Can someone please tell me why Half-Life 2 has such appeal?

[bulldogftw]

Two words: Gravity gun!

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Its a run of the mill generic shooter over rated by the legions of valve fanboys.

It's decent. It's not great by any means.

INB4 "LOL IT HAS PHYSICS! PHYSICS!"

Yes, you can throw crates at the wall. Instant FPS god tier.

Thank you, finally someone who I can agree with on the subject.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Its a run of the mill generic shooter over rated by the legions of valve fanboys.

It's decent. It's not great by any means.

INB4 "LOL IT HAS PHYSICS! PHYSICS!"

Yes, you can throw crates at the wall. Instant FPS god tier.

Thank you, finally someone who I can agree with on the subject.

EDIT: sorry don't know why it double posted.

 

[random_bars]

Because it has a really, really, really, really good atmosphere.

 

[Raev]

Half life 2's strong suit is it's plot, since it focuses so damn much on it throughout your journey, it's also very much liked because it's half life 1's sequel, at the time, half life 1 was the best thing to hit the PC to many, it has decent, relatable characters, and an overall stylish hue to it.
having said that, the game's full of flaws, almost all the real world weapons are COMPLETELY WRONG, "revolver with a floating cylinder, shotgun with double barrel attack, even though it only has ONE VISIBLE barrel, an SMG without a grenade launcher but SOMEHOW spits out grenades", and the AI isn't that bright either, it almost feels like the combine are kind of dumber than the headcrabs.
I like it cause i loved half life 1, fanboys like it because they're fanboys, what do you expect? it's not necessarily a bad thing.
only reason i would ever hate half life 2 is because of the awesome stuff that didn't make the final cut like the icthyosaur (working variant), or the combine super soldier.

 

[Bananahs]

It's the pacing of both the narrative and the gameplay which seemingly intertwine with each other, such as when you get the Antlion commanding squishy egg thing while you have to storm the beaches.

I really love it.

 

[P.Tsunami]

This thread? Really? Again? And I ask that question, still being pretty new to this forum. Geez.

I'm not even all that huge a fan of HL2. It certainly doesn't fit into most of my top games of all time lists. Still, I recognize a gem when I see one. HL2 was amazingly polished, technically groundbreaking (particularly in terms of graphics), has a nice narrative, some compelling characters. The AI felt amazing at the time, it has quite a few creative twists, and the atmosphere is stellar. Plus, you know, Ravenholm. We don't go there anymore.

Simply put, Half-Life 2 was a masterclass in making an action game with real substance.

 

[Raev]

It's the pacing of both the narrative and the gameplay which seemingly intertwine with each other, such as when you get the Antlion commanding squishy egg thing while you have to storm the beaches.

I really love it.

i think it's called a pheromone pod or "pheropod" or something, but yeah THAT THING IS SOOOOOOO SQUISHY!!!!

 

[sooperman]

In the title you ask if anyone can tell you wherein lies the appeal of Half-Life. The answer is: No. No one can ever tell you why you are to like something. If you don't like it, you aren't going to see it as being good.

I too would like an answer to this question. I've never seen anybody provide a proper reason why they like Half-Life 2 that isn't "It's DEEP/it's the THINKING MAN'S FPS/ It's made by VALVE". I thought it was alright, but no more.

Wait, what's the problem? "I've never seen anyone provide a reason that isn't a legitimate point in the game's favor." It would seem that people have told you plainly why they like the game, but you don't, so you didn't accept their answers. If you wanted to know why the game was good, you would have known by now. I'm not going to explain why I like the game, because you most likely have heard it already, but rejected it.

 

[Aeshi]

It's made by Valve,that alone makes it popular, especially here of all places.

Because the story isnt as shallow as "Your a soldier, heres a gun, go commit possible war crimes"

As opposed to "You're some mute in a suit, here's a crowbar, go kill aliens?"

 

[Doctor Glocktor]

Its the ultimate nerd fantasy.

A nerdy, antisocial scientist, normally a complete loser, becomes the hero of a world that never asked him for it. He gets the love and attention of everyone, and even gets a hot girl to notice him while he saves the world, even when wearing glasses.

TL;DR: Nerds making games about nerds for nerds.

 

[Raev]

Not to sound like smug smart-ass, but if you started this thread with a "pardon me" negative sounding title, wouldn't that mean you already don't like half life 2?

and if you don't like half life 2 to begin with, are you trying to find out a good reason why you should play it again? or something?

I'm confused, usually when i don't like a game, i just don't like it and go by the "don't ask don't tell" policy.

 

[pyrosaw]

Amazing characters, wonderful set pieces, and is more complex than "Your a soldier/mercenay/hitman/murderer, kill everyone."

 

[bojac6]

Because the story isnt as shallow as "Your a soldier, heres a gun, go commit possible war crimes"

Substitute "crowbar" for "gun" and that's exactly the story. Give me one reason you're killing Combine that I can't apply to the Covenant on Halo or the Locust in Gears. Give me one plot point that is unique.

 

[acosn]

It's a first person shooter that didn't feel the need to dumb down level design, story and character design for the sake of meat headed player bases.

 

[Raev]

It's made by Valve,that alone makes it popular, especially here of all places.

Because the story isnt as shallow as "Your a soldier, heres a gun, go commit possible war crimes"

As opposed to "You're some mute in a suit"

You made a rhyme !
It's also more of an atmospheric ride than a game, i've ye to come by a game that sets such an enthralling stage for a player to explore, mind you it's not really a broad area to explore, but generating that atmosphere? at that time? seems like too much hard work to deny.

 

[Smooth Operator]

That's the thing, I actually prefer Halo to Half-Life (don't worry, I won't get out my flamethrower, it's out of petrol and rusting at the moment anyway). Largely due to the gameplay (especially the enemy AI). But I also find it feels more polished and that Bungie have put loads of effort into it, which really brings home just how subjective this all is.

I'm guessing you are really into action shooters (Halo/CoD/GoW)?

And yes, if someone likes a game or not it is absolutely subjective, some like it some don't, the end.

 

[TerranReaper]

ITT: Asking for reasons why a game is good when those reasons were already ignored.

OT: To be honest, HL2 is a 7 year old game. If you start playing it now, you're obviously not going to like it because most of the stuff in it was considered new and innovative at the time, but hasn't aged well. The atmosphere was great and the graphics were amazing for its time. It's a very polished game in my opinion.

 

[Booze Zombie]

It's a solid FPS with good characters, though it has a somewhat cliché story and some moments that don't make sense.

It's good fun and a lot of people apparently liked it.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

My guess? Its a first person shooter that requires better strategy then most shooters today do. The average Call of Duty tactics won't fully work in Half-Life or Half-Life 2 and strageties are quickly made by using the Physics engine and other tools. I can grab that shredding machine and use it to kill an enemy, I can place these explosive barrels to cover my flank, I can use these Antlions to take out those guards with minimal damage to myself, I can ricochet this energy ball to wipe the room of Combine, etc etc etc.

It is by no far a perfect game, but it is a very, very good attempt at making a shooter that isn't like most shooters.