Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Encyclopedia
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar - A Behind the Scenes Look: Prima's Official Insider's Guide is a coffee table book
published by Prima Games
in November 2004, comprising a collection of images chronicling the development of, but not limited to: Half-Life 2
, Counter-Strike
and Half-Life, all of which are developed by Valve Corporation
. It also includes notes on the design of the game, information relating to voice actors and other areas. It was written by David Hodgson.
The book has been discontinued and has thus become a collectible item.
by Valve Corporation
founder Gabe Newell
. The two sections, titled: "Investigation 1: Anomalous Materials" and "Investigation 2: Unexpected Interference" are references to the opening levels of the Half-Life video game. The first section chronicles the evolution of the first Half-Life, containing much concept art and character designs: the various iterations of Gordon Freeman for example. It contains information relating to the mod scene that developed in the game's wake and the subsequent retail release of iconic mods, Counter-Strike being the most famous. The second section deals with the long development of Half-Life 2 containing much concept art. It also contains chapters dealing with the creation and design of the main characters, and their real life counterparts.
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
published by Prima Games
Prima Games
Prima Games, a division of Random House, is the largest publishing company of video game strategy guides in the United States. It is an imprint of the Random House Information Group, based in Roseville, California...
in November 2004, comprising a collection of images chronicling the development of, but not limited to: Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike is a tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Corporation which originated from a Half-Life modification by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe...
and Half-Life, all of which are developed by Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
. It also includes notes on the design of the game, information relating to voice actors and other areas. It was written by David Hodgson.
The book has been discontinued and has thus become a collectible item.
Contents
The book is divided up into two main sections with a forewordForeword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
by Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
founder Gabe Newell
Gabe Newell
Gabe Logan Newell is the co-founder and managing director of video game development and online distribution company Valve Corporation.-Work:...
. The two sections, titled: "Investigation 1: Anomalous Materials" and "Investigation 2: Unexpected Interference" are references to the opening levels of the Half-Life video game. The first section chronicles the evolution of the first Half-Life, containing much concept art and character designs: the various iterations of Gordon Freeman for example. It contains information relating to the mod scene that developed in the game's wake and the subsequent retail release of iconic mods, Counter-Strike being the most famous. The second section deals with the long development of Half-Life 2 containing much concept art. It also contains chapters dealing with the creation and design of the main characters, and their real life counterparts.
External links
- Prima Games profile
- Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...