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Title: Half-Life 2: Episode One
Released: June 2006
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Half-Life 2 took six years to develop. That's a long time. Going from one intensive project to another was certainly not on Valve's brain, and so the idea of the 'episodes' was conceived and announced soon after Half-Life 2's release. Although initially revealed as 'Aftermath', the first installment was ultimately titled Half-Life 2: Episode One. The name doesn't arouse much interest, but the decision was made to reflect Valve’s intentions regarding the future of the franchise, and to differentiate the project from that of a standalone expansion pack. It wasn't Opposing Force 2. It wasn't Half-Life 2 from the perspective of Lamar. This was different. It was the continuation of Freeman’s adventure and, more importantly, it was to be made in-house.

Half-Life 2: Episode One kicked off mere hours after the Citadel went into critical meltdown, a process destined to result in the complete obliteration of City 17. Their headquarters crumbling, Breen gone and with no off-world communications to speak of, the sector 17 Overwatch's disarray gives way to a full-scale evacuation of the city. Players resumed the role of Gordon Freeman – now temporarily liberated from the G-man – and joined Alyx in the great escape.

Alyx Vance, daughter of resistance-honcho Eli, is a major fixture in Episode One. Accompanying players from beginning to end as a constant side-kick, Miss Vance impressed audiences with her versatility as an NPC companion. Warm and charming as a character, she also proved efficient in combat, making the apocalyptic gloom of the post-Black Mesa Earth a more bearable place to be in. The focus on Alyx represented Valve’s design agenda with the episodic run: to continue advancing their technological capabilities, as well as creating new ways to play in the world of Half-Life.