Half-Life 2: Episode One Review

[Norse]

Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net) has tried out the long-awaited Half-Life 2: Episode One. Here's what they say:

But once you play through Episode One it's hardly surprising Valve tied itself up in knots when deciding on a title. The fact that it's the first part of a coherent story-driven trilogy elevates it above expansion pack cash-in fodder, but at the same time it's perhaps too closely associated with its 'parent' game to be thought of as a bona fide sequel. In a sense we're very much in GTA III/Vice City/San Andreas territory: you know exactly what to expect, but love it precisely because it's more of the same.
The game scores 9/10. Read the rest of the review here (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65249).

Certainly a must-buy for all of us Half-Life fans.

[saulob]

oh lord.. I need that game... 54 min. left

http://ep1.half-life2.com/

[Citizen Philip]

I'll play it tonight and post my 2 cents, editting this post.

The review is fine: EP1 is 5 chapters, you play Gordon and Alyx is a freqent (and praised) sidekick. Mention of headcrab combine soliders, and such. You can read the review (2-3 pages) without feeling like you would be damaging your experience when you play.

Edit. Took me about 4.5-5 hours, playing my regular way: which occasionally involves reloading or going back to check a detail or two out. My first impression is: yes, it is worth the money. Second: The HDR lighting on my x1900 blew me away: I thought it was "interesting" but not very impressive in the Lost Coast. IN HL2E1 The HDR really added to the atmosphere as certain sections of the gameplay really used it to create a cinematic experience.

The gameplay is fresh and familiar and there is a scene that reminded greatly of the part of HL1 when you are crawling through a vent and the marines start shooting at it. Instead this time it's mines.. and the situationt keeps getting from bad, to even badder to worst. It was funny and unexpected. And then they get you one more time when you thought it was over.

Can't think of anything really bad: Alyx does a good job of helping you and staying out of the way, never got me annoyed that she did something dumb that got her killed or me hurt. And it's a nice feeling to not be alone or dragging around nameless NPC troops.

Looking forward to more

[zipR]

I'm curious to know if the story advances at all. Do we learn much more about what's going on in the ep?

[Echani]

To download it tonight or buy it in town tomorrow...

[bKangy]

I pre-ordered it, but then it turned out Valve wouldn't take my debit card (GET ON THAT, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, YOU WHORES) so now I'm stuck waiting for Amazon to deliver it tomorrow. Or Saturday. It better come tomorrow, or I'll be upset.

Upset!

[Heretic Machine]

I have it pre-loaded, and I'm gonna buy it sometime soon. Maybe today, maybe not, I'm not sure yet. Loads of love for Half-life 2 though.

[TheKeck]

I feel the need to express to frustration again that the game won't be available for another 38 minutes (which translates to many hours for us working folk). Why couldn't they release at midnight like they did with Half-life 2? :(

[goc_sin]

I bought it the other day, can't wait to steam activate this bad boy!

[Tricky Thumb]

Valve wouldn't accept my Debit Card either, which angers me. So I'll have to purchase it in-store today or tomorrow. Ah well at least I can play it on my buddy's account before work today.

I have been informed that there are over 100 of those "info nodes" that were in Lost Coast throughout the game. Now I understand that you have to turn them on, but this knowledge probably isn't good for me. Now I will be forced to listen to them all.

[dotbomb]

Go go steam activation POWER!!!!

[MasterKwan]

19 minutes. I work out of my house so, I'll be playing pretty damn soon...

[Wyrm]

I think I'm going to take an extended lunch break... 10 minutes left...

[thecrazyd]

Great. It comes out just as I start work. I have to wait the maximum period of work time to play. Fucking retail bitches, keeping me from playing the game as soon as it was finished.

[saulob]

20 seconds :D

Half-Life 2: Episode One has been released.

lets go... !

[The Iron Weasel]

Can you actually use your debit card with Steam?

[TheKeck]

I have been informed that there are over 100 of those "info nodes" that were in Lost Coast throughout the game.
Seriously?! Crap! Must... resist... obsessive... compulsion... :(

[Zurik]

I have it payed off and have been trying to pre-load it. It sat all last night at 83.4% and so far hasn't moved. WTF?

[rulyblue]

It's (city) 17 minutes after the hour and I cannot play. *Le sigh*

[rulyblue]

Check that... decrypting Steam files... so I guess they're a little late in Canada.

[Worldcrafter]

Can you actually use your debit card with Steam?

Absotively posolutely. A bought all of my Steam games with my debit card. Can't wait to play this when I get home!

[Stormwatcher]

Mine is bought and loaded, but I'm at the office now... Damn.

