After the jump is a 9 minute video. Within it are several nods to the Half-Life universe. What is it for and for whom was this video made? I dunno. My hope is that it’s some kind of viral marketing for Episode 3, but then again, it could just be a kick ass short video.
Check it out.
Note the use of the words Black Mesa in the news updates. Couple that with assets taken directly from Half-Life 2 and I think we have some new Valve viral marketing video.
I don’t know much else about the video, so if you found some info out on the interwebs, please post it below.
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There was speculation on the YouTube forums that it’s supposed to depict events between HL1 & 2, but who knows. I don’t know why they would go to *that* much effort for games that already came out. Unless they’re planning a Half Life full-length movie?
Full-length movie?
Do we really want that? I don’t. As Alan Moore said with regard to The Watchmen. Mediums are different.
Videogames make appalling movies. Half-Life is a game. It’s a wonderful game. Possibly, IMHO, the greatest game.
So don’t ruin it with a movie.
(this doesn’t mean that some games might make a good movie, Gears might. But as a rule, I’d steer well away)
Well, first off, it can’t be depicting the Seven Hour War, because there weren’t Humans baddies until after that.
Second, there was what, 15-20 years or so between Half-Life and Half-Life 2… so, who knows.
Any other theories?
It may be a fan made video or it may be Valve. Either way I think I can connect it to the Half Life Universe.
For starters the mentions of Black Mesa, which was where the scientists there accidently opened a portal to the Alien world Xen. Does anyone remember how? Because I do. The Scientists made you push a box/mineral type object looking like “the box” in this video, into a chamber, which then caused some scientific kablooiee, thus opening the portal to Xen ( a one way portal btw, only the aliens could come to out world).
Before I move on, I need to talk about the big black cloud. That is (sigh) another portal from the Combine universe (combine=bad guys). Thats how they first took over earth. One of their ships found it, and they created a portal and brought a whole army to earth once Dr. Breen (former earth leader) refused to let them take control. Then Dr. Breen obviously had no choice.
So it seems the remaining combine have re-opened the portal, and this man (i’m pretty sure it is not Gordon freeman, because it’s set in london. Also, His “employer , the g-man, would never let him out of his dimension unless he needed him, but i’m NOT going to get into that right now) finds a piece of the original thing that opened the Portal to Xen.
The combine probably have the intentions of opening the portal to Xen to enslave the Xen creatures. (It’s been done. The vortiguants in HL1 were forced to attack you) Unfortunately, we see them fiddle with it and it “misfires” and you see a GREEN portal open up ( in HL1, whenever something from xen was teleported it was a green portal) , and then it ends.
I’m not even going to go into depth about it though. The HL universe is amazing.
Oh, and I don’t see any connections to Portal in this video. (portal is in the same universe)
I don’t think anybody on this site is as big of a HL nut as I am
I highly doubt that they are going to make a HL movie in The Netherlands, since that is where this is filmed. Most likely a fan thing. And the Dutch community sites agree with me on this.
i’m pretty sure it is not Gordon freeman, because it’s set in london
That’s not London. The front number plates are yellow on the cars. In the UK they’re white.
I don’t think anybody on this site is as big of a HL nut as I am
You reeled some well-known back-story. Hardly like we have Gabe on the thread.
It was shot in the Netherlands.
I doubt this is related to a movie.
@RatGeek
“I’m not even going to go into depth about it though”
I’m not going to argue over who knows more, we’re both trying to uncover the same thing.
And thanks for correcting me on the license plate, I just meant it wasn’t in US because of the license plates. I thought they were yellow in the UK
@RatGeek
Number plates ARE yellow in the UK (for the most part). I live in the UK so I’m pretty sure, and if you live here too then you’ve been very unobservant. If not, then you’ve simply been corrected on a factual error.
Looks to me like it’s based at the end of episode one when the portal finally opens, obviously from the perspective of some random guy in City 17. Extremely well made, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Valve paid for the production to start some re-hype toward the Half Life franchise in preparation for Episode 3.
On the other hand, if it’s fan-made these people spent a LOT of money on it. That’s kind of why I think Valve are behind it, it seems a bit too good for a fan film.
