These days, when we install a new game, it’s likely packed with bugs: a person flying here, a talking horse there, a level ending that’s impossible to pass. Well, you know, those things. Eventually, we get used to it all. But back in 1998, it was very different: if there was a bug in your game, you had to live with it forever. And that’s what happened in ‘Half-Life‘… until now.
No patch in sight
If you’ve played, you remember the moment because it’s spectacular: in chapter 6, an alien tentacle breaks a window, taking a scientist with it. It’s impressive, it raises the danger sky-high, and it further enhances such an incredible game as this one. Yes. But… the animation has a glitch that makes it look broken and unrealistic. In short, we could never fully enjoy it as Valve intended.
However, they had a second chance last week when Valve released a patch to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the video game. And it had all sorts of improvements: from new maps to content that was cut back then, or some fixes here and there. Okay, yes, all great, but in episode 6, the tentacle still looked broken. Fans thought it would stay that way forever, but sometimes dreams do come true.
Just yesterday, Valve released a new patch exclusively dedicated to one thing: ensuring the tentacle had animation up to standard. The game, 25 years later, is finally complete. It can be considered that, for the first time, anyone playing ‘Half-Life’ for the first time will practically be playing ‘Complete-Life’. It took many years to fix a small thing, but a small thing that has made a lot of people happy.
And ultimately, isn’t that what video games are for, right?
