HL2 - Missed the Bar...

[StAtiC]

I wonder if half of Spartan's posts are just about how much he thinks hl2 sucks...

 

[Rupertvdb]

I have to agree, I must be playing a very different game to the angrys out there. The graphics are astounding, the gameplay is magnificent, the immersion is second to none and the game is of perfect length. The stry develops in a fascinating way and frankly it is the very best gaming experience i have ever had.

I think some people have gone into playing it hoping to hate it, i dont know why, maybe it gets you guys off. The way that dude described it with talk of a game going from weapon to weapon...well...i'm speechless. You have a valid point, as the story progresses you do get better guns, you do fight meaner enemies and the story also (you won't believe this)carries on its own little path. It's a computer game, it's supposed to work like that.

To the people bitching about enemy variety...i don't get it, there are oads of them and they fit the story beautifully.

i'm sure i sound 'fanboyish' to anyone half arsed and pathetic to even care for such a phrase but i truly loved it, it was everything and more and i am in total admiration for the Valve team and their ability to produce such an incredible world.

Naysayers be damned, quit trying to moan so much and play the thing again, maybe you're just slow.

 

[Pulsar]

HL2 is great :sniper: .

 

[Phirax]

HL2 is a game that has incredible potential, however it hasn’t been a pleasant experience to play (atleast so far). It’s a shame really because I can see how enjoyable HL2 could be, but it seems Valve really rushed the final stage of development, leaving the game far from polished. Now before you jump to conclusions, I don’t hate HL2, infact I really do like it. However I would have preferred Valve spent atleast another six months before releasing it. Below is a list of reasons why I have these ‘personal opinions’ of HL2.

Installation Problems: I bought the basic ‘Retail CD’ version, when installing HL2, the install failed on Disk 4. Apparently when I unchecked the install of CS:S, it initiates a bug within the installer. Now it wasn’t really a problem, as I just started again and made sure CS:S was checked to install. I was already hoping this would be my last problem. On another note, one aspect that really did annoy me, was the fact I had no choice but to install HL2/CS:S/Steam to my c:\. This caused me huge a headache, as my c:\ is only 10GB’s in total. The drive being a 10,000 RPM SCSI is only supposed to be used for storing Windows XP and my Graphics/Multimedia applications. You think Valve/VU would have put just a little more testing into the Disk installers. As you could imagine I already had a bitter taste in my mouth.

Steam Problems: Steam is unfortunately a must have for the game, in my case it has effected both my start-up and shut-down procedures for my PC. Now when I start up, Windows XP just sits on the Welcome screen, and after a few minutes an error comes up stating steam.exe is not responding, click End Task, and my PC continues to load. My shut-down issue is more of a pain, when Windows gets to the ‘saving settings’ screen, it just hangs. The PC continues to stay on. I uninstalled steam just to make sure it wasn’t a coincidence, and my PC was back to normal. Re-installed Steam, and my problem came back. To avoid these issues, I have to disable Steam at start-up and make sure I close Steam before I shut-down.

Graphic Problems: I have an ATi Radeon 9800 Pro, however from the moment I launched the game, experienced missing textures, and unusual artefacts. I fixed the missing texture by re-installing the game to get Steam to re-download its files. The artefacts on the other hand, puzzled me for a while. At first I thought it was due to my graphics card being O/C’d. However reducing the clock and memory speed back to default had no effect. My next thought was perhaps my O/C’d CPU was causing it, reducing my CPU back to default had no effect. To the games merit, I eventually discovered it’s a problem with ATi drivers and Radeon 9x00 series cards. Turning off AI fixed the issue and HL2 ran sweet. However Valve released that tiny patch, my frame rate has taken a seriously bad turn. I’m lucky to get more than 15 FPS regardless off what settings I use (pre-patch, it was 60-120 FPS).

Sound Problems: Initially I was one of the fortunate ones, with no sound problems at all. However since Valve released that tiny patch, my sound has quite simply gone mad. I continually get that common stuttering issue, and I also now get crackling when I fire a weapon. I fiddled with some console commands, but to no avail.

Note: I have tried un-installing the game so I can play without the patch, but the game requires to re-validate itself, and Steam installs the patch without choice.

