Summary
More proof of a possibleHalf-Life 3ARG may have been found inCounter-Strike 2. Reddit user orthodonticjake noticed that the Popdog hallway on de_train was renamed to “Longdog” when Valve re-released the map back in November.
If you’re out of the loop and wondering why that’s significant, here’s a brief rundown of the entire situation:Mike Shapiro tweeted a strange video fluctuating between the unsettling voice of G-Manand the dulcet tones of Barney Calhoun, teasing “unexpected surprises”. He ended the video by saying that “time is fluid like music”, and captioned the tweet with the hashtags Half-Life and 2025.
Many believe thatthis was the beginning of an ARGin the build-up to Half-Life 3’s announcement. There’s even an entire document collating all the evidence found so farwhich you can view here. The biggest breakthrough was when fans found that the visuals in the video were lifted from Shapiro’s new song, Best Long Dog.
Either the CS2 update is a bizarre coincidence, or another clue to this mystery.
De_Train, Longdog, Clocks, And Crowns
The name ‘Longdog’ itself isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. You can find an electrical box marked ‘3’ nearby, and the graffiti of the long dog is wearing a crown, which might denote it as thebestlong dog.
But what’s especially interesting is a direct connection that commenter BillyCornetino found to Shapiro’s music.
Every clock on de_train is set to 2:23, and this isn’t the first time that the number has cropped up. Shapiro released another song called Steeplechase 223 daysbefore Best Long Dog, which is 223 seconds long. Best Long Dog is even played in a 223hz key. What the number means isn’t exactly clear — maybe it’s as obvious as February 23 — but it might be another clue.
Out Of Bounds Aperture Science References
There’s also a direct nod to the Half-Life universe out of bounds on de_train. As discovered by Ok_Objective_1285, the office area is hiding a graph that mentions Aperture Labs Products, a nod toPortal.
Valve ran an ARG ahead ofPortal 2, and fans found a lot of clues hidden in updates for the first game. So, if Shapiro’s tweet really was the start of a new mytery, we might be missing something from Half-Life 2’s recent anniversary update. So far, however, that doesn’t look to be the case.
It’s worth noting that this could all be a coincidence like the many GTA 6 theories, so take everything with a grain of salt. Maybe this really is the start of a big, elaborate ARG, or maybe Mike Shapiro simply includes the number 197 in his music as a signature and it’s been misconstrued as a Half-Life easter egg. Time will tell, but as with anything Valve, it’s best to temper expectations.