[Spigot]

I've got it preloaded but I'll probably wait a bit before I buy it. I need to figure out how to liberate my credit card from the dungeon of my wife's purse. I doubt Steam would take a Canadian debit card... sigh... :(

[Borys]

Some people had to reset their PCs in order for it to start decrypting BTW.

[PIPBoy3000]

Mine is preloaded and purchased. $18 for 5 hours of quality fun seems like a pretty good deal. We'll see if I stay up until 1 in the morning tonight in an orgiastic marathon of playing, or if I'm sensible and break it up over several days.

[MSUStud911]

Some people had to reset their PCs in order for it to start decrypting BTW.

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering why my copy hadn't decrypted yet. I just exited and restarted Steam and it began decrypting as soon as Steam came back up.

[Syl]

I downloaded it, unlocked it, and now i must leave for work. Sigh.

At the very least, i can tell you that the opening scene is quite pretty.

[Nessus]

I want this game. Now.

[jeffool]

I bought this last night, and I'm about to go in to work too. But that's no big deal, because I'm going to play through HL2 entirely again before I play Episode 1. First night of play (last night) I got to Ravenholm.

[The Iron Weasel]

Absotively posolutely. A bought all of my Steam games with my debit card. Can't wait to play this when I get home!

Really? Thats really odd theres no option for Debit when I click to order Episode 1 or SiN.

[Worldcrafter]

Really? Thats really odd theres no option for Debit when I click to order Episode 1 or SiN.

Can't you use your debit card like a credit card? Mine is a Visa and has all the numbers needed for a Visa credit card, but when I buy stuff with it as a credit card, it just gets withdrawn from my bank account.

[Shifteh]

Not to be a naysayer, but, does this game fix many of the problems a lot of people had with Half-Life 2? Specifically the terrible A.I., or the somewhat meandering levels? I can't describe it much better than that.

I don't want to call people morons for liking what I don't, I'm just curious if this is just more of Half-Life 2, or if changes were made.

[MasterKwan]

No spoilers Episode 1 commentary.

Well, I'm an hour in and I'm not blown away. I was hoping for some plot but, I aint getting it. It's all run and gun, dark run and gun at that. Alex really is a good sidekick though. I find the way they explained away the escape from the final explosion in HL2 to be pretty flimsy.

Valve needs to study the Japanese if they want to know how to trigger some emotional moments. They try but, it seems pretty forced to me. There's more to it than facial expressions. I suspect the Japanese are experts at it because so much of their media is animated and they have to figure out how to add emotions to basically animated drawings.

It's not terrible, I'm just hoping for more plot. For me so far, it has zero replay value at the moment.

[Cha-Ka]

Everything I've read about episode one indicates it's more of the same Half-Life 2 goodness and ....

SPOILER AHEAD:


few (if any) questions from the 'story' are answered in the new installment.

[BleedTheFreak]

Valve needs to study the Japanese if they want to know how to trigger some emotional moments.

Oh no! There goes your credibility! Quick, try and grab it before it's.. too late.

[rulyblue]

Im about an hour into it and so far the music and maybe Alyx's rear end are the best things. I just wanna shot stuff. give me a harder Ravenholm level *pout*

[F3nyx]

Valve needs to study the Japanese if they want to know how to trigger some emotional moments. They try but, it seems pretty forced to me. There's more to it than facial expressions. I suspect the Japanese are experts at it because so much of their media is animated and they have to figure out how to add emotions to basically animated drawings.Yeah, I'm sure Alyx would benefit from a Final Fantasy-esque cornucopia of continual gasps and sighs.

[MasterKwan]

BleedTheFreak, you don't have to agree now but, see how Valve tries to give us an emotional Alex. I think you'll agree at least that they need to take lessons from someone. I think part of the problem is the voice actress doing the Alex voice.

Compare both the plot and emotional content of "Metal Gear Solid" with HL2 and you'll see what I'm getting at. RE4 is another example of a great game that made me care about the characters. The characters in HL2, they could all die and it would have no affect on me. They're like cardboard cutouts. They're there so, I can shoot something.

[Wyrm]

Yeah the story was never really a compelling reason for me to play Half Life 2. Sure, the backstory is cool, but in the game, you dont really get a whole lot of plot from shooting apart hundreds of enemies. It was never the masterful story telling masterpiece to me that everyone else around me seemed to think it was.

Gordon Freemen is a cool character, sure, but he doesnt say shit. How can you interact with people without ever speaking? The Star Wars Clone Commandos game did a superb job of creating a cast of characters that were entertaining and fun to fight alongside, as well as giving your character a voice to command them and interact with them. Very cool, and added a level of immersion you dont see in other games.