Defrag Problem: I know this isn’t HL2’s problem, but since many people have said defragging your drives may help the game. I had no problem defragging any of my drives apart from c:\, which has Steam/HL2/CS:S installed. For some reason none of the defrag applications I have tried can arrange some specific Steam files. Being that Steam/HL2 etc takes up 4.5GB’s of my 10GB drive, it leaves over half the data on the drive completely fragmented. One specific file is broken into over 22,000 parts, and that’s not good. At first I though that with Steam running, it would refuse to let the files be altered but switching it off has no effect. Rather strange if you ask me. And yes there is enough space (3GB) to do an effective defrag. In the end I managed to solve the problem by defragging the driver using my Linux install, which is highly not recommended to be done on NTFS partitions.

There are other gripes I have with the game itself, but they are negligible, and don’t really bother me.

With my horrendous problems with HL2 aside, I really have enjoyed what I have played so far. It’s a shame I can’t continue at the moment due to the low FPS and sound problems. Hopefully Valve will pump some fixes out, whether it be very soon or a few months down the track, either way I don’t care, as I’m patient and I’m sure they will get fixed. HL2 is a great game, it just needed more development time.

I would also like to say that I agree with those who tell people not to whine and make ‘I hate HL2/Valve’ statements. Doing that will not help you in anyway, best just to be patient and wait for patches. If you still are not satisfied, then request a refund from either Valve or VU. However I don’t see anything wrong with people stating their problems, how would Valve know to make fixes if no one says anything.

BTW for anyone curious below are my system stats:
AMD Athlon 2800+ (Barton) @ 2.45Ghz
ASUS A7V8X Rev 1.04 Mainboard
1024MB Kingston HyperX PC3200 Ram
HiS Radeon 9800 Pro IceQ @ Core 445Mhz Mem 980Mhz
Philips Acoustic Sound Edge (QSound)
Creative SB Live 5.1 SE
2x 10 GB Maxtor SCSI 10,000 RPM
1x 80 GB Maxtor ATA133 7,200 RPM
Yada Yada..

 

[Chiefi]

Phirax... It's a shame that you had/have that many problems/bugs with Hl2. It must take away from the experience of the game.

With all the people complaining about the bugs, it makes me realize how lucky I am. Especially that my computer is what gamers would call: "A piece of shit".

 

[Phirax]

Chiefi, yeah it is a shame, I have to admit though, before that little update, the game ran great (once I had fixed the little quirks), however unfortunately now I am stumped. I'll just wait patiently for Valve to release some updates

 

[Narcolepsy]

Chiefi, yeah it is a shame, I have to admit though, before that little update, the game ran great (once I had fixed the little quirks), however unfortunately now I am stumped. I'll just wait patiently for Valve to release some updates

Did you try "turning off" the patch via the console? If you haven't, ask, and I'll tell you how.

 

[[46] pushit [2]]

On another note, one aspect that really did annoy me, was the fact I had no choice but to install HL2/CS:S/Steam to my c:\. This caused me huge a headache, as my c:\ is only 10GB’s in total. The drive being a 10,000 RPM SCSI is only supposed to be used for storing Windows XP and my Graphics/Multimedia applications. You think Valve/VU would have put just a little more testing into the Disk installers. As you could imagine I already had a bitter taste in my mouth.

That's odd, because I was able to install HL2/CS:S/Steam in my F:\ drive...my secondary storage drives for games (c:\ is for Windows XP, graphics etc . . .kind of like your setup.) So I don't know what is up with that, maybe I'm lucky.

Sounds like you have had a lot of problems with HL2 but none of them seem to be gameplay related. so i'm kind of interested in what you thought of the actual game, that is if you ever got to play it.

Also, does harddrive RPM speed affect HL2 performance?

 

[[46] pushit [2]]

narcolepsy i would like to know...jsut to experiment..

 

[Phirax]

Did you try "turning off" the patch via the console? If you haven't, ask, and I'll tell you how.

Yeah some maxtexture load thing that I changed to 0, no effect.

That's odd, because I was able to install HL2/CS:S/Steam in my F:\ drive...my secondary storage drives for games (c:\ is for Windows XP, graphics etc . . .kind of like your setup.) So I don't know what is up with that, maybe I'm lucky.

Sounds like you have had a lot of problems with HL2 but none of them seem to be gameplay related. so i'm kind of interested in what you thought of the actual game, that is if you ever got to play it.

Also, does harddrive RPM speed affect HL2 performance?

Basically the installer wouldn't let me choose an install location, I assumed it was done by default.. Perhaps just another bug in the installer.

Apart from the story, which is lacking in my opinion (although I've only played until the point where the rebels start to help you), the game is great, physics are sweet, sound effects are top notch, and the variable play styles (such as water-craft/buggy) are awesome for a change. The only real thing I think valve should have improved was the consistency in graphics quality. In some cases (particularly in the cities) the graphics are fantastic, but when in the open they (valve) seemed to have put no effort into the detail. Eg those little cliffs look terrible.

