If you’re desperate for more Half-Life , a new fan-written novel might ease your urges to shoot Combine forces and fantasise about punching Dr Breen…
Phase Transition is the title of a 600-page book by Ross Joseph Gardner and Michael Pelletier which tells the story of characters in Half-Life 2‘s City 17, but set before the return of Gordon Freeman. It also serves as a prequel to a comic, A Place in the West, which is already available on Steam.
Accordig to PCGamesN (carrying a sample of the novel), the story focuses on new characters and includes the G-Man; it commences during the so-called “Black Mesa incident.”
Gardner states: “One thing I was very conscious of doing was trying to tell an original story,… I wanted it to feel like it was part of the games, that readers could imagine it fitting in, but I took many, many liberties with the source material. My initial instinct was to stay away from the G-Man altogether, but his relationship to one of the characters is so vital I ended up weaving him in in a fairly big way. Hopefully fans like it.”
While Phase Transistion is not an official Valve release, the company is “aware” of the project. It is expected to be released in the final quarter of 2024.
(PCGamesN)
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
