Half life 2 is overrated

[Shift]

It's too bad HL1 gameplay is nowhere near as refined or polished as HL2's. (I've just come off playing HL1 again).

Gonna have to agree with you on that.

 

[AciD]

Me too...

 

[99.vikram]

HL2 already has its own story, and you pretty much wake up toward the end of it, to help the resistance finely over throw the combine after there reign over humanity for so many years. It's barely even about Gordon... It's more about the combine. All you really are is a soldier fighting against another tyrant, leading a group of resistance..

It's a matter of taste then, innit?

 

[DireAvenger]

The only thing I really didn't like about the first Half Life 2 game that came out, Was that it didn't include air vehicles, And you were mostly on foot during the game.

It would have been fun if you could Hijack A Combine Helicopter and start blasting people with it.

But other than that, Awesome game.

To me, HL1 was only tolerable If I turned the graphics up to HIGH. Seriously, I strained my eyes quite badly while playing on the default settings.

But other than that little predicament, Good game, Except Xen was hard to get around...

 

[blackiris]

It's too bad HL1 gameplay is nowhere near as refined or polished as HL2's. (I've just come off playing HL1 again).

Well - It did come out in the 1990's... So obviously, it wasn't going to be as refined - But back in it's day, it was as amazing - if not more, as when HL2 came out.

Your missing the point I'm trying to get across. 'HL2 relied on dialog for solid story telling, where as HL relied more on game play to tell the story. Thats what made the story telling so great. It didn't need to be told to you - You played out the story itself.

Take all the dialog out of HL2 and what would you be left with? Personally, I'd be lost.

To me, HL1 was only tolerable If I turned the graphics up to HIGH. Seriously, I strained my eyes quite badly while playing on the default settings.

That's true... I must admit it was a little blocky on the default 'Software' settings... But who actually plays HL on those settings anyway? All the new SD content coming out on the HIT forums for HL is also helping to improve it graphics wise - So this isn't really a problem for me.

I think all this considered - To be blatantly honest with you all - BMS is going to be substantially better then HL2 itself.

 

[PortalStormzzzz]

I think this spam is rightfully posted
DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB

anyhow, Half Life is teh best game ever. get a life troll. How could you not love the game that brought physics into the gaming world?!

 

[Jintor]

I think this spam is rightfully posted
DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB DUMB

anyhow, Half Life is teh best game ever. get a life troll. How could you not love the game that brought physics into the gaming world?!

Ladies and gentlemen, the idiot fanboy.

 

[blackiris]

Half Life is teh best game ever. get a life troll. How could you not love the game that brought physics into the gaming world?!

%100 AGREED.

 

[Avoidist]

%100 AGREED.

The idiot fanboy's lackey.

 

[blackiris]

The idiot fanboy's lackey.

You guys ain't a fan of HL?

 

[blackiris]

i'm A Proud Hl Fanboy!!!

 

[ShadowX]

I'd have to say that HL2 is underrated actually.

 

[AciD]

Goldfinger is overrated. Look at metacritics

 

[jakesp]

Have you really heard yourself it's an amazing game and the orange box makes up for it if you dont like HL2 series. I suppose it would be a lot better if HL2 had a multiplayer rather than 2fort being the soul multiplayer game on the orange box

 

[Qonfused]

I'd have to say that HL2 is underrated actually.

The game garnered near unanimous positive reviews and received critical acclaim, winning over 35 Game of the Year awards for 2004.

Half-Life 2 has been critically acclaimed for advances in computer animation, sound, narration, computer graphics, artificial intelligence (AI) and physics.

Overall, the Half-Life franchise, including Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat, has sold over 20 million units.

klol

 

[MattyDienhoff]

I think the bottom line is, Half-Life brought substantial innovations to the genre and so did Half-Life 2. They're both excellent games for their times, but I never really expected the sequel to top the original, which has been named the best game (or at least FPS) ever how many times now? But I'm content that Half-Life 2 is just as good as the first one.

The problem with sequels is the developers lose full freedom to make it what they want, because having played a game, everyone develops preconceptions about what the sequel should be, and it's impossible to please everyone.