Even in Halo, which does a pretty good job developing the plot, the MC doesnt talk unless it's in a cutscene. More games need to take after the Commandos game in that respect.

Oh yeah, the opening sequence of the original Half Life made me quit the game and uninstall it. Someone had to actually force me to sit through it, and I still never finished the game. It just wasn't that compelling to me, and I have no idea why. It's a cool concept, going deeper and deeper into the facility, but it was so poorly paced that I was bored after about 5 minutes of waiting for something interesting to happen. I love the second game, but I never did find myself enjoying the first to the same extent. I even tried to play through the Source version after beating HL2, but I just couldnt do it. Same deal, I got past the long ass ride at the beginning and then just got bored.

I honestly think the first one was vastly overrated.

[Varsity]

Better than HL2.

[Qoz]

Valve made it pretty clear that Gordon Freeman is not talking because you need to be completely immersed. Everything is experienced first person too, so you never feel out-of-your-body in cutscenes. I noticed how many developers said the same thing in interviews hinting at the effect it had in the original HalfLife.

I do not agree with the no speech thing, but the always-first-person decision is good. I don't think people have a problem with playing another character with a voice saying things. It's definately better than the person not saying anything at all like in HL2. I remember playing DukeNukem3D and Dark Forces and absolutely loving the small comments the main character made when encountering different things.

The optimal hero voice-acting should IMHO be subtle, good voice acting offcourse and reveal small things about the main character (like Indiana Jones not liking snakes). It just makes us feel/like the character and that is much easier than actually making us feel we are the person - I cannot imagine being Gordon Freeman while playing. It's too far from anything realistic to be done. People can imagine being in the situations (combat action etc.) and seperate it from the main character actually talking and having a personality.

[Busted_Astromech]

Oh yeah, the opening sequence of the original Half Life made me quit the game and uninstall it. Someone had to actually force me to sit through it, and I still never finished the game. It just wasn't that compelling to me, and I have no idea why. It's a cool concept, going deeper and deeper into the facility, but it was so poorly paced that I was bored after about 5 minutes of waiting for something interesting to happen. I love the second game, but I never did find myself enjoying the first to the same extent. I even tried to play through the Source version after beating HL2, but I just couldnt do it. Same deal, I got past the long ass ride at the beginning and then just got bored.

I honestly think the first one was vastly overrated.

Well.....your opinion on the quality of HL1 isn't all that valid if you haven't played the entire game, is it?

Some games you have to invest in. Even if you don't like the opening of Half-Life, keep going. The game continually changes its style, from fighting head crabs to trying to outwit marines to running frantically from helicopters to avoiding traps to even some platforming. It's the whole experience that made HL1 so great, and if you haven't had that experience you should really work at it (yes work at a game) because it's so rewarding.

[RandomViolence]

I honestly think the first one was vastly overrated.

I see that you tried before you came to this conclusion. Unfortunately, you are wrong. However, you get one more chance to try again.

Seek Adderall for your ADD, find a chair that resembles Alex's in A Clockwork Orange, do something, but play this game. If you fail you must be removed from the gene pool. I'm sorry, this is non-negotiable.

[Busted_Astromech]

I do not agree with the no speech thing, but the always-first-person decision is good. I don't think people have a problem with playing another character with a voice saying things. It's definately better than the person not saying anything at all like in HL2. I remember playing DukeNukem3D and Dark Forces and absolutely loving the small comments the main character made when encountering different things.

I remember comments from id Software about this sort of thing, where in a first-person game you can't have the main character have, well, character because it takes you out of the first-person perspective. Recently first-person games have gone against this, giving heroes voices and even faces, and it seems to work.

I don't think that a hero having character conflicts with the immersion of first-person because people like to roleplay. If I hear Jack Carver talking about how much his arm hurts while pretending to be him it's a lot better than some observer saying it to you--when the character I'm behind says it, it's closer to feeling it.

People like to pretend they are a gun-toting hero. Giving them character makes the role more believable because without it we insert ourselves, and I really can't imagine myself fighting off aliens. I can imagine myself being someone fighting off aliens.

[bapenguin]

Anybody else having a problem getting this? I can't seem to get it to download right now.

[Wyrm]

Well.....your opinion on the quality of HL1 isn't all that valid if you haven't played the entire game, is it?