The faster drive just means the game can load data much faster, no real affect on gameplay itself unless it needs to load a texture or something.

 

[hockeyguy3]

it was a fun game man ... the whole water hazard chapter awsome! the puzzle where kind of easy but not really

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

I have to say HL2 is nothing more than a mediocre FPS at best, the only thing that will save this game are the thousands of mods.

Asides from all the eye candy and the grav gun, HL2 does not introduce anything revolutionary to the genre. In all honesty, HL2's lack of good story telling really cripples this game into being nothing more than "kill everything on the screen" FPS mayhem that's been done a thousand times before.

The ending is also so embarrassingly bad that i can't believe Valve would insult their fans that have waited years to play this sequel. The so called "ending" should not even be considered a form of "closure" to this game, it is more like a commercial break to tie HL2 into the expansion packs. Valve purposely left HL2's story as openly as possible for future development purposes...

Even the multiplayer aspect of the game was thrown together by
valve without much thought. Valve implements a complex physics
system into the game and the best they can do is copy CS into
the Havok Engine??? The physics in CS:Source is nothing more than eye candy and does not add anything to gameplay. Just think of what the multiplayer could of been, perhaps Valve could have implemented the "squad leader" aspect into MP, which would of been cool to lead around AI controlled team-mates in
a 8-16 people death match. Or what about the option to use objects in the maps to your benefit? What about the option to drag one of the team-mates back to a respawning area?

HL2 is weak, the only thing that will save this game are the numerous mods that are being created by all the dedicated fans.

nicely said

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

I agree with these points in particular, though the whole post was good.

Some people seem to have the attitude that HL2 has a sophisticated storyline that forces you to think for yourself rather than force feeding it to you. Maybe they're right, or maybe they're just covering the fact that there isn't really much of a storyline. Fine, I can use my imagination, but that's hardly the point is it? that's not a storyline, that's speculation and theory. I can do that by sitting on a chair with my eyes closed.

What would have been really clever is to give you a few snippets of storyline as you go through the game, through optional character interaction and maybe even give you reports to read like in doom3, nolf, unreal etc. In that way you can piece together the story as things go on, rather than reflect on the game at the very end and try and speculate as to what the hell just happened for the past 20 hours

I was definately hoping for more character interaction though, but no-one really had much to say to me except for in the scripted scenes.

i agree,This is one of the main things the supporters rave is the highlight of this game but i find it weak. Other than the scripted ,there is no interaction. I've played games in the past that would tell you a snippet of what would be useless information and later end up being something you needed to solve the puzzle or lead you to a bonus area. Opportunitities are there. For example, in eli's lab there is a post it saying get watermelon for lamar. In several apartments there are watermelons. You would think that this would bring some kind of interaction from the note and the fact that there are watermelons, i haven't found any.Has anyone else?

 

[Thimbob32]

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

My sentiments exactly. :afro:

 

[major5013]

What do people expect from a FPS anyway. What more is the to do with a FPS other then shoot things. What did you expect to do? Run around with a sword and kill things to gain levels? IMO the engine itself is revolutionary. I know physics has been done before, but i hardly noticed them in those other games.

I also thought the ending was great. Now i can get excited for HL3 to come out.

I dont know what you people expect in games anymore. Until they come out with virtual reality or something you wont be satisfied.

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

Soldcar, that's a completely stupid setup - having played half the game already, they aren't necessarily likely to go and buy it even if they love it because they'll have already played it... Two weeks is a very long time.
Sounds a bit stupid to me really...

And you shouldn't sell your games on - you're buying a license to play that game, second hand sales are bad for the games industry on the whole. And before you say that will mean games companies can take advantage of the consumer, that's not true at all. Once demand starts to fall, they can drop the price and experience an increase in quantity demanded.
So everyone wins...

