New HL2 Player Here...Best Game I've Ever Played!!!

H

HalfLifer4Life

Guest
Okay, so I've never had a powerful PC, so computer games have never been my thing. I've heard about Half-Life and all this hype surrounding it for years, but never done anything about it. Finally, I bought the original Half-Life 1 for PC about a year ago, and I thought it was just okay.
Fast forward to today. I finally gave in to the hype and bought The Orange Box for my 360. My console of choice already tells you I'm a huge Halo nut and consider it and the COD franchise to be the greatest shooters of our time. I was always a skeptic of the Half-Life franchise, but I couldn't resist anymore and finally wanted to see what all of this hype was about...

All I can say now is WOW!!!!!!!!!! I've played through almost all of the Half-Life 2 campaign (currently on Anticitizen One), and it's quite simply the greatest gaming experience of my life. Everything about this game is wonderful and fun and exciting and realistic and...well, you get the point. I just can't get over how this game does so many things so well...it's really unrivaled in the shooter genre. The weapons are great, the combat is riveting and exciting, the story is excellent, the level design is unmatched, the physics system is mind-blowing, the graphics are still insane, and the sense of IMMERSION is unlike that of any other game I've ever played, period. Big props to Valve, they really outdid themselves on this one.

As I am now finally approaching the finish to this amazing gaming experience, I just wanna ask you all one thing: how in the hell does it get better than this? I keep reading that Episode 1 and especially Episode 2 are even better than Half-Life 2, and I just don't see how in the heck that's even possible LOL. But hey, if it's true, then I'm all for it :)
 
I personally found Ep1 to be a bit hit and miss, but there were definitely some nice moments, and it is worth playing just to experience some of the gameplay challenges.

Ep2 boasts a nice remix of antlion/zombie combat, amusing puzzles, boasts a better vehicle experience, and has combat that is more dynamic due to the introduction of a very effective assault enemy.

I felt that after awhile, the HL2 experience dragged along in a few areas while the episode gameplay is quickly paced.

I'd actually be interested in reading what your impressions are of the last sequences of gameplay of HL2 when you are done with that. I wonder if the fact that you don't have to wait to play ep1 will affect your impression of the ending.
 
Half-Life 2 even 3 years later is still one of the best games ever made(meaning top 3). Glad to see your enthusiasm. The episodes while in some ways are more of the same that you get from HL2 are distinctly there own. You will not be disappointed.
 
Adabiviak said:
You, sir, are out of your mind. Welcome to the forums nonetheless.
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Yeah, I know I know...I'm sure I'd like it a lot more now that I'm a HL2 fan...but you have to understand that I did'nt play the original HL until what, 8-9 years after its release? The core gameplay was fun, but i think it was just too dated for me to see the true genius of that game. Plus I read a bunch of reviews on it, and the hype prob ruined some of that for me.

And yeah, I'll post my overall impressions of the game when I'm finished. I have heard that HL2 has a cliffhanger ending, but it's not worrying me cuz there's 2 episodes right after that. I couldn't imagine finishing this game when it came out and having to wait to continue it. That must've killed you all, seriously LOL
 
I remember playing the Uplink demo for Half-life when it was released, and I was blown away by the AI combat. I think the AI was popular at the time due to the combination of the insane HP counts, the liberal use of grenades, and the ability to trick the Marines into assaulting the wrong position while you watched them. I actually think that the original HL ai does a better job of looking smart just because you could trick them so easily and watch their attack patterns in momentary safety.

Back then, the story didn't really grab me, but I think that's due to the lack of overt cutscenes and lack of viewer sophistication (ie: me XD). I think it's understandable that years later the experience is not so mind blowing, but you could say the same for other classics.
 
It's mostly pacing that is handled better in Episode One and then even better in Episode Two. Oh, there's also more story packed in Episode Two which makes it kinda more exciting.
 
I acknowledge your love. It has been returned.

/convert
 
HalfLifer4Life said:
I have heard that HL2 has a cliffhanger ending, but it's not worrying me cuz there's 2 episodes right after that.
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They all have cliffhanger endings...and thats one of the things, that makes me buy HL stuff. You just HAVE to have more of it.
 
Kevin said:
They all have cliffhanger endings...and thats one of the things, that makes me buy HL stuff. You just HAVE to have more of it.
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Half-Life wasn't that much of a cliffhanger. It was just more of a weird ending. Like OF. So cool though!
:afro:
 
Nono, beginning from HL2 and on with the Episodes.

HL1 had the ordinary "kill the giant floating baby and save the worldlol" ending.

But then again, didn't it make you ask "What the?... what now?" when Gman put you into stasis?
So that pretty much a cliffhanger too.
 
Kevin said:
Nono, beginning from HL2 and on with the Episodes.

HL1 had the ordinary "kill the giant floating baby and save the worldlol" ending.
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And Half-Life 2 had an ordinary "kill the big machine in the centre and save the citylol" ending.
 
I edited the post.

And no, you didn't save the city...the city was lost 20 years ago.

And again no...what do you call the "time-stopping Gman appearance" ending then?
It had Cliffhanger written all over it.
 
Kevin said:
I edited the post.

And no, you didn't save the city...the city was lost 20 years ago.

And again no...what do you call the "time-stopping Gman appearance" ending then?
It had Cliffhanger written all over it.
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You saved everyone's lives by killing its failed administrator and rescuing the damsel in distress (with the word damsel used possibly a bit too readily).