Some games you have to invest in. Even if you don't like the opening of Half-Life, keep going. The game continually changes its style, from fighting head crabs to trying to outwit marines to running frantically from helicopters to avoiding traps to even some platforming. It's the whole experience that made HL1 so great, and if you haven't had that experience you should really work at it (yes work at a game) because it's so rewarding.

I should clarify that I have actually played through every 'portion' of the game. I did not beat it, but I did borrow a friend's save in order to see if I was really missing something. I played the part on Xen, and I played through the part outside of Black Mesa, which were the two parts I didn't ever get to on my first run through. I never finished the last two parts because I just wasn't having that much fun.

I'm well aware of the fact that sometimes you have to go looking for fun in a game, but you shouldn't have to. Games are supposed to be fun to play, and if you derive enjoyment from sitting on a tram for 10 minutes when the game starts, more power to you. I prefer a short introduction and then being thrown into the game guns blazing. Half Life 2 has incredible pacing at the beginning. It is truly enthralling right from the start, whereas I just didnt feel the same way about the original. The 'whole' experience just didnt pull me in, but, to each his own.

I see that you tried before you came to this conclusion. Unfortunately, you are wrong. However, you get one more chance to try again.

Seek Adderall for your ADD, find a chair that resembles Alex's in A Clockwork Orange, do something, but play this game. If you fail you must be removed from the gene pool. I'm sorry, this is non-negotiable.

First of all, I am ADD. I do take a drug to help deter that problem, and I dont like when people give me shit about it. I dont need some asshat online to remind me I have a hard time focusing.

My opinion is, just that, and dont you dare try to tell me how to feel about a game. I never said Half Life was a bad game. There are things about the original Half Life that I like, while in other ways, I feel like it's a completely emotionally vacant game. HL has great gameplay and a neat atmosphere, but it, in my opinion (which, I should apologize for, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to have one), is still one of the most overrated games of all time.

[earthworm48]

Just finished it. I'm not really sure what to say. My first thoughts are not praise though. I don't want to be unfair so I'm waiting a little but also because HL brings out its own fanboys.

HL1 was one of my favourite games for years (hasn't aged as well as I'd have liked though) and HL2 was great. As I said I'm waiting al ittle before I make a final judgement. I don't think I'm excited at all though for episode 2.

[Busted_Astromech]

I'm well aware of the fact that sometimes you have to go looking for fun in a game, but you shouldn't have to. Games are supposed to be fun to play, and if you derive enjoyment from sitting on a tram for 10 minutes when the game starts, more power to you. I prefer a short introduction and then being thrown into the game guns blazing. Half Life 2 has incredible pacing at the beginning. It is truly enthralling right from the start, whereas I just didnt feel the same way about the original. The 'whole' experience just didnt pull me in, but, to each his own.
Well, when I said you should work at it, I meant that you should get past the parts you don't like to get to the good stuff, if for some reason you don't like certain parts other people find great.

The intro to Half-Life 1 is legendary: elegant, mysterious, evocative. Most people like it. But if you unfortunately don't, I meant to imply that you should ignore those parts and find the good parts, because the game is truly rich in them.

And I apologize if I misunderstood how much you played the game. Only having a few sentences to go on, I extrapolated. Still, while you may have more experience with HL1 than I realized and are of course entitled to your opinion, I feel pretty safe in saying that it is wrong.

How about this: what single-player first-person shooters do you like? Because I can think of a mere handful that have anything near the industry respect accorded Half-Life, and rightfully accorded it. Name games which you feel exceed Half-Life.

[rulyblue]

What are the 2 multiplayer games that are included? I can't find them.

[gzsfrk]

Gordon Freemen is a cool character, sure, but he doesnt say shit. How can you interact with people without ever speaking?


In many Square RPGs (including the greatest ever made--Chrono Trigger), the protagonist never says a word. And I've never been more emotionally involved in a game than Chrono Trigger. Perhaps that's because this particular mechanism of not imposing a voice on the character you are playing forces you to project your own thoughts and inner voice in place of what he isn't saying. Worked for me, at least.


Oh yeah, the opening sequence of the original Half Life made me quit the game and uninstall it. Someone had to actually force me to sit through it, and I still never finished the game. It just wasn't that compelling to me, and I have no idea why. It's a cool concept, going deeper and deeper into the facility, but it was so poorly paced that I was bored after about 5 minutes of waiting for something interesting to happen.
...
I honestly think the first one was vastly overrated.