I've tolerated you and been nice but your a friggin retard thats out of touch. If they play it and the game stands on it's own, they would buy it! why do you think other games have demo's, thats part of the sale you asshat. This game won't stand on it's own, it has no replay value, you just admited that!Heck, i'll give them a week instead.Valve knows this, thats why there is no demo and false video's of the game. Products sold as used is commonplace in most fields (excluding perishables)! By your thinking music CD's, cars ...etc shouldn't be sold 2nd hand because the original seller doesn't profit from the 2nd, 3rd and so on sale.This game should have been $15-20 sale.Think about it, everyone just goes out and gets it,no need for anti-piracy steam crap,people get there "wow" factor from the game and don't feel cheated when they are done, being only $15-20.wouldn't need to buy used if it's already cheap.I bought halo new for $20, didn't even think about getting it used.I wouldn't even complain at that point.No, they high priced it for a quick jump in sales and made it so you can't resell it.If it is in a demand, they will stand the test.I personally see sales hitting high initially and plumetting hard. Like Doom3, word is getting out and people are turning away.Without even playing my copy, i've gotten at least 4 people i know personally to not buy this game. Thats about a $100 they could have made at a lower price. Instead, they made $50. others will follow.

 

[Deputy J Garcia]

I've tolerated you and been nice but your a friggin retard thats out of touch. If they play it and the game stands on it's own, they would buy it! why do you think other games have demo's, thats part of the sale you asshat. This game won't stand on it's own, it has no replay value, you just admited that!Heck, i'll give them a week instead.Valve knows this, thats why there is no demo and false video's of the game. Products sold as used is commonplace in most fields (excluding perishables)! By your thinking music CD's, cars ...etc shouldn't be sold 2nd hand because the original seller doesn't profit from the 2nd, 3rd and so on sale.This game should have been $15-20 sale.Think about it, everyone just goes out and gets it,no need for anti-piracy steam crap,people get there "wow" factor from the game and don't feel cheated when they are done, being only $15-20.wouldn't need to buy used if it's already cheap.I bought halo new for $20, didn't even think about getting it used.I wouldn't even complain at that point.No, they high priced it for a quick jump in sales and made it so you can't resell it.If it is in a demand, they will stand the test.I personally see sales hitting high initially and plumetting hard. Like Doom3, word is getting out and people are turning away.Without even playing my copy, i've gotten at least 4 people i know personally to not buy this game. Thats about a $100 they could have made at a lower price. Instead, they made $50. others will follow.

wow, i didn't know it was possible to pull that much shit out of your ass.

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

Spartan, what is it you are trying to accomplish?

If you hate Valve, Steam, Half-life 2, and everything else so much, why are you spending so much time and effort on this website?

If there is a game you think is better, go to its fansite or do something constructive. You have absoulutely nothing to gain from being here, except making a lot of people think you're a jackass.

Clearly you enjoy HL2 enough that it has become a major force in your life. Only, for some reason, your fun comes from hating it.

I can't speak for spartan but i'm on here to inform my opinion. I know some of you think that opinions of people who played the game don't account for anything, i disagree. it was the opinions of people who gave specifics of DOOM3 that led me not to buy it. Everyone who loves or hates this game, states overall the same reasons fo doing so.Those who don't have this game can now see if it is worth their money to buy it, seeing how there is no demo and only misleading video's to go off of. Maybe us haters feel ripped-off and want others to know what they are getting into.

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

wow, i didn't know it was possible to pull that much shit out of your ass.

Apparently it's a stretch for you. go back to starinng at shiny things and wiping the drool off your face.

 

[Deputy J Garcia]

I can't speak for spartan but i'm on here to inform my opinion. I know some of you think that opinions of people who played the game don't account for anything, i disagree. it was the opinions of people who gave specifics of DOOM3 that led me not to buy it. Everyone who loves or hates this game, states overall the same reasons fo doing so.Those who don't have this game can now see if it is worth their money to buy it, seeing how there is no demo and only misleading video's to go off of. Maybe us haters feel ripped-off and want others to know what they are getting into.

theres no demo because it would be too expensive and time consuming when everybody already knows that half-life 2 kicks ass.

the videos were proof of concept videos that were made before the game was made, the other videos that were made during the development had to be reworked in the game, which is what happens in every games development process.

next time you have a thought, just let it go. thank you.

 

[jmjneary]

damnit what do you people expect of this game it is a beast there wont be a game out there that beats it unless it is possibly an expansion other than that it is GOD..............................................

 

[fantasiser]

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

Yes, you did miss something

 

[silverstealth89]

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

um so what Halo2 fuk some bad guys up and htats it. there not even a fuking so called puzzle. its just go there go here get that get this fuk it no fuk that master cheif. oh and im just talking baout halo 2 there are plenty of other games i could mess around iwht. oh and what will you call Myst a game with a bunch of puzzles. well what did you expect

 

[Mechagodzilla]

I can't speak for spartan but i'm on here to inform my opinion. I know some of you think that opinions of people who played the game don't account for anything, i disagree. it was the opinions of people who gave specifics of DOOM3 that led me not to buy it. Everyone who loves or hates this game, states overall the same reasons fo doing so.Those who don't have this game can now see if it is worth their money to buy it, seeing how there is no demo and only misleading video's to go off of. Maybe us haters feel ripped-off and want others to know what they are getting into.

