Half-Life alpha tech demo is a glimpse into the legend's awkward adolescence

Some 15 years ago, a little company called Valve was hard at work on a shooter you may have heard of called Half-Life. We came across this footage, courtesy of YouTuber MarphitimusBlackimus , peeling back the pan-dimensional curtain on the classic-to-be as it existed about a year before landing on store shelves.

From the entire room devoted solely to showing off colored lighting to the impressive (for the time) skeletal animations of the derp-faced MPs, it might be one of the most entertaining and intriguing nine minutes you watch today. So pop open a Surge , crank up some Hanson , and point your crosshairs down memory lane. Just watch out for the vortigaunts and... whatever that thing with a whole bunch of eyes for a face was called.

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Len Hafer is a freelancer and lifelong PC gamer with a specialty in strategy, RPGs, horror, and survival games. A chance encounter with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness changed her life forever. Today, her favorites include the grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and thought-provoking, story-rich RPGs like Persona 5 and Disco Elysium. She also loves history, hiking in the mountains of Colorado, and heavy metal music.