5. The Set-Pieces
http://youtu.be/aHZDRGZp4Mw Another thing Valve seem to have pioneered is the idea that the set-pieces in an FPS should happen to you, not to a character that youre playing as, but to you yourself. So youll remember in Episode 1, when Gordon and Alyx got into a wrecked van and were thrown across a chasm and into the Citadel, you were right there. It was almost as though you were sat in a simulator; not just watching, disconnected from the game momentarily as a cut scene played out before your eyes. Thats just one example; each action set-piece that occurs throughout the Half Life series is equally as breath-taking as it is immersive, as they not only happen while in first person perspective, they also happen in real time meaning you can usually move or at the very least look wherever you like. We may have seen this concept reoccur enough throughout gaming since then (CoD does it quite often, for example) that its no longer an innovation, but you have to remember, when it comes to first-person set-pieces, Valve are the daddies. And given the fact that HL 3 has been in development for so long and potentially has a new engine in tow in tow, you have to imagine theyve been working on some pretty spectacular new set-pieces. And I for one cant wait to see what they are.