Difference between revisions of "Half-Life"

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{{UnreleasedBob
 
{{UnreleasedBob
 
| bobscreen=HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png
 
| bobscreen=HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png
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| publisher=[[Sierra On-Line]] (US), [[Havas Interactive]] (EU)
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| publisher={{company|[[Sierra On-Line]]|region=US}}, {{company|[[Havas Interactive]]|region=EU}}
 
|icon=Half-lifeVMU.png
 
|icon=Half-lifeVMU.png
−
| developer=[[Valve Corporation‏‎]] {{DC}} [[Gearbox Software]]
+
| developer=[[Sierra|PyroTechnix]]{{ref|https://twitter.com/UrDailyHalfLife/status/1405352577106128896}}, [[Captivation Digital Laboratories]]{{ref|https://twitter.com/UrDailyHalfLife/status/1405352577106128896}}{{ref|https://tcrf.net/Half-Life_(Dreamcast)}}, [[Gearbox Software]]{{ref|https://tcrf.net/Half-Life_(Dreamcast)}}
 +
| originaldevelopers=[[Valve Corporation‏‎]], [[Gearbox Software]]
 +
| licensor=[[Sierra On-Line]]{{fileref|HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png}}, [[Valve Corporation‏‎]]{{fileref|HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png}}
 
| system=[[Sega Dreamcast]]
 
| system=[[Sega Dreamcast]]
 
| romsize=
 
| romsize=
 
| sounddriver=
 
| sounddriver=
−
| peripherals=
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| peripherals=[[Dreamcast Mouse]], [[Dreamcast Keyboard]]
 
| players=1
 
| players=1
 
| genre=Shoot-'em-Up
 
| genre=Shoot-'em-Up
 
| cancelledstate=Late
 
| cancelledstate=Late
 
| status=Prototype dumped
 
| status=Prototype dumped
−
| date=2000-09{{magref|egm|134|50}}{{magref|dcuk|9|62}}, 2000-10{{magref|odmus|9|73}}, 2000-11-01{{intref|Press release: 2000-08-29: SIERRA STUDIOS(tm) ANNOUNCES HALF-LIFE: BLUE SHIFT}}, 2001-06-01{{magref|odmuk|20|28}}
+
| date={{MissedRelease|DC|2000-09{{magref|egm|134|50}}{{magref|dcuk|9|62}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2000-10{{magref|odmus|9|73}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2000-11-01{{intref|Press release: 2000-08-29: SIERRA STUDIOS(tm) ANNOUNCES HALF-LIFE: BLUE SHIFT}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2000-11-22{{magref|dmuk|15|56}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2000-11-24{{magref|dmuk|15|10}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2000-11-29{{magref|odmuk|13|21}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2001-01{{magref|dmuk|17|15}}{{magref|egm|139|48}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2001-04{{magref|egm|142|38}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2001-06-01{{magref|odmuk|20|28}}}}
 +
{{MissedRelease|DC|2001-06-29{{ref|1=http://web.archive.org/web/20010531133437/http://www.whsmith.co.uk:80/whs/Go.ASP?menu=Games&pagedef=/games/comingsoon/index.htm}}}}
 
}}
 
}}
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'''''Half-Life''''' is a first person shooter developed by [[Valve Corporation]]. At the time of its release on PCs it was seen as groundbreaking, and still ranks as one of the highest rated PC games of all time.
+
{{stub}}'''''Half-Life''''' is an unreleased [[Sega Dreamcast]] first-person shooter developed by [[Captivation Digital Laboratories]] and [[Gearbox Software]]. The highly-anticipated port of [[wikipedia:Valve Corporation|Valve Software]]'s popular ''[[wikipedia:Half-Life (video game)|Half-Life]]'', it was originally scheduled to be published [[Sierra On-Line]] in late 2000{{magref|egm|134|50}}{{intref|Press release: 2000-08-29: SIERRA STUDIOS(tm) ANNOUNCES HALF-LIFE: BLUE SHIFT}}{{magref|odmuk|13|21}} - a date which would eventually be pushed back to June 2001.{{magref|odmuk|20|28}}{{ref|1=http://web.archive.org/web/20010531133437/http://www.whsmith.co.uk:80/whs/Go.ASP?menu=Games&pagedef=/games/comingsoon/index.htm}} With [[Sega]]'s official discontinuing of the Dreamcast in March 2001, Sierra On-Line announced the port's cancellation on July 31, 2001, citing [[History of the Sega Dreamcast/Decline and legacy|"changing market conditions"]].{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20210716065645/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-for-the-dreamcast-officially-cancelled/1100-2776155/}}
  
