What is most important to you in Ep2?

[Rapstah]

Well, at least Episode One didn't mess up canon.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Why does it matter so much whether Opposing Force is canon, all it really did was state that BMRF was nuked and Valve took direct credit for that, you can ignore all other aspects of the game and I will. Race X can go away, they do not have to appear in the game again and Valve itself screwed up the headcrab morphology by showing them able to detach from people and having the poison and fast versions. Next they will say they do not come from the Gonarch and it was just a mutant but maybe not more story development will change other parts for a while

 

[Jintor]

Are you RomanLegion in disguise?

 

[Rapstah]

By the way, we forgot the Stalker. Episode One had two new enemies.

 

[kattmat]

But the stalker was a disappointment (since I was foolish enough to think that it would be an entire new enemy), it appeared at two places in the citadel and never again. That was a wasted opportunity if I've ever seen one.

 

[Asknoone]

Why? Because you didn't face it directly? I'm pretty sure they used it in a far more innovative way. I mean, you only see it in the Citadel, and how would you beat it? Oh yeah, pick it up with the gravity gun. Woo. Instead Valve did something different, and instead of it being simply another enemy you have to fight they included it in what was probably the best scene in the game.

This is the direction FPS should be going in.

 

[kattmat]

While it was a good place for it to appear in, I thought Valve could have used the stalker more. Instead of meeting (and picking up) a new and interesting enemy we had to pick up endless hordes of old enemies instead. I was never a fan of the entire you're-in-the-citadel-with-only-one-weapon thing anyway, it got old after 10 minutes. The narrow, linear citadel levels with repetitive combat wasn't very exciting after the street war and having only one weapon wasn't something positive either.
Valve spiced it up with new puzzles and the awesome core-scene in Ep.1 though, that's why I'm not whining about it. It just felt sad that we had such an interesting enemy that could have been used in other puzzles and combat scenes but just saw it twice. As you said, Valve can be innovative if they want, so I'd like to know why they couldn't find anymore spot where we could face the stalker.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Are you RomanLegion in disguise?

Your words burn me more than one of those dumbass barrels, and Samon would be all over me if i were for daring to call Episode 1 lacking in any way so there. I will prove it to you

Rome sucks and is gone, of course its influence remains but it is GONE so hows that

 

[Mahalis]

But the stalker was a disappointment (since I was foolish enough to think that it would be an entire new enemy), it appeared at two places in the citadel and never again. That was a wasted opportunity if I've ever seen one.

Three. The rollermines, the elevator, and the core.
But yeah, it would've been cool to have seen them more often. Most of the areas of the Citadel you visited were all deserted 'n stuff. I wouldn't have expected the Combine to evacuate the slaves along with the soldiers; there should have been Stalkers wandering around aimlessly, with no taskmasters, attacking everything in sight.

 

[Benefactor]

Valve should make a new version of EP1 where you play in an alternate timeline.

You start out with all the weapons you had in the ending of HL2, including the supercharged gravity gun. Later in the game you will acquire an arsenal of wepaons that Race X sent through mysterious portals. One of those weapons are powered with a tiny Dark Fusion-reactor that can wipe out every enemy in sight. Similar to BFG 3000 in Doom. New enemies will also be present. One of them will be an upgraded gunship, only this time it shoots missiles instead of bullets. Another familiar enemy is the strider, the new version have the ability to run, which makes him 2x faster than before.

And of course an amazing plot that manages to explain all of this.

This doesn't have to be canon, but it sure would satisy some gamers out there...

 

[Rapstah]

Valve should make a new version of EP1 where you play in an alternate timeline.

You start out with all the weapons you had in the ending of HL2, including the supercharged gravity gun. Later in the game you will acquire an arsenal of wepaons that Race X sent through mysterious portals. One of those weapons are powered with a tiny Dark Fusion-reactor that can wipe out every enemy in sight. Similar to BFG 3000 in Doom. New enemies will also be present. One of them will be an upgraded gunship, only this time it shoots missiles instead of bullets. Another familiar enemy is the strider, the new version have the ability to run, which makes him 2x faster than before.

And of course an amazing plot that manages to explain all of this.

This doesn't have to be canon, but it sure would satisy some gamers out there...

And that would create a cult of people claiming that version was the only one that's canon, splitting the world. :frog:

 

[Gorgon]

8 hours is not enough, I need to see something like 12 at minimum.

 

[Mesz]

@ benefactors post:

new awesome weapons would satisfy a lot of gamers out there but that Ep1 version would be viewed more as a stress reliever game since the weapons are so destructive. They shouldnt fit it into any storyline, that would be stupid. But i'd like to see that sort of thing in HL.

Maybe mini games like survival mode where you have to defend a fort from an onslaught of all types of enemies and you can choose what enemies you face or just select all of them for a challenge. That'd be fun to play when you're stuck and really can't be bothered anymore. And an online version of this would just = Epic Win

 

[ríomhaire]

1 playthrough on hard + 1 playthrough with commentary + playthrough of portal + playthrough of portal with commentary should be 12 hours.

 

[Rapstah]

Don't forget the endless hours of TF2.

And TF2 with commentary.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Im not into the whole play on medium then on hard thing, i just play the story once on medium. I dont see how antlions taking two bullets to kill makes it so replay friendly. And portal is not half life even if it is set with half life and commentary is not that interesting

 

[Rapstah]

And portal is not half life even if it is set with half life

Apples are not apples, even though they look a lot like apples.

commentary is not that interesting

It is.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Apples are not apples, even though they look a lot like apples.



It is.

bah, portal is a minigame not much of an action FPS and NOT HALF LIFE contrary-man .

not really not counts as hours of play interesting

 

[ríomhaire]

Half-Life is almost as much as a puzzler series as it is action. From Blast Pit, to Xen to Undue Alarm, puzzles frequent the series. Anyway, if you want the story you should really play it. According to at least one preview Aperture Science ties into Epiosde Two somehow.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Half-Life is almost as much as a puzzler series as it is action. From Blast Pit, to Xen to Undue Alarm, puzzles frequent the series. Anyway, if you want the story you should really play it. According to at least one preview Aperture Science ties into Epiosde Two somehow.

The puzzles were the same variety you see in other FPS and there was actual action in them. The puzzles in HL2 were not really puzzles, just put weight on one end of the scales so they do not shift

 

[Jintor]

...floating boxes, floating barrels, swim here in this set time, etc.

Puzzles are puzzles, no matter the context.

 

[smokeythebear]

More fighting in general. I think I will get my wish because the trailers show some great open ended skirmishes with the combine. Episode one had very few good fights, yet the intensity of the hospital made up for that! I hope the next episode is full of this kind of desperate fighting, and with the added enemies it's looking good. Valve hopefully realized what elements people did not like in episode one and make a better game based on more frantic combat with some nice involving story line bits. Not sure how everyone else feels but episode one was very very unsatisfying for me.