do you like the new look of HL2 (e32004)?

[shaggy2039]

I'm curious to see how many people noticed some of the newer things valve has implemented in the HL2 e3 2004' videos since e3 2003...I personally feel the e3 videos of 2003 showed more of a gritty, more realistic feel while the newer videos showed off some effects that were a little more over the top, which I think hinder the overall mood...

for instance, notice the pulsing blue light surrounding the roller mines...I honestly think it'd look more fitting without it...also, the new vids showed that when the strider killed someone, they'd float in thin air and then dissapate...

I just feel that the coolest things about the old videos were their raw, gritty vibe that made the game seem (visually) really immersive...the newer touches aren't bad, but they do have a "glam" effect that I think deters from the game...

any thoughts on this?

 

[KagePrototype]

I honestly couldn't see any real difference in look or feel.

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

We really can't have an opinion on anything, because we don't have the final version, until that, we really can't say what needs to be changed, etc.

 

[Paintballer]

I thought that the new videos had a better feel IMO... especially the apartment scene.

 

[nofx]

I think the new vids were awesome, the old videos are just the same. I think they equal each other out.Just the 2004 videos exposed a bit more and sort of introduced you to the real side of the Combine, the way the pushed Gordon back to the gate. Then the way they pushed him in the hall, just sort of they "hey were in control your not now sit down" The thing I would like to see more of is Xen aliens, and more information about how they covered up Blackmesa. The reason the guy floats, I would conclude would be because of the force from the blast of the shot, would be like something exploding right in your face. What do you mean by "glam?" like Valve has over done themselves or the game?

 

[EC]

The apartment scene, and the toolshed scene were uber nice.

The faces in the apartment seemed VERY real to me. I loved the detail on the walls and floors.

The crowbar looked so nice while swinging into the wooden planks. And the razor discs... self-explainatory.

Although, my only complaint is the sounds that the roller-mines make. It honestly sounds a little cartoony for me. But maybe my attitude to them will change when the game is released.

 

[Stigmata]

The reason the guy floats, I would conclude would be because of the force from the blast of the shot, would be like something exploding right in your face

That would throw you BACK, not make you levitate [begin pseudo-scientific BS] I think it has something to do with the ionization of molecules in the body. The Strider's blast may be some sort of superfast plasma "railgun" if you will, that over-ionizes whatever is shot, which is so strong that it repels the Earth's gravitational pull and tears your body apart. [end pseudo-scientific BS]

And I just think that Valve chose to show the flashier segments of the game to show that Source is still a very powerful engine, as many people have been voicing that Source doesn't look as advanced as Doom 3, Stalker or <insert big release here>.

 

[brink's]

Or mabye they just did it cause it looks cool

 

[nofx]

Ya Stigmata could be just like the gun Gordon uses in the house seen that rocket thing... I don't know if the forum has a name for it yet eheh

 

[Shuzer]

I honestly have never felt depressed by a game, but when I saw the apartment scene.. well, there was the first time

 

[63]

I honestly have never felt depressed by a game, but when I saw the apartment scene.. well, there was the first time

Same here.. I wanted to cry

 

[Son_Kane]

It all looks the same. I mean it's all in my head anyway. I liked the skeleton thing. Like Mars Attacks But in a good way.

 

[Kazuki_Fuse]

I thought that the new videos had a better feel IMO... especially the apartment scene.

Don't get me started on the apartment scene...*chokes on own drool*

 

[merc]

a game is a game to me. i think it looks just the same!

-merc

 

[GorgeousOrifice]

I thought this year's videos looked much more "polished" than last year's -- lots of little details in the apartment, the toolshed, etc. Things seemed more naturally placed, like a lot of thought had been given to where each should go. A lot of last year's stuff, while definitely jawdropping, seemed very "staged", like the Strider bit.

Nothing at all felt staged this year, which excites me.

 

[shaggy2039]

it's all good...the game is going to be mind blowing...

I'm just nitpicking at this point...I still feel the first videos were more consisitent and cooler only because of their grittiness which I think is really important with this game...everytime I see the doom 3 vids, I think about how
IMHO, the game looks so blatantly contrived...granted , it looks great, but it lacks a certain artistic direction...in art, it's not what you do, it's ultimately what you don't do, that makes art unique...HL2 has got that premise nailed, I believe...I just don't want them to screw it up with special effects that don't blend with the game's feel...does that make sense?

 

[PatPwnt]

Don't get me started on the apartment scene...*chokes on own drool*

Yea, when the girl said "What are we going to do?" It made me want to give her a hug... ;(

 

[JonTheCanuck]

i'd hafta say the videos both gave me the same impression and feel. The first one seemed maybe a bit better tho because it was the first footage i had seen of the newer generation of games that were coming out.

 

[nofx]

Ya, thats another reason why i think HL2 will definately excel Doom3. It just seems HL sort of protrays something what we can relate to, while Doom3 is a bit more fake/sci fi. But they're both going to be great games. ...I felt like hugging her to, then killing the combine.

 

[serum.157]

hl2 will surpass d3 for sure in overall quality. hl2 has EVERYTHING imo, whereas d3 just seems to be classic doom (running through a level killing things) with highly updated graphics and such.

 

[thefiznut]

HL2 has a dark, almost film noir look to it. It's dreary, dark, and eery. I can't wait

 

[Sandler]

HL2 will own no matter what

 

[chimpmunk]

i get what he's talking about, i tought the same thing,,,

the man is right

 

[Finger]

Honestly, I think there is just enough of a twist, with little effects like we saw in the 2004 videos, to retain the somewhat surreal, fun, slant that the first game had. Halflife was never about uber-realism. What makes it so tasty, is the perfect balance of fantasy/weirdness, realism, mystery, and fun. Too much realism would be inconsistent with the original theme.