But, I must say, whether you like the first game better or not, I don't understand how any first person shooter fan could fail to be entertained by Half-Life 2. If a person has become so jaded they can't enjoy it then I truly feel sorry for them.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

The problem with sequels is the developers lose full freedom to make it what they want, because having played a game, everyone develops preconceptions about what the sequel should be, and it's impossible to please everyone.

Quite true, and one of HL2's biggest weaknesses in fact. HL2 has deviated so much from the formula and feel of the original, that I would have appreciated the game much better if it had been released as an individual and different IP by Valve. The only reason they seem to have stuck with the original universe was to boost sales and hype.

The claustrophobic and alien feel that permeated every single level in HL is nowhere to be found in HL2, which as I have stated many times before was too caught up in providing cinematic flair, which is just laughably pulled off, in many places at least.

One such example of this is in the chapter Entanglement, after the first turret defence sequence; look at the scene in which it is revealed to Alyx that Mossman is collaborating with Breen. The over the top facial expressions, gasps, dialogue etc seem so artificial and easy to see through, that you would just have to be a rabid fanboy to not feel embarrassed at the scene.

HL had notably no character development to speak of, but the point is that it never depended on stuff like that, and intended to simply concentrate on basic ?FPS? elements, and polish them to perfection. It was not an innovative game at all per se, but it was the first game to bring everything that was good about FPS together in a fantastically balanced and memorable whole.

I do agree that progress is necessary, and I do respect HL2 for trying to break the mould and evolve the genre, it is just that it doesn?t do that quite to the level and quality that everyone is trying to suggest, IMO.

 

[Operational]

One such example of this is in the chapter Entanglement, after the first turret defence sequence; look at the scene in which it is revealed to Alyx that Mossman is collaborating with Breen. The over the top facial expressions, gasps, dialogue etc seem so artificial and easy to see through, that you would just have to be a rabid fanboy to not feel embarrassed at the scene.

Yeah there were a few pieces of dialogue that made me cringe in HL2, especially the first time I played it. It is something that definitely improved in the Episodes, they have consistent great dialogue.

 

[99.vikram]

The claustrophobic and alien feel that permeated every single level in HL is nowhere to be found in HL2, which as I have stated many times before was too caught up in providing cinematic flair, which is just laughably pulled off, in many places at least.

I respectfully disagree.

You do have a point that their expressions were exaggerated in the original HL2, but it's hard to make a gamer focus on a tiny face on flat screen. You have to understand that.

 

[repiV]

I think HL2 is definitely overrated. Sure, it's a great game, but it's not "best game ever" material. There's nothing particularly special about it - it's an involving FPS with grand scale and cinematic elements, but merely average combat - as with all Valve games.
It's not very well paced - the first half of the game takes forever to get going, and then the second half of the game flashes right by. The AI allies are terrible, the level design in Anticitizen One and Follow Freeman is abysmal and that section of the game is a great letdown, and the game has lots of long, drawn out sections with no character interaction or story elements at all.
Plus, the constant load zones destroy the experience on the PCs of the time.

Not that there are a whole bunch of better FPS games out there, but frankly very few games these days are actually any good. With the genre-blurring that goes on these days, I think Deus Ex and Mass Effect are both superior games and also comparable to a large degree.

 

[Asknoone]

I think HL2 is definitely overrated. Sure, it's a great game, but it's not "best game ever" material. There's nothing particularly special about it - it's an involving FPS with grand scale and cinematic elements, but merely average combat - as with all Valve games.

Good job we've moved beyond the realms of shooting gallery gameplay.

 

[repiV]

Good job we've moved beyond the realms of shooting gallery gameplay.

HL2 is more of a shooting gallery than most.

 

[Omnomnick]

'Half Life 2 is underrated' more like

 

[Asknoone]

HL2 is more of a shooting gallery than most.

Quite wrong. It was the first game to break that mold with its varied gameplay; it's certainly much more a SG than the Episodes though.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

I respectfully disagree.

You do have a point that their expressions were exaggerated in the original HL2, but it's hard to make a gamer focus on a tiny face on flat screen. You have to understand that.

