Gamespot Half-Life 2 Review

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Half-Life 2 is getting so close we can smell it. After nearly six years in development it’s less than 12 hours away from our grasp.[br]
Gamespot has uploaded the long awaited Half-Life 2 review which contains a narrated video and a written piece.
It's hard to believe that, prior to Half-Life 2, Valve had really made only one game. Of course, it was a masterpiece. Half-Life single-handedly reinvented the first-person shooter, putting the emphasis on cinematic pacing and complete immersion in the experience
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You can find the review right here.
[br]
​
 
Gamespot hate HL2...all their coverage has had a negative edge. The Final Hours was done by a contractor. ;)
 
A bit more information than other reviews. Nothing too serious, but I think they went a little too far in places.

Remember, 9.2 is still a very good score, just not as exceptional as we've been seeing in other places.
 
sorry fgor my language
but holy **** am I ever excited nw I am going to read this!
oldfaq
 
wow the game looks great! Cant wait to play tonight!
Why is every one upset about the score? Its still very good score!
 
"While Half-Life 2 breaks little new ground."
That quote says it all about gamespot.
 
gamespot favorises console games:

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PC 9.3

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PS2 9.6

Halo: Combat Evolved XBOX 9.7

Halo: Combat Evolved PC 9.0

that's a fact..
 
TheOriginalEvil said:
"While Half-Life 2 breaks little new ground."
That quote says it all about gamespot.
Click to expand...

Heh, made me chuckle aswell...
 
Everyone is posting their review, gamespot, IGN, homelan... Last two give HL2 higher scores than gamespot btw.
 
But those PC versions are exact the same as their console conterparts. So that means a PC game that scores 9.0 is better than a console game with that score because they are less severe for console games. And if there's a difference of 0.7 between the two Halos that means if HL2 was on the console in exact the same form (I know it's technically not possible but let's say it can) then the console HL2 would score maybe a 9.2+0.7=9.9.

BTW interesting map of City 17 on the wall in this screenshot
http://www.halflife2.net/news//1100549948_914642_20041112_screen010.jpg
 
TheOriginalEvil said:
"While Half-Life 2 breaks little new ground."
That quote says it all about gamespot.
Click to expand...

OMG! gamespot can shove it!!!!! get a life and get new reviewers!!!!
 
halo for pc didnt even deserve a 9.0, it was a complete disaster and one of the worst ports in history. I think everyone was pissed when they gave it a 9.0 considering the top end card at the time couldnt even break 40fps (I had to play it at 800x600 on medium quality with a 9600xt just to get above 30fps, I didnt even have to do that with doom3), I think most sites gave it a 7-8 score. Gamespot does have a bias it seems though but so do a lot of sites. I have no idea what their gripe is about the sound, I cant think of a single game that has such realistic sound, especially when it comes to gunfire and impacts. In the e3demo where the strider attacks, the sound was asbolutely incredible for a game so I dont see how they can complain at all. And how in the hell is this game not doing anything new?
 
I wonder what Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines will score at gamespot...
 
9.2 is a respectable score, but I'm suspicious of some the negative points the reviewer touched on since they do not seem to agree with the general concensus.
 
Gamespot colored every single sentence in a negative tone. Either the reviewer was expecting HL2 to fix his muffler, cure his shortsightedness and end world hunger and couldn't get over his disappointment, or else he went into it looking for a fight.
 
That gamespot review really sounded more negative that positive for a game with a score of 9.2. Thats what hyping does to one :(
 
9.2 is too low, they gave far cry like 9.1-.9.3 or something, I hoped for better.

IGN gave the proper 97%, I'm pleased.

Let's wait and see what VampB get's now :D
 
For some reason, I get a wierd feeling that Gamespot screwed Valve over. The review of HL2 by Gamespot contradicts EVERYTHING EVERYBODY else has said. Something is fishy
 
why didnt you put the score on the frontpage? are you embarrassed? you put it up for ign's review, but mysteriously didnt for this review.

nice work ;)
 
they could give Half-Life2 4 points and it would still rock.
 
mandown said:
halo for pc didnt even deserve a 9.0, it was a complete disaster and one of the worst ports in history. I think everyone was pissed when they gave it a 9.0 considering the top end card at the time couldnt even break 40fps (I had to play it at 800x600 on medium quality with a 9600xt just to get above 30fps, I didnt even have to do that with doom3), I think most sites gave it a 7-8 score. Gamespot does have a bias it seems though but so do a lot of sites. I have no idea what their gripe is about the sound, I cant think of a single game that has such realistic sound, especially when it comes to gunfire and impacts. In the e3demo where the strider attacks, the sound was asbolutely incredible for a game so I dont see how they can complain at all. And how in the hell is this game not doing anything new?
Click to expand...

My 9600 Pro ran it on full details at 1024 by 768, no slowdown whatsoever. I'm lucky. :D

Though I do get too low scores on the 3D Mark tests. :\
 
Gamespot and IGN both give console games higher scores. Halo 2 got 9,8 from IGN, but in the HL2 Review it is clearly said "HL2 is the best first person shooter ever", and it "only" got 9,7.
 
I hate to say it, but Gamespot has always been right in my opinion. I won't judge them until I play the game myself, at least then my take on the game will mean something.
 
Gamespot is full of pessimistic negative shitheads.

"While Half-Life 2 breaks little new ground."

Pfft...what a sack of crap.
 
mandown said:
'snipped' ... And how in the hell is this game not doing anything new?
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Well, games have had graphics, sound, AI, physics, story and so on for a while now. What did you expect the game to do? Pull you into the computer?
 
dleidlein said:
Well, games have had graphics, sound, AI, physics, story and so on for a while now. What did you expect the game to do? Pull you into the computer?
Click to expand...

