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{{Game Infobox
|image=FileCodename Gordon logo.svg|250px
|name=Codename Gordon
|hidei=
|developer=Nuclearvision
|date=May 17, 2004
|genre=WikipediaAction Game|Action
|mode=WikipediaSingle player|Single player
|platform=WikipediaMicrosoft Windows|Windows
|hidep=
|hideu=
|rating=
|distribution=WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam
|system=1.6 WikipediaGHz processor|GHz processor
|input=WikipediaKeyboard (computing)|Keyboard and WikipediaMouse (computing)|mouse
|engine=WikipediaAdobe Flash|Adobe Flash
|series=
|designer=
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}}
{{Quote|Takes some getting used to, this 2-D world, but you're a scientist, you'll figure it out.|Barney Calhoun}}
'''''Codename Gordon''''', also known as '''''Half-Life 2D''''', is a side-scroller puzzle/action game created by Nuclearvision Entertainment.
==Overview==
The game takes place through dozens of levels inspired by ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2'', challenges players to a slew of puzzles, and showcases many of the familiar creatures in an all new, two-dimensional playing field. Developed parallel to their work on ''http//pc.ign.com/articles/599/599865p1.html PsychoToxic'', ''Codename Gordon'' features 6 chapters, 8 different enemies, 5 weapons as well as a fully functional buggy. It was created using WikipediaAdobe Flash|Adobe Flash for the game engine and Photoshop for the graphics.
Valve had released ''Codename Gordon'' via WikipediaSteam (software)|Steam, but the game has now been removed from it due to its developer's default, which caused their official site to be replaced with an ad site. Since access to the site is hard coded into the game, Valve was forced to remove it from their site catalog. The game can still be installed by going to steam//install/92. The game includes a high-score system with network support and numerous secrets.
Due to the game being developed and released before the release of Half-Life 2, several pieces of content from the E3 2003 Demos and 2003 Half-Life 2 Beta era are present, such as the design of the buggy, and the docks having an extremely similar look to the traptown demo, specifically the presence of combine soldiers.
==Gameplay==
Just as in ''Half-Life 2'' the player takes control of Gordon Freeman. However, unlike the other games in the Half-Life universe|''Half-Life'' series, ''Codename Gordon'' is set in a two-dimensional world. The side-scroller shooter game offers the player the ability to control Gordon by using the keyboard for movement, and the mouse for aiming and firing weapons.
Armed with various weapons, including the trademark crowbar and the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator|Gravity Gun introduced in ''Half-Life 2'', the player makes their way across six levels, throughout which they encounter enemies such as Zombies, Headcrabs, and the Combine. Similarly to the main titles in the ''Half-Life'' series, the action sequences of the gameplay are broken up by various puzzles.
Along the way the player meets with some of the key characters of the main series, who communicate with Gordon through text dialog, as the game does not feature voice acting. Unlike the core games of the ''Half-Life'' series, in ''Codename Gordon'' the player is able to participate interactively in the dialog, by using emoticons, such as , -), each associated with a different type of answer.
Upon finishing ''Codename Gordon'', a new bonus game is unlocked, called "Crow Chase", in which the player has to try and gather as many points as possible within a given time limit by chasing crows, in an attempt to keep them in the air for as long as possible.
==Plot==
''Codename Gordon'' presents an alternative to the storyline of ''Half-Life '', with locations inspired by both ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2''. Along the way Gordon Freeman meets with some of the main characters of the ''Half-Life'' series, who are aware that the world they are living in is 2D. Gordon sets out in an attempt to discover the cause behind the disappearance of the third dimension.
The game starts with Gordon Freeman in a dock area. After fighting his way through several zombies and headcrabs, Gordon meets up with Barney Calhoun, a prominent character in the later ''Half-Life'' titles. Barney tells Gordon of an "entire dimension" missing, and also notes that the Black Mesa Science Team|science team is working on solving the problem. Being injured, Barney cannot leave the place, so he gives Gordon his USP Match|pistol, telling him to leave without him.
In the second chapter, Gordon meets with Dr. Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx Vance|Alyx, who tell him to take their car, which will help him reach City 17, since it seems to be the center of the problem. They also tell him to talk to Dr. Isaac Kleiner about his new invention, the gravity gun. Soon after, Gordon finds Dr. Kleiner, who tells him about his worries regarding the missing dimension, and also gives him the gravity gun mentioned by Eli and Alyx.
