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If you don’t know about Half Life 2, and I’m sure most of the world does by now, it is a follow up to Valve’s Half Life. Half Life was one of, if not the most, celebrated and successful First Person Shooter games ever made. You play as Gordon Freeman, a “Rogue Physicist,” Whom certainly has the flare of a John Rambo or Chuck Norris character in an action movie. Is this bad? Not a chance.
Half Life 2 doesn’t revolve around the run of the mill action First Person shooting core; it branches far beyond the core FPS game play of kill this, shoot that, and move on. This allows for deeper game play and a more involving experience in a FPS ever. I won’t ruin the story for you, but the story is streamed to you in a way that keeps you involved. Valve had a good idea of how to tell a story without using cut scenes, and thus rewards the gamer with a more immersive feeling. You arrive at City 17 Via Train in the opening scene, and the world will capture you to the very end threw Gordon Freeman’s eyes only.
Half Life 2 will take you roughly 10-15 hours, a good length for a FPS. 14 levels are included in the single player game, ranging from taking between 30 minutes to even as much as 2 hours per level. Each level is carefully crafted for variety and appeal. The game manages to go far beyond the shooting and “find this key” game play we have all come to be accustomed too in the genre. Valve has included driving (a buggy and a boat) to break up the familiar on foot pace of the FPS genre. This works well, as mentioned, it gives you a break and the driving levels are full of action comparable to your favorite Hollywood action movies.
Of course, puzzles are plentiful in Half Life. They add some thinking to the game play and assist in breaking up the “blow this up, drive here” game play. The puzzles are well thought out, and are not forced down your throat. Most of the puzzles make sense to the current situation at hand, and certainly can take some thinking to achieve.
Valve has included an automated save feature at checkpoints and loading screens in levels, so incase you forget to manually save (you do have an option at any time,) the next time you put the game on you may just click continue from the start up screen to resume progress. This is shown to be a very welcome feature due to the length of the levels presented. The only problem some might have with the Half Life 2 level design is the linearity. For the most part, they are fairly straight forward and getting lost is rare. Very little to no backtracking is needed in a level, bearing a few times at the very most. It feels very much like a get from point A to point B game, rather then a “Can I find my way to the end?” type of game.
Being a First Person Shooter, you have your standard Halo controls. Valve included the option to alter the sensitivity of movement depending on your tastes, which is good. You use the two analog control sticks to strafe and pitch and move forward and back. Two different fire buttons, and a few more buttons control your AVP suit. The controls are some of the most simple ever in FPS, and I found when I played the game, they never managed to distract me from what was going on.
The one main difference between Half Life 1 and 2, is that valve included a bit of squad tactical game play. While it’s only emphasized for two or so levels, it does add a little but more depth to the game play. The control of the squad is simple, one button push tells them where to go, two button pushes tell them to follow. It’s not complex like you see in a Rainbow Six game, however, the fact that it was included makes the battles you fight feel more expanded, rather then just the standard you versus the world included in most First Person Shooters.
Valve has managed to build a strong game core. The graphics engine is superb, but during game play I couldn’t help but feel they took second tear to the tasks I was playing with at hand. With Progressive scan enabled (480 P is all Xbox offers here), I was amazed by the textures and feel of the world in which Half Life 2 occurs. The water has reflections and life too it. The people move fluently and have human like shape and bodily appeal. The Character designs are well done, and the Combine (your main enemy base in HL2) look dark, and somewhat mysterious, in a scary way. The Graphics compliment and time with the amazing experience Valve brings to the table here. I have no such complaints, minus a few bouts of slow down on Xbox due to older hardware and less Ram to work with during the port.
The sound is a mixed bag. The gun sounds and voice acting are well presented, never seeming out of place. The voice actors we’re appropriate for their roles. The one thing that makes this audio package a mixed bag is the music. Mainly a techno base, It does have its times, but a lot of times it can feel misplaced in placing during the game.
Sadly, no multiplayer is included in Half Life 2. I don’t consider it a downfall. The Single player is so well made that multiplayer becomes a backseat idea in this well crafted package. It is much better to see a well made single player game with all the energy focused on it alone, then seeing the single player suffer a touch and have a generic multiplayer mode attached.
I’m almost sorry to write this review rite now. I am not sorry because Half Life 2 was a poor game. It wasn’t poor by any stretch of the imagination. I dare say this is a must buy for the system, and deserves to be in any gamers collection. The problem with Half Life 2 was it was released far too late into the Xbox’s life cycle. Maybe waiting for a 360 release would have been better, maybe not. The Interest in Half life 2 managed to dwindle thanks to the release of Xbox 360.
Saying Half Life 2 wasn’t the best 13 hours I spent on a game the past year would be a lie. It defiantly has its place in my heart forever. In a library full of some very good First Person Shooter/ Adventure games (Chronicles of Riddick, Halo, Brothers in Arms, Far cry, for example,) Half Life 2 has it’s place among the elite. If you want game play, look no further, Waste not another second because you might miss a contender for one of the best pieces of video game design ever made. Go get it.