And of course, it was a cliffhanger of sorts, but not the sort where you expect a sequel. People wandered around lost for several years without even an idea that there might be a Half-Life 2
 
to OP: It's always good to see HL2 affecting someone new as much as it did most of us back when we first played it! I think some HL2 fans get a bit spoiled when they get accustomed to the game through several replayings - they say weird things like 'HL2 was good at the time, I guess..' and 'I got tired of it after a while' or whatever, when of course that's all tripe, because HL2 is still awesome and in a class of its own when you compare it to the vast majority of shooters out there.

Both Ep1 and Ep2 up the ante in terms of cool gameplay and story, but opinion is divided over whether they top the original HL2 experience or just expand upon it. The general consensus is that Ep1 is pretty good with awesome bits and starts very strong but dips a bit towards the end (despite having a SUPERB ending). Ep2 on the other hand is generally awesome with some bits that are merely pretty good, and starts slow but builds as it goes. I'm sure you'll love them anyhow.
 
Welcome. Glad to see another person who enjoys the game as much as many of us here :)
 
Episode 1/2 have a lot of scripted events/setting that completley leave hl2 in the dust.

edit:Soulslicer, you couldn't be more right.
 
Laivasse said:
Oioi, I know it's not much of a spoiler, but you might want to go easy on that kind of thing when the OP clearly said he's still playing the game, eh :rolleyes:
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Sorry. Changed. Now you just have to change your quote :p.

The days of HL2 spoilers are quite past. And besides, it's inevitable. How can you ever have a huge citadel looming in the centre without having an ending to destroy it?
 
You don't get to persuade Breen that humanity would be better off rescuing homeless puppies and baking brownies? I liken the Citadel to the land of Oz where Gordon is Dorothy going off to meet the Wizard. Ignore the senseless violence and the evil Combine. Just ignore them.
 
HalfLifer4Life said:
I have heard that HL2 has a cliffhanger ending, but it's not worrying me cuz there's 2 episodes right after that. I couldn't imagine finishing this game when it came out and having to wait to continue it. That must've killed you all, seriously LOL
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oh it did... I wanted to die at the end. I had got the game only about a couple of weeks after it came out and the ending killed me. I had to wait YEARS to find out what was to happen to alyx and gordan. I guess you can say that you're lucky, you dont have to deal with a three-or-so year cliffhanger like many others did. All I have to say is that it would be a good idea to play through Portal before you play Episode 2. Trust me, it will make the near-end of Ep. 2 ALOT crazier.:cheese:
 
Considering I waited 6 years to see what happened to Gordon in the first place... I didn't think a year was too much of a sacrifice
 
Actually, me being a new half-lifer also, I have to say that it was an AMAZING gaming experience. I was mostly waiting for the Orange Box so i could play Portal, but after beating it and playing through HL2, I'm hooked. I moved STRAIGHT to ep. 1 after that and played it for about an hour >_> All in all, good job valve... :D
 
Laivasse said:
to OP: It's always good to see HL2 affecting someone new as much as it did most of us back when we first played it! I think some HL2 fans get a bit spoiled when they get accustomed to the game through several replayings - they say weird things like 'HL2 was good at the time, I guess..' and 'I got tired of it after a while' or whatever, when of course that's all tripe, because HL2 is still awesome and in a class of its own when you compare it to the vast majority of shooters out there.

Both Ep1 and Ep2 up the ante in terms of cool gameplay and story, but opinion is divided over whether they top the original HL2 experience or just expand upon it. The general consensus is that Ep1 is pretty good with awesome bits and starts very strong but dips a bit towards the end (despite having a SUPERB ending). Ep2 on the other hand is generally awesome with some bits that are merely pretty good, and starts slow but builds as it goes. I'm sure you'll love them anyhow.
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Tonight might be THE night...finally. I've been real busy all week, but after work tonight I finally have free time to beat this freakin' game LOL. I'm in Anticitize One (stuck in the car-garage sewer area with the zombies and sewage stuff), and I'm pretty sure that I'm just gonna marathon through it and finish it finally. Can't WAIT!!!

Yeah, I told a couple of my friends that it's the best shooter I've ever played, and they can't believe it at all (they're Halo fanatics). I agreed to let one of em borrow the Orange Box once I finish Episode 2 to prove it to him...we'll see how it goes :) On the flip side of that, me and this Gamestop employee talked about the greatness of HL2 for like 2 hours straight yesterday...that was fun. It's great to see that people enjoy true gaming, versus all the overhyped crap that's out there right now.

And lastly, I beat Portal a couple days ago. Great game! But yeah, I heard that it tied into Episode 2, so I'll be ready for it. Alright, gotta go work and beat some Half-Life 2 tonight! :cheers:
 
I take it you also play online with your 360. In that case you should also try out TF2. That's also better than Halo.
 
Laivasse said:
to OP: It's always good to see HL2 affecting someone new as much as it did most of us back when we first played it! I think some HL2 fans get a bit spoiled when they get accustomed to the game through several replayings - they say weird things like 'HL2 was good at the time, I guess..' and 'I got tired of it after a while' or whatever, when of course that's all tripe, because HL2 is still awesome and in a class of its own when you compare it to the vast majority of shooters out there.
Click to expand...
Agreed. To be honest, I think Half-Life 2 is so good it's spoiled me, because now I can hardly play a single player shooter without finding it somewhat awkward and cheesy by comparison, especially when it comes to story and voice acting. Common exposition tools like cutscenes and hearing your character talking to himself to give you hints on what to do and where to go seem so contrived compared to Half-Life's 'through your eyes only' setup.
 
Half-Life 2 is brilliant, but nothing beats the original. I still occasionally return to the first Half-Life
 
I wish I could. Alas, lack of Game CD with me. Hopefully I can get it back again when I go back over Christmas ^,^
 
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