Codename: Gordon
Encyclopedia
Codename: Gordon, also known as Half-Life 2D, is a two-dimensional
Flash
sidescroller
shooter game
made by Paul "X-Tender" Kamma and Sönke "Warbeast" Seidel. The game was produced on behalf of Nuclear Vision, and was distributed free of charge over Valve Software's Steam online delivery system as a promotional title for the then-upcoming Half-Life 2
. The game has since been removed from Steam's storefront due to the developer's bankruptcy.
The game started off as a fan project of Paul Kamma and Sönke Seidel, the concept being inspired by various Half-Life 2 advertisements. Soon after, the two started working on Codename: Gordon on behalf of Nuclear Vision. The company also presented the game to Valve, the developer team of the original Half-Life series
, who later distributed the game through Steam.
Codename: Gordon has been overall well received by both reviewers, and the public, the game attracting over 600,000 players in the first three weeks after its release. Reviewers appreciated the game for its gameplay and unique dialog style, but also criticized it for its improper optimization, and lack of opponent variety.
, the player takes control of Gordon Freeman
. However, unlike the other games in the Half-Life series, Codename: Gordon is set in a two-dimensional
world. The sidescroller
shooter game
offers the player the ability to control Gordon by using the keyboard
for movement, and the mouse
for aiming and firing weapons.
Armed with various weapons, including the trademark crowbar, and the gravity gun
introduced by Half-Life 2, the player makes his way around six levels, along which he encounters enemies such as zombie
s, headcrab
s, and the Combine. Similarly to the main titles in the Half-Life series, the action sequences of the gameplay are broken up by various puzzles.
Along the way the player meets with some of the key characters of the main series, who communicate with Gordon through text dialog, as the game does not feature voice acting. Unlike the core games of the Half-Life series, in Codename: Gordon the player is able to participate interactively in the dialog, by using emoticon
s, such as :], :-), each associated with a different type of answer.
Upon finishing Codename: Gordon, a new bonus game is unlocked, called "Crow Chase", in which the player has to try and gather as many points as possible, within a given time limit, by chasing crow
s, in an attempt to keep them in the air for as long as possible.
, with locations inspired by both Half-Life and Half-Life 2
. Along the way, Gordon Freeman
— the protagonist from the canon games — meets with some of the main characters of the Half-Life series
and tries to find what caused the disappearance of the third dimension.
The game starts with Gordon Freeman in a dock area. After making his way through a few zombie
s and headcrab
s, Gordon meets with Barney Calhoun, a prominent character in the later Half-Life titles. He tells Gordon of an "entire dimension" missing and also notes that the science team is working on solving the problem. Being injured, Barney cannot leave the place, so he gives Gordon his pistol, telling him to leave without him.
In the second chapter, the player meets with Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx
who tell Gordon to take their car, which will help him reach City 17, as seemingly it is the center of the problem. They also tell him to talk to Dr. Kleiner, about his new invention, the gravity gun
. Soon after, the player finds Dr. Kleiner, who tells Gordon about his worries regarding the missing dimension and also gives him the gravity gun mentioned by Eli and Alyx.
After being attacked by an alien gunship and getting past a prison heavily guarded by Combine soldiers, Gordon manages to reach City 17, where he finds the G-Man
. He tells the player he has been expecting him and claims to not be behind the situation regarding the missing dimension, instead he says he is but a "lowly pawn in a shady game being played by sinister powers". Soon after, Gordon confronts a strider — a large tripod assault unit — which turns out to be the source of the problem, as upon defeating it a portal is opened; stepping into this portal, Gordon is sent back to the third dimension.
, the reason for this choice being the developers' familiarity with the software. The initial intention was to create a platform game
, the setting only being decided upon after noticing various pre-release advertisements of Valve
's Half-Life 2
video game. Soon after the project's initiation the game was noticed by Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclear Vision, whose company then started working on Codename: Gordon together with Kamma and Seidel.
Originally the game was planned to be released for the Nintendo DS
portable console; this decision has been changed only after Nuclear Vision had contact with Valve Corporation. Being positive about the game, the producers of the Half-Life series
begun offering aid in the development of Codename: Gordon, Doug Wood overseeing the project on behalf of Valve. The game was released on May 17, 2004, and was distributed freely on Valve's Steam online delivery system, as a form of publicity for the, at that time, upcoming Half-Life 2
. As stated by Gabe Newell
, the game was originally supposed to be released on April 1 as an April Fools' Day
joke, with Codename: Gordon supposedly being Valve's Half-Life 2.
