When it comes out, will you be doing this?

[kupocake]

There are few people in the world that would argue against Half-Life having some of the most absorbing and fun gameplay around at the time.

Presumably, these are the people that have played as far as Residue Processing which feels like it was outsourced to the Sonic the Hedgehog design team. Floating conveyor belts, random ovens, big squishy pistons and big pools of radioactive goop? It's a shame Gordon didn't turn blue in the waste compactor.

Yes Half-Life was the best game of its time, and took a while to be topped, but that doesn't give it immunity from constructive criticism in this day and age. The Half-Life series hasn't just become graphically superior, the gameplay experience has been refined through a growing understanding of how players interact with titles and a knowledge of what constitutes interesting player interactions. Half-Life 1 is a clunky world of Jumping and Timing puzzles, enemies that take Eighty bullets to the face before keeling over and uninspiring treks through air-vents and sewer systems. Sure it has its inspiring moments of incredible adrenaline rush that survive until this day, but for every amazing Surface Tension moment, there have been three times as many in the following titles.

edit: Though of course, Half-Life still has every chance of being better than Black Mesa.

 

[Ubik]

didn't Black Mesa: Source die? I really hope it didn't because it looked epic, but it looks like it's dead.

 

[ríomhaire]

They aren't ****ing dead

 

[MJ12]

I will never say HL2 is better than HL1 or vice versa, they both have their pro's and con's, I am not basing this off of nostalgia either, I played HL for the first time about 2-3 years ago when I was 15. Granted at the time I had a very outdated computer so it was exciting to play something like that, but that's not the reason I refuse to say HL2 is better than HL1 or HL1 is better than HL2.

They are both very different games, HL1 is what really set of the series (well obviously), and HL2 took it to a whole new level. Like my children, I love HL1 and HL2 equally, they are both uniquely awesome in their own way.

 

[Druckles]

It's a shame Gordon didn't turn blue in the waste compactor.

Haha. I always laughed there. But then it did give it "variety". Besides, it was just a much more condensed version of a lot of Half-Life chapters. Take the Xenian levels, for instance.

but that doesn't give it immunity from constructive criticism in this day and age.

This, I have no problem with. This,

HL1 sux coz Eps wer beta LOL!

I have a problem with.

 

[SpectreBlofeld]

Presumably, these are the people that have played as far as Residue Processing which feels like it was outsourced to the Sonic the Hedgehog design team. Floating conveyor belts, random ovens, big squishy pistons and big pools of radioactive goop? It's a shame Gordon didn't turn blue in the waste compactor.

I love me some Half-Life 1, but that was pretty damn funny.

In many ways, I prefer the gameplay in HL1 to the sequels. Everything seemed to move so much... faster, somehow.

I can say this for certain: HL1 deathmatch was waaay more fun than HL2DM.

 

[krazyfragger]

I couldn't help myself. I would probably play Episode Two again in the hours immediately before Episode Three was unlocked, and then plow straight into it.

yeah, that's probably what i'd do.
Actually, i'd drain the lizard and stock up on coffee and donuts first between the episodes, but then it's full speed ahead, and If I use cheats the first time through I don't know what I'll do to myself.

 

[Apocalypse89]

I'm going to go through an HL2>Ep1>Ep2 playthrough right now.

Not sure if I'll ever do another playthrough of HL1.

 

[kupocake]

Everything seemed to move so much... faster, somehow.

Perhaps in certain chapters. Surface Tension was pretty fast paced for instance, but I felt progress for most of the game was always very slow, especially when you consider how much ground you cover in vehicles in HL2. Think of a soldier fight in Half-Life and you think of four shotgun blasts to take them down. A combine soldier in HL2 is two shotgun shots, or a vague fling with a heavy object.

I can say this for certain: HL1 deathmatch was waaay more fun than HL2DM.

I think it's not unfair to say that HL2 DM was an afterthought. I mean, it was literally made after HL2's release, released with two maps and later patched to include community maps to give it some vague variety. It was never really meant to compete, hence why HL1 DM is much, much better.

