In case you’ve performed Half-Life 2 or Supply engine mods, you’ve seemingly seen the in-game mannequin “Corpse01.mdl.” The burnt corpse seems a number of instances in Half-Life 2’s sewers and different components of the sport, and modders typically used it in fan initiatives. All is nicely, sure? Effectively, it was till just lately, when followers seen that the sport’s creepy-looking corpse has the face of an precise useless man on it.
Launched in 2004, PC shooter Half-Life 2 was the extremely anticipated follow-up to Valve’s first sport, Half-Life. Upon launch, it was extensively praised by critics and gamers. However whereas it got here out to large acclaim, there was a time when Half-Life 2 wasn’t such a certain wager, as its growth course of was messy and protracted. Valve scrapped totally different variations, lower whole sections, and lightened up the sport’s meant darker, grittier tone significantly for the ultimate retail launch. Nevertheless, some leftovers of this darker model stay within the closing sport, together with Corpse01.mdl. Taking part in the sport as a child, the physique at all times seemed hyper-realistic and creeped me out each time I stumbled upon it. Now, we all know why.
Valve’s macabre texture-cribbing was found utterly by chance (h/t The Gamer). About two weeks in the past on the r/eyeblech subreddit, somebody posted graphic photos of useless our bodies they claimed have been from a medical forensic textbook. (Whereas I’ve personally verified the photographs posted are actual and on the market, I received’t be linking to them. Slightly Googlin’ will lead you to them in case you actually need to see them.)
Within the feedback on that publish, somebody identified that one of many photos displaying a burned corpse seemed an identical to the Corpse01 mannequin from Half-Life 2. One other publish picked up the thread and other people rapidly started evaluating the photographs to the artwork within the sport. Certain sufficient, they appear an identical. The one change seems to be that Valve copied the suitable eye of the corpse onto the left. That’s it although. Your entire face of that mannequin is seemingly a useless dude’s face. Yikes.
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Then, three days in the past, gaming YouTuber Richter Time beyond regulation uploaded a brief and concise video detailing the historical past of the corpse and its connection to the picture, and this appeared to take the story absolutely mainstream, with of us tweeting about it and sharing it extra extensively on-line. As you may anticipate, a variety of Half-Life followers have been freaked out to study that they’ve been taking a look at an actual corpse for the previous 20 years. One modder has already created a brand new mannequin to exchange the outdated one for people who really feel uncomfortable leaving the unique useless face in Half-Life 2.
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Kotaku has reached out to Valve in regards to the corpse to confirm its origins and to ask if the corporate has any plans to vary it with a future patch.
Personally, I’m undecided this can be a factor that ought to be in a online game. It appears to me prefer it is likely to be time to take away this mannequin and substitute it with a picture of something however an precise burned human corpse.
