Half-Life 2, Overated?

[miked4o7]

My god, I think a good amount of you have gone completely insane. I'm 23, been playing fps since Wolfenstein, played every fps that I know of from beginning to end and not a single one of them in their entirety was as good as the first 3 chapters of hl2 were... and hl2 just keeps getting better and better after that.

And seriously, I don't know what half the community and a good amount of even reviewers are smoking when they say this game isn't groundbreaking. PHYSICS for christ sakes people! There's honest to God PHYSICS in the game that's exponentially more advanced than the physics in any other game. Don't you understand the implications? The possibilities? If you've played the game, the answer should be yes. If every aspect of hl2 sucked other than the physics, the game would still be amazing and would be seen at least as a good effort by valve to innovate... but everything else doesn't suck. In fact, everything else is pretty damn good.

And as for the storyline... It's exactly on par in scope and substance as hl1 was, which was pretty much universally accepted as one of the best, if not the best, first person shooters ever.

The game has some flaws, but compared to it's strengths they're virtually non-existent. It seems like too many of you, for one reason or another, find it necessary to play the cynic no matter what. It's ok to admit that hl2 is the best fps ever... it doesn't make you stupid or a fanboy... it makes you right.

 

[Spartan]

The 1st half-life was like the 1st fps to have a real story it was also the game that kicked off the modding community.

Incorrect. Modding started with Doom and took off with Quake (the engine that Half-Life uses). The HL community is just an extension of what Quake accomplished.

About the half-life 2 story. Its the middle chapter they dont explain things for a reason its like the half-life style.

If they didn't explain anything about the first part or the second part, what precisely makes you think that they will explain anything in the third part?

hl2 has MOVIE quality effects and scenes.

No. That would imply that HL2 is photorealistic, which it is not. It would also imply that movie studios have extremely expensive and powerful computer clusters for effects that HL2 can - supposedly - render in realtime.

 

[Spartan]

It's ok to admit that hl2 is the best fps ever... it doesn't make you stupid or a fanboy... it makes you right.

What a comment. It demonstrates that you are not only stupid, but a fanboy as well.

 

[miked4o7]

What a comment. It demonstrates that you are not only stupid, but a fanboy as well.

Have a nice day

 

[Asuka]

Incorrect. Modding started with Doom and took off with Quake (the engine that Half-Life uses). The HL community is just an extension of what Quake accomplished.



If they didn't explain anything about the first part or the second part, what precisely makes you think that they will explain anything in the third part?



No. That would imply that HL2 is photorealistic, which it is not. It would also imply that movie studios have extremely expensive and powerful computer clusters for effects that HL2 can - supposedly - render in realtime.

Did you read the whole thing. Why dont you quote the fact that i said it does explain things. Just you need to dig deep for them. The story gets explained in your surroundings. You just cant except the fact that this is one of the greatest games of all time.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/914642.asp

"Half-Life 2 will have a massive single-player storyline composed of 12 chapters. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors of both friends and enemies."

"On 11/16 the PC received a new game from VU Games titled Half-Life 2. Since then 15 sites and magazines have reviewed it including Game Informer, Computer & Video Games UK, Games Radar UK and Gamespy. Together their reviews have resulted in an average ratio of 97.3%. That ratio has resulted in this title becoming the 2nd best game of all time and the 1st best game on the PC."

Now is there an argument at all? You cant even bring this up. Listen will all those magazines, people around the world rate the game this high if it wasnt that good? Your 1 person probably a few more like you. Your saying that the majority of the people which is like 99% are wrong and that 1% are right? Your really putting up an argument there bud.

 

[Spartan]

Did you read the whole thing. Why dont you quote the fact that i said it does explain things. Just you need to dig deep for them. The story gets explained in your surroundings. You just cant except the fact that this is one of the greatest games of all time.

It's one of the greatest action games, but as far as story goes it sucks donkey cock.

"Half-Life 2 will have a massive single-player storyline composed of 12 chapters. By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors of both friends and enemies."

