Tomorrow, March 27, you will be able to download and play Half-Life 2: Update through Steam. This mod, created by Filip Victor, brings subtle but important visual cleanup and eye candy to the world of Half-Life 2.

Half-Life 2: Update includes a wealth of visual improvements for the classic FPS that we all know and love, while still remaining true to the visual style of the original. No, this isn't FakeFactory Cinematic Mod levels of absurdity, thank God. Instead of terrible reskins, you will instead see a complete lighting overhaul, better particle effects, better fog, better shadows, and a few bug fixes here and there. This mod also includes a commentary option containing over 100 bits of information on Half-Life 2 design, development, and impact as written by Zachary Howlett and read by various YouTube personalities, including: Caddicarus, Brutalmoose, Ricepirate, Balrog the Master, ProJared, and Ross Scott from Freeman's Mind.

There is a great comparison video that the team released that shows off the differences between the vanilla game and this mod.


Now, the description for the mod says that it's a "free standalone download" but the Steam page says it requires that you own Half-Life 2. As it stands, I'm not sure if you will need vanilla Half-Life 2 installed or if this alone will suffice. It almost sounds as though that this game gives you Half-Life 2 if it's a "free standalone" but... well, crazier things have happened. It's out tomorrow, so be sure to check it out in about 24 hours from now.

Until then, check out their detailed brochure (PDF) that offers up a more in-depth look at the improvements that have been made in this mod.