Codename: Gordon was initially meant to receive several updates, including a second bonus game which could be unlocked after finishing the game, however Paul Kamma announced that the update was eventually canceled. The game was eventually removed from the Steam storefront in February 2008 following the bankruptcy of developer Nuclear Vision.
Codename: Gordon has received overall good reviews from game critics. Home of the Underdogs
, described it as being "one of the best fangames". The game has also been widely appreciated for its inclusion of the gravity gun, Gameplanet saying that it "works as advertised, and is indeed, pretty [cool]", Pixel Rage also described the weapon as one of the its best features, and gotoAndPlay said it "adds a nice touch to the game". Codename: Gordon has also been praised for its detailed background landscapes and its unique dialog style in which the player uses emoticon
s to communicate with other characters.
However the game has received negative feedback as well. One of the main issues that have been raised is performance, gotoAndPlay arguing that the game has a tendency towards lower frame frequencies
when multiple enemies are present on the map, as well as lack of proper optimization. Home of the Underdogs also complained about the game's high system requirements, considering its complexity, a 1.6 GHz processor or higher being necessary in order to play. The game has also been criticized for its lack of opponent variety, and simple but awkward control scheme, as well as its lack of a save
function.
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
sidescroller
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
made by Paul "X-Tender" Kamma and Sönke "Warbeast" Seidel. The game was produced on behalf of Nuclear Vision, and was distributed free of charge over Valve Software's Steam online delivery system as a promotional title for the then-upcoming Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
. The game has since been removed from Steam's storefront due to the developer's bankruptcy.
The game started off as a fan project of Paul Kamma and Sönke Seidel, the concept being inspired by various Half-Life 2 advertisements. Soon after, the two started working on Codename: Gordon on behalf of Nuclear Vision. The company also presented the game to Valve, the developer team of the original Half-Life series
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
, who later distributed the game through Steam.
Codename: Gordon has been overall well received by both reviewers, and the public, the game attracting over 600,000 players in the first three weeks after its release. Reviewers appreciated the game for its gameplay and unique dialog style, but also criticized it for its improper optimization, and lack of opponent variety.
Gameplay
Just as in Half-Life 2Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, the player takes control of Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical physicist who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite...
. However, unlike the other games in the Half-Life series, Codename: Gordon is set in a two-dimensional
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
world. The sidescroller
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
offers the player the ability to control Gordon by using the keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
for movement, and the mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
for aiming and firing weapons.
Armed with various weapons, including the trademark crowbar, and the gravity gun
Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator
A gravity gun is a concept in video games, particularly first-person shooters using an advanced physics engine, whereby players can directly manipulate objects in the world, often allowing them to be used as projectiles against hostile characters. A gravity gun is usually manifested as an in-game...
introduced by Half-Life 2, the player makes his way around six levels, along which he encounters enemies such as zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s, headcrab
Headcrab
A headcrab is a fictional alien parasitoid found in the Half-Life video game series created by Valve Software. They are the most numerous and arguably most iconic aliens in the series.- Overview :...
s, and the Combine. Similarly to the main titles in the Half-Life series, the action sequences of the gameplay are broken up by various puzzles.
Along the way the player meets with some of the key characters of the main series, who communicate with Gordon through text dialog, as the game does not feature voice acting. Unlike the core games of the Half-Life series, in Codename: Gordon the player is able to participate interactively in the dialog, by using emoticon
Emoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
s, such as :], :-), each associated with a different type of answer.
Upon finishing Codename: Gordon, a new bonus game is unlocked, called "Crow Chase", in which the player has to try and gather as many points as possible, within a given time limit, by chasing crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, in an attempt to keep them in the air for as long as possible.
Plot
Codename: Gordon presents an alternative to the storyline of Half-Life 2Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, with locations inspired by both Half-Life and Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
. Along the way, Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical physicist who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite...
— the protagonist from the canon games — meets with some of the main characters of the Half-Life series
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
and tries to find what caused the disappearance of the third dimension.
The game starts with Gordon Freeman in a dock area. After making his way through a few zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s and headcrab
Headcrab
A headcrab is a fictional alien parasitoid found in the Half-Life video game series created by Valve Software. They are the most numerous and arguably most iconic aliens in the series.- Overview :...
s, Gordon meets with Barney Calhoun, a prominent character in the later Half-Life titles. He tells Gordon of an "entire dimension" missing and also notes that the science team is working on solving the problem. Being injured, Barney cannot leave the place, so he gives Gordon his pistol, telling him to leave without him.
In the second chapter, the player meets with Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
who tell Gordon to take their car, which will help him reach City 17, as seemingly it is the center of the problem. They also tell him to talk to Dr. Kleiner, about his new invention, the gravity gun
Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator
A gravity gun is a concept in video games, particularly first-person shooters using an advanced physics engine, whereby players can directly manipulate objects in the world, often allowing them to be used as projectiles against hostile characters. A gravity gun is usually manifested as an in-game...