That's from HL2's marketing campaign. The official story. What the hell does that prove?

"On 11/16 the PC received a new game from VU Games titled Half-Life 2. Since then 15 sites and magazines have reviewed it including Game Informer, Computer & Video Games UK, Games Radar UK and Gamespy. Together their reviews have resulted in an average ratio of 97.3%. That ratio has resulted in this title becoming the 2nd best game of all time and the 1st best game on the PC."

And?

Now is there an argument at all? You cant even bring this up. Listen will all those magazines, people around the world rate the game this high if it wasnt that good? Your 1 person probably a few more like you. Your saying that the majority of the people which is like 99% are wrong and that 1% are right? Your really putting up an argument there bud.

You ****ing idiot. I'm talking about the ****ing story, not the ****ing game as a whole.

No matter how many times I repeat myself, I find that I have to repeat myself once more. I'm honestly getting frustrated.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

So what exactly were you expecting from the story? What would they have to do to fulfil your expectations?

 

[Latin_Jones]

noway...

This game won't even make me a cup of friggin coffee while I'm up all night playing it!!!!



I don't think it's overrated. It was definately overhyped. But, I haven't had this much fun with a game in a long time. I can sit down and play it for 4 hours straight. I thought I was losing interest in games until this came along. Especially after I took a half day off work to play doom 3. What a dissapointment. Never even made it through the game before I sold it.

I can't say this is the best game ever. But it is definately one of the most fun. Except for that scarytown level

 

[Don stone]

Well finished the game today and well was that all i mean this isnt half life it some second rate wana be half-life.
where are all the guns monsters puzzles and a storyline? still have no idea why i was in city 17 or why i was doing half the things. how long for the next one to carry on the half done storyline.

thats the other point how long have they been making this game 5 year? what have they been doing playing solitare all day. yeh ok it looks cool but there are so many bugs the time with squad action is pointless much faster to leave them and go on without ohh look the a grenade i'll run they stand still in a lump and all die.

half life was the best game ever having to redo areas as you lost to much health or ammo this is just shoot with same gun. fun times like prospect nova with the ant-lions only happens once same with buggy boat ect. should have just made half-life again made it look better ect.

 

[Mountain Man]

Half-Life 2 is currently the zenith of FPS game design, and possibly game design in general. You can tell Valve spent a lot of time fine-tuning the gameplay.

If you're unwilling to say that Half-Life 2 is one of the best games ever--if not the best game ever--then which game(s) is/are better?

 

[Reaktor4]

No. That would imply that HL2 is photorealistic, which it is not. It would also imply that movie studios have extremely expensive and powerful computer clusters for effects that HL2 can - supposedly - render in realtime.

It is. Photorealistic doesnt mean something has to look exactly like a photo, it just has to be reasonably realistic looking. And some parts of hl2 do look almost real anyway.

 

[PadreScout]

thats easy. Space Quest 2 ( or was it 3. damn it, not again) Best game of all time. when i was like 8 I must've played that game through 30 times. I've beaten HL2 once and have no desire to play it again. Thats a good case.

 

[Don stone]

the 1st Half Life is the #1 game of all time.

 

[PadreScout]

thats the other point how long have they been making this game 5 year? what have they been doing playing solitare all day.

I got the impression from the last hours of HL2 thing they were kinda trying to make the games engine work for about 4 years 8 months of that 5 years. But seriously. Don't be so harsh. It was fun. Lots of fun. .. I dont think I'll ever play it again but it was DEFINITLY worth the free I paid for it. Which is kinda sad. I got a voucher with my videocard. The game was so late I had upgraded that card by the time HL2 released. things that make ya go " hmm" eh? Anyhoo, all sarcasm aside it was a really excellent game.

 

[junco]

Spartan... I think it's time to let it go. Most people think there is a story, and a few people don't. Uhh okay. Just being curious I searched your past posts.. I read 4 of the most recent pages of them... every one is either about how HL2's story sucks or everyone on here is an idiot. You're determined to convince, eh? Almost every post you insult someone or speak in a really negative manner. If you're getting so frustrated why do you keep replying? What's the deal?

