Can somebody please explain Why half-life is good

[Dexiro]

The game is a bajillion years old, new players don't like it because it's dated.

A lot of the rage over HL2 was the physics engine, that was jizzworthy back then. Like the first time you played you'd probably spend a good 20 minutes just playing with cans and shooting them.

It's still a great game as far as the narrative and such, characters and level design are brilliant, but it can often feel a bit bland when you don't get the same wow-factor from the graphics and physics.

Edit:

One more thing, HL can also fall short of the expectations of modern-FPS fans because so many FPS games these days are just cover, run and shoot, while Half Life often breaks up the combat with platforming, physics puzzles and driving sections. It might help to not think of it as purely an FPS game, but a mix of genre's; Personally I much prefer the mix of genre's.

 

[sergnb]

To all people blaming it on nostalgia... I call bullshit.

And I call bullshit on your calling bullshit.

I had never played Half Life, none of the games. After hearing about it EVERY FUCKING WHERE, I decided to try it out.

I was the same way with CoD4 although admitantly the multiplayer in that (as well as many good times laughing and joking with friends while playing it) were enough to have that game keep my interest for a long time.

I was actually excited about getting Half Life 2 and got it as soon as it came out over here (never did play the CS:S that came free on the disc though) but felt somewhat let down overall by the whole experience.

Hell, I wanted it to be good but I just plainly wasn't impressed.

And I was blown away. Putting graphics away, the game was fantastic. The pacing, the story, the characters, the gameplay, the level design. Everything was masterfully crafted.

Pacing: Awful (need I mention the driving segments and obsession with randomly throwing in puzzles to 'offset battle fatigue'?).
Story: Largely not there.
Characters: Kinda got on my nerves after a while (Alyx especiallly).
Gameplay: Was an alright shooter, nothing more, nothing less.
Level Design: Again, it was an alright shooter, the levels were ok but certain areas made me want to violently strike the nearest Valve employee.

Not quite masterfully crafted, I'd more just say 'ok shooter'.

Well, it's clear we disagree.

Most people tend to share my view tho.

 

[Dexiro]

To all people blaming it on nostalgia... I call bullshit.

And I call bullshit on your calling bullshit.

I had never played Half Life, none of the games. After hearing about it EVERY FUCKING WHERE, I decided to try it out.

I was the same way with CoD4 although admitantly the multiplayer in that (as well as many good times laughing and joking with friends while playing it) were enough to have that game keep my interest for a long time.

I was actually excited about getting Half Life 2 and got it as soon as it came out over here (never did play the CS:S that came free on the disc though) but felt somewhat let down overall by the whole experience.

Hell, I wanted it to be good but I just plainly wasn't impressed.

And I was blown away. Putting graphics away, the game was fantastic. The pacing, the story, the characters, the gameplay, the level design. Everything was masterfully crafted.

Pacing: Awful (need I mention the driving segments and obsession with randomly throwing in puzzles to 'offset battle fatigue'?).
Story: Largely not there.
Characters: Kinda got on my nerves after a while (Alyx especiallly).
Gameplay: Was an alright shooter, nothing more, nothing less.
Level Design: Again, it was an alright shooter, the levels were ok but certain areas made me want to violently strike the nearest Valve employee.

Not quite masterfully crafted, I'd more just say 'ok shooter'.

Well, it's clear we disagree.

Most people tend to share my view tho.

You just have different expectations of shooter games. Iron Mal prefer's FPS games where you just run and shoot all day long, and you probably prefer FPS games that mix up the gameplay a little bit.

I always loved the vehicle sections in the HL games, but I guess it gets in the way of other peoples shootin.

 

[uc.asc]

Screw you, half life 1 is a great game. Sure the textures are a little dated, but even today it's totally playable, and a fairly excellent shooter.

Oh, you're talking about half life 2 and left off the number. How quaint.

*grumble*

I don't really like to be this guy, but I actually sort of like half life 1 more. HL2 might have had actual characters, and better technology, and a lot more polish, and great atmosphere, and it's still one of the best games ever made, but I just found HL1 to be more compelling. HL2 is more personal, you know? It's focused on you; you're a legendary hero being pursued by the entire might of the combine and overwatch and so forth, and the maps feel like they're designed just for you. HL1 felt like you were just thrown in the middle of a gigantic clusterfuck. Sometimes the maps seemed more designed more for armored vehicles but you're just some guy on foot, better GTFO before the tank finishes with those aliens and notices you and holy shit airstrike. The challenges were more challenging. Sometimes they didn't even seem fair, until you applied creativity. And I dig that.

