After the destruction of the Citadel, the Combine are working to open a massive superportal to call for reinforcements. Combine Advisor pods have been scattered throughout the region. The destruction of the Citadel, as explained by Dr. Kleiner's broadcast in Episode One, has inflicted a portal and communications blackout on Earth-stationed Combine forces, leaving them isolated and disorganized.
A crucial part of the plot is the transmission packet which the Combine sacrificed the Citadel to send, a copy of which Alyx and Gordon stole before making their escape. It contains information relating to the location of the Combine Overworld and allows the creation of the superportal to be controlled from the "other side". This information has to be delivered to White Forest so that the Resistance can use it to shut down the superportal and prevent an even greater Combine invasion.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two will be the second game in a series of expansion episodes for the game Half-Life 2 from Valve Corporation. On May 24, 2006, after Half-Life 2: Episode One had gone gold, Valve announced that Episode Two would be released in time for the holiday season of Quarter 4 2006. Doug Lombardi of Valve confirmed this schedule with PC Gamer in August 2006.
However, mid-January Lombardi had confirmed with Game Informer Magazine that Episode Two has been further delayed into the 3rd quarter of 2007.[2] The first two episodes have been developed concurrently by separate teams. Episode Two's focus appears to be on travel and vehicles, and it will see Gordon Freeman and the series' other major characters moving away from both the ruins of City 17 and the entire area in which it is located and into large outdoor forest environments.
A teaser trailer for Episode Two is included in Episode One and is unlocked upon completion of the game. It can also be accessed directly from the game files. The teaser has since been made available though other outlets, including as a free media download via Valve's own Steam. A technologically updated and extended version of the first trailer for Episode Two was released on July 21, 2006.
Another trailer showcasing a part of the story of Episode Two was released on August 24, 2006. The game is said to be released in 2 packages, one being for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 named "Orange Box" which contains Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 and another called "Black Box" , which is only for PC that contains Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2.