I haven't finished the game so I can't comment on the story... I like it so far.

 

[PvtRyan]

Spartan, do us all a favor and shut the hell up, everyone's sick of you.

 

[boomyak]

And the same bullshit goes on and on... you can't tell me because you don't know. Or, what you do know is so little that it's almost worthless.

you're a douche, and you have no imagination, my guess is that you're actually nothing more than a meager bot script intent on pissing on everything you experiance

"and oxygen, don't even get me started on oxygen!"

**** you, and your mother, and your sister

 

[flo_Orian]

wtf, i mean its the best game since doom3. that already worth 90%

 

[SubKamran]

I think it is the best single player FPS I have played, so I would rate it 10/10. They put so much work into it, it is almost flawless. What do you mean it is so linear? You don't have to do everything the same way every time...I don't know how to tell you this without a spoiler though.

So says my friend also, he couldn't shup about it. And he was a skeptic at first. He's all like, "OMFG SO REAL! I LOVE THIS!"

I can't wait to play and see the storyline for myself... because I suspect it's a lot like 1984 and if it is, I will love it.

I don't think people can comprehend the storyline, you people should go read Marc Laidlaw's books, they are pretty complicated. But very good also (The 37th Mandala).

And linear... hmmm, Half-Life 1 was extremely linear. You can only do it one way all the time, it looks like HL2 is not as linear.

 

[Warbie]

My god, I think a good amount of you have gone completely insane. I'm 23, been playing fps since Wolfenstein, played every fps that I know of from beginning to end and not a single one of them in their entirety was as good as the first 3 chapters of hl2 were...

I agree with you up to there. The begining of HL2 exceeded my ridiculously high expectations. I couldn't believe it was that good. Then things go gradually down hill, and pick up a little at the end. (luckily - downhill from utterly amazing is still good )

In the end I think it's a great game. If it had kept up with the pace and intrigue the start promised, or had the physics (which are still excellent fun) been as integrated into the gameplay as the first few levels suggestd, it would be the gratest FPS ever (imo)

As it stands it's just one of the greatest shooters

 

[Spartan]

So what exactly were you expecting from the story? What would they have to do to fulfil your expectations?

Explanations. Reasons. Gordon just aimlessly wanders through the game without caring what is happening and why. And no one bothers to tell him.

Spartan, do us all a favor and shut the hell up, everyone's sick of you.

If you don't like the idea that some people in the world don't agree with you, the Internet is the last place you should visit.

you're a douche, and you have no imagination, my guess is that you're actually nothing more than a meager bot script intent on pissing on everything you experiance

If I'm an automated script, my programmer must be very talented. Maybe Valve should hire him to do the AI in HL3.

**** you, and your mother, and your sister

How do you suppose that a bot script can have a family?

 

[Socketman]

HL2 was not over-rated, and is not "average" if you take away the grav gun and water effects, I shall explain why without refering to the grav gun or water:

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. It has a nice variety of settings. You get big outdoor action with the hover boat and coastal road. But you also get indoor stuff with the prison and nova prospect. They mixed it up well enough you never get sick of one type of scenery

2. Physics puzzles. I hate puzzles, but many (not all) of the ones in this game actually made you think instead of mindless running around. Example is the ramp sequence where you have to put the barrels under it in order to jump it.

3. Monster variety. Ive never seen such a varied mix of enemy types. Flying saw blades, mutants, humans, turret guns, drop ships. In Doom 3 the zombies looked great, but i got sick of shooting the same old stuff over and over.

4. Your friends. You get the ant lions, the robotic dog, and get to command a small squad. Ive never played a game with this much variety of help along the way.

Ive got a few more but time is short. But i think those are 4 reasons why it wasnt over hyped.

 

[Baal]

This might just be the fanboy within me talking, but I love it so far, and I'm just sad it has to end.