−
The game was due to be ported to the [[Sega Dreamcast]] by [[Gearbox Software]] in a move that was much anticpated by Sega fans. However, a last minute decision saw the game be cancelled, despite playable (and finished) builds being showcased at trade shows and in magazine publications.
+
By then, ''Half-Life'''s [[Dreamcast]] version had already received a significant amount of both advertising and public awareness. Virtually every part of the game's production had been completed, from promotional kiosks to magazine reviews, and its [[Prima's Official Strategy Guide: Half-Life|official strategy guide]] had even been shipped to a small number of retailers for sale to consumers.{{ref|https://tcrf.net/Half-Life_(Dreamcast)}} With such a high-profile title seeing a very late cancellation, ''Half-Life'' has since developed a reputation as one of the Dreamcast's most infamous unreleased games.
  
−
==History==
+
==Gameplay==
−
===Development===
+
''{{PAGENAME}}'' would have featured identical gameplay to that of the [[Windows PC]] original, but with minor differences. Most notable are the game's updated graphics, which was touted as one of the [[Dreamcast]] version's unique selling points. When the game was cancelled, these graphics were ported over to Windows PCs, where they were further updated and released for free alongside ''[[wikipedia:Half-Life: Blue Shift|Half-Life: Blue Shift]]'' as 2001's ''Half-Life High Definition Pack''.
−
''Half-Life'' was demonstrated at the [[wikipedia:European Computer Trade Show|European Computer Trade Show]] in 2000, being praised by the press and featuring as a cover story in many gaming magazines of the era and even in a television advertisement. Rather than being a straight port of the game, the Dreamcast version featured higher polygon models than its PC counterpart (about twice as many polygons overall) and would have included an exclusive side-story titled ''Half-Life: Blue Shift''. The Dreamcast version would not make an official playable public appearance until the first annual Gearbox Community Day 2011 which featured the last completed build as part of their legacy showcase.
 
  
−
While the core game was set to be released in late 2000, a special online-enabled version was also planned for early 2001, which would have included ''Team Fortress Classic''{{magref|egm|137|38}}.
+
Due to its unoptimized nature, the game's framerate can frequently sink into the single digits during particularly-intensive scenes. Besides this, and the use of a [[Dreamcast Controller]] instead of a keyboard and mouse, ''{{PAGENAME}}'' largely plays as it does in its original release. A minor addition is the inclusion of small cameos of [[Sega]] products in the game's breakable crates: two of the crate's debris models were replaced with a [[VMU]] and the game's Dreamcast disc. In early builds of the Japanese version, this disc is replaced with that of ''[[Sonic Adventure]]''.
  
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===Cancellation===
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===''Half-Life: Blue Shift''===
−
[[File:HalfLifeDreamcast UpadtedModels.png|thumbnail|right|All of the models in the game were updated to take advantage of the Dreamcast hardware.]]
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[[Gearbox]] had developed an extra gameplay campaign which was intended to ship with the game, titled '''''Half-Life: Blue Shift'''''. While the main game's [[Dreamcast]] port failed to materialize, ''Blue Shift'' was later moved over to [[Windows PC]]s and released as a standalone expansion pack on June 12, 2001.
−
The nature of ''Half-Life'''s cancellation makes it perhaps the most notorious unreleased game for the Dreamcast. The initial plan was for the game to be released for the 2000 holiday season, with ancitipated for a release in North America and Europe during September 2000 (a date it missed - ''[[DC-UK]]'' later claimed it would arrive in Europe in November of that year, priced at the usual £39.99 in the UK{{magref|dcuk|16|58}}).
 