Half Life 2 doesn’t revolve around the run of the mill action First Person shooting core; it branches far beyond the core FPS game play of kill this, shoot that, and move on. This allows for deeper game play and a more involving experience in a FPS ever. I won’t ruin the story for you, but the story is streamed to you in a way that keeps you involved. Valve had a good idea of how to tell a story without using cut scenes, and thus rewards the gamer with a more immersive feeling. You arrive at City 17 Via Train in the opening scene, and the world will capture you to the very end threw Gordon Freeman’s eyes only.
Half Life 2 will take you roughly 10-15 hours, a good length for a FPS. 14 levels are included in the single player game, ranging from taking between 30 minutes to even as much as 2 hours per level. Each level is carefully crafted for variety and appeal. The game manages to go far beyond the shooting and “find this key” game play we have all come to be accustomed too in the genre. Valve has included driving (a buggy and a boat) to break up the familiar on foot pace of the FPS genre. This works well, as mentioned, it gives you a break and the driving levels are full of action comparable to your favorite Hollywood action movies.
Of course, puzzles are plentiful in Half Life. They add some thinking to the game play and assist in breaking up the “blow this up, drive here” game play. The puzzles are well thought out, and are not forced down your throat. Most of the puzzles make sense to the current situation at hand, and certainly can take some thinking to achieve.
Valve has included an automated save feature at checkpoints and loading screens in levels, so incase you forget to manually save (you do have an option at any time,) the next time you put the game on you may just click continue from the start up screen to resume progress. This is shown to be a very welcome feature due to the length of the levels presented. The only problem some might have with the Half Life 2 level design is the linearity. For the most part, they are fairly straight forward and getting lost is rare. Very little to no backtracking is needed in a level, bearing a few times at the very most. It feels very much like a get from point A to point B game, rather then a “Can I find my way to the end?” type of game.
Being a First Person Shooter, you have your standard Halo controls. Valve included the option to alter the sensitivity of movement depending on your tastes, which is good. You use the two analog control sticks to strafe and pitch and move forward and back. Two different fire buttons, and a few more buttons control your AVP suit. The controls are some of the most simple ever in FPS, and I found when I played the game, they never managed to distract me from what was going on.
The one main difference between Half Life 1 and 2, is that valve included a bit of squad tactical game play. While it’s only emphasized for two or so levels, it does add a little but more depth to the game play. The control of the squad is simple, one button push tells them where to go, two button pushes tell them to follow. It’s not complex like you see in a Rainbow Six game, however, the fact that it was included makes the battles you fight feel more expanded, rather then just the standard you versus the world included in most First Person Shooters.
Valve has managed to build a strong game core. The graphics engine is superb, but during game play I couldn’t help but feel they took second tear to the tasks I was playing with at hand. With Progressive scan enabled (480 P is all Xbox offers here), I was amazed by the textures and feel of the world in which Half Life 2 occurs. The water has reflections and life too it. The people move fluently and have human like shape and bodily appeal. The Character designs are well done, and the Combine (your main enemy base in HL2) look dark, and somewhat mysterious, in a scary way. The Graphics compliment and time with the amazing experience Valve brings to the table here. I have no such complaints, minus a few bouts of slow down on Xbox due to older hardware and less Ram to work with during the port.
The sound is a mixed bag. The gun sounds and voice acting are well presented, never seeming out of place. The voice actors we’re appropriate for their roles. The one thing that makes this audio package a mixed bag is the music. Mainly a techno base, It does have its times, but a lot of times it can feel misplaced in placing during the game.
Sadly, no multiplayer is included in Half Life 2. I don’t consider it a downfall. The Single player is so well made that multiplayer becomes a backseat idea in this well crafted package. It is much better to see a well made single player game with all the energy focused on it alone, then seeing the single player suffer a touch and have a generic multiplayer mode attached.
I’m almost sorry to write this review rite now. I am not sorry because Half Life 2 was a poor game. It wasn’t poor by any stretch of the imagination. I dare say this is a must buy for the system, and deserves to be in any gamers collection. The problem with Half Life 2 was it was released far too late into the Xbox’s life cycle. Maybe waiting for a 360 release would have been better, maybe not. The Interest in Half life 2 managed to dwindle thanks to the release of Xbox 360.
Saying Half Life 2 wasn’t the best 13 hours I spent on a game the past year would be a lie. It defiantly has its place in my heart forever. In a library full of some very good First Person Shooter/ Adventure games (Chronicles of Riddick, Halo, Brothers in Arms, Far cry, for example,) Half Life 2 has it’s place among the elite. If you want game play, look no further, Waste not another second because you might miss a contender for one of the best pieces of video game design ever made. Go get it.