This is the first game to feature a step towards achieving (real time) facial intricacies that humans posess. It is also one of the first to use material references (information on mass, sound, reflective, etc), as opposed to base texture-mapping. There are several more newly attempted technologies and features, as well, I suggest you go find a FAQ.
 
There is no way in hell Halo 2 beat half life 2 by .2 of a point... unacceptable..

*throws review back at gamespot*.. do over.
 
That review wasnt good at all. They said things that made them sound like they didnt know anything about pc games and all. How can you rate Hl2 same thing as FarCry? I trust pc gamers score always have 98%.
 
Moto-x_Pat said:
Gamespot is full of pessimistic negative shitheads.

"While Half-Life 2 breaks little new ground."

Pfft...what a sack of crap.
Click to expand...

Do you even know what they are talking about though? They could mean gameplay, visuals, storyline or a number of many other things.

I fail to realize what is wrong with a 9.2

Its not how well gamespot likes the game, its how well you like the game.

No offense but some of the posts sound a bit fan boyish.

And just because gamespot rated halo pc 9.0 and halo xbox 9.7 doesnt mean it has anything to do with favoritism. Halo pc was released long after halo xbox and it just wasnt as ground breaking and as new. The two games also differed in areas like co-op and multiplayer. And as for the post that is compaining the half life 2 scored less then halo 2 I think you should grow up. This review does not change how good or bad the game is.
 
simmo said:
Half-Life 2 is getting so close we can smell it. After nearly six years in development it’s less than 12 hours away from our grasp.[br]
Gamespot has uploaded the long awaited Half-Life 2 review which contains a narrated video and a written piece.

You can find the review right here.
[br]
​
Click to expand...


hehe soon it will be time to register halflife3.net :)

It's been a long road, at last we reach the final destination, here we go!!!!! :bounce:

Good luck everyone in playing HL2, I will take a break from the forums incase of stupid spolers etc...telling me whats gonna happen in a level for example etc etc... Enjoy the fun!!! And have mercy on those poor alien souls...




:O :bounce: :thumbs:
 
blackeye said:
Do you even know what they are talking about though? They could mean gameplay, visuals, storyline or a number of many other things.

I fail to realize what is wrong with a 9.2

Its not how well gamespot likes the game, its how well you like the game.

No offense but some of the posts sound a bit fan boyish.

And just because gamespot rated halo pc 9.0 and halo xbox 9.7 doesnt mean it has anything to do with favoritism. Halo pc was released long after halo xbox and it just wasnt as ground breaking and as new. The two games also differed in areas like co-op and multiplayer. And as for the post that is compaining the half life 2 scored less then halo 2 I think you should grow up. This review does not change how good or bad the game is.
Click to expand...

Youre right.. it doesnt change how good or bad the game is.. but give credit where credit is due.
 
Wtf?

God...this video review was like...4 minutes long? The one for Halo 2 was about 20 minutes. What the hell? They really seem to have spent little to no effort in making the review of this game worthwhile to read or view.
 
They did a ton of new things, not exactly invented new things (although they still did), but are pioneering how to use them right. Yes games have had physics before this, but how many of those games actually used those physics for anything other than "wow if I shoot that box it falls down"? None do, physics up untill HL2 have just been eyecandy. How many games have actually tried to use realistic lighting rather than overexposed spotlight lighting? HL2 makes it easy to control your squad, before you couldnt tell where the ai should go, you just press a button that tells them to cover you or spread out, hl2 gives you RTS style controls in a fps. The idea of using completely different gunfire sounds depending on the distance and environment is new, games have always used the same wav file and just modified it a little to make it seem like its farther away or added some cheap reverb if they are in a hallway which never pulled off a genuine feel of distance and acoustics like HL2 does. An idea as simple as never using the same character model twice, for some reason nobody has tried that.

I think hl2 and STALKER are going to be the 2 most revolutionary fps's this generation that show people how to actually do things right (stalker looks to be kind of goofy as far as controls go, but the other elements are making it shape out to be the new deus ex). They may not get it perfect, but atleast its a step in the right direction compared to what other games have been doing with the technology. So that to me is "new"
 
mandown said:
They did a ton of new things, not exactly invented new things (although they still did), but are pioneering how to use them right. Yes games have had physics before this, but how many of those games actually used those physics for anything other than "wow if I shoot that box it falls down"? None do, physics up untill HL2 have just been eyecandy. How many games have actually tried to use realistic lighting rather than overexposed spotlight lighting? HL2 makes it easy to control your squad, before you couldnt tell where the ai should go, you just press a button that tells them to cover you or spread out, hl2 gives you RTS style controls in a fps. The idea of using completely different gunfire sounds depending on the distance and environment is new, games have always used the same wav file and just modified it a little to make it seem like its farther away or added some cheap reverb if they are in a hallway which never pulled off a genuine feel of distance and acoustics like HL2 does. An idea as simple as never using the same character model twice, for some reason nobody has tried that.

I think hl2 and STALKER are going to be the 2 most revolutionary fps's this generation that show people how to actually do things right (stalker looks to be kind of goofy as far as controls go, but the other elements are making it shape out to be the new deus ex). They may not get it perfect, but atleast its a step in the right direction compared to what other games have been doing with the technology. So that to me is "new"
Click to expand...

Exactly, thank you.
 
If we all email Gamespot and complain... :LOL:

I think it's pretty obvious the Gamespot boys like kissing Microsoft's butt too much to see the light. (Eg. Xbox, Halo, Halo 2). It's unfortunate they don't agree with the rest of the world about the quality of Half Life 2, but they're entitled to their opinion. :dozey:
 
I think you should leave halo 2 out of this. No reason to compain that halo got a higher review score. If you dont like the scores just ignore them.
 
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