My previous statement was a bit too spiteful, I agree. However, HL2 simply does not pull off the narrative as well as say Mafia, which although relied on using cut-scenes, had amazing characterization, the dialogue and acting was pulled off perfectly, nothing was over-dramatised or over-acted, and it felt like a truly mature game.

HL2 can be forgiven a bit because you have full control of the player the whole time and you might miss out on plot points if the game didn't draw your attention through some overplayed dialogue. The episodes have definitely improved on this count, but still every now and then the limitations such as Gordon being mute (which I fully endorse, by the way) become apparent, especially when the one-sided dialogue gives the "talking to a five-year old" effect.

 

[Asknoone]

HL2 is far, far from overdramatic in every sense of the word. Did you ever play MGS? Now that is overdramatic. And what's more, this is only your opinion, which I seem to be pointing out to you again.

 

[repiV]

Quite wrong. It was the first game to break that mold with its varied gameplay; it's certainly much more a SG than the Episodes though.

Deus Ex predates it by five years or so.
Quake 4, which might have been released after HL2, but was in development since long before HL2 was out, has just as many non-shooting gallery elements as HL2.

 

[99.vikram]

My previous statement was a bit too spiteful, I agree. However, HL2 simply does not pull off the narrative as well as say Mafia, which although relied on using cut-scenes, had amazing characterization, the dialogue and acting was pulled off perfectly, nothing was over-dramatised or over-acted, and it felt like a truly mature game.

I don't think there's any way I can agree on this. Mafia's narrative dropped cliche after cliche on a skeletal story, IMO.
I'm getting the feeling that you don't like the plot of HL2, which has less to do with the narrative than the game not suiting you.

 

[nurizeko]

HL2 is more of a shooting gallery than most.

Because we all know fighting Hunters and trying to master yet another physics puzzle/just plain old puzzle is a shooting gallery.

TBH Halo 3 is more of a shooting gallery game by the actual standards and definition of shooting gallery.

Not that shooting gallery games are all bad, I like Rainbow Six Vegas, and I play allot of "mindless" FPS games. HL2 just isn't one of them.

 

[Asknoone]

Deus Ex predates it by five years or so.
Quake 4, which might have been released after HL2, but was in development since long before HL2 was out, has just as many non-shooting gallery elements as HL2.

Deus Ex is a entirely different game in every way, shape and form and you can't even begin to compare the gameplay. And Quake 4 was an abomination that should be jettisoned through a time-warp, where it belongs.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

HL2 is far, far from overdramatic in every sense of the word. Did you ever play MGS? Now that is overdramatic. And what's more, this is only your opinion, which I seem to be pointing out to you again.

MGS is littered with over-the-top fiction and it is at heart an unapologetic epic japanese action movie and what you are calling over-dramatised is widely appreciated by its fans, difference in priorities and tastes, nothing else. And what's more, it is unbashedly overdramatized, it is not trying to provide the kind of authentic, close to real life, acting and dialogue that HL2 is seeking to provide. While MGS manages to deliver on what it has set out to deliver amazingly well, HL2 doesn't do it as convincingly, although obviously it is taking on a more challenging task.

 

[99.vikram]

difference in priorities and tastes

Ironic post is ironic.

 

[Asknoone]

MGS is littered with over-the-top fiction and it is at heart an unapologetic epic japanese action movie and what you are calling over-dramatised is widely appreciated by its fans, difference in priorities and tastes, nothing else.

You understand how this could be reversed, right? Because I mean, I could easily say - quite truthfully - the things you're saying about HL2 being bad are in fact not bad, and widely appreciated by the fans.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

I don't think there's any way I can agree on this. Mafia's narrative dropped cliche after cliche on a skeletal story, IMO.
I'm getting the feeling that you don't like the plot of HL2, which has less to do with the narrative than the game not suiting you.

I had a feeling using Mafia wasn't going to be worth it. Mafia had a cliched story, I agree. But it is the way that the story was conveyed that I was talking about, the pitch-perfect delivery of the dialogue, the excellent facial animations, etc.

And I definitely do like the plot of HL2, it is much more detailed and grand than other pure FPS's (not including the likes of System shock, and Deus Ex as they are completely different animals, as Samon rightfully pointed), but improvement in the delivery and coming up with well rounded conclusions is what I think Ep3 should concentrate on, as Ep2 was simply too thin in the overall story, and was simply not the revelation that I thought it was going to be.