 

[Narvi]

I remember being really bored during the office levels. Then the tentacles appeared and I stopped being bored.

I also stopped playing the game for two years after that, but that's just me.

 

[elkaebee]

Residue Processing was, in fact, a figment of Gordon's imagination. The sequence created by Vavle to show a little more insight into the deranged, sick mind that is Gordon Freeman.
After being knocked out by the HECU, the HEV suit took over Gordon's body, escaped through a vent in the trash compactor, and fought it's way to the very beggining of "Questionable Ethics", where Gordon suddenly awoke and began killing aliens willy nilly.

Unfortunately for us, what we experienced in Mr. Freemans' mind while he was out was identical in every respect as to what the HEV experienced during time of said knockout.

 

[LackingSaint]

Yes, HL1 is a classic, but to be honest, I don't see why some fans get all up in arms when someone says they prefer HL2+. At the time of HL1's creation, it was merely a few guys wanting to make a game similar to Doom and coming out with what turned out to be a birlliant game at the time. So I wouldn't be pushing my luck to say HL2 was better than HL1, because it was more well-thought out, with it's own unique design, story and gameplay.

 

[SpectreBlofeld]

Perhaps in certain chapters. Surface Tension was pretty fast paced for instance, but I felt progress for most of the game was always very slow, especially when you consider how much ground you cover in vehicles in HL2. Think of a soldier fight in Half-Life and you think of four shotgun blasts to take them down. A combine soldier in HL2 is two shotgun shots, or a vague fling with a heavy object.

I mean, LITERALLY faster! As in, all the enemies and you yourself literally *moved faster*.

 

[Xendance]

I tried doing it for the Orange Box, but I failed and only just managed to complete Half Life 2 a few hours before the release of Episode Two.
Luckily, there was a recap at the beginning of Episode Two, so I'm hoping that would be in Episode Three as well.

 

[MJ12]

Playing HL1 sucks cuz the rest are so superior, specially if u played any of the episodes before HL1

Plus sorry, but HL1 sucks, its only great if your 8 years old or something and then have years for the nostalgia to stew.

I'll do it. I'd like BM ( once was BM:S, but its now just called BM ), but It just doenst feel like a reality because I've been waiting for it to come out for longer then i can remember. spend a night and play through all the games. for story line reasons I will probably play with some cheats though just to get through it. My favorite is to set the buck shots on the shot gun really high, like.. more then 500 less then 850, and its pretty much the only gun you need, other then a rocket launcher. you can blow through the game really really fast that way.

I don't think I'd ever need cheats to get through a HL game I've already played, the first time can be difficult, but after that it always seems quite simple to me. *shrugs* Just me.

There are hundreds of people on this board that played Half-Life back between '98 and '04 before Half-Life was ever released. This is the sort of experience you need in order to be able to compare products of different times.

I am an exception in this situation, I played HL and HL2 for the first time in about a year's difference. I love them both equally.

Your argument, while understandable, fails on the fact it revolves around the concept of nostalgia as a legitimate position to argue, but fails the scientific method usually regarded as the one stop shop for "sick burns" when debating.

You are wrong, I never played HL until I was a Sophmore in HS which was about 2-3 years ago. By no means would I say HL sucks. Granted at the time I only had an outdated machine to play outdated games, so HL was a gem, but even so, a year later I got a new computer and played HL2.

Thusly, HL's awesomeness is not based on nostalgia, but on the fact that it is simply awesome.

 

[Lucid]

Episode 3's going to be out way before BMS.

 

[Probydoby]

yeh probably, when BMS is released, (10 years from now?) everyone already forgot about half life and everyone is like... black mesa?? what is that? screw it

 

[freeman1993]

I'll just start with Hl2 first then go through the rest till episode 3

 

[Shamrock]

That reminds me, when the bloody hell is Black Mesa Source going to be released? How far along are they?