To each his own, but seriously--if you couldn't make it through the tram ride into Black Mesa (which I thought was extremely cool at the time, btw), you should really get a refill on your Ridlin prescription. The original Half Life was (is) an incredibly good game for anyone who enjoys a thoughtful shooter (as opposed to a pure run'n'gun) with an excellent story. Half Life 2 was a little bit of a let-down for me, but I think that might possibly be because it was a victim of its own hype over the years and years it was being developed. Still an excellent game, although I'm in no particular hurry to get Ep. 1 (although I will eventually).

[Busted_Astromech]

What are the 2 multiplayer games that are included? I can't find them.
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life: Source Deathmatch. They'd be on your Steam browser.

[torrefaction]

First of all, I am ADD. I do take a drug to help deter that problem, and I dont like when people give me shit about it. I dont need some asshat online to remind me I have a hard time focusing.


Cry.

I've had ADHD for years, and it's running joke in our society. Cope with it. I've been on medication after medication...I was one of the earlier kids to be prescribed Ritalin, before it became a craze. I've been on Ritalin, Desoxyn, Welbutrin, and a host of other medications.

You know what I found? I was extraordinarily successful and happy without using an AMPHETAMINE to REGULATE my behavior. Having ADD/ADHD also provides extraordinary gifts, and you should strongly consider recognizing that. Taking those medications strips you of those gifts, and I personally think *MOST* people are a fool to take them. Because they can't "focus".

Bleh. Sorry if I offended you, I know it can be a difficult thing to deal with. But A.) You shouldn't be sensitive about it, that's lame. B.) It's a hot button issue, and I get pissed off that people drug their children with speed because they don't like who they are.

*EDIT*
I'm a lead software test engineer for a major company, which requires an incredible amount of focus. Most people who have ADD/ADHD have the ability to hyperfocus on what they like. This is one of the things (along with multitasking) that gets stripped away by drugs. Give it some thought.

[ttoastt]

Well, I beat it. Slight spoilers I think..


It was fun, but sometimes I'd really like to have a breather. Things just kept moving, there was always stuff coming and it was slightly uncomfortable to play just because stuff kept happening.

I think I'll enjoy the next two episodes more. I cannot say that running through the Citadel more was amazingly fun, and a few things stuck out sorely as being too scripted. I think they need new inspiration, crawling through vents or jumping across objects over electrified water gets old.

One last thing, I've never really liked escort missions, which is basically what the whole episode was. However it wasn't too bad, Alyx is pretty useful.

Graphics were pretty nice (same as before), and it's nice to have things work on my PC (1900+, 9700Pro). The neatest thing (to me) was the look of the core and the strider's blue blast.

[rulyblue]

Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life: Source Deathmatch. They'd be on your Steam browser.

Oh bleh... I thought they'd be new. *Le sigh*

[Cool AN]

Played through it, it was amazing. Can't wait for the second or third.

[Heretic Machine]

Just to comment on HL1: I didn't like it. I tried it, because when I bought Half-life 2 GOTY, it came with HL1 Source. It was probably great at the time, but playing it all these years later... there really wasn't anything that it did, which Halo didn't do better. Obviously Halo came after it, and thus it was heavily influenced by Half-life, but years later that doesn't exactly matter.

In the FPS genre it is kind of hard to go backwards.

(BTW: Half-life 2 is awesome. It is ten kinds of awesome... and it has great multiplayer. I just can't go back and play Half-life 1.)

[Wyrm]

I chose to take ritalin because it helps. I'm a creative guy, and a singer, and it doesnt hurt either of those gifts, so I take it when I need it, and save it when I dont. I went to the doctor, told them my issue, talked it over, and decided to try it out. I dont take it everyday, but it is helpful when I have a lot of work to knock out.

You're right, I am sensitive about it, but the reason for that is the fact that the large majority of our nation believes ADD to be made up. That infuriates me. Because of the people who actually are ADD, every kid who has trouble in school gets the wonder drug that makes them work harder. The drug doesnt do a damned thing if you dont want to do shit at school.

As for Gordon not speaking, it's sort of ok in an RPG, because the majority of the time, they leave out the main character's "voice" so that you can pick your own name. I remember in Final Fantasy 6 though, the main character does speak. I liked that. I liked a character with character, and not some mindless zombie who just nods whenever people talk. I understand the immersive qualities behind not doing it, but there are added qualities when including a voice as well. You get to understand a character and not play as some emotionally vacant cardboard cut out. Condemned had excellent voice acting from the main character, and it made the game much cooler.

If the game is trying to cast me as a character then I damn well better get at least a little character development. In Half Life, you're a scientist with a PhD from MIT, who, for some unexplainable reason, is way too good with every random gun he pick sup.

