Half-Life vs Half-Life 2

[DEATH eVADER]

Everybody loved the X-files, which probably went some way to aiding HL's sale figures (Aliens coming in and the Goverment agency covering up, rings a few bell)

Then HL2 came along depicting a dystopian future, but that was somewhat too quick of a transition.

 

[Unfocused]

I pretty much disagree. Half-life 1 is such a chore to play through these days. It's wildly inconsistent with dragged-out, mundane stretches of gameplay and whole chapters that are utterly pointless in the long run.

Half-life 2 has a greater degree of consistency, complexity and depth, and is also much more fun to play through than its forerunner.

This.

I picked up HL1 a few years after it's release (CS was at 1.5 at the time) and I think I tried to get into it 3 times. On my 3rd attempt I got somewhat interested and managed to finish the game. Still, I found it pretty boring and completing it was more of a formality before HL2's release.

 

[Mess]

hl1 ftw

 

[Crispy]

I understand that some will prefer HL1 or HL2.
But, how can anyone bash Ravenholm?? It's a freaking masterpiece. I remember telling a friend it was better than sex... So stfu stupid reviewer...

I hated Ravenholm. I found the whole thing totally gimmicky and contrived. Every section I stepped into was like being given a match a fuse and being expected to light it. "Oh, a mysterious propeller-machine lying in the middle of a room. Should I switch it on, Valve, is that what I'm supposed to do?". It got boring incredibly quickly, and they seemed to use the same ideas again and again and again. It was supposed to be set-piecey, and it might have worked in a movie, but as a player I felt hideously patronised and bored. Now, if they'd left the propeller on the floor and you had the option of piecing the machine together, maybe connecting it up to a power supply: that for me would make the end result far more satisfying. The way they did it was 'click a button, stand behind the machine and thou shalt have gibs'. I had gibs in 1996, in 2004 you need to make it a bit more engrossing otherwise it's just a gimmick.

I preferred every other part of the game to that bit.

As for the whole HL/HL2 argument, HL2: Ep2 is on a par or better than all the best bits from HL and HL2 and it's far more consistent. I'm looking forward to Ep3.

 

[-Psy-]

Half-Life 2 is the better game. I simply can't enjoy HL1.

 

[G(ordon)-man]

Thime to reveal my dark,horrible secret....I haven't never ever played hl1 to the end. I stopped near the first break outside because it was going very hard. Thatswhy i like hl2 more, its easier.

 

[Laivasse]

I must have played through HL1 a dozen times back in the day, not counting all the firefights I reloaded and replayed endlessly. I still think HL2 is the better game.

 

[nurizeko]

I was never nearly engrossed enough with HL1 to allow nostaliga to soften my opinion of it.


Its just not as good as HL2, story or gameplay wise.


I can see and respect why allot of you guys do hold it so high though, so its all pointless in the end, they are both good games for their own reasons.

 

[Naph]

What the **** is a HL2’s

 

[dogboy73]

Half-life 1 is such a chore to play through these days. It's wildly inconsistent with dragged-out, mundane stretches of gameplay and whole chapters that are utterly pointless in the long run.

Sounds like Highway 17 & Water Hazard! They were both good fun because of the vehicles. But boy did they go on! Some great set pieces on the way but highway 17 had to many random buildings that didn't add enough to make them worthwhile. It felt like Valve just stuck them in to break up the monotony of Highway 17.

HL2 obviously has better graphics. It's also got better sound/music & off course the fantastic physics engine. The story is more gripping, darker & the characters & dialogue are a lot more fleshed out. It's main problem for me is that it was far to easy & therefore wasn't as good in the gameplay department as HL1, which did offer an exceptional challenge. And while HL2 was fantastic to play through it just didn't grip me as much as the first time I played HL1. HL1 changed everything. HL2 simply added to what Valve had already built up with HL1. On most counts HL2 is the better game. But I think it's impact was lessened possibly by the incredible success of HL1 as a revolutionary FPS.

 

[Kamikazie]

Me too :upstare:

:hmph:

Just because I didn't check steam for the year that I was gone doesn't mean anything!

But not checking it when I came back does. lol

 

[Love4Fire]

hl1 does it for me

 

[Bodo]

Half-Life 2 is a way easier than Half-Life. better atmosphere with toughernemies, the feeling of unknown and death in the air are things that makes half-Life better game with better atmosphere. Anyway i think that Episode Three will come with something that will blow all FPS to the Recycle Bin I hope so anyway !!!

 

[Marler]

I prefer Half Life 2! I played Half Life source and the original Half Life but overall I prefer Half Life 2!

 

[Absinthe]

Also, HL1 had a better soundtrack. It was so good that Valve apparently saw no problem with reusing it.

 

[LordBug]

HL1 Uplink is what really did it for me. They crammed so much excitement into that one small little demo that just had me salivating for the full game.

HL2, without the sexy teaser of a completely stand-alone demo, whilst fun, didn't feel the same. It was a great game, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't as excited as I had been with the original.


Oh yeah, can't forget the interaction between NPCs in the original. Much more interesting I found ~

 

[Satans_Offspring]

Nope, Half-Life 1 is epic & awesome beyond belief but to me Half-Life 2 Beats it, with a better story, graphics etc

 

[ríomhaire]

HL2 is better in most categories, but HL1 is more atmospheric.

 

[Hunter-Killer]

It's very hard to choose and for many reasons, hard to compare the 2 games as they were the same, but different. Both games came out and both games shook the industry for different reasons. Half-Life was one of the first FPS to actually have a decent immersive story full with atmosphere. The game had, at the time, deadly AI, and among other things it had amazing graphics and things people had yet to see in video games. Half-Life 2 did similar things again with even more deadly AI, better graphics etc. but they also added in superb physics, lighting, story, facial animations and so on. Both games were ahead of their time so its hard because of nostalgia to determine which one is better. I played Half-Life 1 dozens of times because it was my first proper FPS (before that Goldeneye and a crack at Quake & Doom) and I'd never played anything like it. Half-Life 2 had the same nostalgia where things such as the graphics just blew me away, and considering it was the continuation of Half-Life it was a must for me. The story will always be one of the main things that makes me love a Half-Life game and why, among many reasons, I will always look forward to another game so for that reason I choose Half-Life to be my preferred game simply because it's where it all began.

 

[Warbie]

HL2 is better than HL in every way, except in those that made HL truly great.

 

[Paulaner]

One of my memorable moments with HL2. The walking under the bridge, with the wind blowing in my ears, left me breathless.

 

[Druckles]

Shame you couldn't actually feel it.

 

[Planetary]

Yeah, there's very few moments in Half-life 1 that come anywhere close to that bridge bit in terms of atmosphere, maybe the cliff at Surface Tension, or the first 5 seconds after you arrive on Xen.

Half-life 1 is just mostly labs, concrete hallways and air vents, looking back. Hopefully the Black Mesa mod will reinvigorate the place.