The Story behind Half-Life

   Assigned to a top-secret experiment at a decommissioned missile base, you've made an amazing breakthrough, an alarming discovery and a stupid decision. Your team has developed a cross-dimensional portal through which you can glimpse an alternate universe populated by fascinating beings. You attempt to break through and probe this fascinating world further by generating a sharp power spike via forgotten nuclear warheads left behind at the base. The result is total disaster. Something(s) on the other side wanted in. You and your two co-workers are set upon by ghastly creatures from the other dimension.

   Now you must embark on an epic challenge to contain or destroy these creatures before they eradicate you and many others. If that's not enough, the CIA is sending a squad of "Cleaners" to shut you down and cover up this whole messy affair. And finally your also battling the clock as government operatives, unaware of the thermonuclear weapons housed within, have begun to plant explosives to destroy the base. If you don't work fast the chain reaction could trigger a nuclear blast big enough to destroy the entire Westem United States.

   Half Life introduces a revolutionary leap in 3D first-person games by combining stunning technology enhancements with genre-breaking gameplay elements. Gamers are given opportunities to wreak havoc--in true action-game fashion--but they are also challenged to explore and strategize; for instance, telling friend from foe is no longer a simple matter of humans vs. monsters. Half Life's strong story elements, advanced inventory system and story-integrated challenges create an experience never-before-seen in traditional "run-and-gun" action games.

   The game features many technological advances, including 16-bit color, sophisticated colored lighting and environmental effects such as translucency, dynamic textures, and metallic surfaces. A proprietary character animation system gives creatures the highest polygon counts and most fluid character motions seen in a firstperson action game. In addition, an advanced artificial intelligence system lets non-player characters demonstrate remarkable cunning, including group behaviors and progressive strategic movement and ambush skills. The result is an entirely immersive playing environment with intensely realistic life forms.

   Half Life contains support for Open-GL and Direct 3D and MMX hardware acceleration. Internet multiplayer support for up to 32 players is also included.