  
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However, despite being publicised, the game saw an unexpected delay to mid-2001, by which point the Dreamcast console had been officially discontinued. Despite the game being finished, publisher [[Sierra On-Line]], pulled the plug on the Dreamcast version a few weeks before release due to "changing market conditions". By this point it was the middle of June 2001 - ''Blue Shift'' had been released as a PC expansion pack (alongside the "High Definition Pack", upgrading all the in-game models), and much of the re-worked assets were being used in an upcoming [[PlayStation 2]] version of the game, which launched in November 2001.
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==History==
−
 
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/History}}
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''Half-Life'' was not the only Dreamacst game to be delayed into 2001, only to then be cancelled, but it was the most high profile case, having received extensive magazine coverage through the latter half of 2000. Not only had the game been reviewed highly by publications on both sides of the Atlantic, retailers had been equipped with promotional material and display stands - everything except the game itself. Even the game's official strategy guide, published by [[Prima Games]] made it to market - there was no game to accompany it, but the publication still went on sale.
+
The [[Dreamcast]] port of ''Half-Life'' was hugely anticipated, and despite being virtually finished, would eventually see its release cancelled at the last minute by publisher [[Sierra On-Line]]. By this time, it had already received substantial [[Half-Life/Promotional material|advertising]] and public awareness, ensuring ''Half-Life'''s legacy as one of the Dreamcast's most infamous unreleased games.
−
 
 
−
===Leaked build===
 
−
Inevitably the full version of the Dreamcast game was leaked onto the internet, showing a near-complete product. Though the game is fully playable, the frame rate is inconsistent, and load times are often fairly lengthy. Saving is also an issue - the further the player gets through the current level, the more [[VMU]] blocks are demanded for saving. Once a level is completed, the number decreases again. In addition, each chapter is split with a password system to save progress alternatively with a three word system.
 
−
 
 
−
Some of the features found in the Dreamcast versions of ''Half-Life'' and ''Blue Shift'' were never brought forward into later copies of the game, although this mainly just includes some new NPC models, slightly altered level layouts and in-game Dreamcast references. In early 2012 a mod for the PC version was released on [[Steam]] to address this.
 
  
 
==Magazine articles==
 
==Magazine articles==
−
{{ratings
+
{{ratings|DC}}
−
| icon=DC
 
−
| cvg=100
 
−
| cvg_source={{magref|cvg|228|82|printpage=82-84}}
 
−
| dcuk=90
 
−
| dcuk_source={{magref|dcuk|16|58|printpage=58-63}}
 
−
}}
 
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
  
 
==Promotional material==
 
==Promotional material==
−
{{gallery
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Promotional material}}
−
|{{galleryPrintAd
 
−
|ODCM US 07.pdf|odmus|7|30-31
 
−
|EGM US 134.pdf|egm|134|8
 
−
|GamePro US 145.pdf|gamepro|145|74
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{galleryPrintAd
 
−
|EGM US 137.pdf|egm|137|60-61
 
−
}}
 
−
|{{galleryPrintAd
 
−
|ConsolesPlus FR 106.pdf|consolesplus|106|35
 
−
}}
 
−
}}
 
  
 
==Technical information==
 
==Technical information==
−
The polygon models in the Dreamcast version have about twice as many polygons as the PC version. The zombies in the original PC version had 844 polygons, which was almost doubled to 1649 polygons in the Dreamcast version.{{ref|[https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/yes-but-how-many-polygons-an-artist-blog-entry-with-interesting-numbers.39321/ "Yes, but how many polygons?" An artist blog entry with interesting numbers]}} In the PC version, other characters had up to 1000 polygons and bosses up to 2500 polygons,{{ref|[https://forum.thegamecreators.com/thread/46032#msg477010 Acceptable polygon count for FPS characters]}} whereas the Dreamcast version's characters have up to 2836 polygons and bosses up to 3411 polygons.{{ref|[https://forum.beyond3d.com/threads/yes-but-how-many-polygons-an-artist-blog-entry-with-interesting-numbers.39321/page-79 "Yes, but how many polygons?" An artist blog entry with interesting numbers (page 79)]}}
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Technical information}}
 +
 
