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January 22, 2011 3:40 PM Subscribe
Beyond Black Mesa [SLVimeo]
I had almost kicked the Half Life habit...but..
This is enough to bring back full withdrawal.
Want...want more!
posted by quazichimp at 4:08 PM on January 22, 2011
This is enough to bring back full withdrawal.
Want...want more!
posted by quazichimp at 4:08 PM on January 22, 2011
I thought the episodic games that came out following Half Life II were basically meant to be thought of as Half Life III? No?
posted by pts at 12:12 AM on January 23
No. They were HL II extensions.
posted by Decani at 4:23 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by pts at 12:12 AM on January 23
No. They were HL II extensions.
posted by Decani at 4:23 PM on January 22, 2011
That $1,200 project has better production value than most multi-million dollar films. Impressive!
posted by samsara at 4:26 PM on January 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by samsara at 4:26 PM on January 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Good for them for using the sounds. Half Life is a series that goes directly to some place inside of me and hearing the sounds from it makes me feel good. Comforting. Oh how I wish I had some new Half Life to play right now.
posted by Phantomx at 4:30 PM on January 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Phantomx at 4:30 PM on January 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Attractive white male protagonist: Saves the day and the girl heroically.
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 4:42 PM on January 22, 2011 [7 favorites]
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 4:42 PM on January 22, 2011 [7 favorites]
Attractive white male protagonist: Saves the day and the girl heroically.
Adrian Shepherd is white, male and the protagonist of at least one official Half Life chapter.
posted by killdevil at 4:46 PM on January 22, 2011
Adrian Shepherd is white, male and the protagonist of at least one official Half Life chapter.
posted by killdevil at 4:46 PM on January 22, 2011
Independent short film - 2 years in the making - Endless hours of post
Shitting on the movie at Metafilter after the link is posted: 62 minutes later
posted by jscott at 4:48 PM on January 22, 2011 [9 favorites]
Shitting on the movie at Metafilter after the link is posted: 62 minutes later
posted by jscott at 4:48 PM on January 22, 2011 [9 favorites]
Yeah, that was just needlessly axe-grindey, KChasm.
posted by killdevil at 4:49 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by killdevil at 4:49 PM on January 22, 2011
Attractive white male protagonist: Saves the day and the girl heroically.
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 12:42 AM on January 23
Oh, knock it the FUCK off.
posted by Decani at 4:53 PM on January 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 12:42 AM on January 23
Oh, knock it the FUCK off.
posted by Decani at 4:53 PM on January 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
Yeah, in retrospect, that did sound a little axe-grindey. Sorry.
I swear to all of me, though, the moment the Asian character appeared I said to myself, "Yeah, he's gonna die." I was then pleasantly surprised when the zombie didn't get him, and figured maybe I was being a total downer. And then he died.
So again, in conclusion--sorry.
posted by KChasm at 5:11 PM on January 22, 2011
I swear to all of me, though, the moment the Asian character appeared I said to myself, "Yeah, he's gonna die." I was then pleasantly surprised when the zombie didn't get him, and figured maybe I was being a total downer. And then he died.
So again, in conclusion--sorry.
posted by KChasm at 5:11 PM on January 22, 2011
I'm really amazed by what fan films are able to accomplish technically these days. Half-Life (along with Halo) is one of those settings that really deserves a film adaptation. Then again, so was Max Payne, and look where that got us.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 5:14 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by OverlappingElvis at 5:14 PM on January 22, 2011
It's a shame. I always feel bad for people who make fan films. The movie can be outright impressive, but in the end, you own nothing.
I saw Born of Hope at DragonCon and that's all Madison talked about, her pride in her work and how her hands are tied now. $40,000 later.
Richard Hatch said the same thing about his Galactica trailer. Hands tied.
They should have stripped out all the HL2 elements and made their own movie. They might not have the automatic fan base, but any impressive work will generate fans.
posted by CarlRossi at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2011
I saw Born of Hope at DragonCon and that's all Madison talked about, her pride in her work and how her hands are tied now. $40,000 later.
Richard Hatch said the same thing about his Galactica trailer. Hands tied.