As for shooters that stand up to the original Half Life, there are very few. I acknowledge the fact that it was a fun game, and set the standard for many games that followed. But, just because I didn't love it doesnt mean you have to make me finish it, nor does it mean that my opinion is somehow "wrong" because of that.

As for shooters that compare, I had a lot of fun with Clive Barker's: Undying, and the original Unreal was decent, but didn't offer a whole lot of story.

[Busted_Astromech]

Just to comment on HL1: I didn't like it. I tried it, because when I bought Half-life 2 GOTY, it came with HL1 Source. It was probably great at the time, but playing it all these years later... there really wasn't anything that it did, which Halo didn't do better. Obviously Halo came after it, and thus it was heavily influenced by Half-life, but years later that doesn't exactly matter.

Huh? Would someone please explain to me what is so good about Halo games single player? I've beaten them both because I like the story but found them an absolute drag to get through, mainly because the level design was incredibly boring. Sure it's neat when you first get to a place, but when you cover it five times over it becomes a pain (and that applies equally to the second game). I always figured its true appeal lay in the multiplayer which I never got into but what is good about the single player that's better than Half-Life?

[Busted_Astromech]

I understand the immersive qualities behind not doing it [making people talk], but there are added qualities when including a voice as well. You get to understand a character and not play as some emotionally vacant cardboard cut out. Condemned had excellent voice acting from the main character, and it made the game much cooler.
This reminds me of one of the interesting choices in FPS design: how much to show of the player's body. Generally games where the main character has personality are much more likely to let you see some feet when you look down then ones where you are just a gun. It's a choice that is always made and usually reflects many other design decisions.

As for shooters that stand up to the original Half Life, there are very few. I acknowledge the fact that it was a fun game, and set the standard for many games that followed. But, just because I didn't love it doesnt mean you have to make me finish it, nor does it mean that my opinion is somehow "wrong" because of that.

As for shooters that compare, I had a lot of fun with Clive Barker's: Undying, and the original Unreal was decent, but didn't offer a whole lot of story.
Well, if FPS games aren't your thing anyway then I can certainly see how HL1 would be of less importance to you. Its importance was only felt in the FPS genre, after all, and didn't have much crossover.

[GoblinToe]

I love Half-Life 1 for the mods. Firearms, Natural Selection, etc. But Half-Life 2 kinda soured me on Valve's ability to write a plot. HL2 had a pretty amazing engine, granted. But the story sucked. You meander through the game as the plot continues to pile on the unkowns, leaving the player with question, after question, after question.

Then the game ends, and Valve answer absolutely NONE of the questions. Who is the G-Man? Who are the Combine? Who is really in control? Is it the fat alien slug we get a 20 second glimpse of at the ending? Who is that, and what are their intentions.

None of this is truly answered. That's shitty storytelling, and doesn't make me a fan of the game one bit.

It's been how long now and there are still no mods to really speak of for Half-Life 2. I don't blame that on Valve, of course, but it makes me wish I hadn't bought the game. Hell I bought HL2 for Gary's Mod almost exclusively. The very day I buy HL2 Valve patches the game and breaks Gary's Mod, and then Gary's Mod goes pay through Steam.

HAHA. My luck sucks.

Needless to say, I won't be buying any of their episodic content.

Hope some of you enjoy it, though.

[Jack Random]

God damn this is kicking serious ass, Valve pwns me

[MasterKwan]

All of the HL1 complaints could be solved if Valve simply included a key to shortcut the boring sequences. I'm all for the tram ride and other sequences like it but, only one time and let ME choose whether to skip it or not. Nothing bugs me more than a game that forces me to ride through some sequence the developer forces me to see.

Of the FPS games I've played, I think I've been fondest of the ones where the character had a personality. Duke Nukem and Sin come to mind. I don't mind not having a voice but, it does add something to the game. I wish the voice would come back in Sin for the next episode.

The ADHD commentary reminds me of the controversy not to long ago where the deaf were coming out against the cochlear implants that gave some of them hearing again. They claimed some kind of group identity that would be destroyed by being able to hear. Some of them seemed to think not being able to hear gave them special powers or something.

My own experience with ADHD is with my business partner. Basically when he's not on the drugs he can't get anything done. He flits from task to task thinking he's being productive but, at the end of the day, nothing actually gets accomplished. He used to self medicate by drinking tons of coffee. It worked too. He quit though and got nothing done. Man I still remember, he'd tell me how busy he was. He'd get pissed then I implied he was slacking. Then, I'd list off the tasks that needed doing, none of which had gotten accomplished.

He's alot better now.