 +
==Artwork==
 +
<gallery>
 +
DreamcastPremiere HalfLife HALFLIFE logo.png
 +
DreamcastPremiere HalfLife HALFLIFE.png
 +
DreamcastPremiere HalfLife PACKSHOT.png
 +
</gallery>
  
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===VMU Features===
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==ROM dump status==
−
[[File:HalfLifeDreamcast CodeScreen.png|thumbnail|right|Due to varying large VMU file sizes, a password system can be used instead to save progress.]]
+
{{romtable|unreleased=yes|
−
''Half-Life'' is able to save progress anywhere in the game, however the further along in a chapter, the larger the file can get. Alternatively the game allows progress to be saved via a password system.
+
{{rom|DC|sha1=|md5=|crc32=|size=|date=2001-05-11|source=GD-ROM|comments=V0.900|quality=|prototype=yes|protoname=1659 prototype}}
 +
}}
  
−
{|class="prettytable"
+
==External links==
−
|+ Half-Life Save Data
+
*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20210716065645/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-for-the-dreamcast-officially-cancelled/1100-2776155/ Half-Life for the Dreamcast officially cancelled]'' article by Shane Satterfield at ''[https://www.gamespot.com GameSpot]'' (Wayback Machine)
−
|-
 
−
! Name
 
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! File Name
 
−
! Comment
 
−
! File Size
 
−
! Icon
 
−
|-
 
−
| Half Life
 
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| HALFLIFE.###
 
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| HALF_LIFE_GAME
 
−
| 30-200
 
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| [[Image:Half-lifeVMU.png]]
 
−
|}
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
 +
 +
{{HalfLifeOmni}}

Latest revision as of 21:21, 15 February 2024

HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png

Half-Life
System(s): Sega Dreamcast
Publisher: Sierra On-Line (US), Havas Interactive (EU)
Developer: PyroTechnix[1], Captivation Digital Laboratories[1][2], Gearbox Software[2]
Licensor: Sierra On-Line[3], Valve Corporation‏‎[3]
Developer(s) of original games: Valve Corporation‏‎, Gearbox Software
Planned release date(s): 2000-09[4][5], 2000-10[6], 2000-11-01[7], 2000-11-22[8], 2000-11-24[9], 2000-11-29[10], 2001-01[11][12], 2001-04[13], 2001-06-01[14], 2001-06-29[15]
Genre: Shoot-'em-Up
Number of players: 1
State before cancellation: Late in development
Status of prototype(s): Prototype dumped
Peripheral(s): Dreamcast Mouse, Dreamcast Keyboard

This short article is in need of work. You can help Sega Retro by adding to it.

Half-Life is an unreleased Sega Dreamcast first-person shooter developed by Captivation Digital Laboratories and Gearbox Software. The highly-anticipated port of Valve Software's popular Half-Life, it was originally scheduled to be published Sierra On-Line in late 2000[4][7][10] - a date which would eventually be pushed back to June 2001.[14][15] With Sega's official discontinuing of the Dreamcast in March 2001, Sierra On-Line announced the port's cancellation on July 31, 2001, citing "changing market conditions".[16]

By then, Half-Life's Dreamcast version had already received a significant amount of both advertising and public awareness. Virtually every part of the game's production had been completed, from promotional kiosks to magazine reviews, and its official strategy guide had even been shipped to a small number of retailers for sale to consumers.[2] With such a high-profile title seeing a very late cancellation, Half-Life has since developed a reputation as one of the Dreamcast's most infamous unreleased games.

Gameplay

Half-Life would have featured identical gameplay to that of the Windows PC original, but with minor differences. Most notable are the game's updated graphics, which was touted as one of the Dreamcast version's unique selling points. When the game was cancelled, these graphics were ported over to Windows PCs, where they were further updated and released for free alongside Half-Life: Blue Shift as 2001's Half-Life High Definition Pack.

