Gamers made a triumphant return to City 17 this week, as they booted up Half-Life 2: Episode 1. For the uninitiated, Episode 1 picks up moments after the conclusion of Half-Life 2, and is the beginning of a trilogy of abridged games that Valve is putting out as an alternative to forcing their audience to wait 2 to 3 years for more hot Freeman-crowbar action.

Shorter games are a subject my gaming compatriots and I have discussed at length in the past, so it’s exciting to finally see this new format of storytelling put to the test. I can’t be certain how successful this technique will be, but it’s definitely got promise. Essentially Valve is betting that gamers will prefer to wait 6 months for episodes that take around 4 hours to complete, rather than several years for a title that will require 20+ hours to finish.

Unfortunately for Episode 1, there will likely be an unavoidable stigma associated with the relatively short playtime. This should be offset with the far more reasonable price tag of $19.99 however, and with Episode 2 slated for release by the end of the year, waiting to catch up with Gordon, Alyx, and more Zombies than the eye can see shouldn’t be too painful.

That’s good, because I’ve got a rocket launcher, and I really need to make somebody pay.