[JazGalaxy]

All of the HL1 complaints could be solved if Valve simply included a key to shortcut the boring sequences. I'm all for the tram ride and other sequences like it but, only one time and let ME choose whether to skip it or not. Nothing bugs me more than a game that forces me to ride through some sequence the developer forces me to see.

Of the FPS games I've played, I think I've been fondest of the ones where the character had a personality. Duke Nukem and Sin come to mind. I don't mind not having a voice but, it does add something to the game. I wish the voice would come back in Sin for the next episode.

The ADHD commentary reminds me of the controversy not to long ago where the deaf were coming out against the cochlear implants that gave some of them hearing again. They claimed some kind of group identity that would be destroyed by being able to hear. Some of them seemed to think not being able to hear gave them special powers or something.

My own experience with ADHD is with my business partner. Basically when he's not on the drugs he can't get anything done. He flits from task to task thinking he's being productive but, at the end of the day, nothing actually gets accomplished. He used to self medicate by drinking tons of coffee. It worked too. He quit though and got nothing done. Man I still remember, he'd tell me how busy he was. He'd get pissed then I implied he was slacking. Then, I'd list off the tasks that needed doing, none of which had gotten accomplished.

He's alot better now.

I agree with the choice thing. I think that is essentially the dumbest design decision videogame developers make. I have never in my life said "this game sucks becuase I have too many options" but I have OFTEN said "this game sucks because of this one assanine design choice" LIke, for instance, only being able to play a level co-op after you've beaten it single player in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Just that one idiot decision ruined the game for a friend of mine and I.

[Heretic Machine]

Huh? Would someone please explain to me what is so good about Halo games single player? I've beaten them both because I like the story but found them an absolute drag to get through, mainly because the level design was incredibly boring. Sure it's neat when you first get to a place, but when you cover it five times over it becomes a pain (and that applies equally to the second game). I always figured its true appeal lay in the multiplayer which I never got into but what is good about the single player that's better than Half-Life?

I never found the levels in Halo to be unrealistically repetitive. I know that is a common complaint, but it is not something that I have experienced myself.

[thFOOL]

I found the intro sequence in Half Life 1 to really suck me in. By the end of it, I really wanted to know what was going on- I was hooked! And this was 2 or 3 years after it came out! Seriously, Valve does a great job with immersion, and both games are at the top of my all-time FPS games list.

[Busted_Astromech]

I never found the levels in Halo to be unrealistically repetitive. I know that is a common complaint, but it is not something that I have experienced myself.
Well, though I had no problems with the office levels in FEAR, I did have a problem with the exact same room structure several times.

Halo bored me because I never had to significantly change tactics; there were no breaks in the fighting for sniper levels, no periods of exploration. It was just room after room after room of guys. The breaks were in the form of cutscenes which were not enough for me. The pacing and level design were really what irked me.

I suppose I can't put it any clearer than that. A lot of it was a feeling; I just wasn't having much fun, and I think it was due to the level design and pacing.

Oh, and I'm also more comfortable with the more realistic style of FPS where headshots kill and guys take at most 4 hits, rather than the shields of big monsters in older games and Halo (but I don't think it was a large influence on my dislike).

[Cyotik]

Decrypting as I foam at the mouth.

[tombofsoldier]

overall, a very fun 5 and a hal hours and definitley worth $20. The only 2 problems I had with it were an occasional freeze bug and that I want more!

[jacktion]

Does this leave City 17? Aren't we bored with this city yet? Can I get some variety?
Half-life2 rules.

[drakkarim]

a "must buy for half life fans"? hardly.

i bought HL1 and all the expansions, I bought HL2 gold edition AND the collector's edition from a store...but this, i will skip.

[RandomViolence]

First of all, I am ADD. I do take a drug to help deter that problem, and I dont like when people give me shit about it. I dont need some asshat online to remind me I have a hard time focusing.

My opinion is, just that, and dont you dare try to tell me how to feel about a game. I never said Half Life was a bad game. There are things about the original Half Life that I like, while in other ways, I feel like it's a completely emotionally vacant game. HL has great gameplay and a neat atmosphere, but it, in my opinion (which, I should apologize for, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to have one), is still one of the most overrated games of all time.

Well, looks like someone took me seriously again. Guess I should've remembered the sarcasm tag. I figured when I included the 'chair from A Clockwork Orange' example it would be clear I was kidding around, but I guess not. Of course you're allowed to have an opinion. Of course you can think it's overrated. It is one of the classics of the genre, though, and it is my opinion that it has received a reasonable amount of praise. In the shooter genre, I believe that only Deus Ex and the holy grail, System Shock 2, surpass it.

