," as it was produced separately at the Electronic Arts UK studio, according to Valve marketing director Doug Lombardi. This version was further delayed. For the rest of the world, the release date was October 18. The Steam version was released worldwide on October 10, 2007.
As with its predecessors, the game is played in the first person as series protagonist Gordon Freeman against transhuman troops, known as the Combine, and other hostile alien creatures. Levels are linear but add a more open environment, consisting of puzzles and first-person shooter game-play. Sequences involving vehicles are interspersed throughout the game, breaking up moments of combat.
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