. Soon after, the player finds Dr. Kleiner, who tells Gordon about his worries regarding the missing dimension and also gives him the gravity gun mentioned by Eli and Alyx.
After being attacked by an alien gunship and getting past a prison heavily guarded by Combine soldiers, Gordon manages to reach City 17, where he finds the G-Man
G-Man (Half-Life)
The G-Man, voiced by Michael Shapiro, is a mysterious recurring character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter video games. He is known to display peculiar behavior and capabilities beyond that of a normal human, and his identity and motives remain almost completely unexplained...
. He tells the player he has been expecting him and claims to not be behind the situation regarding the missing dimension, instead he says he is but a "lowly pawn in a shady game being played by sinister powers". Soon after, Gordon confronts a strider — a large tripod assault unit — which turns out to be the source of the problem, as upon defeating it a portal is opened; stepping into this portal, Gordon is sent back to the third dimension.
Production and publication
Development on Codename: Gordon began in mid 2003. The game started as a fan project of Paul "X-Tender" Kamma, responsible for the software coding, and Sönke "Warbeast" Seidel, responsible for the game graphics. The game was created using Macromedia FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, the reason for this choice being the developers' familiarity with the software. The initial intention was to create a platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, the setting only being decided upon after noticing various pre-release advertisements of Valve
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
's Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
video game. Soon after the project's initiation the game was noticed by Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclear Vision, whose company then started working on Codename: Gordon together with Kamma and Seidel.
Originally the game was planned to be released for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
portable console; this decision has been changed only after Nuclear Vision had contact with Valve Corporation. Being positive about the game, the producers of the Half-Life series
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
begun offering aid in the development of Codename: Gordon, Doug Wood overseeing the project on behalf of Valve. The game was released on May 17, 2004, and was distributed freely on Valve's Steam online delivery system, as a form of publicity for the, at that time, upcoming Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
. As stated by Gabe Newell
Gabe Newell
Gabe Logan Newell is the co-founder and managing director of video game development and online distribution company Valve Corporation.-Work:...
, the game was originally supposed to be released on April 1 as an April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
joke, with Codename: Gordon supposedly being Valve's Half-Life 2.
Codename: Gordon was initially meant to receive several updates, including a second bonus game which could be unlocked after finishing the game, however Paul Kamma announced that the update was eventually canceled. The game was eventually removed from the Steam storefront in February 2008 following the bankruptcy of developer Nuclear Vision.
Reception
The game received much attention from the community, even before its release to the public; as noted by Tim Bruns, art director of Nuclear Vision, the game attracted over 600,000 players in the first three weeks of its release. Bruns declared himself surprised by this number, and said that "the ability to reach this many gamers almost overnight is amazing".Codename: Gordon has received overall good reviews from game critics. Home of the Underdogs
Home of the Underdogs
Home of the Underdogs was an abandonware archive founded by Thai Sarinee Achavanuntakul , aka: Underdogs or Fringer on her own blog, in September 1998, and grew to be one of the most significant abandonware websites on the Internet, despite losing its domains to cybersquatters and then briefly...
, described it as being "one of the best fangames". The game has also been widely appreciated for its inclusion of the gravity gun, Gameplanet saying that it "works as advertised, and is indeed, pretty [cool]", Pixel Rage also described the weapon as one of the its best features, and gotoAndPlay said it "adds a nice touch to the game". Codename: Gordon has also been praised for its detailed background landscapes and its unique dialog style in which the player uses emoticon
Emoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
s to communicate with other characters.
However the game has received negative feedback as well. One of the main issues that have been raised is performance, gotoAndPlay arguing that the game has a tendency towards lower frame frequencies
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
when multiple enemies are present on the map, as well as lack of proper optimization. Home of the Underdogs also complained about the game's high system requirements, considering its complexity, a 1.6 GHz processor or higher being necessary in order to play. The game has also been criticized for its lack of opponent variety, and simple but awkward control scheme, as well as its lack of a save
Saved game
A saved game is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. This saved game can be reloaded later, so the player can continue where he or she had stopped...
function.
External links
- Former official site – defunct site available through Wayback Machine
- Interview by PC Games with Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclear Vision, on June 14, 2004
- Interview by HomeLAN Fed with Gabe NewellGabe NewellGabe Logan Newell is the co-founder and managing director of video game development and online distribution company Valve Corporation.-Work:...
, managing director of ValveValve CorporationValve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
, and Tim Bruns, on June 18, 2004