HL2 - Missed the Bar...

[NIBully]

Have I missed something...? Do you guys have some insider knowledge that I don't have access to...? But IMHO HL2 fails to even meet the bar let alone raise it! I purchased HL2 via Steam and eagerly awaited, like the rest of you, the release - which came and went like a damp firework.

I loaded it up and was expecting something special - no such luck! Nothing is this game is extraordinardy - kill some grunts, kill some headcrabs, solve really easy puzzles. And the ending is so ridiculous, it beggers belief...! The GMan sends you to sleep - AGAIN! Please Valve don't insult your audience. We deserve better.

Then today I forked out £20 for the book "Raising the Bar" - looks nice, contains some background material - but yet again it poses more questions than answers!

The game seems 'rushed' - not complete - and someone please tell me how RavensHolm fits into the game - what does it add to the story - it has no connection whatsoever to the HL or the Combine theme!

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the game for what it was - but not for what it should have been. I think Valve missed the bar - no doubt you fan boys will think different!

Bullz

 

[mayfer]

i can't even imagine what you expected

 

[Spartan]

The story was mostly a mess. I guess Ravenholm was just considered cool. Of course, they needed some plot device to get Gordon there, so they decided that Gordon has to leave the city even though he really doesn't.

 

[COALslaw]

You make baby jesus cry.
Seriously what were you thinking it was going to be?

 

[chimpmunk]

It's easy to say it was rushed, looked at the gameplay and the few different kinds of ennemies, they cut almost everything off. Too bad, this game could have been as good as half life 1, but it's still amazing, but Half Life 1 was better.

 

[WhiteZero]

I guess you either hate it or love it.
*shrugs*

 

[vertthrasher]

Yeah, I don't know what happened... Im guessing 1/2 way though development they just randomly decided that the story would go even more up the wazoo than the first one. I JUST realized that hl2 could have been done way better. Unless I missed something... Did anyone find physics traps like in "traptown" other than a few at the beginning? Imo it was an AWESOME game, but it could have been SOOO much more with some work.

 

[nick_t]

i cant believe you missed the point of ravenholm. ravenholm is what happens when the combine intesively shell a populated area with headcrabs! it just shows you how the combine work and what the effects are.

 

[Grub]

How on earth could HL1 be better than HL2? I don't get it. In HL1, you're stuck in the same setting for pretty much the whole game, there are NO physics, NO facial expressions, characters talk like wooden puppets, NO characters you care about save for maybe a few barneys, and a terrible jump puzzle last area.

HL1 is a fantastic game, but there are so many revolutionary things in HL2 that comparing HL1 to HL2 is absolutely laughable.

To put it in as few words as possible, HL2 has gravgun, HL1 does not. Case closed.

 

[vertthrasher]

It truely wasn't a very AWESOME game like hl1 besides the physics. Again, I will say... It COULD have been sooooo much better.

 

[CriYam]

Nothing is this game is extraordinardy - kill some grunts, kill some headcrabs, solve really easy puzzles. And the ending is so ridiculous, it beggers belief...! The GMan sends you to sleep - AGAIN! Please Valve don't insult your audience. We deserve better.

There's more than just grunts and headcrabs geez. There's a couple striders/dropships,some antlions, some poison headrcrabs, some headcrabs on corpses(zombies), the turrets (floor AND ceiling).

 

[Yellonet]

Have I missed something...? Do you guys have some insider knowledge that I don't have access to...? But IMHO HL2 fails to even meet the bar let alone raise it! I purchased HL2 via Steam and eagerly awaited, like the rest of you, the release - which came and went like a damp firework.

I loaded it up and was expecting something special - no such luck! Nothing is this game is extraordinardy - kill some grunts, kill some headcrabs, solve really easy puzzles. And the ending is so ridiculous, it beggers belief...! The GMan sends you to sleep - AGAIN! Please Valve don't insult your audience. We deserve better.