Sure, you can do all that if you really want. But this is not the place to do it. You're not just preaching to the choir here. You're trying to convert the choir.
I'd estimate 70% of the people posting here have already bought the game, and another 20% on top of that have decided to buy it eventually.
You can preach to the remaining ten percent, but there are far more effective venues to accomplish that aim, especially since the vast majority of people here, as well as public opinion in general, contradict your opinion. You can't convince people not to buy the game if they've already bought it.

Based on what I've seen, there's a 95% chance that if you bought the game, you will enjoy it. If you think you're saving people from being as dissatisfied as you are, I'm afraid that that's just wishful thinking. For every hundred people you "save", you are probably keeping a good eighty or ninety from from playing a game they would have enjoyed if it weren't for you. That's a bit selfish, in my opinion.

Let people think for themselves, and spend your time doing something more productive. Or at least do it somewhere else.
You're certainly not going to convince anyone that the game sucks in a place where several thousand more people are professing the opposite opinion.

And the bink videos weren't misleading. The media from 2003, when it became common knowledge that the game was not yet done, contained things that were cut.
All the more recent media are either identical to or signifigantly worse than the final game.

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

theres no demo because it would be too expensive and time consuming when everybody already knows that half-life 2 kicks ass.

the videos were proof of concept videos that were made before the game was made, the other videos that were made during the development had to be reworked in the game, which is what happens in every games development process.

next time you have a thought, just let it go. thank you.

talking about pullling out your ass!!! All they have to do for a demo is use a level of the game, thats all any game does. Sorry i really don't remember any other games that played videos where half of them didn't make it into the game. Your speaking like a true Fanboy. Coming up with nonsense and getting defensive because someone doesn't like your little fantasy game and has valid reason not too..waa..

 

[RoyaleWithCheese]

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

everything can always be better. But at this moment, HL2 kicks all other games arses black and blue. Yesterday I saw MOHPA, what a pathetic excuse for a game compared to HL2 that was.

I don't know what everyone's expectations were but some things in life are just plain awesome, whether you like it or not. And my friend, HL2 belongs in that category. Period.

 

[Soldcar4gasmony]

Sure, you can do all that if you really want. But this is not the place to do it. You're not just preaching to the choir here. You're trying to convert the choir.
I'd estimate 70% of the people posting here have already bought the game, and another 20% on top of that have decided to buy it eventually.
You can preach to the remaining ten percent, but there are far more effective venues to accomplish that aim, especially since the vast majority of people here, as well as public opinion in general, contradict your opinion. You can't convince people not to buy the game if they've already bought it.

Based on what I've seen, there's a 95% chance that if you bought the game, you will enjoy it. If you think you're saving people from being as dissatisfied as you are, I'm afraid that that's just wishful thinking. For every hundred people you "save", you are probably keeping a good eighty or ninety from from playing a game they would have enjoyed if it weren't for you. That's a bit selfish, in my opinion.

Let people think for themselves, and spend your time doing something more productive. Or at least do it somewhere else.
You're certainly not going to convince anyone that the game sucks in a place where several thousand more people are professing the opposite opinion.

And the bink videos weren't misleading. The media from 2003, when it became common knowledge that the game was not yet done, contained things that were cut.
All the more recent media are either identical to or signifigantly worse than the final game.

Not trying to get you guys to convert, i don't think any of us opposing this game are. Were reaching out to the ones that are undecided. You guys get mad when you are called fanboys but don't say anything about what is so great about this game. I've given valid reasons. All you people said is great graphics, great story (if you use your imagination) and great physics. All i'm saying is, for the amount of money i paid, i feel ripped off. The game was way too easy(yes, on hard) there was no challenge.Many others have portrayed that on here.Hell, this thread started with this.The response i get is i needed to look around for clues to learn the story and admire the scenery...lol. People do check forums to get a feel for the game. You want to support it, be specific. Saying shit like "This game kicks ass, you suck" is going to weed you out as a fanboy. I even got that asshat Mr Wortin or whatever his name to admit that this game has no replay value, and he's one of your big supporters.Unless this surprise thats suppose to come out is a full MP for the HL2 (no, not rehashed CS either) than i predict that this game will be forgotten by all, except of course the fanboys.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Forgotten by all. Somehow, I don't see that as likely.

