Half-Life 2, Overated?

[Absinthe]

Half-Life 2 is not just the best FPS I've ever played. It's the best game I've ever played. Good graphics, good gameplay, good physics, good enemies, good characters, good story, and an ending that leaves me wanting more (but not in a bad way).

Playing through it the second time and I'm picking up on many of the little details I missed the first time through.

 

[funkyjimbob]

I'm very dissapointed with it.
It's too samey and I get bored playing it after about 15 minutes.

Suppose I better go dig out Pro Evo 4

 

[sharp]

How come that alot of people who just signed up and have 1 - 15 posts only bashing hl2 and valve? The game kicked ass. I give it overal a 97% score. How can people dislike the story? how can people dislike the A.I.? How can they dislike the weapons and gameplay? It is not like doom having 99% same levels and very small dark romes...

Seriously you shouldn't play fps games! yeah go stick to pro eco4

you are not even capable of understanding the story

 

[funkyjimbob]

Sorry dude, just don't like it. You seriously don't think that everyone who buys the game is gonna love it do you? I find it repetetive thats all.

Its nice to see you're so passionate though......

 

[Doombringer]

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.

Unfortunately, nearly every FPS has this.

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.

I remember one part that felt very strange and 'platform jumpy' - the bridge. Here I am crawling along the girders on its underside... seemed very strange that any real person would be able to do that.

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.

I haven't had much of a problem with this.

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.

I agree.

4. The load times are way too long.

I agree.

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?

I agree that it is annoying, but not massively harmful to the game. I have a far worse problem involving 4 speaker sound (which results in popping/clicking).

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

I liked the music, what music there was.

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

Never had a problem with the physics bugging out.

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.

I liked the airboat sequence, though I do admit there was a section or two of it that could have been cut. Overall it was quite a rush.

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.

"Less is more" storytelling. Tidbits scattered here and there for you to help you form your own conclusions. I don't mind this method of story-telling but it almost always leaves plotholes and a LOT more questions than answers. Mystery and uncertainty is good, but too much of it and we don't know why we're even doing what we are doing!

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.

I did see some sloppy parts that were not cleaned up from an early state... not graphic quality, but quality of landscape/environment.

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.

I have a feeling most of that money went to pay the programmers and Valve staff.

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.

Haven't had the chance to play the alpha. If Valve is saving for an expansion, let them... though weren't their expansions done by Gearbox? Are they gonna hand off their work to GB and say "here, you can use this stuff?" Hmm.

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.

So the skybox in the 'menu' screen is 3D? I'll have to check that out.

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

Minor gripe

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.)

Yes. Slippery stuff.

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.)

I happened to enjoy the gunfights.

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.

NO clue on this one. I was wondering the same thing myself. "Why is he shooting the palette? The barrel? Is he bored?"

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.

Valve did this just to emphasize physics and let you play with the manipulator. Some areas, it made sense... doors were blocked from one side to keep you out, so you had to find another way in. Never minded that.

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.

I agree, variety is the spice of life.

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.

I like the puzzles. They are not very complicated once you figure them out, but are still fun to do thanks to the physics. That's how a puzzle should be in a FPS. Would you rather have a complicated series of switches that all have to be pushed correctly and within a certain time limit or they all reset? No, I'd rather dump some junk into a bucket to operate a pully to raise a gate that is in my way.

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

Good question. No prisoners, just tons of guards? Is this a re-education facility?

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

My impression was that the Combine had kept the antlions out until you showed up... now they're starting to come in. So, no, an antlion wouldn't have been just chilling in the laundry room, chatting with Combine, until you knocked on the door. Your invasion is part of the antlion invasion.

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

Good explanation: You "smell" like another boss. Think of two male animals fighting over territory or a mate... jealousy. The other antlion boss wants to be THE boss and you're in his way.

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.

I agree. Valve's storytelling method worked better in the first game, where it was primarily "just Gordon." To not have Gordon speak in HL2 seems unrealistic... he's been thrust into a living breathing world with people and doesn't stop to say "hey, what are the Combine? What happened with Xen?" Oy.

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.

