Poll: Half-Life 2

[Mad World]

I'm surprised that you often didn't know where to go in the game. Unlike the first Half-Life, I found that I usually knew where to go in Half-Life: 2 (Ravenholm, though, was a bit confusing at times). In general, I felt that Half-Life 2 was an easier game than its predecessor.

Half-Life 2 is already six years old now; maybe that's why you're not all that impressed.

Anyway, I enjoyed Half-Life 2 a lot, and I'm looking forward to the next episode.

 

[Anticitizen_Two]

Guys! Guys! This guy doesn't like something most people like! Isn't he awesome?

I'm sorry, but this is like the 9,001st topic about someone who doesn't like Half-Life 2. Most people like it, because it's a good game in many ways. If you don't like the way it's set up, then go enjoy a different game. It's good you know what you like, but you don't need to go telling everyone about it. Once again, sorry to sound so angry, but this happens all the time here.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

It's okay, I guess. Nothing particularly special about it. The only level I actually enjoyed playing was Ravenholm. And the gravity gun was cool.

I don't think I ever actually finished it, either.

 

[Bananafoam]

Well listen, the game cant really hold up now, but in 2004, it was pretty much one of the best games at the time.

Now it can't be reflected upon because it's just gotten too old for it's own good. Though I still like it, but it certainly isn't the best.

 

[godofallu]

Ever like something so much that you just instantly hate anyone that says anything bad about it? That's how I feel about Half-Life 2.

 

[Angus565]

I find it kind of annoying that you put that "OMFG, BEST FPS EVAR!" option in the poll, that just seems like your making fun of people who enjoyed a game that you didn't enjoy and that's just kind of rude.

Also I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you played it on a console which is a bad idea. It was originally on the pc and I think that it wasn't ported to the consoles very well just like how some console games ported to the pc are not as good as their console counter-parts.

 

[mechanixis]

Also the mute character does nothing for the game, he seems like an outlander in the game

Well...that's because he basically is an outlander - at the end of the first game, G-man recruited Gordon to become a sort of interdimensional hitman, and . When you confront Breen at the end of the first game, Breen mentions G-man and how Gordon's "contract is open to the highest bidder."

While Gordon's silence is occasionally conspicuous, it would be a lot worse to have rolled out Nolan North and given him a bland personality to serve as the lowest common denominator-protagonist. His silence leaves his unspoken relationships and interactions with the other characters to the imagination, which is always going to be better than anything Valve writes for him.

Half Life 2 in a nutshell:
Hi, I'm g-man.
Cool.
Go there.
We're the symbol of a police-state and corrupt law-enforcement
Go there.
Go there.
Irrelevant exposition.
Teleport.
Go there.
Go there.
Hello, I'm the bad guy.
Go there.
Gravity gun!
Go there.
***** betrayed the faction who worked for the benefit of... something.
Go there.
Hello to my quarters, I'm evil you know. Did I tell you I'm the bad guy?
Super gravity gun.
Gaah! And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling scientists with their unconventional weapons.
Congratulations, you beat the game

But stripping a game's plot down to its components doesn't prove anything. Halo is "Evil aliens want a killer macguffin, so you have to blow it up." Mass Effect, a game renowned for its story, is "You've got to find out what Evil Space James Bond is up to, by shooting stuff. Turns out he wants to feed the galaxy to some robots. Stop him." Just because they can be ultrasimplified indicates nothing about narrative depth, characterization, immersion, or any other aspect of the story.

There's enough hints dropped throughout the game to make the backstory and plot clear, and the fact that you need to make the final connections yourself is part of why its so satisfying. I can only think of two reasons you could think the plot was thin in HL2: 1) you weren't paying attention, or 2) you have a very limited imagination.



You know what, forget it. Think of it this way: everything you love will be scorned in five years as derivative, overrated garbage, too.

 

[Yoshemo]

And Marathon came out almost a decade before Half Life 2. We can go on like this all day.

And that has what to do with HL2?

Large plot holes are large.

Have you played the episodes? a lot is explained in them. Plus the story isn't finished yet

Its called realism

I think Valve dropped the whole "Realism" thing from this series right around GMan. And the Aliens. And the zombies. And the Gravity Gun. So, the point is, I don't think it would kill Valve to make it so these guys can't die.

Aliens (and the way the zombies work) could be real, Zero point energy (gravity) is a scientific theory, and the Gman is not yet understood. So there is realism, just like there is realism in Halo, Bioshock, and even silent hill

 

[katsumoto03]

It's good, but not anywhere near as good as Bioshock, System shock 2, Portal, Call of duty 4 or Goldeneye in my opinion.

xD that's really funny.

Half life 2 is a great game IMO. It has great story once you get into the episodes and has amazing level design.

The story is straight forward for someone who isn't just sitting there listening for who they get to kill next.

Half life 2 is one of the weaker games in the series, but I still like it.

 

[joshuaayt]

I found it fun, compelling and all sorts of cool things, but with very little replay value.
Play once, have a barrel full of good times. Pick up again in about a year or so, enjoy it. Then get that one mod that replaces every sound with ones this guy made with his mouth, and enjoy it all again! (I particularly liked the BONK noise)

 

[Druyn]

Eh, its alright. I just dont find it that interesting, or that much fun. Maybe cuz I gave up before the grav gun.

 

[SextusMaximus]

I dilike it.

Dislike, or did like?

Dislike it, I'm afraid, but I'm giving it another opportunity.

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I was alright. I feel the same way about Portal. Sure it was fun but I don't understand why everyone fawns all over it.

Can anyone tell me why Portal has gotten so much praise?

 

[XzarTheMad]

I started off playing EP1, then EP2, then HL2 (EP0?). I must say, HL2 is easily the best of them, especially the parts in Ravenholm, Nova Prospekt and during the introductory scenes. Overall, while most people say you don't need to play HL1 to enjoy HL2, I think having played it helps, since you know what Barnacles, headcrabs, vortigaunts etc. is, and what they do. I see HL2 as less of a rambo-style shooter, and more of a tactical game; Tough enemies that require careful planning to take down. The only part that really bothered me was the attack on the stronghold-like building with the laser-mortar defense followed by the irksome strider battle. However, I haven't played a game that makes me feel more immersed in the world than Half Life 2, mainly because of the NPCs and their dialogue. I understand how some people might dislike it, though. Not every game is for everyone.

 

[XzarTheMad]

I was alright. I feel the same way about Portal. Sure it was fun but I don't understand why everyone fawns all over it.

Can anyone tell me why Portal has gotten so much praise?

It's innovative, has good gameplay with a near flawless execution and some dark humor. Mainly, it has a basic premise but pulls it off really well.

 

[Jezzy54]

Ironically, I thought the best parts of the game were when you just observe your surroundings, talk to people, and watch the story progress. I stopped playing about 2/3 of the way through because I thought all the action segments were getting boring.

 

[MarsProbe]

yadayadayada

Nah, I just wanted to see if I could get you riled up. Looks like it worked.

But yes.

 

[Flying-Emu]

i think it's great, i've had quite a bit of fun with it.

but borderlands is the best FPS ever.

I'mma let you finish, but TF2 was the best FPS ever.

 

[krseyffert]

up to the head crabs that seem like the Infection form Flood from Halo on a permanent sugar high,

Half-Life came before halo so the flood are actually the ones that seem like head crabs.

 

[anickinside]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slRsexrhbG8

i liked it. Holds up well against MW2 specially considering it was released in 2004 also good work on saying it copied the head crabs from halo...