I could use words like "immersion" and "atmosphere". I could mention the innovative use of physics (yes, innovative - it wasn't a gimmick), the usage of several different gameplay mechanics throughout the game and the overall level of....fun.
I realise that because I like the game, you will automatically brand me as a "fanboy". However, I look forward to continuing to play HL2 and it's myriad of mods in addition to the further content that Valve is going to provide.

 

[rose 1138]

I just got game, and am currently running on 800*600, no AA etc, most settings on low as my machine is a bit err slow,

2.1Ghz amdxp athlon
256mb Ram (will be 768Mb by end of week!!)
GeForce 4 Ti4200 64Mb (getting XFX 6800GT after xmas!)
and game still looks remarkably ok, yes the edges are a bit HL1 to look at and there is not a lot of smoothing, however i am still enjoying the game.

And that is kinda why i feel HL2 is better than hl1, the universe is more immersive, you see little things like alyx wink when she makes a sly joke about the other female scientist, birds fly around, a pidgeon gets eaten by one of the roof hanging tounge things, sory the name escapes me!

Its for this reason alone, the fact that i am playing on quite a low graphics setting due to machine, and i am still enjoying exploring, i am playing on easy right now, i like to work my way through the difficulty, and i have only died once and i have just reached alyx at the lab after the hoverboat mission. I was quite chuffed, bearing in mind it took me a while to finish HL1 and Doom 3, mainly because HL1 was my first real fps game i enjoyed and didn't feel the need to cheat for a laugh, and doom3 was just boring! (please don't flame doom fans!)

In a nutshel HL2 was worth the wait it looks good, the gameplay is excelent and you have a constant feeling that you are going to get a combine cattle prod somewhere unpleasant at any time.

Keep up the debate HL fans!

 

[miked4o7]

Not trying to get you guys to convert, i don't think any of us opposing this game are. Were reaching out to the ones that are undecided. You guys get mad when you are called fanboys but don't say anything about what is so great about this game. I've given valid reasons. All you people said is great graphics, great story (if you use your imagination) and great physics. All i'm saying is, for the amount of money i paid, i feel ripped off.

Revolutionary implementation of physics, really good story for an fps, great graphics, very good AI (although nothing new), amazing sound quality and effects, great gameplay variety for a fps, absolutely brilliant level design, perfectly paced, loads of little secrets, good arsenal of weapons (none of them feel redundant and all are useful), revolutionary in-game character animations, overall attention to detail...

Every possible thing that makes a game good is in this game. Sure, not everything is perfect, but this game comes far closer to flawlessness than any other fps I can think of.

Hell, this thread started with this.The response i get is i needed to look around for clues to learn the story and admire the scenery...lol. People do check forums to get a feel for the game. You want to support it, be specific. Saying shit like "This game kicks ass, you suck" is going to weed you out as a fanboy. I even got that asshat Mr Wortin or whatever his name to admit that this game has no replay value, and he's one of your big supporters.Unless this surprise thats suppose to come out is a full MP for the HL2 (no, not rehashed CS either)

A complete makeover of the most popular online action game of all time is not exactly what the obvious majority of pc gamers would consider "no multiplayer".

than i predict that this game will be forgotten by all, except of course the fanboys.

Then you'll be proven wrong.... or you'll resort to labeling the vast majority of pc gamers that enjoy fps as hl2 fanboys.

 

[NachoMan]

Revolutionary implementation of physics, really good story for an fps, great graphics, very good AI (although nothing new), amazing sound quality and effects, great gameplay variety for a fps, absolutely brilliant level design, perfectly paced, loads of little secrets, good arsenal of weapons (none of them feel redundant and all are useful), revolutionary in-game character animations, overall attention to detail...

Every possible thing that makes a game good is in this game. Sure, not everything is perfect, but this game comes far closer to flawlessness than any other fps I can think of.

Personally, i'd have to disagree with a few of those:

"really good story". I think it was passable, but come on, it's not an intricate plot full of conspiracy and clever twists, it's all about picking up snippets of info here and there and piecing it all together at the end, in other words: you make your own story.

"very good AI". Again, passable AI. Some cool moments, but otherwise just a lot of scripting and path nodes.

"good arsenal of weapons". Compared to HL I think the selection of weapons was very meagre. Grav gun was awesome, otherwise weapons were standard fare.

I agree with your other points though.

 

[Robinhood_01]

oh poor baby....did oo have preconcived ideas about how great the game would be because somebody else liked it....oooh i feel so sorry for oo.