---------------

"in art, it's not what you do, it's ultimately what you don't do, that makes art unique"

Hmmm. I'd say ultimately it's the balance of the two, that bring success, it's just easier to recognize the things that are there.

 

[lans]

The reason why Doom 3 may not artistically stun us is because it is fake/sci fi as mentioned. The survival horror genre needs a good FPS and Doom 3 should make a fine addition.

HL2 is like a film, it has all the atmosphere and tension a real life film would have - and just showing how tense the environment is IN a video game - those apartment and train station scenes were the most strongest I've sever seen to date. Really immersive - a job done well by valve.

 

[Someone]

Yea, when the girl said "What are we going to do?" It made me want to give her a hug... ;(

Same here and this is the reason I like games with a good feel/atmosphere.

Don't get me wrong, I will love playing a game like Doom3 for the mindless action, but I think I'd rather be drawn in and actually care about what's going on.

Like if Alyx dies (which I doubt, but what if), I think it will be done in a way where we'd actually feel something ...even though it's just a game.

As for this years E3 vs last years, I think it had a much more polished feel to it. I don't think either was better or worse really, but just more complete feeling. There was more purpose in what was going on I guess, rather than just showing parts of the game.

 

[EVIL]

Don't get me wrong, I will love playing a game like Doom3 for the mindless action, but I think I'd rather be drawn in and actually care about what's going on.

Watch out! DOOM³ wont be a mindless action killing game, its a survival horror, so you really need to use your head this time, its not Q3. dont make assumptions on games because the studio that made it is know for its mindless action FPS games.

 

[Someone]

Watch out! DOOM³ wont be a mindless action killing game, its a survival horror, so you really need to use your head this time, its not Q3. dont make assumptions on games because the studio that made it is know for its mindless action FPS games.

Man I really really hope so. We just don't have enough GOOD horror games that aren't more than just kill or be killed and little else. It's just hard not to see the past.

Sadly, I think that's one of the main problems with HL2 vs Doom3 stuff. People look at what was, rather than what could be, or might be. Doom3 hasn't really been shown or talked about all that much, but most people (me included which is unfortunate) can't help but look at all past id games and assume it will be just the same at the rest except with a pretty package. And HL2, most see HL1 and assume it will be the same interaction with more advanced tech.

I truly hope both games are great...and throw in Stalker and F.E.A.R. as well. Four good games would make for a good coming year

I, for one, will give them all a chance to impress.

 

[Tamer17]

I don't want to turn it to another doom 3 vs. hl2 topic , but from the vidoes I have seen of D3 , it's hard not to think that it's just mindless shooting game , cause in all of the videos you see monsters swarm at you non stop , and the player is shooting his way through.

 

[The Monkey]

Yeah, in the 2004-videos you can see how terrible the Combines really are. And you really want to help the people that lives there. It's not like you want to help the scientist in HL1(rather the opposite)

 

[nofx]

Yeah, in the 2004-videos you can see how terrible the Combines really are. And you really want to help the people that lives there. It's not like you want to help the scientist in HL1(rather the opposite)

Hahah so true, it was better half of the time to beat them with a crowbar, than actually try to help them.

 

[SubKamran]

I'm curious to see how many people noticed some of the newer things valve has implemented in the HL2 e3 2004' videos since e3 2003...I personally feel the e3 videos of 2003 showed more of a gritty, more realistic feel while the newer videos showed off some effects that were a little more over the top, which I think hinder the overall mood...

for instance, notice the pulsing blue light surrounding the roller mines...I honestly think it'd look more fitting without it...also, the new vids showed that when the strider killed someone, they'd float in thin air and then dissapate...

I just feel that the coolest things about the old videos were their raw, gritty vibe that made the game seem (visually) really immersive...the newer touches aren't bad, but they do have a "glam" effect that I think deters from the game...

any thoughts on this?

No, I got the same vibe from all the presentations. I love it. I adore the sheen on the floor...god I love it.

 

[slicktick]

I get what everyone is getting at, and I agree that the gritty is really cool. But I think that those new additions that were seen in the videos make it feel like half-life again. That is what is great. Plus now we dont just have a good feel to the game, so many of us have that emotional connection, which will draw us into the story even further.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

I like it when the bodies slowly float (some sort of time slowing down in a warp bubble)in the air after they had just been killed by the strider's warp-cannon. That can be added to my list of 1001 ways to die. Although they disintergrate after a short period of time, I think that Valve cleverly concealed a way of getting rid of models to reduced the amount of polys on the level (especially in the bigger fire-fights were many polygons on one screen is going to slow down the game).

 

[Some_God]

I hope they will have a level where the combine are experimenting on different ways to kill people... like in Quake 2... god that game kicked so much ass.

 

[SubKamran]

I hope they will have a level where the combine are experimenting on different ways to kill people... like in Quake 2... god that game kicked so much ass.

I remember that part, that was fun!

 

[craig]

2003 & 2004 footage both had the same feel, and infact for the most part probably were the same. They have been touching the game up for ages, but haven't made any massive changes (other than with the engine after the leak).

 

[Some_God]

Most of us will know how the game really feels a year or two from the release date... by then we will have better computers and vid cards and experience HL2 fully. *creams pants*

 

[The Monkey]

The thing I think is the biggest change is how the planks brake. They've really made a job there!

 

[Mendasp]

Am I the only one who noticed the new crowbar animations?