They should have stripped out all the HL2 elements and made their own movie. They might not have the automatic fan base, but any impressive work will generate fans.
posted by CarlRossi at 5:19 PM on January 22, 2011
I want to see the Half-Life movie where the portal storm has reached the point where reality itself is collapsing and other FPS games are starting to intrude. Gordon Freeman and the marine from Doom go on a Heart-of-Darkness-style journey to bring back the aging, steroid-addicted, self-styled "Duke" Nukem. Nukem turns out to be a bloated wreck of a man, cowering in his office at the apex of a gleaming corporate tower, sending out bizarre, self-aggrandizing rants on his Twitter feed. Anyway, Nukem dies because of terminal mediocrity and the climactic battle involves Freeman and the marine fighting off a horde of FPS game developers, on behalf of weary, dispirited gamers everywhere.
posted by Ritchie at 5:41 PM on January 22, 2011 [11 favorites]
posted by Ritchie at 5:41 PM on January 22, 2011 [11 favorites]
This was really great work, no doubt, but it was a bit low on dystopian absolutism. I think the games did that brilliantly, in particular, HL2. I love (cubed) the original game and its mods, wishing this had become a film franchise, perhaps ten years ago, that could be steadily built upon.
posted by nj_subgenius at 6:19 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by nj_subgenius at 6:19 PM on January 22, 2011
Half-Life 3 will be out by the end of 2011*.
* - By which we mean early 2012**.
** - June is early 2012, right?***.
*** - We were wrong, we really meant by Christmas 2012****.
**** - Due to manufacturing delays brought on by the minor apocalypse (damn you Mayans!) Half-Life 3 will be out no later than Summer 2013*****.
***** - We greatly apologize for the incovenience, but instead of making Half-Life 3, we created a real life GLaDOS. Half-Life 3 will be delayed until 2014 or later.
Love,
Valve
posted by Mister Fabulous at 7:00 PM on January 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
* - By which we mean early 2012**.
** - June is early 2012, right?***.
*** - We were wrong, we really meant by Christmas 2012****.
**** - Due to manufacturing delays brought on by the minor apocalypse (damn you Mayans!) Half-Life 3 will be out no later than Summer 2013*****.
***** - We greatly apologize for the incovenience, but instead of making Half-Life 3, we created a real life GLaDOS. Half-Life 3 will be delayed until 2014 or later.
Love,
Valve
posted by Mister Fabulous at 7:00 PM on January 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Half-Life 3: Forever
posted by dirigibleman at 7:21 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by dirigibleman at 7:21 PM on January 22, 2011
I wonder if the martial arts Combine guard was the chubby Asian protagonist...
As a fan movie, this is really really great (and envy-provoking; I wish I had this much money to spend on a hobby). As a student filmmaker piece, it's seems technically sound but lacking in creativity.
Still, it's amazing how affordable computational power for 3D rendering and video editing has become. Stuff like this 5, 10 years ago would have been inconceivable for even the "pro-sumer." Even then, and for studios, it would have taken much much more time to render than it would on an i7 with a decent amount of RAM, a middling terrabyte HD, and either a high-end consumer video card or an affordable rendering card.
Yeah, it's mostly envy that I've never had the opportunity to work on something cool like this. Last opportunity I had was in the early '90s in highschool doing a grade 8 project. We tried to do "Lord of the Flies" with a Sony 8mm mini (?) Camcorder and some random VCR (nobody on our team even had en editing box... which a sysop I had worked with had) with classmates who just weren't into it, in my backyard*. With my dog. Running around and trying to lick everyone.
*it was a big backyard. Lots of trees and stuff. Parts of it was pretty wild. It seemed like a viable project at the time; before having, ever, to have to work with other people. I'm much more realistic about group projects after that.
posted by porpoise at 8:36 PM on January 22, 2011
As a fan movie, this is really really great (and envy-provoking; I wish I had this much money to spend on a hobby). As a student filmmaker piece, it's seems technically sound but lacking in creativity.
Still, it's amazing how affordable computational power for 3D rendering and video editing has become. Stuff like this 5, 10 years ago would have been inconceivable for even the "pro-sumer." Even then, and for studios, it would have taken much much more time to render than it would on an i7 with a decent amount of RAM, a middling terrabyte HD, and either a high-end consumer video card or an affordable rendering card.
Yeah, it's mostly envy that I've never had the opportunity to work on something cool like this. Last opportunity I had was in the early '90s in highschool doing a grade 8 project. We tried to do "Lord of the Flies" with a Sony 8mm mini (?) Camcorder and some random VCR (nobody on our team even had en editing box... which a sysop I had worked with had) with classmates who just weren't into it, in my backyard*. With my dog. Running around and trying to lick everyone.
*it was a big backyard. Lots of trees and stuff. Parts of it was pretty wild. It seemed like a viable project at the time; before having, ever, to have to work with other people. I'm much more realistic about group projects after that.
posted by porpoise at 8:36 PM on January 22, 2011
Metafilter: running around and trying to lick everyone.
posted by zippy at 9:36 PM on January 22, 2011
posted by zippy at 9:36 PM on January 22, 2011
Attractive white male protagonist: Saves the day and the girl heroically.
