Post by rancidfungus on Apr 21, 2009 13:39:22 GMT -5
Okay everyone, this is the version from the Orange Box on the Xbox 360. I have no experience on the PC version, so if anything the PC's an improvement (Which is a challenge, as you'll see.) I'm going to assume that you've played HL2, but I'll give a quick rundown in the story segment to quickly fill the blanks.
I'm gonna start this off by saying this is in my top 5 favourite shooters for a variety of reasons. I love the Half Life series as a whole and ALL of Valve's work, and this is their best (Singleplayer, L4D fans...) shooter to date.
Graphics.
I was in awe of the graphics from square one. All the subtle improvements from the previous installments of the series made the game's look a beautiful mixture of realism and a dark art feel to it that alone would of given me enough to want to continue. I won't go into physics in this segment, but to see perfectly textured objects move around with no noticible frame rate drops is stunning. Look out for the Portal Storm segment at the beginning of the game and the underground cave section, it will literally take your breath away. Nothing is jagged or out of place, and the woodland segments are definitely some of the best in any game I've ever played, from an aesthetic standpoint.
Audio.
Valve has been know to put in awesome music tracks into their games, and this one is no exception. The mixture of electronic and techno in the outdoor fighting mixed with the Vortiguants battle cries really sticks with you when you play, even after those segments are finished. All the gun noises are individual and recognisable, giving more satisfaction when using them. Also, you can hear the echoes of your weapons ringing of into the distance, making you feel like a total badass, also making the whole game world seem derelict.
Objectives and level design.
This game isn't very objective based, it's basically one long journey through the story. There are a few memorable objectives, (I know, it's f*cking crazy) for instance having to guard the vortiguants (SPOILER) while they heal Alyx after the unexpected attack. This part is one of few moments that really get your heart racing. Level design is amazing in this game. Although the whole game takes place in the White Forest and its' surrounding areas, Valve somehow managed to add so much variety into the game's levels. You'll traverse through old caverns with mine carts and hike through monster-infested caves, leading to one of the most intense moments in gaming history in my opinion, the Guardian chase. All of these levels include Valve's iconic physics puzzles, using objects that fit into the level, not just random bricks thrown in.
Gameplay.
The whole game is virtually a shooter with mild puzzle and horror elements, with a few vehicle segments thrown in for good measure, and an occasional boss battle or huge firefight. All of these are tense and memorable. The core gameplay is simple, and satifying beyond belief. You'll be gunning down headcrab zombies and obliterating the Combine, and you won't get bored once. Also, (SPOILER) there's a massive open-leveled Strider battle towards the end of the game when you have to defend the missile solo place, and it uses both vehicles and the game's iconic gravity gun as the main tools of the entire battle. Speaking of the gravity gun, it's back and better than ever... Enough said.
Story.
I'm not going to explain the entire Half Life saga, obviously, I'll just say that the ending event of Episode 1 left the citadel in catastrophic conditions, also leading to a portal storm. You escape to the White Forest and meet up with the resistance/rebel people, and you basically have to help Dr. Kleiner build a rocket to destroy the citadel's portal, and hopefully the Cobine, once and for all. The whole plot may be a bit bland, but the way it's told through the game is so compelling. Also the characters, I don't know how, MAKE you feel for them, and MAKE you want them to do well. It's trully incredible. Oh, to sum it all up with one name... G-Man. Not excited yet? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! G-Man shows his true side in this game and shows you how he's developed as a character throughout all the games, and for the first time is actually referred to by Eli (I think that's his name) as his and Gordon's "Mutual Friend". It's such a good bit.
Overall, I've played very few games that are better than this. The only real problem I have with this game is that it doesn't give any new mechanics, but all the amazing mechanics stay there so it's not a big issue. Considering this is an episodic installment and it's not incredibly long, most of this game is pretty replayable, although some segments are based around plot twists so may become boring after the first go. Overall score: 9.7/10, for being all that Half Life 2 was and more. PLAY THIS GAME NOW.
I'm gonna start this off by saying this is in my top 5 favourite shooters for a variety of reasons. I love the Half Life series as a whole and ALL of Valve's work, and this is their best (Singleplayer, L4D fans...) shooter to date.
Graphics.
I was in awe of the graphics from square one. All the subtle improvements from the previous installments of the series made the game's look a beautiful mixture of realism and a dark art feel to it that alone would of given me enough to want to continue. I won't go into physics in this segment, but to see perfectly textured objects move around with no noticible frame rate drops is stunning. Look out for the Portal Storm segment at the beginning of the game and the underground cave section, it will literally take your breath away. Nothing is jagged or out of place, and the woodland segments are definitely some of the best in any game I've ever played, from an aesthetic standpoint.
Audio.
Valve has been know to put in awesome music tracks into their games, and this one is no exception. The mixture of electronic and techno in the outdoor fighting mixed with the Vortiguants battle cries really sticks with you when you play, even after those segments are finished. All the gun noises are individual and recognisable, giving more satisfaction when using them. Also, you can hear the echoes of your weapons ringing of into the distance, making you feel like a total badass, also making the whole game world seem derelict.
Objectives and level design.
This game isn't very objective based, it's basically one long journey through the story. There are a few memorable objectives, (I know, it's f*cking crazy) for instance having to guard the vortiguants (SPOILER) while they heal Alyx after the unexpected attack. This part is one of few moments that really get your heart racing. Level design is amazing in this game. Although the whole game takes place in the White Forest and its' surrounding areas, Valve somehow managed to add so much variety into the game's levels. You'll traverse through old caverns with mine carts and hike through monster-infested caves, leading to one of the most intense moments in gaming history in my opinion, the Guardian chase. All of these levels include Valve's iconic physics puzzles, using objects that fit into the level, not just random bricks thrown in.
Gameplay.
The whole game is virtually a shooter with mild puzzle and horror elements, with a few vehicle segments thrown in for good measure, and an occasional boss battle or huge firefight. All of these are tense and memorable. The core gameplay is simple, and satifying beyond belief. You'll be gunning down headcrab zombies and obliterating the Combine, and you won't get bored once. Also, (SPOILER) there's a massive open-leveled Strider battle towards the end of the game when you have to defend the missile solo place, and it uses both vehicles and the game's iconic gravity gun as the main tools of the entire battle. Speaking of the gravity gun, it's back and better than ever... Enough said.
Story.
I'm not going to explain the entire Half Life saga, obviously, I'll just say that the ending event of Episode 1 left the citadel in catastrophic conditions, also leading to a portal storm. You escape to the White Forest and meet up with the resistance/rebel people, and you basically have to help Dr. Kleiner build a rocket to destroy the citadel's portal, and hopefully the Cobine, once and for all. The whole plot may be a bit bland, but the way it's told through the game is so compelling. Also the characters, I don't know how, MAKE you feel for them, and MAKE you want them to do well. It's trully incredible. Oh, to sum it all up with one name... G-Man. Not excited yet? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! G-Man shows his true side in this game and shows you how he's developed as a character throughout all the games, and for the first time is actually referred to by Eli (I think that's his name) as his and Gordon's "Mutual Friend". It's such a good bit.
Overall, I've played very few games that are better than this. The only real problem I have with this game is that it doesn't give any new mechanics, but all the amazing mechanics stay there so it's not a big issue. Considering this is an episodic installment and it's not incredibly long, most of this game is pretty replayable, although some segments are based around plot twists so may become boring after the first go. Overall score: 9.7/10, for being all that Half Life 2 was and more. PLAY THIS GAME NOW.