Yes, I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a long time.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

Hold on I wrote this down somewhere *goes through belongings*... ah yes here it is: Fluid, intresting, highly varied combat with great AI, balanced weapons and probably the best pacing I've ever seen in a game, good characters that feel like real people, graphics that hold up even by today's standards, vehicles that don't handle like crap which may not seem like a praise untill you look at literally every fps that has a vehicle section, great level design, beautiful and appropriate enviroments that made the few parts where you weren't killing anyone almost as good as everything alse, good sounds, good voice acting, good animations, good atmosphere, good soundtrack and a brilliantly immersive and compelling story and storytelling.

But you know, It's not THAT good.

And could we please skip the part were you disagree with me on half the things I just said because honestly I can't think of a single thread were that added anything enjoyable or intresting into the conversation.

 

[Gammayun]

its very much an opinion whether you like it or but i love it because the controls are thight and very familiar, it paces it self very well, its story very one of the best in gaming, despite being a very linear game it doesnt slap you round the had telling you where to go next they assume you have half a brain and that it never spends to long in one eviroment. To me one of the best games of all time.

 

[Iron Mal]

Well, it's clear we disagree.

Most people tend to share my view tho.

Of course, but this being an internet gaming forum it must be remembered that it is somewhat unsuprising that an iconic, cult classic PC shooter has a strong following (I'm certain that most of us on here, myself included, do dabble a lot in PC games). Saying most people on here tend to share your view is like saying that most Jess Whedon fans love Firefly, in other words, of course they do.

I just represent the quiet crowd that disagrees with the vocal majority.

 

[Headsprouter]

Yes, nothing special to me either. But this is now. And even now, I still think it's a nice game. The weapons are nice (they got a crossbow and a cool magnum revolver, me like), nice physics, open areas, differentiation, and, it's fun. Well at least I think it's fun.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Simple question, simple answer:

Shooters don't age well.

The Half-Life series got critical acclaim when it was released because of the fantastic graphics, great AI, physics and and whatnot. In other words: things that easily become obsolete.

The only thing still standing tall - the only thing that doesn't need nostalgia to back it up - is the story. And as you said, it's good, time can't ruin a good story. Same goes for original gameplay mechanics, something shooters hardly innovate on, safe for the occasional gimmick. This is also why RPGs (and in lesser extend, platformers) are being remade so often.

 

[Worr Monger]

Based on your profile, you were only 1 year old when Half Life came out. I think this is a case of "you had to be there".

Half Life was amazing when it came out, and it was a complete breath of fresh air for the FPS genre... and it completely evolved it.

I actually feel sorry for those gamers that missed on on the original Half Life era... That was easily one of the best eras for Single Player, Multiplayer, and modding.

If you're talking about Half Life 2... then I agree. Half Life 2 was forgettable for me... I played it once, and never really desired to go back... Apparently a lot of people loved it though. Definitely a great game engine.

 

[pwnzerstick]

I look at the Half Life series as one of the greatest examples of first person shooter design, the things that were new when it came out may have worn off, but the design I could see as being timeless.

 

[HentMas]

Ok Ok please put down your pitchforks and torches.
So i just got the orange box of steam and then after it downloaded I finish portal and go to play some half life.....and Im not that impressed, ok ok it has a decent story but it was just really really dull for me and I'm trying to understand why Half-life was/is such a great game.

my main idea as to why I didn'y like it is because it was a *you had to be there* thing

the original Half Life was a success because it introduced several interesting mechanics into gameplay, for instance, a story where you are always in control of your movements, and triggered events that only happened if you were in the right place at the right time, the exploration of the whole facility was amazing because it did looked as thought you were in a ruined facility, and it invited you to explore it without consequence except maybe getting killed because of your oun stupidity, it had one of the most interactive puzzles ever seen in a FPS game and you could breeze past it without noticing anything weird, but it encouraged exploration, for example, you could have passed the whole ordeal without even noticing G-Man around, but if you played it over and over you always discovered new things, that´s what made it shine, the first time i played it i got into the room where you get the suite, and was thrilled by the fact that you could make the MW oven explode and your co-worker would get angry because you ruined his lunch XD, something you could have missed if you wanted, but things like that are what make it a great game, not just your average FPS, it was really amazing to see people around reacting to what you were doing, not just standing there as if you were acting OK when you are jumping up and down in their coffe table and turning off their lights

it was new, it was interesting, it had an intriguing story and a really great delivery, and the new games HL2 and EP1 and 2 had more of the things we all liked in the first one, except now with better graphics and gameplay

that answer enough for you?

 

[Vkmies]

I personally think The Spiler Warning explained it pretty darn well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkZsunCOcYI
While I am not the biggest fan of the series, I do agree with all of those points they make.