After being attacked by a Combine gunship, and passing through a prison heavily guarded by CombineOverwatch Soldier|soldiers, Gordon manages to reach City 17, where he finds the G-Man. The G-Man tells Gordon that he has been expecting him, and claims to not be behind the situation regarding the missing dimension, instead he says he is but a "lowly pawn in a shady game being played by sinister powers". Soon after, Gordon finds a strider, a large tripedal war machine, which turns out to somehow be the source of the problem, as upon defeating it, a portal is opened, sending Gordon back to the third dimension.
==Development==
Development on ''Codename Gordon'' began in mid-2003. The game started as a fan project of Paul "X-Tender" Kamma, responsible for the software coding, and Soenke "Warbeast" Seidel, responsible for the game graphics. The game was coded in Flash, as Kamma and Seidel both have extensive experience with this programming language. The initial intention was to create a platform game, the setting only being decided upon after seeing several pre-release advertisements of Valve's ''Half-Life 2'' video game. Soon after the project's initiation, the game was noticed by Tim Bruns, co-founder of Nuclearvision Entertainment, whose company started working on ''Codename Gordon'' together with Kamma and Seidel.
Originally, the game was planned for the Nintendo DS portable console. This decision was changed after Nuclearvision Entertainment had contact with Valve Corporation. Being positive about the game, the producers of the ''Half-Life'' series also started participating in the development of ''Codename Gordon'', with Doug Wood overseeing the project on behalf of Valve. The game was released on May 17, 2004, and was distributed freely on Valve's Steam online delivery system, as a form of publicity for the, at that time, upcoming ''Half-Life 2''.http//web.archive.org/web/20040803135240/http//hl2fallout.com/html/press/pcgamesde_cnginterview.php Half-Life 2D Developer Interview - PC Games As stated by Gabe Newell, the game was originally supposed to be released on April 1, as a joke for April Fools' Day, with ''Codename Gordon'' supposedly being Valve's ''Half-Life 2''.http//web.archive.org/web/20040714075735/http//www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=24085 ''Codename Gordon'' Interview
{{Quote|Originally we were going to release it on April 1st. I even wrote a fake press release that went something like, 'Due to tremendous pressure from the gaming community to ship Half-Life 2, we looked long and hard at the game to see if there was anything we could cut that would let us ship sooner. It looked like if we cut the third dimension, we'd be all set, so after five years in development, Valve and Nuclearvision proudly present Half-Life 2D.' Fortunately saner minds prevailed.|Gabe Newell|http//web.archive.org/web/20040714075735/http//www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=24085}}
Initially, ''Codename Gordon'' was supposed to receive several updates, including a second bonus game which could be unlocked after finishing the game. However, Paul Kamma eventually announced that the update was canceled. The game is no longer available on Steam store, due to Nuclearvision Entertainment's collapse, leading to the company's official site's removal. As access to the site is hard coded into the game, Valve was forced to remove it from the Steam catalog. However, its depot hasn't been removed from content servers so the game is downloadable using protocol commands or command line parameters.
==Reception==
The game received much attention from the community, even before its release to the public. As noted by Tim Bruns, art director of Nuclearvision, the game attracted over 600,000 players in the first three weeks of its release. Bruns revealed that he was surprised by this number, and said that "the ability to reach this many gamers almost overnight is amazing".
''Codename Gordon'' has received overall good reviews from game critics. Home of the Underdogs described it as being "one of the best fangames". The game has also been widely appreciated for its inclusion of the gravity gun, with Gameplanet saying that it "works as advertised, and is indeed, pretty cool". Pixel Rage also described the weapon as one of the game's best features, and gotoAndPlay said it "adds a nice touch to the game". Codename Gordon has also been praised for its detailed background landscapes, as well as its unique dialog style, in which the player uses emoticons to communicate with other characters.
However, the game has received some negative feedback as well. One of the main issues that has been raised is performance, with gotoAndPlay stating that the game has a tendency towards lower frame frequencies when multiple enemies are present on the screen, as well as lack of proper optimization. Home of the Underdogs also complained about the game's high system requirements, considering its complexity, a 1.6 GHz processor or higher being necessary in order to play. The game has also been criticized for its lack of opponent variety and its simple yet awkward control scheme, and its lack of a save function.
==References==
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CategoryGamesCategoryHalf-Life 2CategoryNon-canon games