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 12:42 AM on January 23
Oh, knock it the FUCK off.
No, knock it right the fuck back on. It's the 21st century and those old gender tropes are looking pretty damned tired. For many people, lazily filling the standard roles now interferes with their enjoyment of your story, because it's neither imaginative nor realistic.
It's possible for both the filmmakers to have made a good* movie and KChasm to have a really good point.
*'Good' being subjective, here. CP carrying swords? Come on.
posted by regicide is good for you at 10:38 PM on January 22, 2011 [6 favorites]
Attractive white female supporting character: Is knocked unconscious, forced to kneel, and almost executed before being saved by the attractive white male protagonist.
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
posted by KChasm at 12:42 AM on January 23
Oh, knock it the FUCK off.
No, knock it right the fuck back on. It's the 21st century and those old gender tropes are looking pretty damned tired. For many people, lazily filling the standard roles now interferes with their enjoyment of your story, because it's neither imaginative nor realistic.
It's possible for both the filmmakers to have made a good* movie and KChasm to have a really good point.
*'Good' being subjective, here. CP carrying swords? Come on.
posted by regicide is good for you at 10:38 PM on January 22, 2011 [6 favorites]
"SorrySo I haven't seen it, and thanks to KChasm I don't need to.
This video is unavailable."
posted by dickasso at 1:48 AM on January 23, 2011
Meh, KChasm and regicide seem to be missing the points at which both the Asian guy and the girl save the protagonist at various moments in the film and that the Asian guy was the one who was able to get the message broadcast (as opposed to the almost useless and ultimately futile escape efforts of the other 2).
So yeah, knock it the fuck off and grind your axe somewhere else.
posted by dazed_one at 7:46 AM on January 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
So yeah, knock it the fuck off and grind your axe somewhere else.
posted by dazed_one at 7:46 AM on January 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yea the axe grinding is unecessary, this was well done and i'm sure everyone who played their role in this film were ecstatic to do so. (as well as help write their own parts...this is a group of friends making a film I should remind you, not a corporate/hollywood production out to make money)
The fact that it is a homemade video makes it all the more impressive, and the nitpicking all the more silly. So give it a rest, really....else I point you to a myriad of storytelling paradigms that counter you filtered and unecessarily biased argument. *starts preparing his awesome collection of kung-fu films, anime, and science fiction novels....ever heard of Snow Crash? probably not, it wouldn't have made you angry*
posted by samsara at 8:52 AM on January 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
The fact that it is a homemade video makes it all the more impressive, and the nitpicking all the more silly. So give it a rest, really....else I point you to a myriad of storytelling paradigms that counter you filtered and unecessarily biased argument. *starts preparing his awesome collection of kung-fu films, anime, and science fiction novels....ever heard of Snow Crash? probably not, it wouldn't have made you angry*
posted by samsara at 8:52 AM on January 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Fast and obnoxious derail is fast and obnoxious but is topped by dickasso's comment that combines video region-specificity grar with "So I haven't seen it, and thanks to KChasm I don't need to."
posted by proj at 10:16 AM on January 23, 2011
posted by proj at 10:16 AM on January 23, 2011
That being said, I am literally playing through HL2 for the first time (on episode 2) and love it but it makes me motion sick as hell. Apparently you can't correct the aspect ratio on the 360 version, either.
posted by proj at 10:18 AM on January 23, 2011
posted by proj at 10:18 AM on January 23, 2011
Oh, knock it the FUCK off.
Oh there's a totally valid point here. Guy spends 2 years and an amazing amount of blood sweat and tears on an amateur production that looks amazing. The thing barely even needs a plot, so why mar the whole project by filling the plot with lazy cliches?
posted by tempythethird at 10:23 AM on January 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh there's a totally valid point here. Guy spends 2 years and an amazing amount of blood sweat and tears on an amateur production that looks amazing. The thing barely even needs a plot, so why mar the whole project by filling the plot with lazy cliches?
posted by tempythethird at 10:23 AM on January 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
proj: I get that too. Really easily on the 360 and occasionally on the PC, even. (In particular, the camera motion that happens when you get in and out of the dune buggy cart when you're on the coat highway really hits my motion sick buttons.)
Of course, I'm such a fuckin addict that some days I take dramamine to get some HL* or Bioshock going on.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:26 AM on January 23, 2011
Of course, I'm such a fuckin addict that some days I take dramamine to get some HL* or Bioshock going on.
posted by rmd1023 at 11:26 AM on January 23, 2011
As for the video - I loved the use of HL sounds. The zombies were just zombies, though, rather than headcrab-infected zombies. That was kind of a shame, but there are enough rendering and/or makeup difficulties there I can forgive them.
posted by rmd1023 at 12:06 PM on January 23, 2011
posted by rmd1023 at 12:06 PM on January 23, 2011
Hah, I am playing HL2 for the first time (never played HL). I am a budding gamer-- I was an old school 8 bit player, and I stopped when I felt gaming was getting out of my comfort zone.