Ironic post is ironic.

You understand how this could be reversed, right? Because I mean, I could easily say - quite truthfully - the things you're saying about HL2 being bad are in fact not bad, and widely appreciated by the fans.

Arghhh...Caught out again... Still, I meant it in a different context, the context here being what the game is focussing on, and the target audience. I hope you would agree but I am seeing HL2 through the same perspective and am getting the same experience, only difference being that I think that it has been a step backwards in many areas compared to the original and being expectant of more quality and refinement in areas, where others think that it is good enough, but criticizing MGS for the way it handles dialogue and writing is simply a misunderstanding, IMO.

I have never opposed the view that whether someone likes or dislikes a game is largely based on differences in tastes, but in comparing and judging certain quantities, like the quality of combat, or the quality of the narration, although the element of taste is still involved to an extent, you have to agree that some games are simply superior to others if viewed in an objective basis, and this is where, I think, HL2 is severely overrated by people, as the many things it does have been done better in other games. The whole package simply does not feel as special as it is supposed to be.

 

[repiV]

Deus Ex is a entirely different game in every way, shape and form and you can't even begin to compare the gameplay.

I disagree. After all, you're basically saying in not so direct terms that the best shooters are the ones that don't concentrate on just shooting.
Both HL2 and Deus Ex further that concept - Deus Ex just goes a bit farther. It still has FPS gameplay mechanics.

STALKER, certainly, is both an FPS and an RPG, you can't entirely define it as one or the other.

And Quake 4 was an abomination that should be jettisoned through a time-warp, where it belongs.

Arguable, but that's irrelevant to the discussion at hand. It's no more of a shooting gallery than HL2 - if anything, it has proportionally more parts where you aren't just wandering around by yourself shooting stuff. You get to walk around on the ship between missions, there are plenty of non-combat sequences throughout the game, and the first third of the game is squad based.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

You understand how this could be reversed, right? Because I mean, I could easily say - quite truthfully - the things you're saying about HL2 being bad are in fact not bad, and widely appreciated by the fans.

To further elaborate on this position as I feel I was not very clear last time. Samon, your problems with MGS stem from the very formula that has always made it what it is, and your grievances with its different parts are a result of your core irritability with the mechanic it is based on. In other words, if you are not looking at the game the way it is supposed to be looked at, any judgement you pass against the game will be void because you are simply not ready to like the game. Sounds very ironic up to this point, I can tell.

Now, I am, as I have stated before, a true fan of the Half-life franchise, and no matter how self-righteous this may sound, I am definitely looking at the game for what it is, an attempt to break off from the conventions of the last game, and the FPS genre in general. Now the many parts that I have been critical of HL2, such as the cinematic element, the easy combat, the atmosphere, etc are not because I simply do not like these sort of things, but because they have been handled very poorly, and the faults seem magnified because of the acclaim it has garnered.

Now, I have already said many times how I much prefer the lone wolf type of experience, as it provides more challenge and atmosphere in most cases, but I am not bashing HL2 simply for not following my whim on this part, and understand the reasons why it has made us stick with a sidekick, and applaud it for the different approach it is trying to take. Now, this is as far as any fan will go in trying to understand the game's motives for doing certain things differently, and not bitching and moaning for the simple fact that it did those things. But not being able to see the grave flaws that emerged from taking such a step and the poor handling of the approach, simply smacks of blind fanboyism, and if I point out the flaws with the approach, it does not make me any less of a fan, or simply biased against HL2, as many here are trying to suggest.

 

[99.vikram]

But not being able to see the grave flaws that emerged from taking such a step and the poor handling of the approach, simply smacks of blind fanboyism, and if I point out the flaws with the approach, it does not make me any less of a fan, or simply biased against HL2, as many here are trying to suggest.

What you see as great flaws are, to my mind, trivial mistakes and compromises. HL2 has a nice semi-deep plot, good dialogue, awesome combat (without resorting to bullet time and other mechanics) and GREAT variety.