Honestly, besides the little bugs in the game, its only flaw to me, as of right now, is it has to come to end..

Also this new found "HL2 deathmatch" seems intriguing.

 

[Camon_Draconis]

heres a spoiler to disprove the linear-ness

Spoiler

Chapter: Entanglement. The last area when alyx is away and you get gun turrets. mount all the turrets in a jail cell and hide in there. or keep them in the open!

^^^^^^ see right there is a diffrent method of playing.

pfffft linear my ass!

 

[boomyak]

Quote:
Originally Posted by boomyak
you're a douche, and you have no imagination, my guess is that you're actually nothing more than a meager bot script intent on pissing on everything you experiance

"and oxygen, don't even get me started on oxygen!"


If I'm an automated script, my programmer must be very talented. Maybe Valve should hire him to do the AI in HL3.

Quote:
**** you, and your mother, and your sister


How do you suppose that a bot script can have a family?



you missed the other glaring story blunder where i mocked your contempt for oxygen, being a lowly script and all. with your incessant loathing of continuity amongst storylines i figured you'd pounce on that one. douche!

 

[Spartan]

you missed the other glaring story blunder where i mocked your contempt for oxygen, being a lowly script and all. with your incessant loathing of continuity amongst storylines i figured you'd pounce on that one. douche!

How can you mock my contempt for oxygen if I've never said that I hold oxygen in contempt, or even talked about oxygen at all?

You're so messed up.

 

[westie]

Hl2 is the best thing since sliced cheese, you heard, im talkin about that cheese that comes in the plastic stuff which is impossible to open and when you do finally open it the cheese tastes like plastic, but hey they are fun to stick on windows, when i was in year 7 at school we used to stick the cheese on the window of our classroom. It stayed there for 2 years untill someone got caught and had to clear it all off. LOL.

 

[boomyak]

How can you mock my contempt for oxygen if I've never said that I hold oxygen in contempt, or even talked about oxygen at all?

You're so messed up.

ok, i think i understand now, if you can't follow that train of thought, then how could i expect you to understand the storyline of HL2. i believe i owe you an apology.

btw, to hopefully CONCLUDE this whole spartan vs. the world subplot, i can SEE WHERE HE'S COMING FROM, he does have a VIEWPOINT, he might have trouble expressing it DIPLOMATICALLY but nonetheless has an opinion and therefore the right to express it. And really, if you're gonna take cheap shots at people spartan, at least do it in a way that will make me smile, none of this jaded "yawn, you're stupid" crap, go big or go home

 

[Spartan]

ok, i think i understand now, if you can't follow that train of thought, then how could i expect you to understand the storyline of HL2. i believe i owe you an apology.

btw, to hopefully CONCLUDE this whole spartan vs. the world subplot, i can SEE WHERE HE'S COMING FROM, he does have a VIEWPOINT, he might have trouble expressing it DIPLOMATICALLY but nonetheless has an opinion and therefore the right to express it. And really, if you're gonna take cheap shots at people spartan, at least do it in a way that will make me smile, none of this jaded "yawn, you're stupid" crap, go big or go home

Weren't you the one who told me to go **** myself, my mother and my sister? Is that diplomatic? Is that the opposite of a cheap shot?

 

[miked4o7]

I agree with you up to there. The begining of HL2 exceeded my ridiculously high expectations. I couldn't believe it was that good. Then things go gradually down hill, and pick up a little at the end. (luckily - downhill from utterly amazing is still good )

I don't feel the same way, but I think I can understand why you feel that way... the first three chapters did lead me to believe that it was going to be more story-heavy than it has actually turned out to be so far (I'm in nova prospekt right now). In that way, I can see where people would be dissapointed... but as far as the action goes it just seems like it keeps getting better and better to me.

In the end I think it's a great game. If it had kept up with the pace and intrigue the start promised, or had the physics (which are still excellent fun) been as integrated into the gameplay as the first few levels suggestd, it would be the gratest FPS ever (imo)

I didn't really feel mislead by the first few chapters concerning how the physics would be implemented. It feels pretty much like I hoped it would up to the point where I am now.

