is it just me......

S

shifty_uk

Guest
.....or does anyone else think that the concepts and ideas behind Half Life 2 are amazing? Just the general idea of a city(city 17) having big combine buildings sticking out of houses and little flying things that take your photo and just basically everything about the game. The games great, not just because of the game play but because of the ideas, storyline and everything about the whole "world" in that game.

Is this thread useless? Im starting to wonder if it is or not
 
No, the concepts are mediocre at best. George Orwell did everything so much better in the story 1984. Come to think of it, THX 1138 by George Lucas is even better.

As a result of the Big Brother-type world, I hate this game. The physics and the gravity gun are fun, and you can achieve great things with the vehicles, but I'm fed up of this one man against an invincible army crap, especially if it's not original.

How many other games do likewise? At least Doom 3 uses demons from Hell, which I appreciate as it irritates the hardcore US Christian Fundamentalists no end.

And that can only be a good thing.
 
I currently prefer the one man one army approach because your teamates in these games are useless and just get in the way... thats not fun
 
I thought it was pretty amazing at first too...then I read 1984 and a whole crapload of other sci-fi stuff and I realized it wasn't that original after all...
 
Ive yet to read the book about gordon freeman and how he is trying to save city 17 from the combine overwatch, while the humans are being put into slavery but there are a select few who are attemping to resist the combine, where can i find this book?
 
Either you're talking about Half Life 2 - Raising the Bar, or you're being sarcastic.
 
Foebane said:
but I'm fed up of this one man against an invincible army crap, especially if it's not original.
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One man, a group of scientists with super advanced technology and a city full of rebels.
 
ríomhaire said:
One man, a group of scientists with super advanced technology and a city full of rebels.
Click to expand...
It's a mini adventure!


Yay for british Cinema Humour \o/
 
*sigh* I'll agree with with you about the concepts, if only because I just woke up. *ducks as tomatoes are thrown*
 
HL2 certainly was amazing. I loved the breencasts and I was actually touched by them, I loved the models, I loved the story.


And the graphics and physics were the best. (The last FPS game I played before HL2 was HL1, which sucked in graphics)
 
15357 said:
HL2 certainly was amazing. I loved the breencasts and I was actually touched by them, I loved the models, I loved the story.


And the graphics and physics were the best. (The last FPS game I played before HL2 was HL1, which sucked in graphics)
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I only liked the start. After the trainstation (which was INCREDIBLY absorbing) I kinda just thought the rest was going to be predictable.

If the whole thing didn't have any fighting but instead was just very... Like that start. I dunno, I might have liked it more.
 
dekstar said:
I only liked the start. After the trainstation (which was INCREDIBLY absorbing) I kinda just thought the rest was going to be predictable.

If the whole thing didn't have any fighting but instead was just very... Like that start. I dunno, I might have liked it more.
Click to expand...
[SARCASM]Great idea a FIRST PERSON SHOOTER without any fighting[/SARCASM]
 
ríomhaire said:
[SARCASM]Great idea a FIRST PERSON SHOOTER without any fighting[/SARCASM]
Click to expand...
*Cough* Myst...? Yeah, pwnt...


Though Myst wasn't all that great....




... Damnit!
 
I loved it. It has one of the COOLEST storylines, and the enemies are VERY diffrent from most enemies you fight. I mean, how many games have gunships? Those things are ORIGENAL.

Plus, I love the broadcasts, and all that stuff. Its... immersive. Origenal. Unique. I dont think that there are many games that focus on the story just as much as the fighting.
 
to answer the person who started this thread: no it is not just you. half-life is amazing without a doubt.
 
Like always, some things are stolen or inspired by other stories. But things like the Citadel or Civil Protection are pretty cool and like most things in HL2, excellentely executed.
 
I love everything about it..................except the ending, i thought the ending was a bit............not very good, u build up to it and then its just the gman giving you a little talk.
 
To the OP - yes, HL2's concepts are awesome. Saying they're 'stolen' just because there have been stories about authoritarian oppression before is missing the point.