I felt like this with the antlions in Nova Prospekt. Haven't gotten to the point where you work with living people, aside from the few times on the coastline.

 

[Hunchback]

rhalle - the antlion guard attacks you becuase you are a rival - you have another males pheremones on your person....simple

but i agree with your point about nova prospekt..could have made it more terrible...

d

 

[Llama]

How come that alot of people who just signed up and have 1 - 15 posts only bashing hl2 and valve? The game kicked ass. I give it overal a 97% score. How can people dislike the story? how can people dislike the A.I.? How can they dislike the weapons and gameplay? It is not like doom having 99% same levels and very small dark romes...

Seriously you shouldn't play fps games! yeah go stick to pro eco4

you are not even capable of understanding the story

thank you you heavenly animal you. A gaming revelution is about to take place, shame all the ****ers are playing GTA :thumbs:

 

[asdasd12345]

i was very impressed with the physics of the game and the graphics, apart from that it was cack and half life 1 was much better, it actually made you want to play the game, apart from hl2 where its kind of an effort just to play it.

 

[boomyak]

ahahahahahaha

halflife, is an effort... to play!

AAAAhahahahaha

 

[Cole]

Spartan...Please I have a question for you.
Please give me Half-Life 1 story and Half-Life 2 story and put them in as best detail as you possibly can. Give us every little fact that you can that deals with the story.
Please, I dare you.

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.

Maybe you might of missed the, But if I remember correctly there were some headcrabs.

To not have Gordon speak in HL2 seems unrealistic...

People just dont understand, stop thinking your gordon THINK ITS YOU FOR ONCE. Think it's you talking, think your shouting at the combine. Throw a can at them and say "Yeah you like that mofo". Don't you get that? I should take a barrel and drop it on you! If valve wanted to go overboard they could make you have a mic and have you say your name and then everyone calls you that etc.. Which would be..wierd...
Which also tells me that you think when a resendence cascade happens you shouldn't say "Ahh shit a zombie! Ahhh!! Whats going on!! Help meee!! *Teleports* Ahahahha a creature!!! etc.. Yet you think they should say "Ahh evil dictator! Die!!
Personally I dont get you..
DON'T YOU GET IT!

 

[Ownzed]

Everything I expected and more. Not high enough rating. Best FPS ever played.

 

[Sparta]

Best FPS ever, but not the best game ever.

Deus Ex and Zelda tie for that title (Deus Ex is more of a FPS/RPG hybrid, mainly concerned on open-ended gameplay, interaction and stats. Thus making it more of an RPG then a FPS)

 

[GRIMEY]

Hey, I have been playing Half-Life 2 (Obviasly) and In My Opinion! its very overated. I'm only 1/2 way through the game so its a little judgmental to say. But I was wondering if anyone else felt the same? What flaws and gameplay issues do you think Half-Life 2 has? Here are my thoughts.

First of all, don't get me wrong. The game is pritty good. Its one of the best games I have played in a long time (thats not very hard though). But if I had to critise the game it would be the fact that its beyond linear. I mean, I do not mind linear games. But Half-Life 2 is a little over the top. You have one line straight line that you must follow. Its impossible to even come off that line for a second and jump back onto it. A good example (Not spoiler) would be if a person needed to gain access to an underground passage. They could do it in 2 ways, use a ladder or a lift. Half-Life 2 fails to do this kind of thing which is somewhat boring.

Some of the music is miss timed and used in completely the wrong situation, its also chesse at times (when someone dies). But I think its made up by the fact that the music is very nice.

Ok, I will be flamed for this. But how the **** has Half-Life 2 got a good storyline? WTF! I am so confused how people seem to rate it as been good. Your basic storyline consists of someone telling you to get somewhere for a reason, then you go... Thats all I have seemed to do throughout the whole game. Don't get me wrong the storyline is alright compared to most. But its definatly not good enough to be nearly perfect.

Before you start criting me remember, Half-Life 2 has been rated a 10/10 game. I just fail to see why. I am not saying the game sucks, so make sure you remember that. I just don't think its good enough to get 92/98%. You make your own choice.

Agreed.