Edge review HL2 :)

[Concept]

Either way, HL2 sounds very special \o/

I'm still on a downer thanks to that immature spoiler prat in another thread.

I hope it was a fake, because this is THE one game I need to reignite my passions for videogaming again. At present, I can feel them fading.

 

[Warbie]

I'm still on a downer thanks to that immature spoiler prat in another thread.

I hope it was a fake, because this is THE one game I need to reignite my passions for videogaming again. At present, I can feel them fading.

/o\ I completely missed that.

No matter how big the spoiler is - I doubt it will be enough to stop you enjoying HL2

 

[rrm]

wierd, it says there that there are only 2 pages for the hl2 review

 

[KagePrototype]

wierd, it says there that there are only 2 pages for the hl2 review

Probably because there are only two pages. Edge aren't the ones to fill 6 pages up with pretty pictures. Like I've said before, they focus on articles and previews rather than reviews. Most of the time, a review will end up being only half a page.

 

[Warbie]

wierd, it says there that there are only 2 pages for the hl2 review

How many do you want?

(an 8 page 'pc mag' screenathon, containing next to no info? )

 

[rrm]

ok, I didn't know anything about the mag. anyway 2 pages is short to me

 

[lans]

Also, the guy who has got the mag says the HL2 review is "naff". It seems EDGE wanted to keep it spoiler-free. That explains the 2 page review.

It did indeed seem to have gotten a 10/10, though.

 

[Spiffae]

ouch, a 13 issue subscription for overseas orders is $115 US

I can't afford that.

 

[Warbie]

I have the new Edge - and can confirm HL2 did get 10/10 \o/

 

[Gorgon]

I have the new Edge - and can confirm HL2 did get 10/10 \o/

Man, this is going to be a new, fresh and never seen before envirounments, gamplay, storyline, graphics

 

[Peqkx]

any mirrors to the review or scans of the mag?

 

[Raidea]

Also, the guy who has got the mag says the HL2 review is "naff". It seems EDGE wanted to keep it spoiler-free. That explains the 2 page review.

It did indeed seem to have gotten a 10/10, though.

They also said, "This is possibly the most exquisitely crafted action game of all time" not bad eh?

 

[GWalker]

any direct link to it?

edit: http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php?showtopic=61345&st=0

Hey, guys whats up with this site? I can't get in.
[edit:]Nevermind I'm in after trying about 50 times.

 

[Concept]

/o\ I completely missed that.

No matter how big the spoiler is - I doubt it will be enough to stop you enjoying HL2

Thanks man. I'm going to make sure it doesn't.

The experience of 'being there' seems to an important element in terms of the immersion with Half-Life 2. And no information on the narrative will be able to take that away in my opinion.

GWalker, check NTSC-uk's two threads in General Gaming. The site is rarely down and there's more information in my opinion (including a quote and a short summary).

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/forumdisplay.php?f=11

 

[Concept]

I also have to echo the sentiments of others in this thread. Edge's score should be top of the news stuff on the site.

They are considered by most to be the industry-standard magazine after all, and a 10/10 from them is considered to be rather special.

Warbie... How does Edge look re-designed? Better?

 

[Warbie]

It's hard to put your finger on the changes.

Edge seems a little more uni design student stylized now

Slighlty more cluttered (infact it looks more like a pc mag in style now)

Still looking great, though (no massive changes)

 

[Ruben]

Edge biased towards PC games? Nope ... they are biased towards console games, in particular OLD classic console games. Edge mag has always been giving games from Nintendo a higher score than any other console. Nintendo and Sega. At the bottom are xbox games and somewhere in the middle lay playstation.

Giving a PC game a score of 10 is HUGE! Only a few games has come up to this score. One of them was Halo i believe. If you are an Edge reader you will see that they LOVE classic console games and actualy believe games have gotten worse (from what i have read). If you compare all reviews until th epresent day you will see that the old games have a higher score average that the new games, and are heavily biased towards Nintendo.

So ... a 10 of 10 to a PC game is... Fabulous!

 

[Warbie]

Bias, or recognition of quality?

I don't believe there is any real bias - Edge just crave innovation and quality (and to be fair, you usually find that on consoles) and heavily bash any game that is a rehash (which is a great no. these days)

What other developer can boast Nintendo's releases over the years (none can even hope to come close - and that's a fact, doesn't take a fanboy to realise that)

Either way, 10/10 for HL2 \o/ w00t!

 

[KagePrototype]

I thought I'd stick my summary of the review in here as well.

OK, I've tried to pick out the best points from the review without actually writing the thing out. There are tiny, mild spoilers, but nothing to do with the plot. It's hard to properly summarise an EDGE review, because they effectively repeat their point over and over, using more and more examples, so I've tried to summarise the basic jist of each paragraph without typing it word for word, but also without straying too far to sound altogether different (and thus misleading). This is NOT the review, just a basic paragraph by paragraph summary.

Half-Life 2 is effectively the best fps since Half-Life, with everything in-between little more than just a footnote. Half-Life 2 is the first fps since the original to really advance the genre by any real margin. Half-Life 2 takes every idea the fps genre has been toying with for the past 6 years, and brings it all together into one cohesive whole, that's greater than it's individual parts. This isn't about doing things differently, but doing it better than everyone else.

Thanks to the sheer amount of things to do and see in this game, repetiton and monotony are virtually non-existant. Everything from scripted sequences (striders bursting through buildings, zombies breaking down walls, a fight with a helicopter), to conversations with the realistic NPCs (everything from their movements, to the voice acting, their facial expressions, look utterly real and disturbingly lifelike) comes barelling in with pin-point timing and delivery. Few games have achieved the level of drama HL2 offers.

The Source engine, while not as technically advanced as Doom 3's, nevertheless renders the game in astonishing beauty. Death occurs simply from staring in awe at the sheer magnificence of it all, from the foreboding and fear-inducing City 17, to the huge lush backdrops of the coastline. There are a few examples of stretched and bland textures, but these are easily overlooked.

Finally, a game where physics means more than just an excuse to use ragdolls. Near the beginning of the game, a metrocop throws a can on the floor and demands you pick it up. Later on, you'll be finding yourself turning over an upside down buggy, or using filing cabinets as shields. "This is possibly the most exquisitely crafted action game of all time."

"Half-Life 2 is a first person shooter. But in action, storytelling, technical achievement, atmosphere and intensity it has far out done it's peers. Valve just hit the top note no other PC game developer could reach."

10/10

EDGE doesn't use a pros/cons table.

If you want a shorter, more concise summary, you don't need much more than that last quote. The only thing they didn't seem to like was the occasional bland and stretched texture.