LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 -- PRNewswire/ AsiaNet
Half-Life(R) 2 to Ship to Retail Outlets Globally This Holiday Season
Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) today announced that Half-Life(R) 2, the
sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed PC titles in gaming history,
will ship to retail outlets around the world in November. The Company
confirmed that Half-Life 2, developed by Valve Software, has gone gold with a
planned retail street date of November 16, 2004. The countdown to the highly
anticipated retail street date has begun around the world, as VU Games
completes plans to ship localized versions of Half-Life 2 simultaneously in
English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Traditional and Simplified Chinese,
Korean, Thai and Japanese.
"Half-Life 2 has surpassed our expectations in every sense -- its
high-quality graphics, ground-breaking physics and immersive first-person
shooter gameplay set a new standard for PC action games," said Bruce Hack, CEO
of VU Games. Half-Life 2 will go down as one of the best-selling PC titles,
and we are thrilled to deliver this ground-breaking title to the worldwide
gaming community this fall."
Hailed as "...the best game ever made" by PC Gamer, Half-Life 2 earned a
top-rated review score of 98, the highest score bestowed by the magazine in
more than six years. The game has received numerous accolades for its
technical excellence, captivating story and addictive game play, including
more than 10 awards and nominations at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
In addition to being named "Best PC Game" by 1up.com (Ziff Davis) and
Gamespy.com, the title also received a "Technological Excellence on PC" award
from IGN.com. CNNMoney.com stated that "Half-Life 2 will redefine what gamers
expect from their games visually -- and the gameplay is a lot of fun as well."
The global anticipation for Half-Life 2 has reached unprecedented heights,
as consumers around the world mark their calendars to buy the game at retail
on November 16th. The Half-Life 2 product will include Counter-Strike:
Source. VU Games will also release a Half Life 2 Collector's Edition that
will include Half-Life 2 in DVD-ROM format, Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life:
Source, a free limited edition t-shirt, and a Half-Life 2 Prima strategy guide
book.
The original Half-Life game was launched in 1998 under VU Games' Sierra
Entertainment publishing label. It earned more than 50 game-of-the-year
awards and has been heralded as one of the best PC first-person shooter games
of all-time.
About Half-Life(R) and Half-Life(R) 2
In 1998, Half-Life revolutionized the game industry with its combination
of pounding action and continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve's debut
title was named "Best PC Game Ever" by PC Gamer and launched a franchise with
more than eight million retails units sold worldwide. In 2004, Half-Life 2
will take the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original to new
heights of realism and responsiveness. Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world
where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical
environments to the behaviors -- even the emotions -- of both friends and
enemies. The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist, Gordon
Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the
bone, its resources depleted and its population dwindling. Freeman is thrust
into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed
back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people -- people he cares about -- are
counting on him. The intense, real-time gameplay of Half-Life 2 is made
possible only by Source, Valve's new proprietary engine technology. Source
provides major enhancements in the advanced facial animation system, physics,
graphics and AI. Half-Life 2 will be available for the PC.
About Vivendi Universal Games
Headquartered in Los Angeles, VU Games is a leading global developer,
publisher and distributor of multi-platform interactive entertainment. Its
development studios and publishing labels include Blizzard Entertainment,
Sierra Entertainment, Fox Interactive and Massive Entertainment. VU Games'
library of over 700 titles features multi-million unit selling properties such
as Warcraft(R), StarCraft(R), Diablo(R) and World of Warcraft(R) from Blizzard
Entertainment(R); Crash Bandicoot(R), Spyro The Dragon(TM), Empire Earth(R),
Leisure Suit Larry(TM), Tribes(R) and Ground Control(R).
For further information, visit http://www.vugames.com
SOURCE: Vivendi Universal Games
CONTACT: Corporate Communications, Leslie Hollingshead, +1-310-431-4533,
[email protected], or Half-Life 2 Product Requests, Sarita
Churchill of, +1-541-688-9579, [email protected], both of VU Games
Web site: http://www.vugames.com