I just recently played through HL2 and both episodes again so this video has caught me at exactly the right time to get my hopes up. So, whether this video is linked to Valve/Ep 3 or not… I NEED ME SOME EPISODE 3!!!
Krelith
Dude.
Go outside, check the FRONT number plates – as I pointed out. They’re white. Rear ones are yellow.
http://images.autoexposure.co.uk/AETA37006/AETV98478853_1b.jpg
Just thinking about it… this could be an AWESOME commercial for Samsung Cellphones LOL
“Current plates have black characters on white reflective material (for the front plate) or on yellow reflective material (for the rear plate).”
you know, most speculate that half life 2 and city 17 are actually set in eastern europe, due to building style, car make and the such, so if it is made in the netherlands…its close to where the singularity actually takes place in the universe than London.
Also DigIt, all you did is tell us a story which most likely, all of us know. AND the box looks nothing like the orange crystal that you put into the test chamber. That box is black, the crystal you put into the chamber is an irregular shape…and orange. So that has nothing to do with it.
I can link it to half life, because all the sound effects are from half life 2…
I guess I was right to say I was PRETTY sure lol. Fair enough, never even noticed that before… which is ridiculous.
Krelith, dude, I was so sure I had to check my car outside to make sure I was right!
T’is cool.
WOW!
From Half-Life to car plates in London.
@PopTrogdor It says what’s IN the box. The crystal could be IN the box.
Of course it’s real. It’s gonna be directed by J.J Abrams .i know because of all that “Lost” soundtrack.
F***ing awesome!
Front and back number plates are yellow in the UK. I live there, I should know.
i know this is way farfetched but this being one long film without any cuts makes me dwell on the thought that this could be animated. And i restate far fetched.
Dirk,
Front and back number plates are yellow in the UK. I live there, I should know.
You live there? So do I. You should check outside!
Well, whatever it is, it certainly gets me excited for more Half-Life!! Great games!!
Hey, You know there’s a website, right?
whatsinthebox.nl
This movie is either semi-pro or low-budget pro. The effects were quick and dirty, although very nice regardless. Looks like it could be a team’s VFX reel.
@ELIT3 – it’s not really one long cut, if you watch closely you’ll see that many times as they pan across a wall or something they’ll do a swipe cut. That’s how they get to the concrete hallway from the medical office. They also do it when he pans around just after the grenade goes off behind him as he’s leaving the house.
All that said, they’ve got a hand-held or head-mounted spatial 3D camera and some other tech I’ve not seen before. Many of the cars that are abandoned in the road when he first exits were not “in scene.” Very very cool.
Also this was posted about on 1up. Valve has stated plainly it’s a fan work.
Oh, cool there are many clues on this: http://whatsinthebox.nl
If you mouse over the box it makes it turn red and some of the characters at the bottom get question marks over them.
Also there is a randomiser of letters and numbers which say things, so far I think I saw read and sega, but I could be wrong.
This needs looking into by someone with more patience, a keener eye and someone who knows more about numbers and letters than I.
-FWD
OOOOO, I found something in the source, its a comment:
Oops, obviously it didn’t like it, here it is
“Every medium, as its ancestors. Every pro, has his anti’s, now you think about that”
Can anyone figure out what the red ?s are for I wrote down the letters I could see with the ?s up and I got:
prducspreseamyeryofmysteriesrpoductionwritesmitthibautnielsmusicedbysenetersdrofphobiatimsmitproductiondesignthinielstiitspecialeffectstimitscreenplaywrittenbyibautnielstmitwebsitecomplexbytimmnissentimmitfilmertimitproduedanddiretedbytimsthibalnielsadalthankstofanktstjenanmakuptm
the whole “Every medium, as its ancestors. Every pro, has his anti’s, now you think about that” is interesting. summarizing around the flash are two things.
at the top:
at the bottom
…
can’t find any “medium” things though
actually, when you mouse over the box, writing appears too:
http://tinyurl.com/d4tbfu
can anyone read it?
uh… just noticed, they’re the lyrics to Tenatious D: Beezleboss.
there are quite a few rude words there, f******k to be exact (with that many extra letters…)