The ONLY flaws I see are that the voice acting and body language is exaggerated at times. This is a result of it being a pure FPS, and I really don't mind these compromises.

HL2 set out to do something new and did it well. It got 35 GOTYs for this reason.

Also, I think you prefer HL because there the environment told the story rather than the characters. I personally find that a little regressive.

 

[Hellform]

To further elaborate on this position as I feel I was not very clear last time. Samon, your problems with MGS stem from the very formula that has always made it what it is, and your grievances with its different parts are a result of your core irritability with the mechanic it is based on. In other words, if you are not looking at the game the way it is supposed to be looked at, any judgement you pass against the game will be void because you are simply not ready to like the game.Sounds very ironic up to this point, I can tell.

It also sounds like a classic example of special pleading.

Also,HL2 haters frequently use the "easy combat" criticism,as if the entire game is an extended cakewalk. Nothing could be further from the truth. I understand that the Combine soldiers themselves aren't much more than cannon-fodder,but HL2 doesn't center its gameplay on mindless firefights with the Overwatch. I've played through the game twice,both times on the highest difficulty;certain sections of the game were fairly challenging.Yes,the combat in HL2 and HL1 is dramatically different. [The combat in Half Life 1 actually has more in common with the Halo franchise;the firefights with the deathsquads are consistently dynamic because of strong AI.]HL2 just isn't like HL1.But the combat in HL2isn't entirely easy,thanks to some aggressively challenging level design;the bridge sequence,the assault on Nova Prospekt,Nova Prospekt itself,the gunship battles,Strider battles,the assault on the Civil Protection Headquarters,etc...these action sets included fairly challenging combat.

 

[vanillacrazycake]

HL2 is not an easy game, and I agree that the most of HL2's challenge comes from the level design, and the amazing set-plays in the final few chapters of HL2 are a good example (not counting the dreadful final act where you get the Super ggun, although the narrative was fantastic). But most of its difficulty also comes from annoying means. Like, turrets which can do super damage, infinitely spawning antlions, turret defence sections, etc... But is it a fun way to manufacture difficulty? Not for me it isn't.

A fun way for difficulty is fighting against enemies that have good AI, are strategically placed, have good attack damage, decent amounts of HP, and looks/sounds kickass. Now, most of the previous criteria are nicely met by the Hunters, but the problem is that they have way too much HP against bullets (way too less against Ggun), and they are more of a mini-boss, than a enemy that you can fight 4-5 of at a time, and still get a good challenge, and fun. The elites from Halo, or the marines and controllers from HL, are amazing enemies, and HL2 still doesn’t have enemies that are as good yet, and I hope the synth enemies that will appear in Ep3 will be great to fight against.

I am not a HL2 hater, Hellform, it is one of the top 10 games easily, and the saving grace for FPS’s on the PC, but it did have some flaws, and it has not been taken care of in the episodes. No harder than hard difficulty, enemy variety and challenge hasn’t been improved, the same year old mechanic is being reused again and again. The episodes are all basically four-five hour romps and not enough good stuff is being filled in that time unfortunately. I can’t remember any genuinely high class, and balls-tighteningly fantastic chapters such as Anticitizen One, Follow Freeman, instead every thing feels like it is a lesser version of what you found in HL2.

Episode 2 was extremely disappointing because of this, the story was very thin, predictable stuff happened, no major plot development or twist, and the narrative did not have the "driving-force" of HL2, or ep1, the environment while beautiful, did not exude any urgency or danger, hell, even the last fight takes place on a nice sunny day. The lack of combine soldiers to fight against resulted in very few satisfying combat sections, and nothing gave an overall "epic" feeling to the episode that the previous iterations provided.

The overbearing feeling that I get from the episodes is that Valve are not aiming high enough at all, and have settled with providing more of the same, rather than innovate and seek to provide GOTY material.

 

[Narvi]

Well, yeah, that's what people want. Most developers are going for expansions before going for another monolithic project. Even Halo 3 was essentially more of the same. Supreme Commander is releasing stand-alone expansions periodically. Dawn of War has another stand-alone expansion coming out this year.

I'm not entirely sure how the Episode 2 plot was "thin" since a lot more happened than in Episode One.