How many games allow you to walk freely among your enmies unarmed at the start? Replete with all the cool little design innovations like scanners, Combine architecture conflicting with the everyday, the Combine minions themselves with their cool-as-hell gasmasks and Nazi undertones... Brilliant feeling. And then you become armed...! Genius progression. Let's not forget the synth either.

I have overplayed HL2 though, and whenever I think of it now, I think of annoying stuff like Highway 17 - kind of losing touch with any sort of theme or atmos. I was awestruck by City 17, and by Nova Prospekt when you get to that bizarrely serene bit between the Combine walls, but Highway 17 felt a little like a vacuum. It was still fun to play, but not as absorbing in an atmospheric or conceptual sense
 
Myst wasn't even an FPS, it was a first person adventure game. Though I'm not sure if you were being sarcastic.

I think you'll find most FPS's revolve around the one vs all scenario and that's because it's easier than programming allies which may or may not be helpful. Imagine being stuck with the rebel allies throughout HL2? The premise of the game (the dystopian society) was certainly interesting and I think VALVe pulled it off well.

I'm afraid the people who expected VALVe to reinvent the wheel that is the FPS genre were destined to be disappointed. Not even VALVe is that brave. We haven't had any truely original FPS games for years, developers are simply making the best game they can out of already drawn out blueprints.
 
iMMuNiTy said:
Little flying things are called scanners. :LOL:
Click to expand...


And the little thing that hangs around places you like whilst pissing everyone off is called Immunity.
 
Laivasse said:
How many games allow you to walk freely among your enmies unarmed at the start? Replete with all the cool little design innovations like scanners, Combine architecture conflicting with the everyday, the Combine minions themselves with their cool-as-hell gasmasks and Nazi undertones... Brilliant feeling. And then you become armed...! Genius progression.
Click to expand...
I know, I was practicaly blood-thirsty against CP by the time I got my crowbar after seeing how bad they were treating everyone. They did the same thing for the hunter-chopper and APCs in Water Hazard.
 
I think each aspect of the game was absolutely icredible.. That's why I'm on my 9th game, still not sick of it..


I'm dying here, waiting for Aftermath or Lost Coast...
 
Mr.Magnetichead said:
And the little thing that hangs around places you like whilst pissing everyone off is called Immunity.
Click to expand...
Dude, what's your problem? Don't you have anything better to do than to flame and/or spam, just because I pwned your a$$ in an absolutely different topic?
 
I agree with the first post of this thread that you made, shifty.
 
Best authoritarian big-brother type video game: Half Life 2.

Best authoritarian big-brother type book: 1984.

Its not the most original concept in the world, but in my opinion it is the best implementation of it in a video game.
 
Yes, its got the most innovative way of storytelling a game has ever seen.
 
shifty_uk said:
I love everything about it..................except the ending, i thought the ending was a bit............not very good, u build up to it and then its just the gman giving you a little talk.
Click to expand...
how was the ending not good? it was beautiful! and perfect! it was so unexpected and awesome.
 
gabriel said:
how was the ending not good? it was beautiful! and perfect! it was so unexpected and awesome.
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Plus it made perfect sence. The g-man wouldn't leave such a valuable asset such as Gordon to be blown up.
 
Yes, this is a great game and very cleverly done in relation to the storyline of the first one. with greatt content, action, characters, episodes and story leading to the end, and leaving me ready for the next part and HL3.
It also makes u think about things, the whole "science gone wrong" thing , power in the hands of evil. and the struggle of the people to overthrow it.
 
Sgt.Murray said:
I only have to say two words, "F****** Amazing".
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that summed it up perfectly for me as well, even though im like in tripple digits for how many times ive played it though!!!!
 
For me, the whole Half-Life universe is just simply amazing. It is hard to put it into words. No, it is not just you, and I'm glad there are others out there like me and you. Don't listen to the naysayers..."it iz teh n0t orignizalzzz11"

Ever since the very beginning of Half-Life 1, I fell in love. I had NEVER, EVER played a game like HL1, until, of course, Half Life 2. Even though I loved every second of Half-Life 2, I must say that nothing will ever beat my first experience through Half-Life 1. Think about it, no other game had ever come close to the sheer awesomeness of Half-Life 1. You may say that HL2 "stole" a lot of ideas, and whether it did or not, you can't say that about HL1. That was completely and utterly original.

