The philosophy at Valve and Gearbox is that if things can't be done better, they shouldn't be done at all.
I think it's safe to say that 'Half-Life' was influenced by every first person action game that preceded it.
Good games teach what works and bad games teach what doesn't.
Blue Shift' is a game that I'm very proud of.
The key is when we make mistakes, we want to be able to correct them and we also want to be able to learn from them so that we do not make the same mistake twice.
There's no trend lines that work in entertainment. You can break any trend line by offering value that we as consumers of content want.
Do something good, and people want that! Do something less good, and people want it a little less!
There are several cool cross-overs between 'Blue Shift,' 'Opposing Force' and 'Half-Life.' The plots are all designed to work nicely with themselves and the observant player will catch many cross-references.
From a narrative perspective, 'Blue Shift' for the PC and 'Blue Shift' for the Dreamcast are very similar.
If you're successful, 'Blue Shift' has what many have called the most satisfying 'Half-Life' ending yet.
Usually when we finish a game and we're at the end, we're sick of it. We want to put it in the box and be done with it. But with 'Borderlands,' it's actually become a productivity sink at Gearbox, because we're just having fun.
Sometimes we do derive some entertainment when we 'appreciate' something, and sometime we feel something when we're moved. So a lot of game makers want challenge themselves with 'can I move someone?' or 'can I get them to respect me as an artist?'
I mean, of course there's art in video games - duh.
When I'm in line at the grocery store, I might pick up one of those tabloids. I might not even buy it. I'm just gonna sit there and read the headlines and chuckle at how stupid that stuff is, even though I'm reading it anyway.
I've decided, because we have a short time here, that those of us that create joy and happiness, that's a really noble thing.
I have a lot of respect for those in medicine that are trying to extend our lives or help us when we're sick.
But it's only through joy and happiness that life has any value or purpose.
Borderlands' is a horrific failure if our goal is to entertain the world.
Of course, the idea that a robot can have a sexual identity is kind of an absurd one.
Condition Zero' introduces quite a bit of content and gameplay to 'Counter-Strike' including new weapons, characters, mission types and even new technology to enhance to look and feel of the game.