Then today I forked out £20 for the book "Raising the Bar" - looks nice, contains some background material - but yet again it poses more questions than answers!

The game seems 'rushed' - not complete - and someone please tell me how RavensHolm fits into the game - what does it add to the story - it has no connection whatsoever to the HL or the Combine theme!

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the game for what it was - but not for what it should have been. I think Valve missed the bar - no doubt you fan boys will think different!

Bullz

At some parts, yes you are right. But the game was way over due... so.
Even though it has it's share of shortcomings, it's still a great game.

 

[Cole]

Grunts? Grunts are Military Guys pretty much. Not combine...

NiBully, can you make better. If not, stfu.

 

[vertthrasher]

Mods will save it.

 

[Asknoone]

Some people.

 

[chimpmunk]

How on earth could HL1 be better than HL2? I don't get it. In HL1, you're stuck in the same setting for pretty much the whole game, there are NO physics, NO facial expressions, characters talk like wooden puppets, NO characters you care about save for maybe a few barneys, and a terrible jump puzzle last area.

HL1 is a fantastic game, but there are so many revolutionary things in HL2 that comparing HL1 to HL2 is absolutely laughable.

To put it in as few words as possible, HL2 has gravgun, HL1 does not. Case closed.

physics, animations, resolution or gravgun don't make a good game.
In 4 years i'll still be playing HL¹ but HL²? Probably not.
I can't really explain, but Half life¹ is a classic, just like Quake, Mario Bros. (1), Bubble bobble, The first ever donkey kong game on NES, and so on...

HL² Will be remembered as a nextgen shooter, that's all.

 

[The Monkey]

"Nothing is this game is extraordinardy"

"...which came and went like a damp firework"

"Please Valve don't insult your audience. We deserve better."

"Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the game for what it was"

Anyone else think that the last one doesn't fit with the others?

 

[Moto]

I can't believe people don't understand why you had to go through Ravenholm. Remember when you were in Eli's lab and Alyx took you outside to use the manipulator? Then there was a fly-by of combine ships and scanners that were checking the area. That forced you inside to be safe. They destroyed the ligts and electricity in the lab and bombed it until the whole roof came apart, separating you and Alyx. She told you that you had to go through Ravenholm because it was your only way out. You didn't have access to the teleporter in Eli's lab - Alyx, Eli, and Mossman did. So, your only way out of there was to go through Ravenholm. Understand?

 

[SFLUFAN]

We needed another thread like this like a hole in the head.

Sorry - no offense to the original poster - but this has been done to death already.

 

[Spartan]

i cant believe you missed the point of ravenholm. ravenholm is what happens when the combine intesively shell a populated area with headcrabs! it just shows you how the combine work and what the effects are.

Yeah, but what relevance does that have to anything?

How on earth could HL1 be better than HL2? I don't get it. In HL1, you're stuck in the same setting for pretty much the whole game

There's plenty of variety, just like in HL2. They just take place in different environments.

there are NO physics

They are mostly for show, so it's not a big deal.

NO facial expressions

No gameplay relevance. Plus, the G-man is the only character in the game. Everyone else is just a generic extra.

and a terrible jump puzzle last area.

HL2 had jump puzzles.

HL1 is a fantastic game, but there are so many revolutionary things in HL2 that comparing HL1 to HL2 is absolutely laughable.

The facial animation system is something that could be called revolutionary. But the rest? Unlikely.

 

[ShadowFox]

I agree with the other guy about Ravenholm.

In my mind Ravenholm is some sort of City 17 suburb. The combine probably had difficultly surpressing the citizens, it being so far from the Citadel. So eventually to put down any sort of resistence from Ravenholm they just shelled the city and made it unlivable, into a no-mans land.

 

[Chiefi]

no doubt you fan boys will think different!

