Which Episode did you like better? (spoiler thread)

Which was better?

  • Episode One

    Votes: 8 4.7%

  • Episode Two

    Votes: 161 95.3%
  • Total voters
    169
It could've used some Combine soldiers thrown in for completeness. Somebody email Valve to put some in and update it with a Steam update!
 
The only reason we had other expectations for the final fight is because we spoiled ourselves with the gameplay trailer. If people are complaining about the difficulty of the final battle as it was, imagine how much more difficult and frustrating it would have been with gunships and troops swarming around. That battle wasn't 'supposed' to be anything other than it was - we weren't promised anything, just given teasers and we made assumptions.

I too was looking forward to a massive battle with troops chucked in. It would even have made a bit more sense to the story if soldiers were assaulting at the same time. I was disappointed when that wasn't the case. Big deal - learn from it and don't spoil yourselves in future, that's what I plan to do. That fight would have been ridiculous if made much tougher.

And Magnusson was written excellently.
 
It's impossible to have Gunships in that final battle. You'd need unlimited rockets. Defeating the point of the Strider Buster.
 
I'm amazed that people think Magnusson is one-dimensional.

Compared to what?

Kleiner is your average bumbling scientist, Eli is your cool dad, Barney is the unlucky everyman. Most of the characters in HL2 are archetypes (except for the women... for some reason) but this does not make them bad characters.

They are all also inanely cheerful. Magnusson was a breath of fresh air after that.
 
theholygod said:
Speaking of previews, i actually found the previews to be VERY different to the final product.

Gman never once said "someones not supposed to be here", alyx never fell off a bridge.

I think valve did a great job of teasing the fanbase, but never giving anything away.
Click to expand...
Valve weren't deliberately teasing us. With the exception of the exact dialogue of "you're not supposed to be here" everything we saw in the trailers was what they currently had in development. The commentary often mentions things we saw that were removed/changed.

Black Op said:
it was obvious VALVe tried to give more character to the rebels, who previous were bascially generic friendly NPCs.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, Alyx, The Vortigaunt, the two guys at the defend Alyx part, the guy who berates you for bringing in the chopper and then dies, Eli... I don't think I've been that emotionally connected to NPC's since trying to save the dummies in HL1.

DreamThrall said:
Also, for EP2, I didn't read ANY reviews, previews, spoilers or any thing about the content AT ALL, and while it was hard being tempted, it was totally worth everything being a surprise. I recommend to everyone to try doing that for EP3 :)
Click to expand...
Yea definitely going to do that for Ep3. If you look at all the stuff that was out for Ep1 and Ep2 it just gives too much away - too many of my reactions for Ep2 was, "oh this is that part I saw in GameplayX trailer", or, "oh they have changed this bit from what I saw in GameplayY trailer".

theotherguy said:
poorly written, a one dimensional character, randomly thrown in with no explanation of why he's there or how he got there in the first place.
Click to expand...
erm, do you actually listen to the dialogue? He has been at White Forest all this time working on the Rocket, which was foreshadowed in Ep1's Kleinercast.

theotherguy said:
As for the last fight, it was hardly "epic"
Click to expand...
My heartrate disagrees.

theotherguy said:
you are practically the only person on the battlefield
Click to expand...
We'll I'll give you this point (but I disagree with all your others) - there could have been more Rebels. They even mention in the commentary that some players relied on their help and it would have added more atmosphere.

I still found it incredibly fun, so much so that I'm calling it the best Half-Life combat climax to date - it's better than the Nihilanth battle, Super Gravity Gun and the 1v1 Strider of the other Half-Life games.
 
I'll agree to that. The final battle at White Forest had me going.
 
Ep2 had severe sprint/bunnyhop nerfing, but I still voted for this due to the good ammount of new content.

Oh and I was ****ing baffled when Alyx said G-man's words. Insane.
 
Definately Episode 2. The first one is still very good, but it was much more of the same from Half Life 2. Similar environments, same weapons, though there was a new enemy added it felt like an obligatory idea of "if rebels can become zombies, why cant the combine?"

Episode had pretty much everything I couldve wanted. New environments (though the ant lion caves were only "good" I would say), a new diverse enemy (People say they were too easy using physics objects, but when I was surrounded by two or three of them my first impulse was to choose my AR-2 instead of running around looking for an explosive to fire), and much more satisfying story elements. The ending scene made me furious, so I was glad when Dog came in and started wailing on the Advisor.