Get with the program, if you want to winge about how you didn't like the game then piss off and go to the Doom 3 forums any winge about it there.

HONESTLY!!!! Quit winging, nobody gives a flying kangaroo poo what you thought of the game, as long as i liked it (which i did) i don't care whether you thought it wasn't up to your "high standards".

 

[miked4o7]

"really good story". I think it was passable, but come on, it's not an intricate plot full of conspiracy and clever twists, it's all about picking up snippets of info here and there and piecing it all together at the end, in other words: you make your own story.

Well notice that I added a caveat in there. I said it was a very good story for an fps. The only one I can think of that's better story-wise is Deus Ex, which is really half a fps and half a rpg.

"very good AI". Again, passable AI. Some cool moments, but otherwise just a lot of scripting and path nodes.

It was nothing new, which was kind of dissapointing. But it was up to par with every other fps that's out today. Halo2's AI probably edges it out, but I don't think you could say that half-life 2's AI is severely lacking in comparison with any other game.

"good arsenal of weapons". Compared to HL I think the selection of weapons was very meagre. Grav gun was awesome, otherwise weapons were standard fare.

I could have used an assault rifle, but other than that I was very pleased with it. I felt like it gave me a good number of options without any of the weapons feeling remotely the same.

 

[subtlesnake]

Sorry i really don't remember any other games that played videos where half of them didn't make it into the game.

The vast majority of what was shown made it into the game.

 

[Sharpfish]

hmmm a wonderful thread filled with ad hominem fallacies and ridiculous behavior on both sides. HL2 raised the bars in many ways but failed in others, they also did not reach to the expected level and hype. We all must remember that our imagination will expand things to much bigger than they are (as proved by alfred hitchcock horror films which were scarier than the films of the day becuase he never showed the monster and played on peoples imagination) or will be, Everyone expected half life 2 to be a killer story, when it is instead a connecting peice between 1 and 3. It was revolutionary as far as a workable physics engine, and the source engine. however, gameplay was just good not great, and the story the same. I think they made a successful game that is extremely enjoyable, but i doubt anyone can live of to 6 years of expanded imagination.

:thumbs:

 

[Sharpfish]

That's the main principle of advertising: if you tell people something long enough soon they will start to believe it... I have a critical mind and I am not accustomed to swallowing everything people tell me I should like. It would be stupid to try to convince myself this is the best game ever just because most people gave it A's.

Best post on the forum, and can maybe explain to the people who do not like to hear our opinions WHY we don't think it is the best game ever. Because we are critical and capable of seeing flaws and judging things for ourselves. I know when I post i have been called a troll, even though I have said "HL2 is a great game, some excellent, awesome set pieces and locations, some good fun in sections" it seems it is not enough. I don't give HL2 10/10 I give it 8.5 (if forced to use such a stupid system). My reason once again comes down to pure enjoyment of experience. HL2 has that in places, but it's flaws are very big reminders of where it has gone wrong and lowers the overall score. Other games I have enjoyed a lot more even though they don't have "revolutionary physics systems" or "shaders 'r' us" on every surface. I apreciate those things a lot if they are used in the context of a completely cohesive, balanced and free flowing gaming experience. A lot of time IN HL2 I just felt like giving up for reasons OTHER than the engine or its plus points. I carried on, lured by the promise in the reviews - there were some high points (imo water hazzard to nova prospekt was the high point) but this was only a third of the game, the only part that felt "fun" and not like a long drawn out trawl through mediocre fps land. Not a fault of HL2, but it has been done time and time again that I could see through the eye-candy and fx to the underlying core gameplay, which was lacking or downright frustrating (on a ergonmic level).

Yes I prefered FAR CRY even though that got samey and tailed off at the end, no game is without it's faults - FC also was overhyped before relased and in some ways didn't live up to it. All I know is it flowed well, was highly immersive thanks to the sense of freedom and self pacing whilst also imo looking the best any exterior game has ever looked.

Doom 3 did the same for indoor environments (and mars looked great) but was let down by samey gameplay all the way through. Yet again, it was NOT filled with the flaws and frustrations of HL2, the latter game, on paper at least, should easily have blown the other two out of the water, but it let itself down where the other games were solid. The gameplay may actually be "better" in HL2 at a core level, but to uncover it in all the glory it was intended to have takes a lot of work and is hampered by the lack of basic finishing touches.

