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Thirteen years passed between the release ofAvatarand its sequel, The Way of Water.
It can be easy to see a number like that and not think too hard about it.
Between the first and second films, director James Cameron worked to evolve the motion capture technology used.
The 2023 Ubisoft open-world game looks shockingly good.
Playing Half-Life For Your Whole Life
In that way, Avatar is a lot likeHalf-Life.
The current era of Avatar mirrors the current state ofValve’s long-running (and long-dormant) FPS series.
Six years separate Half-Life and Half-Life 2.
The shorter follow-ups Episode 1 and Episode 2 were released two and three years after that.
But 13 years after Episode 2, the series returned with Half-Life: Alyx.
Valve taking six years to follow-up its breakthrough hit was a statement.
When it returned, it was with a game that was a major step forward in every way.
Its use of physics letting Gordon slide boxes across the floor was rudimentary, but impressive for the time.
But Half-Life 2 went all out in its use of physics.
Its story was more mature, its characters more three-dimensional.
Alyx was a fantastic showcase, taking the physics of Half-Life 2 to the next level.
Now, everything could be interacted with on a granular level.
A door could be peeked through.
Grenades could be scooped up and carried around in a box.
You could deflect an attack with an office chair.
It was that big technological leap.
Which means that Half-Life 3, whatever it is, is in a similar position to Fire and Ash.
Can a sequel this close (relatively) to the last entry take a meaningful technological leap?
And, if it can’t, what does that mean for the series' identity?
Can an Avatar or a Half-Life that doesn’t push things forward still be a sensation with audiences?
My five-year-old laptop probably won’t cut it.