There was also more comic releif in this episode, which I loved. Magnesson was an awesome touch, definately a break from everyone constantly praising you. Plus that scene with the guy in the white shirt was absolutely hilarious.

"Back in the city, we were full of AR-3s" "You idiot, there is no such thing as an AR-3"

So many great quotes from that part that I cant list them all :LOL:

Ennui said:
I'll agree to that. The final battle at White Forest had me going.
Click to expand...

I dunno. No doubt it was fantastic, and very hard to keep all the structures alive, but I'm kinda leaning towards the ambush on White Forest Inn. That was a wonderful set piece, and probably the most enjoyable of the action parts.
 
Episode Two for all of the reasons said before.

I have a feeling it'll be the best of the 3 episodes.

Really really good. :)
 
Ennui said:
Well? Which and why?

I'm all about Episode 2. It was longer, more interesting, and I loved the outdoor setting... I was more than sick of C17 after HL2 was over. The ending of Episode 1 was a bit more epic but a lot of shit happened in Episode 2, and I am seriously sad about our favorite peg-leg's death.
Click to expand...
He will return thanks to Aperture Science's Borealis. It holds the key to time travel which will allow us to finally see Gordon and enable us to save Eli.
 
Did Alyx loose weight or am I a pervert....That's the first thing I noticed... Of coarse next to the epic thing.
 
She seemed vaguely thinner to me, too...I guess being on the run for days on end now with no stop will do that to people :p
 
Episode 1 felt more of the same the environment it felt like they were restricted
Episode 2 however was breathtaking the environment the story epic action sequences wins hands down.
 
I really liked EP1, but then when EP2 came out and I played it I loved it even more than EP1 or even HL2 ..
 
Episode 2 without a doubt.

The start of EP1 was the best and I loved how the journey to the Citadel core and core itself, a feast for the eyes. And the co-op play with Alyx as well as her teases, but I never had a sense of urgency about getting the hell out of the city seemed a little bit too slow paced, and the civilian escort at the end was downright iritating and had me hard to believe that Valve had put that in, however I did enjoy that last Strider fight and Citadel exploding as you raced away more than enough made up for the bad things, amazing.

EP2 had urgency written all over it, with spotting the Combine force marching towards White Forest, you knew you had to beat them. The introduction to the Hunter was brilliant and Alyx being impaled by it while I could do nothing got the rage factor going. The Antlion offensive you have to fend off was awsome and the dialogue of the two rebels was very amusing, not to mention i loved co-oping with the Vort, blowing anything its path apart. Generally just a lot more well scripted, knew your direction fully and had so moments of pure genious, the final battle I actually found very enjoyable and hard at the same time.

That ending REALLY sealed the deal for me though, it actually beat the ending to 24 season 1 in terms of effecting me emotionally, I have never felt more sorry about anyone in my entire life as Alyx wept her little heart, just so wanted to get up and comfort her, but nooooo Gordon is perfectly fine sitting in a dodgey position behind the scene lol.
 
I loved episode two and the way valve personalized the car in this one. Especially it's usefulness.
 
I voted for Ep 1.

For me, many of the events and puzzles in Ep 2 seemed too forced and contrived. Take for example the part where Alyx is stabbed - it seemed too much like one of the "cutscenes" Valve tries to avoid, and the helplessness, followed by the convenient release, seemed too unbelievable. It also seems to be a lot more cheerful - failing to recreate the hopeless mood of Ep 1.

For me, the most affecting moment is in Ep 1 when the Stalker train crashes. I was affected even before Alyx appeared to be. Also, the first encounter with the Advisors is extremely creepy. And although it is linear, it felt to me that in Ep 1 I was going in the direction I chose to go, like Valve had predicted my choices and made the game around them.

The combat in Ep 1 was also more enjoyable. In Ep 2, combat is delivered in very small pockets. Ep 1 combat seemed to be a chain of epic battles. Like for example the battle in the dark at the base of the elevator shaft, or that oh-so-epic battle with the gunship and the disintegrating building. Even just walking past the windows with the gunship shooting in was amazing. And then there was the cool battle with the strider.
 