Due to its unoptimized nature, the game's framerate can frequently sink into the single digits during particularly-intensive scenes. Besides this, and the use of a Dreamcast Controller instead of a keyboard and mouse, Half-Life largely plays as it does in its original release. A minor addition is the inclusion of small cameos of Sega products in the game's breakable crates: two of the crate's debris models were replaced with a VMU and the game's Dreamcast disc. In early builds of the Japanese version, this disc is replaced with that of Sonic Adventure.

Half-Life: Blue Shift

Gearbox had developed an extra gameplay campaign which was intended to ship with the game, titled Half-Life: Blue Shift. While the main game's Dreamcast port failed to materialize, Blue Shift was later moved over to Windows PCs and released as a standalone expansion pack on June 12, 2001.

History

Main article: Half-Life/History.

The Dreamcast port of Half-Life was hugely anticipated, and despite being virtually finished, would eventually see its release cancelled at the last minute by publisher Sierra On-Line. By this time, it had already received substantial advertising and public awareness, ensuring Half-Life's legacy as one of the Dreamcast's most infamous unreleased games.

Magazine articles

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Computer & Video Games (UK)
100
[17]
Dreamcast Monthly (UK) PAL
90
[18]
DC-UK (UK)
90
[19]
Dreamcast Magazine (UK) PAL
81
[8]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
98
[20]
SuperGamePower (BR)
98
[21]
Sega Dreamcast
 93
Based on
6 reviews

Half-Life

Main article: Half-Life/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Half-Life/Promotional material.

Technical information

Main article: Half-Life/Technical information.

Artwork

  • DreamcastPremiere HalfLife HALFLIFE logo.png
  • DreamcastPremiere HalfLife HALFLIFE.png
  • DreamcastPremiere HalfLife PACKSHOT.png

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Dreamcast
 ?
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
2001-05-11 GD-ROM V0.900 Page

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 @UrDailyHalfLife on Twitter
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Cutting Room Floor: Half-Life (Dreamcast)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 File:HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 2000" (US; 2000-08-08), page 50
  5. ↑ DC-UK, "May 2000" (UK; 2000-04-xx), page 62
  6. ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, "December 2000" (US; 2000-10-31), page 73
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Press release: 2000-08-29: SIERRA STUDIOS(tm) ANNOUNCES HALF-LIFE: BLUE SHIFT
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 15" (UK; 2000-11-02), page 56
  9. ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 15" (UK; 2000-11-02), page 10
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Official Dreamcast Magazine, "November 2000" (UK; 2000-10-05), page 21
  11. ↑ Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 17" (UK; 2000-12-28), page 15
  12. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 2001" (US; 2001-01-09), page 48
  13. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "May 2001" (US; 2001-04-03), page 38
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Official Dreamcast Magazine, "June 2001" (UK; 2001-05-24), page 28
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.whsmith.co.uk:80/whs/Go.ASP?menu=Games&pagedef=/games/comingsoon/index.htm (Wayback Machine: 2001-05-31 13:34)
  16. ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-for-the-dreamcast-officially-cancelled/1100-2776155/ (Wayback Machine: 2021-07-16 06:56)
  17. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "November 2000" (UK; 2000-10-11), page 82
  18. ↑ Dreamcast Monthly, "November 2000" (UK; 2000-09-28), page 62
  19. ↑ DC-UK, "December 2000" (UK; 2000-10-23), page 58
  20. ↑ GamePro, "June 2001" (US; 2001-0x-xx), page 109
  21. ↑ SuperGamePower, "Junho 2001" (BR; 2001-xx-xx), page 34


Half-Life

HalflifeDreamcastTitle.png

Main page | Comparisons | History | Hidden content | Bugs | Development | Magazine articles | Reception | Promotional material | Technical information | Bootlegs


Books: Prima's Official Strategy Guide: Half-Life (2000)
Sega Dreamcast
Prototypes: 1659 prototype
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