I got a Wii a year or two ago, that's fun, and I play a flash-based game here and there . . . and standbys like Cave Story and Nethack . . . then I discovered Minecraft.
Then I discovered MeFightClub. Minecraft is a totally different and amazing thing, when you have a bunch of Mefites building stuff. I got a Steam account, and a really cool person over at MFC gifted me some games, including Portal (WHICH WAS AWESOME). This . . . opened my eyes.
I DL'd HL2, and damn if that isn't a fine game. I'm just reaching the mines now (just got out of Ravenholm last night).
In short, I am realizing what I have missed over the past several years, and I'm really excited that there's like, a whole universe of fun to be had. So, thanks MFC. You guys and gals are AWESOME.
More on topic, I saw this movie last night, and then saw a part of Escape From City 17, which was pretty cool too.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:34 PM on January 23, 2011
I got a Wii a year or two ago, that's fun, and I play a flash-based game here and there . . . and standbys like Cave Story and Nethack . . . then I discovered Minecraft.
Then I discovered MeFightClub. Minecraft is a totally different and amazing thing, when you have a bunch of Mefites building stuff. I got a Steam account, and a really cool person over at MFC gifted me some games, including Portal (WHICH WAS AWESOME). This . . . opened my eyes.
I DL'd HL2, and damn if that isn't a fine game. I'm just reaching the mines now (just got out of Ravenholm last night).
In short, I am realizing what I have missed over the past several years, and I'm really excited that there's like, a whole universe of fun to be had. So, thanks MFC. You guys and gals are AWESOME.
More on topic, I saw this movie last night, and then saw a part of Escape From City 17, which was pretty cool too.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:34 PM on January 23, 2011
I DL'd HL2, and damn if that isn't a fine game. I'm just reaching the mines now (just got out of Ravenholm last night).
Heh, I finally played HL2 and Portal last year when they finally came out for Mac, and they were fantastic. Ravenholm is amazing, and it's even more fun if you take Dog's ball with you.
posted by homunculus at 2:19 PM on January 23, 2011
Heh, I finally played HL2 and Portal last year when they finally came out for Mac, and they were fantastic. Ravenholm is amazing, and it's even more fun if you take Dog's ball with you.
posted by homunculus at 2:19 PM on January 23, 2011
Pudgy Asian male protagonist: Does the least fighting. At one point saved by the attractive white male protagonist. Ingloriously shot in the head.
DOMINATING!
posted by Sutekh at 3:42 PM on January 23, 2011
DOMINATING!
posted by Sutekh at 3:42 PM on January 23, 2011
homunculus: "Freeman's Mind: Episode 30 "
The above just wasted a whole heck of a lot of my free time. I watched all 31 of 'em. It was a pretty quick and dirty way to "replay" HL, though. Plus, I saw a few things in there that I missed all of the times when I played it myself. I was bummed it didn't continue on all the way through to the end. I was anxiously waiting for the commentary when Freeman goes to the Xen place thingy.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 3:56 PM on January 23, 2011
The above just wasted a whole heck of a lot of my free time. I watched all 31 of 'em. It was a pretty quick and dirty way to "replay" HL, though. Plus, I saw a few things in there that I missed all of the times when I played it myself. I was bummed it didn't continue on all the way through to the end. I was anxiously waiting for the commentary when Freeman goes to the Xen place thingy.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 3:56 PM on January 23, 2011
Freeman's Mind is a work in progress. Check back in a week and he may have released a new episode.
posted by Ritchie at 5:13 PM on January 23, 2011
posted by Ritchie at 5:13 PM on January 23, 2011
As a semi-muscular black male with a deep voice, I am dismayed to see all the "dying for plot motivation" jobs stolen by chubby asian actors...
...also, needs moar teal and orange.
posted by djrock3k at 10:07 AM on January 24, 2011
...also, needs moar teal and orange.
posted by djrock3k at 10:07 AM on January 24, 2011
Then again, so was Max Payne, and look where that got us.
The Sin City movie wasn't close enough?
posted by sparkletone at 5:55 PM on January 25, 2011
The Sin City movie wasn't close enough?
posted by sparkletone at 5:55 PM on January 25, 2011
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posted by Decani at 3:48 PM on January 22, 2011 [3 favorites]