 

[Iron_cube]

The mod is a portfolio project for the members and will not necessarely be released.

Also OP got the list wrong.

HL1 > Op4 > BS > HL:S > BM:S > HL2 > HL2LC > EP1 > EP2 > EP3 > Minerva > Portal

Minerva deserves it's own place in the list imo.

 

[alehm]

Black Mesa will be out around the same time as Half Life 3.

 

[Nitre]

Probably yes, not sure about HL1 though, it frustrated me somewhat.

 

[Vegeta897]

The mod is a portfolio project for the members and will not necessarely be released.

Also OP got the list wrong.

HL1 > Op4 > BS > HL:S > BM:S > HL2 > HL2LC > EP1 > EP2 > EP3 > Minerva > Portal

Minerva deserves it's own place in the list imo.

The whole point of half life is that we're following every step of Gordon Freeman. Why would OP4 and BS and Portal etc. be in there?

 

[Iron_cube]

Oh, no one specified this.

Alright then, that's just me own lil' list of singleplayer goodness

 

[Vegeta897]

Doesn't really need specification if you ask me. I mean that's just what I'd prefer if I were to do it.

Tis a good list though.

 

[Druckles]

HL1 > Op4 > BS > HL:S > BM:S > HL2 > HL2LC > EP1 > EP2 > EP3 > Minerva > Portal

Minerva deserves it's own place in the list imo.

So you want to play through Half-Life three times before you play Episode Three?

Hm, good luck with that.

 

[FlotsamX]

I'll be doing Opposing Force and Blue Shift instead of the original Half Life, which was VERY annoying for me.

 

[Operational]

I'm not planning on replaying HL2 until the graphics update comes out, I know it's probably ages away but that's kinda the point.

Depending upon when it comes out I'll probably replay Ep1 and/or Ep2 just before Ep3 is released.

 

[Druckles]

I doubt the graphics update will be released before Episode Three.

 

[Operational]

I doubt the graphics update will be released before Episode Three.

Very probably.

 

[Druckles]

I'll be doing Opposing Force and Blue Shift instead of the original Half Life, which was VERY annoying for me.

You just don't know hardcore games when you see them!

Very probably.

I was actually surprised it wasn't released with Episode Two. I'd certainly appreciate it if they released it in the run up to Episode Three. Re-released it or something. Might give more people an incentive to pick up a 4 year old game.

 

[FlotsamX]

You just don't know hardcore games when you see them!

Half-Life was an annoying game for me, after the chapter "We've Got Hostiles". It revolved around annoying puzzles that you had to backtrack half a level through to finish, and combat of HECU grunts so implausibly difficult that you had to play through it 5 times, just to finish that part up with 15 health. Half Life 2 really improved alot of things, when you look at the original, as did Opposing Force.

 

[Iron_cube]

So you want to play through Half-Life three times before you play Episode Three?

Hm, good luck with that.

Absolutely no problem with me.

You obviously don't know me well enough :hmph:

Might give more people an incentive to pick up a 4 year old game.

This has nothing to do with anything. 80% of the ep2 content is still from "that 4 year old game".

I still play DoomDM with a bunch of friends sometimes and there are still plenty of starcraft servers around, your point is invalid.

Unless you mean people stopped buying HL2. Which is also wrong.

 

[Druckles]

Absolutely no problem with me.

You obviously don't know me well enough :hmph:

That's fine by me, but I'm not going to wait 21 hours to play Episode Three because I want to play the same game through three times.

This has nothing to do with anything. 80% of the ep2 content is still from "that 4 year old game".

I still play DoomDM with a bunch of friends sometimes and there are still plenty of starcraft servers around, your point is invalid.

Unless you mean people stopped buying HL2. Which is also wrong.

Neither of which I meant. Giving the engine improvements to the maps and game of Half-Life makes it more attractive. Fact. That can't be "wrong".

 

[Hobopro]

I think EP3 will prolly be out before BMS. Or BMS will be infested wiv buggs.