Half-Life 2 not decaying on Xbox

New details on port emerge

A few details are beginning to emerge about the Xbox conversion of the biggest PC title of the last few years. Half-Life 2 will make it onto the console in pretty much the same form as on the PC. The levels and gameplay will be identical, so fears of the conversion losing some content so as to squeeze into the ageing architecture of the Xbox can be put to rest. This isn't all that surprising considering how well the Source engine runs on weakling PCs which is in effect what the Xbox is. The Xbox version is also purported to have some enhanced lighting effects which will outshine those seen on the PC version, although naturally the texture detail and resolutions will be of a lesser standard. Loading times will be the same as the PC, although given the wide range of wait times on different machines quite which PC that will be the same as remains to be seen. Multiplayer will not be shipping with the game, although downloadable content will reportedly be supported, so there's always the chance it could be shoe-horned in later on. Of course, once the Source engine is up and running smoothly on the Xbox only a fool wouldn't speculate that Counter-Strike will make another reappearance on the Xbox, no doubt as a separate package.

By Sam Gibson