Ep2 was the best. It was so immersive. I mean, remember the "tea-time" scene, where Eli sends Alyx off to get some tea so he could talk to you alone? I felt like some was actually talking to me. And also right before Eli was killed, when he let Alyx run off before him so he could talk to you. It's all the little things like that that made EP2 one of the best games ever. Alyx's near death made my heart jump and when Eli died I was completely speechless for an hour. I just sat watching the screen for like 20 minutes. The last time I got an emotion like that from anything other than real life was watching a really good movie like "The Green Mile."
 
episode 2 fursure. there was more action. and most of all, the story line went BOOM way bigger in episode 2 than it did in episode 1.
 
I need more freaking weapons. Hl2 needs more weapons.

I'm jealous of COD4MW demo. Damn those weapons shine.

How come COD fan-boys get better weapons than us?

we need more shiny weapons.
 
Episode 2, better story... better dialogue... better environments.

I hated Ep1 because it was too much of the same.
 
capteeni said:
I loved episode two and the way valve personalized the car in this one. Especially it's usefulness.
Click to expand...

Yeah I loved the new car more than the buggy. Maybe its just me, but I felt slightly more comfortable steering, yet the speed had the slightest edge of insanity to it.
 
A boosted jeep actually goes faster than the charger, ya know.

Although I think the charger beats the jeep at normal speed.
 
Barney Fife said:
I need more freaking weapons. Hl2 needs more weapons.

I'm jealous of COD4MW demo. Damn those weapons shine.

How come COD fan-boys get better weapons than us?

we need more shiny weapons.
Click to expand...

Well, they did update the pistol a bit... ;)
 
Episode two.. I thought the helplessness of Alyx getting wounded added to the fact that the characters are not invincible, and that the will die at some point.
 
I preferred the story in Episode Two far more than Episode One. But, as far as combat goes, Episode Two was a major letdown for me. It just wasn't as fun. The underground/mine level was just too standard for a game. Setting up turrets? Having something chase you and not kill it?

I loved the ending to Episode Two, but hated the ending battle. I'll leave it at that. The only level I actually thought was neat was when you had to destroy the combine turret on one level. The physics puzzles all seemed really bland to me in Episode Two -- even without reading anything about the puzzles, I knew what to do right away as it was just obvious. I want to think about it and not have to do something monotonously.

Episode One definitely lacked on the story, but the combat was far, far better. Just much more fun. No good story, no cool interactive cutscenes, but just more fun.

Voted EP1, barely.
 
Loved the whole thing. The rebels in the mine shaft, the chopper battle, close encounter w/ the Adviser, autogun sequence, quite makes up for a bunch of missing enemies (and security guards, I know, I messed up in my predictions about Barney being fine).

Valve probably had their reasons for the lack of manhacks, scanners, gunships, APCs, hoppermines, rollermines, and such. Who knows what happened in play testing.
 
Whilst I voted EP2, the first two chapters of EP1 are still some of the best Valve have ever produced.
 
If HL1 had better graphics (yes I know HL is very old :thumbs:) it would be awesome (it still is good ofcourse) Half-Life 2 was really good, EP1 was ok, some nice chapters like the beginning and "lowlife", EP2 was absolutely amazing and I personaly think it is the best there is, it would be so much cooler though if those 3 episodes were simply placed into one game, I dont like getting just a piece of it, and then have to wait again.
 
Think about it this way... you'd still be waiting for the next game after HL2 in 2004 if not for episodes.
 
No, they'd continue using Source, just like they are now :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

bbson john
Hi everyone. I am new to this forum!
Replies
11
Views
6K
Tollbooth Willie
Tollbooth Willie
B
From Warren Spector to Arkane Studios: Half-Life 2's cancelled Ravenholm episode
Replies
2
Views
10K
Clan Wolf 2
Clan Wolf 2
B
The leaked maps of the Half-Life 2 episodes - Part 1
Replies
0
Views
48K
Barnz
B
B
The leaked maps of the Half-Life 2 episodes - Part 2
Replies
0
Views
9K
Barnz
B
B
Marc Laidlaw releases Half-Life 2: Episode Three's plot
Replies
32
Views
39K
BabyHeadCrab
BabyHeadCrab
Back
Top