It's nice to have a good reason to play through one of the best games of all-time again.
Half-Life 2 modder Filip Victor and his team have been toiling away at Half-Life 2: Update for years, and it finally arrives tomorrow. Half-Life 2: Update rolls out a fresh coat of a paint for the seminal shooter. It's hardly a full-fledged remake, but it certainly makes the game look nicer.
To get a sense of what they've focused on, here's a full comparison video:
I've pulled a few shots, in case you don't want to wait through the video itself:
The changes are subtle but noticeable, and if we're not getting Half-Life 3 anytime soon, I might as well play through a slightly better looking version of Half-Life 2.
A summarized list of changes is as follows:
Complete lighting overhaul including enhanced lighting, more detailed world shadows, and full High Dynamic Range Lighting (HDR).
New particle effects and improved fog.
Countless bug fixes, correcting both visual and game-based issues.
An extensive Community Commentary Mode featuring the voices of well-known Youtubers, including Caddicarus, Brutalmoose, Ricepirate, Balrog the Master, ProJared, and Ross Scott from Freeman's Mind .
Retains the iconic Half-Life 2 visual style and gameplay.
If you want to play Half-Life 2: Update, you'll have to own a copy of Half-Life 2, obviously.
You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.