I will play it again, to re-vist some of those cool scenarios and amazing environments (highway 17 / big bridge etc) but I would never want to re-visit 2/3rds of the game and that is where it fails. I could replay FarCry again because you can do things in different ways the second time around (either geographically or exploratory) - you can not really do this in HL2 with exception of the physics. IMO there are too many ideas in HL2 all vying for attention to be made use of properly and in the end they all fail as victims of their own inclusion. Sometimes less is more, if you can not deliver "more" in a convincing fashion that *enhances* the fun of playing video games.

Along with Unreal 2 - HL2 is another one for the tech Demo shelf. Good engine, Good technology, average gameplay, average story, bad flaws, bad delivery of content.

 

[Dreglor]

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

Not every game is perfect...
and by raising the bar i think they were refering to the engine mostly (source can surrport alot of things that hl2 doesn't use at the current moment)

the game play your refering to isn't any diffrent than any other game other than it involves physics but hl2 had more action its like doom3 with physics that kills and alot more movie like action scenes. hl1 was just like that minus the physics.

and you have to understand that this game is a middle chapter thats why the ending is "ridiculous"..

 

[KagePrototype]

Not everyone will like this game on the same level for the same reasons, nor will everyone like it. Arguing over it is pointless.

 

[Sharpfish]

Instead of repeating, I'll re-explain:

Gordon is suddenly on a train in City 17, ten years in a future controlled by his old administrator Breen, who represents an alien power called the Combine. Does Gordon wonder what's going on? Is he baffled? Confused? Does he ask questions?

Does he F-CK!

He just blindly charges forward like a stoned homicidal maniac, without knowing what's going on and why. Then again, even if he did ask, it would probably go something like this:

Gordon: What the hell is going on, Barney? Where am I?
* roof crashes, Combine soldiers descend from above *
Barney: OMG SHIT YOU GOTTA GET TO ELI HE IS SOMEWHERE NO TIME TO TELL WHERE GO GO GO!!!!!
Barney: But before you go, let's spend some time on a pointless subplot about a funny headcrab instead of informing you of the basics... .... done. NOW GO!

Or...

Gordon: Why me? Why am I so important? I'm just another guy.
Resistance guy: You are The One. Take this RPG and kill someone.

(note: if we compare this with the Matrix, Neo has doubt about himself is wondering why people are making a big deal about him - Gordon isn't doubting, wondering or thinking about anything at all. I know someone will counter this with "well, YOU are Gordon," but that's pointless because I, the player, can't ask the NPCs any questions, like Gordon could.)

Or...

Gordon: Alyx, I've murdered thousands of people, don't sweat it. I'll just kill everyone again and Eli can continue his research.
Alyx: No! It is imperative that you go to Ravenholm for no reason other than to dick around with physics, expose yourself to unimaginable danger and end up on the coast just in time to rescue my father who will no doubt be kidnapped soon because you weren't here!

Another good post!

Funny how I can read things like the above and empathise and see where he is coming from without getting defensive and saying it must all be nonsense.

And the replies that said "if you question ravenholm then should question everything in every game", while I understand those posts too, the point is with these things in HL2 they all add up to a very strict path which is overly opressive and fun sapping in this game. As I have said, the actually gaming in these sections can be great (I did say how much I enjoyed the Ravenholm level in another post), but the reasons and strict "go to here because of lame subplot" just make the game feel tired.

Another thing I noted while playing HL2 is how incredibly predictable it is, not compared to other games (for I am talking solely about HL2 here). For instance, you *KNOW* when you pass that tunnel to RH that you are going to be forced to go through it somewhere soon. Almost everything in the game is "telegraphed" to you minutes before or sometimes longer. Basically it really does remove a lot of the fun of whatever storyline is there because it is an all so obvious attempt to get you into another "cool section". Which is why I say it lacks flow, it is juxtaposition upon juxtaposition from level to level with no sense (from a gameplay NOT story point of view).

And we have established that those of us who do not rate the game amazingly high CAN still comprehend the story, and UNDERSTAND game logisitics about why you are steered where you are. That is not the point. The point is that those were bad choices, or at least could have been a lot better with a little thought on Valves part.

<edit> As much as the flaws of the game annoy me, I can apreciate where it is done well (and better) than any other game, it doesn't mean those "better than other game" parts make the whole game better than any other game for me. The edit is to clarify I can not concur with the OP point. The game did not lower the bar, it DID raise it in some key areas while unfortunatley lagging behind current methods in other areas. When it was awesome it was truly awesome. Likewise, it has been a fair while since I have seen a game with SO many experience ruining downsides. </edit>

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

and yet some people love the game despite it's little idiosyncracies, myself included. I still rate it as the best FPS I've ever played.