I was going to write something intelligent, until you came up with that. I wonder when the trend of calling people fanboy is going to end. :dozey:

 

[Spartan]

I can't believe people don't understand why you had to go through Ravenholm. Remember when you were in Eli's lab and Alyx took you outside to use the manipulator? Then there was a fly-by of combine ships and scanners that were checking the area. That forced you inside to be safe. They destroyed the ligts and electricity in the lab and bombe it until the whole roof came apart, separating you and Alyx. She told you that you had to go through Ravenholm because it was your only way out. You didn't have access to the teleporter in Eli's lab - Alyx, Eli, and Mossman did. So, your only way out of there was to go through Ravenholm. Understand?

As I understood it, Eli talked crazy shit about Gordon needing to get out of City 17 for whatever. So Gordon took a trip through Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt and was BACK in City 17!

Besides, Alyx said to Dog that it should get to her via an alternate route (which were clearly visible, they were just blocked for the player).

 

[Spartan]

I was going to write something intelligent, until you came up with that. I wonder when the trend of calling people fanboy is going to end. :dozey:

It'll probably end when every last fanboy leaves the Internet. In other words, never.

 

[comoxer]

Mods will save it.

It doesnt need saving

 

[vertthrasher]

Why didn't dog move the rocks so you could get to alyx??? He can freaking lift 10000 lbs, I guarantee he can move a few rocks.

 

[FISKER_Q]

I think that Raising the Bar described it pretty good. They just had too much to begin with.

I think it ended where it did cause continuing might force them into going way to much into the story.

Doing something like the Wachowski brothers did with Matrix:
Born, Life, Death. So instead of going halfassed into the rest of the Life or Death part they decided to cut it.

Somehow like they put a "To be continued" after Neo downed a group of physical objects, to which he thought his powers only existed in the Matrix.

So of course it's annoying that you're cut out in the middle of everything, but i think it's for everyones wellbeing.

Edit: vertthrasher, i dunno maybe because Alyx told DOG to do so?

 

[Dsty2001]

Just because you enjoy a game makes you a fanboy? Give me a break

As for this post, what is it with all the 1 post newbies coming to the forums bashing the game? I smell Halo 2 fanboys and they stink :-/

 

[vertthrasher]

It doesnt need saving

Ok, so your saying hl2 will be remembered as one of the greatest games ever and people will play the sp and cs:s until hl3 comes out? I HIGHLY doubt it.

 

[Odysseus]

I loaded it up and was expecting something special - no such luck! Nothing is this game is extraordinardy - kill some grunts, kill some headcrabs, solve really easy puzzles. And the ending is so ridiculous, it beggers belief...! The GMan sends you to sleep - AGAIN! Please Valve don't insult your audience. We deserve better.

Valve probably figured: yeah a lot of people are going to be disappointed with the game, and frustrated with Steam, but hey, this is, in our view, the best game ever, we are going to make a lot of money out of it, and so while we are at it, let's pee on all our customers a little bit! Not a very humble company if you ask me.

The game seems 'rushed' - not complete - and someone please tell me how RavensHolm fits into the game - what does it add to the story - it has no connection whatsoever to the HL or the Combine theme!

Amen brother. Ravenholm does not fit into the game. Airboat ride, then Ravenholm, then sand buggie ride. It doesn't make sense. I guess Valve figured: we already have the zombies, let's add a little Resident Evil to spice things up a bit...

 

[Spartan]

Just because you enjoy a game makes you a fanboy? Give me a break

As for this post, what is it with all the 1 post newbies coming to the forums bashing the game? I smell Halo 2 fanboys and they stink :-/

Well, bringing up Halo 2 is usually a positive confirmation of fanboyism, especially when nothing even closely related to Halo has been mentioned. Using postcounts as an argument is another symptom.

You are probably beyond help.

 

[Spartan]

Why didn't dog move the rocks so you could get to alyx??? He can freaking lift 10000 lbs, I guarantee he can move a few rocks.

Good point. And why do they want you out of C17 when you've been specifically inserted there? Oh, and you could have probably singlehandedly wiped out the Combine strike team at Eli's lab.