 

[bootz]

The GRavity Gun is so fun! It was and still is a very unique mechanic and gun. Picking up saw blades or propane tanks to kill dudes with is so fun.
Nothing in any fps has beat this. (Razorjack in unreal came close)

The Story is so immersive and told so well without 45 mins cutscenes to take you out of the game.

 

[DracoSuave]

Half-life 2 was the first major game to use Havok physics.

The Half-life series has traditionally been a breaking ground for concepts and technologies we take for granted today.

It's kinda like watching the Matrix and asking 'I don't get what's so special about these special effects?' It's because Games like Half-Life and movies like Matrix are examples of groundbreaking moments in their media, where a clear line is drawn with 'How things were' and 'How things are now.' The ONLY reason a lot of stuff in Half-Life seems same-old and 'The way things are always done' is because Half-life was the first to actually do them, and now the concepts invented then are adopted and commonplace now.

 

[ACman]

The hook for me and the half life universe is having played the original and it expansion pack opposing force.

For myself the "barely there" story is one of it's strengths. Many games fall apart when they explain too much of their ludicrous storylines. Half life keeps things very mysterious and is much the better for it.

Who are these invaders? Why are the Marines wiping out the reasearch labs (Never explained.)? Who is the G-man? Who are the other invaders in 'Opposing Force' and what has happened to Adrian Shepard? I have the distinct feeling that when I get these answers I'm not going to like them much like how I felt when I got the explanations for events in Mass Effect 2. Or Lost... Or the Star Wars Prequals.

Additionally, in 1998 scripted events were NEW. I mean having a room fall apart around when you entered or seeing a fire fight between Marines and Aliens never really happened in games before Half Life except maybe for dumb monster v monster brawls in DOOM.

Scripts may seem passe in these days of open word AI generated emergent gameplay and the scripted events in COD put HL to shame but Half Life in 1998 that big bust out moment when I saw those things for the first time.

 

[Awexsome]

Yeah when the first came out a lot of the mechanics we know today sprung from it especially when it comes to scripted events (as people have said).

I'm in the same boat with you though. I respect it for the ground it broke but I personally find it boring, dull, and the sequels highly overrated. I'd take any Halo and even some CoD games over it again after playing The Orange Box.

 

[ascorbius]

Halflife 1 was Amazing when it first appeared, I got totally into the story and had a blast with it. Very atmospheric and it told a great story just using visuals for the most part. Primitive graphics by modern standards, but I played through it again recently and although the game had aged, the feeling had not.

Halflife 2 came out and I boycotted it for years because I didn't agree that I should have to install Steam to play a game I purchased in a store. I finally caved 4 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the mix of physics (which were seamlessly built into the game to add believability rather than being a cheap gimmick) graphics and atmosphere. There are still parts of HL2 where I don't like to go. I still don't like online authentication systems though.

Steam aside; HL2 built on the concept of story through visuals, letting the player fit the pieces of what happened together as they explored. There are many areas where they'll be a charred corpse lying on the ground or a damaged house which make you think.. what horrors happened here. You find ammo caches hidden away next to long abandoned camps. The dead landscapes of a lost civilisation where nothing works anymore - It makes you feel alone and lost, almost like giving up. The combine have won and you're just trying to survive long enough to stick the boot in.
Hopelessly outnumbered, out-gunned and attacked by Combine Soldiers, Combine technology, Alien creatures and Zombies. You start to feel sorry for the survivors.

You see individuals who after surviving the horrors of the initial invasion are taken in terrible ways by unsympathetic forces. With life so fragile, you grow attached to the people you do meet and throw everything to the wind to try to protect them.

At least, that's how I felt.

 

[gigastrike]

Because actually having a story in a game was special back then, and people like to think that being the first to do something actually makes it good by it's own merits.

...Wait, are we talking about Half-Life or Half-Life 2?

I'll just give my opinion of both. Half-Life 1 was pretty good for the time. While it did have a story, it wasn't explained much and most of the time you're just running around killing military people that you'd think would want to help you. Gameplay wise, it's a perfect example of why hyper-aggresive AI doesn't fit in with a non-regenerating health bar. During each engagement you're pretty much assured that you're going to take some damage that wont come back until you find a health station. You pretty much have to just hope that you avoid enough damage until then.

Half-Life 2 was pretty darn good. It's story is more in depth, and you actually have an idea of why you're going places and why these people are trying to kill you, but it doesn't matter that much because it's more about the characters anyway (though it's kinda awkward how they all seem to fanboy every time they see you. I just assume Valve is spoofing gaming as a whole).