First Impression: Dissapointed

[StAtiC]

I would love to see how many people who post negatively about HL2 have actually beaten the game... on normal or hard... took their time.... and listened to what people say, read things, observe (pictures newspaper clippings etc.). Really, I think someone should make a poll. It would be quite interesting....

 

[Mister_Pie]

I've beaten the game on normal and I'd say I'm a pretty avid FPS player (name any major FPS game that's come out in the past few years and chances are that I own it).

Half Life 2 is by far the most polished FPS game I have ever played, with only minor (IMO) gameplay problems. The scripting and level design felt so tight that there were practically zero moments when something cool wasn't happening. The way the story is presented is STILL pretty much unique to Half Life as I cannot think of any other major FPS other than the original that kept everything to First-person view and it WORKS here, boy does it work.

Whether or no this method of storytelling is is better than say, cut scenes, is simply a matter of taste. If you hate it the way it is in Half Life 2, how did you enjoy Half Life 1? It's practically the exact same style.

I can see why some people would feel disappointed but giving Half Life 2 anything less than a 8/10 (personally I'd give it 10/10) seems a bit harsh to me.

Personally, I thought I was in for a disappointment when it took 30 minutes to install and another 20 minutes for Steam to validate the damn files but boy, I'm glad I was wrong.

And just for reference, here's what I thought about some of the other FPS games that have been mentioned in this thread:

Doom 3- GREAT graphics (though I prefer HL2's style). Storyline was hardly original but I thought that the PDAs kept the atmosphere tense. Multiplayer was a joke. What was the limit again? Four players? For those of you complaing about the linear nature of HL2, Doom 3 is just as linear. (8/10)

Far Cry- Great game. I loved the wide open levels but the horrible voice acting and generic storyline hurt the game a bit. Am I the only one who thought some of those monsters were way too strong? Overall, I expect great things from Crytek in the future. (9/10)

So there ya have it, my perspective on things. I'm not stupid enough to actually think any of you CARE about my opinion but I thought I'd post it anyway. It feels a bit more balanced than what some other people have been saying in this thread.

And I'm not saying that everyone should agree that Half Life 2 is the best game ever. That's like... just my opinion, man.

 

[Lt. Drebin]

I would love to see how many people who post negatively about HL2 have actually beaten the game... on normal or hard... took their time.... and listened to what people say, read things, observe (pictures newspaper clippings etc.). Really, I think someone should make a poll. It would be quite interesting....

I think I know what you're saying Static, but wouldn't you take someone who took the time to play through it before formulating a negative opinion more serious? Maybe that's what you are saying, can't tell.

Aside from the obvious ones who are flaming the game...

 

[Lt. Drebin]

There is more than 1 city - one of the passengers on the train has been transferred from City 14....and its a fairly regular occurance to be 'transferred' around between cities as the Citizen complains about it.

Alot of people never arrive at there Destination - they are spirited away (a woman waiting for her husband that was taken away while on a train), presumably to Nova Prospekt (more explained about this later in game). You are about to board a train labelled 'Nova Prospekt' when Barney pulls you away

Citizens are suppressed, drugged (one of the citizens at the station states the water is drugged) and oppressed (you see a Citizen being 'interrogated' by the Police about his 'Transfer coupon') plus check out the Interrogation Chair in Barneys Offices....also Barney talks about his not reaching his daily 'Beating Quota' - another indication of the violence imposed on the population.

Dr Breen is in charge of the Human population - City 17 is his base of Operations (from another Citizen at the train station)

Dr Breen is the Combines mouthpiece on Earth, sprouting propoganda about how they are here to help 'improve' mankind, how instinct is bad, and how Human reproduction has been suppressed (listen to Breens speeches when in station/outside station). He doesnt seem very popular with the Population (a Citizen says how he had enough of him at City 14 - and another guy tells him to be careful what he says).

City 17 seems to be in Eastern Europe/Russia as shown by some of the Posters, cars & architecture.

Food is dispenced by a machine, each person taking food is scanned - and its pretty digusting according to the Citizens (there is a food line in the ticket office)

Metro cops (ie Civil Protection) seem to be Citizens who joined for better living conditions/Food (one of the people in the Food line at the station talks about joining Civil protection for better food rations).

Any malcontents are hunted down and captured or killed......although we dont know what happens to them if they are caught. Civil Protection arent too bothered about people rights either....they will storm a whole appartment block to find one person,and arrest anyone involved (one of the guys outside before you enter the Appartment block says 'This is how it starts, they'll do the whole block next etc')

The population are miserable, and live in squallid living conditons (check the flats in the apartment block and the woman in one of the flats crying & saying how she cant cope anymore)

Dr Breen is everywhere - aka Big Brother. He appears on all the switched on TVs in the appartments etc

This is by far the best description of the story in HL2 I've yet to read in these threads. Well done, Shade70.