Oh, and I love the whole 1-man savior type thing. The beauty of the whole situation, though, is that you learn it really isn't a 1-man thing. Throughout HL2 you meet the Rebels, Vance, Eli and Alyx, Barney, etc. They are all doing their part, but everyone looks up to Gordon as this hero. A hero who, ironically, has little (if any) idea of what to do.

Even in HL1, as 1 man, I didn't feel like it was those lame "Bond-type" games where it's you vs. the Russian army and you blow up 1,000 bases and killl 10^9999 soldiers. They pulled it off so well that you felt like what you were playing could possibly be happening.

You have to look at VALVe as a game company. Gabe Newell made HL for one sole purpose. He didn't make it for money, glory, fame, riches or teh womenz. He made it because he himself is passionate about games, loves games and wanted to deliver an experience that no other game had ever delivered. He cares about the people who play his games. He's in the industry because he loves HL, but most importantly he wants us to love it.

I was watching the special on 1up.com about HL and while watching one of the videos, something came up that I thought was really interesting. One of the designers commented on how, before the launch of HL1, people were wondering about how many weapons HL would have, what kind of enemies, would there be teh g0r3 and other such nonsense. Now, after HL2, people are asking about the characters. What happened to Alyx? Is she going to be ok? Where's Barney!?! What about Kleiner and Eli!!?

That, folks, is pure genious. Gabe Newell and VAVLe created a game that changed gaming and FPS forever.

/kudos

EDIT: Christ Brimestone...that comuter is amazing. Very nice
 
It doesn't matter if it isn't totally original. The way it was thrown together is what matters and the atmosphere the game presents to you is remarkable. From the very moment you appear on the train you get the sense that someone is watching, that things are off... then you step outside for the first time witnessing the massive tower in the distance as Breen on the telecast rants and raves his propaganda. Incredible. No video game has ever been so immersive. The towns, the people, the citidel, all done with such careful scrutiny to make you believe that you and everyone else was being opressed by some alien empire. Valve gets an A+ for doing that. And IMHO you're a damn idiot if you don't think the same... in my opinion of course. :hmph:


[edit]:
You may say that HL2 "stole" a lot of ideas, and whether it did or not, you can't say that about HL1. That was completely and utterly original.
Click to expand...

Err... are you 5? Never read a book or seen a movie or watched TV? Not to sound like a dick but no, HL1 is not original. Aliens invading a super secret research facility while one nerdy scientist fights off trained marines and aliens isn't that uncommon. Not to mention the ideas for the aliens: Headcrabs = facehuggers, Zombies = zombies/puppet masters/pod people (a book/movie), aliens that shoot lightning = every ****ing 50s sci-fi movie, and government conspiracies/cover ups have been around forever. Laidlaw has even admitted that they didn't know where they were going with HL at the end so they made a character out of the G-Man. Look, I'm a huge ass fan of HL and HL2, but to be completely honest, they aren't original concepts. They are however finely crafted pieces of art and entertainment.
 
Samon said:
Yes, its got the most innovative way of storytelling a game has ever seen.
Click to expand...
I think System Shock 2 beats it there to be honest.

SS2 tells its story in the same way, through player interaction more and more is revealed and my god is it awesome.

**** i love SS2.

Oh i love it. If only HL2 had PDA's and voice-mails in it. If only. If only
 
[46] pushit [2], great post. I totally agree with you. For example when Doom 3 was announced a expansion pack, who cared about the original player character? Its all shit.
I truly care about the characters in HL2 and would be very disappointed to see any of them die.

One thing about the amazingness of HL2 that we are kind of stepping into a new era of storytelling. Like in the beginning of movies, they were just short, cheap, stupid and simple action spots with the hero riding into the sunset in the end. Games are like that nowadays. But Half-Life 2 is going to change it. We are going to get more complicated characters, better stories, and what's most important - players are going to care about them.
Games are going to replace movies like movies replaced books.
Bless Valve
 
Cukel, that just applies to FPS. RPGs/MGS (MGS is its own genre :p ) have always had characters you cared about, it's just FPSs and Valve have the technology to make it better for character interaction.
 
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