 

[boomyak]

spartan, you're laaaaaaaaaaaame and i'm giving up trying to put any creative or original input into this discussion because i know that it's going to waste

 

[operative x]

The only reason xbox people like halo2 so much is because there is nothing else to play on the xbox. The moment they get something fun to play, they think it is the god of all games. IMHO hl2 is UNDERATED. Some parts in that game felt almost cenimatic. For example when you leave that mineshaft in ravenholm, and you see the white light which leads you to a railroad tracks area, then the music kicked in, that was the most cenimatic experience ever in a game. It felt like a movie sometimes. It felt... awesome.

 

[CR0M]

Hl2 is the best thing since sliced cheese, you heard, im talkin about that cheese that comes in the plastic stuff which is impossible to open and when you do finally open it the cheese tastes like plastic, but hey they are fun to stick on windows, when i was in year 7 at school we used to stick the cheese on the window of our classroom. It stayed there for 2 years untill someone got caught and had to clear it all off. LOL.

\o/ for sticky cheese flavoured squares of plastic window repair plasters. I had a mold farm in my locker at college 15 years ago that is still there as far as I know.

 

[Eon Blue]

It's good, but it is overrated.

 

[Rhalle]

I love HL2.

Valve slacked in many places:

1. It is linear. It's very linear. It's linear to the point of Valve hiding doors that you must go through, so as to make it seem non-linear.

1a. It's still got a little too much DOOM in it's heart, which threatens to de-volve the game to a platform jumper at any moment. Even if this is HL2's homage to HL1, it still threatens to be a little too much.

2. For a game that looks so good in some ways, there are many spots of glaring crappiness. There are some really, really, ugly low-res textures scattered around. The City 17 building faces are graphically primitive. Close ups often reveal horribly low-res graphics.

3. There's too much loading. The game is always frickin' loading. Just when you've accomplished something and are starting to get into it, you have to wait for yet another one-minute load.

4. The load times are way too long.

5. The stuttering sound bug that Valve overlooked is pretty bad.
Did they test it on one system, one with 2g of ram and think all was good?

6. There's almost no music in the game. It plays for thirty seconds (if that much) a level.

7. Physics get bugged quite often and inexplicable things happen. Often you must restart when critical fancy stuff gets glitched.

8. The middle parts of the game sometimes drag so bad for so long and get to be so repetitive that you start to feel sick and bored and you wish you could skip them, and keep saying to yourself: "This is a great game....Um, when will this level end?" The airboat comes to mind.

9. I'm a fan of Valve's mode of storytelling-non-storytelling, but it perhaps starts to border on the absurd, and look like old-fashioned Hucksterism.

10. The levels released with the alpha look dated, as if Valve didn't do much to them in the past two years. The view of the coastline, when you look out on the water looks like it's maybe in the beta stage, still.

11. A game with a 40m+ budget that wants to people a city could hire more than two people to do voice acting for the entire city's population.

12. The alpha had lots more things in it (monsters, weapons) that Valve is saving up to spread around in some expansions, so they can do less work and get more money for it.

13. My loading screen is in 3d, but the skybox when I play the game is static 2d. Ugh. Valve, why? Fix the core first. Valve went the extra mile on some things, and left others way behind.
They tried to impress us and increase the hype with really new flashy stuff, but didn't get some of the basic things right, first.

14. The buggy shows the front tires spinning out, but its clearly not a front wheel drive vehicle...

15. Every surface you drive on is like ice, whether its a boulder, grass, or sand. (The getting in and out of the vehicles, however, is flawless.)

16. The gunplay isn't all that exciting. (HL1 gunplay was way more fun, I thought. The gravity gun is fantastic, if ultimately somewhat limited.)

17. I still have no idea why the snipers kept shooting the ground (especially on the railroad tracks), other than it was supposed to remind me that I was playing a video game, a game like HL1.

