EA, Valve Announce HL2: Episode 2, TF 2 For 360, PS3

During yesterday's Electronic Arts Studio Showcase event at its Redwood Shores offices, attended by Gamasutra, representatives from Valve confirmed that the forthcoming Half-Life 2: Episode 2 will debut simultaneously for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the PC. In addition, Valve's Gabe Newell confirmed that, when released, the EA-published console versions of the game will include not only the original Half-Life 2 and the recently released Episode One add-on, but also Team Fortress 2 as a multi-player mode, a title that many had presumed to be long since canceled. Team Fortress 2 will also debut as the multiplayer mode in the PC version of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, the second part in developer Valve's recently confirmed trilogy of episodic content. While the episodes themselves retain the look and feel of the original Half-Life 2, the glimpses of Team Fortress 2 show a distinctly unexpected cartoonish retro style to the multiplayer mod sequel. Finally, Valve's president and co-founder Gabe Newell noted during the presentation that a completely new single-player module for Half-Life 2: Episode 2, currently named “Portal”, was in development, which uses a spatial portal dropping concept (using a gun for placement). This concept is similar to elements used in the recently released Prey, and is apparently based on IGF Student Showcase winning title Narbacular Drop, which was reported to be in the process of being re-imagined in the Source Engine, with the help of its original creators.