Half-Life
Original artwork for the Half-Life (it was nearly 20 years ago, cut Valve some slack). Valve

Valve's classic shooter Half-Life has received a new patch 19 years after the game was first released in November 1998. Now live on Steam, the patch addresses a few crash issues and bugs and is the first update for the game in four years.

Many Steam forum commentators praised Valve for still addressing issues in the original Half-Life.

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"Wow, it is cool that Valve is still working on this game even after 19 years", one commentator wrote. "Maybe just maybe we can get Half-Life 3."

Another wrote: "Thanks for continuing to keep them functioning properly and as bug-free as possible. I expect these games to stand the test of time, and keeping them running smoothly on modern hardware is essential for that to happen."

Other fans, expectedly, tried to scrutinise the patch notes for any possible clues in the fervent hope that the surprise update could suggest a new game is in the works.

The last game in the series, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, was released in 2007 and ended on a dramatic cliff hanger, which has never been followed up. Fans have been eagerly waiting for the next game in the series ever since.

"C'mon Valve", one person wrote. "We're still waiting."

Meanwhile, developer Crowbar Collective has announced that the release of the concluding portion of its authorised Half-Life remake Black Mesa has been pushed back to December.

Here are the patch notes for the latest Half-Life update:

  • Fixed crash when entering certain malformed strings into the game console.
  • Fixed crash when loading a specially crafted malformed BSP file.
  • Fixed malformed SAV files allowing arbitrary files to be written into the game folder.
  • Fixed a crash when quickly changing weapons that are consumable.
  • Fixed crash when setting custom decals
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