18. I started to feel like a sci-fi janitor in some spots, having to clear junk out of my way so many times in so many critical places.

19. Re-hashing. The gimmicky stuff is recycled: the snipers, for instance, or setting up the turrets-- both of which you have to do twice, are at two different places in the game. It's not like they didn't have six years to work on it.

20. The puzzles are preposterously simple when compared to the game's graphics and incredibly clever and puzzling (some would say convoluted) plotine and story.

21. Why is Nova Prospekt essentially empty, if it's this hotbed of secret activity?

22. Why is there an antlion boss inside Nova Prospekt at all? Wouldn't all those damn soldiers have killed it?

23. Why does it attack me, Gordon Freeman, antlion friend?

24. There's not enough cut-scene storytelling. What there was, was fantastic. But there still wasn't enough. I needed a break every few levels. In HL1 you could do without interaction with other characters, because it really fit the plot-- it was the plot. HL2's plot, centered on a whole, living city full of people and your actions in and around them (not a lab infested with impotent scientists and alien monsters) needed more of them. And what there was was so good, it made you wan't more of them... needed or not. There's one full cutscene for every four to five hours of shooting and driving.

25. Why in the world did Valve decide to put a squadron with you in the tightest places theretofore seen in the game? You dont really have a squad in those nice open areas, but mostly in corridors where they often get in the way, and don't do much but die. (They looked and sounded great and felt 'real', but as for gameplay they did nothing.) When they do get into open areas, they are almost immedeately mowed down. And if they are expendable, and they do nothing, and I have a limitless supply of them, what the hell do I need them for? If you make me care about them, make them friggin do something that matters, not just getting in the way and stroking me because I'm 'Gordon Freeman' a few times before they ragdoll at the first sign of an enemy. It's another example of flash masquerading as substance. Lazy Valve, making me care so I'll overlook the fact that they don't do anything.

O.K. 25 is plenty.

Btw, I love HL2.

 

[Eon Blue]

21. Why is Nova Prospekt essentially empty, if it's this hotbed of secret activity?

22. Why is there an antlion boss inside Nova Prospekt at all? Wouldn't all those damn soldiers have killed it?

23. Why does it attack me, Gordon Freeman, antlion friend?

THREE CRIPPLING QUESTIONS!

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

The basic story of lord of the rings is someone telling someone to go somewhere...

 

[Eon Blue]

. . . To do something

 

[jakenoble]

Hl2 would be awesome if there were not other great FPS out, like Call of Duty. What does HL2 have that CoD does not, great physics and better grfx, yes. A story line, music? I think not. CoD is on par with HL2 in my opinion.

 

[burner69]

I really enjoyed HL2, really REALLY enjoyed. But best game ever? NO! unless some sexy mods/ addons come out soonish.

It's a great FPS, but it could have been so much more. FPS has teh potential to start drifting into an all encompassing genre, taking in RPG, adventure, ok maybe not sport sim, but u get the idea.
The whole stort of HL2 seemed to be: go here, get there, go here, drive to there, get here etc. That was the plot, was it not? Anyone disagree? OK there were monsters in between, but couldn't they have done MUCH more with these facial animations and great voice actors, made a PLOT!?!
The plot was ok, but it was far from this great amazing thing ppl keep going on about. The story wasn't told to you, like in many games, you had to find it out for yourself, but that doesn't make it great.
Call me old skool but, FF7, altho flawed, that had a storyline, and that is still probably my fave game ever.

HL2 isn't perfect, but it is great.
The hype was "great physics, great graphics, great enemies" and yeah, it was that, but that's ALL it was. A shooter. With a fair-ish story behind it, and some great new technology popped in.

In a while some of you ppl who are mindlessly bleeting "It's perfect, kill all who disagree" will see that it isn't the best thing ever. But it's dam gud. We need to pick faults to better them down the line.

And I think goldeneye is a better FPS. I stil play it, and I got it the Xmas afterit was released. It's classic.