 

[ThrasherX9]

You're just not with it if you don't think Revenholm didn't fit into the story of the game. It showed the tyrannical nature of the combine by using Headcrabs to suppress certain parts of the world and force humans into slavery or into certain sections of the world. Anyway, any other of your complaints are just pish posh. Not everybody can like Pizza and in this case not every body can like HL2, the best FPS ever.

 

[vertthrasher]

Just because you enjoy a game makes you a fanboy? Give me a break

As for this post, what is it with all the 1 post newbies coming to the forums bashing the game? I smell Halo 2 fanboys and they stink :-/

Do people have the right to an opinion??? I think so at least. I WAITED, and WAITED, and WAITED for hl2... and in the end, the leak was more fun than the full game because they cut so much stuff out! In MY opinion, hl2 didn't meet my expectations, halo 2 just sucks, far cry MET my expectations, and doom 3 was similar to hl2. They overhyped and overhyped and overhyped something that WAS there, but wasn't implemented the way that they made you think it was. The physics are INSANE for hl2, but I have yet to see more than 2 or three really cool physics "traps" as shown in traptown and the rest of the hl2 vids that made you say. "Omg I can't wait to do that in the full game!" The only traps I found were REALLY obvious or just spinning blades/cars on ropes found in ravenholm.

 

[Spartan]

You're just not with it if you don't think Revenholm didn't fit into the story of the game. It showed the tyrannical nature of the combine by using Headcrabs to suppress certain parts of the world and force humans into slavery or into certain sections of the world. Anyway, any other of your complaints are just pish posh. Not everybody can like Pizza and in this case not every body can like HL2, the best FPS ever.

They could have really shown the oppressive nature of the Combine early on, when you're still without a suit, but they didn't have the balls.

 

[CriYam]

It'll probably end when every last fanboy leaves the Internet. In other words, never.

You can't get rid of the fanboys, who else is going to defend their beloved from justified criticism and logic?

C'mon, 6 years working on this? No. Maybe 6 months working on HL2 and 5.5 years building the engine; which so many talented MOD'ers will bring to life.

If the product was the engine and HL2 was made as a free mod by an unknown modteam; you'd say it was an ok mod.

 

[Dsty2001]

Well, bringing up Halo 2 is usually a positive confirmation of fanboyism, especially when nothing even closely related to Halo has been mentioned. Using postcounts as an argument is another symptom.

You are probably beyond help.

No, bringing up Halo 2 is common sense considering Halo 2 is Half-Life 2s biggest rivals. And the fact that hundreds of Halo 2 fanboys have come to these forums. Of course, if you can't put 1 and 1 together I'm suprised you can even manage to use a computer. Simply amazing

 

[Eunoch]

NIBully show me a better game than hl2 and ill agree with you

 

[Kitfox]

HL2 is an amazing game that lives up to the first. For one reason alone and that reason you cannot deni screw the story(even though IMO it was pretty good if you look deeper into it) but the gameplay is great. Why will people return t playing HL2?? Because there something about the gameplay... something really fun about it... at least i found it really fun.

 

[SFLUFAN]

Do people have the right to an opinion??? I think so at least. I WAITED, and WAITED, and WAITED for hl2... and in the end, the leak was more fun than the full game because they cut so much stuff out! In MY opinion, hl2 didn't meet my expectations, halo 2 just sucks, far cry MET my expectations, and doom 3 was similar to hl2. They overhyped and overhyped and overhyped something that WAS there, but wasn't implemented the way that they made you think it was. The physics are INSANE for hl2, but I have yet to see more than 2 or three really cool physics "traps" as shown in traptown and the rest of the hl2 vids that made you say. "Omg I can't wait to do that in the full game!" The only traps I found were REALLY obvious or just spinning blades/cars on ropes found in ravenholm.

What was cut out of the leak that was so fun that it caused the actual HL2 experience to fall short? I'm asking not to flame you but just out of a sense of curiosity - that's all