Guide Note

Half-Life 2: Episode One is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed by Steam for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The game is set during the aftermath of the events in 2004's Half-Life 2.

Fast Facts

1. Developer: Steam
2. Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
3. Original Release: June 1st, 2006
4. Bundled with The Orange Box
5. PC version can also be downloaded separately via Steam, Valve's content delivery system

Half-Life 2: Episode One takes place immediately after the events that ended Half-Life 2. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance are both captured by Vortigaunts outside the Citadel, before the G-Man can get to Freeman. Upon reawakening within the city, Freeman and Alyx get into contact with scientists Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner, who inform them of a mounting situation: the Citadel's core is going to explode, unless Freeman and Alyx stop it. The two make their way through City 17, back into the Citadel, fighting Combine forces and racing against the clock to disarm the bomb.

The NPC Alyx Vance was redesigned in the game, to make her more of a co-op assistant during battles. Additionally, the Citadel building is devastated and falling apart, to tie in with the ending of Half-Life 2.