I apologize if my humor was unclear.

[Heretic Machine]

Well, though I had no problems with the office levels in FEAR, I did have a problem with the exact same room structure several times.

Halo bored me because I never had to significantly change tactics; there were no breaks in the fighting for sniper levels, no periods of exploration. It was just room after room after room of guys. The breaks were in the form of cutscenes which were not enough for me. The pacing and level design were really what irked me.

I suppose I can't put it any clearer than that. A lot of it was a feeling; I just wasn't having much fun, and I think it was due to the level design and pacing.

Oh, and I'm also more comfortable with the more realistic style of FPS where headshots kill and guys take at most 4 hits, rather than the shields of big monsters in older games and Halo (but I don't think it was a large influence on my dislike).

Well first, if you up the difficulty of Halo it can get really hard, and you'll have to try to be tactically smart. Second, only the Elites had shields, grunts and jackals could both be head shotted (and should be). The Hunters had armor, but had a small orange spot on their back where you could take them out with one bullet from a pistol.

[thecrazyd]

a "must buy for half life fans"? hardly.

i bought HL1 and all the expansions, I bought HL2 gold edition AND the collector's edition from a store...but this, i will skip.
Why?..............

[Stormwatcher]

This is really, really, really good. The part where you wait for the elevator in the dark... priceless, that alone was worth the 17 bucks.

Sincerely, Valve knows a LOT about storytelling. HL2 is indeed a masterpiece, it is like watching 2001 or Eyes Wide Shut. And so is this little gem. It is like the best parts from the excellent HL2 condensed.

I pity those who don't get it. I really do.

[Dauvin]

it was so-so. I wasnt not expecting it to end so soon even thought at some level I knew it was only like 4 hours long. It was barely 4 hours for me. Bbbbaaaareeellllyyy. It was fun, but I felt like I had to rush through it. The HDR was wicked cool, but Im gonna hold off on episode II and wait and see if it at least answers more questions...

And yes, thank god Alyx wasnt a worthless sidekick that did retarded stuff and died (wellll....she still did some retarded stuff, but she never died).

Overall, if you are a diehard HL fan, get it, but just a fan of the FPS genre, bug your diehard HL fan to let you play it when s/he's done.

[The Iron Weasel]

Can't you use your debit card like a credit card? Mine is a Visa and has all the numbers needed for a Visa credit card, but when I buy stuff with it as a credit card, it just gets withdrawn from my bank account.

I have a debit card from a bank, it doesn't say anything about visa or anything on my card, it has a Mastercard type symbol on the back...could I use the mastercard thing and buy stuff because I can't be approved for a credit card until I'm 19.

[Heretic Machine]

I have a debit card from a bank, it doesn't say anything about visa or anything on my card, it has a Mastercard type symbol on the back...could I use the mastercard thing and buy stuff because I can't be approved for a credit card until I'm 19.

Yes, that is what I did when I was in 8th grade and playing UO. Most debt cards function in the same way that a credit card does, that is why they are so conveniant.

[TrackZero]

Well, I didn't manage to finish the game tonight, after 3 hours of play. So I can only presume I'm near the end, or some people are overstating how short the game is. We'll find out tomorrow.

[Nessus]

I never found the levels in Halo to be unrealistically repetitive. I know that is a common complaint, but it is not something that I have experienced myself.


While I really enjoyed Halo it can't hold a candle to Half-Life 1.

Halo was marred by some incredibly frustrating parts. I mean, when the repetetive level design gets to the point where I find myself actually getting frustrated because I'm getting lost so frequently (the part where you're destroying each of the power distribution nodes or whatever, running into the EXACT same room and killing a bunch of Flood each time).

Oh and the last bit driving the awful Warthog under a time limit.

Which sucks because there were some truly inspired moments as well. Like when you first get the Banshee and you can play around and bomb a bunch of Covenant from a kilometer up. God, I spent like over an hour just doing that even though I knew exactly where I needed to go next. Was so fun buzzing past the Hunters and being able to torment them.

Half-Life 1 wasn't perfect, but having replayed it recently (the original, not even the Source version) it holds up in my mind. Hell, the AI for the Marines in Half-Life is STILL better than 90% of the games out there.

I first played Half-Life like 5 years after it came out and the graphics didn't bother me at all.

This is getting rambley, but in my mind the Half-Life series is several orders of magnitude better than the Halo series.

[Schnoogs]

Freaken Steam servers have been "too busy" since I got home from work...I WANT TO PLAY!!!

[Cyotik]

Well I'm a couple hours in and all I can say is that I'm blown away by this game. Valve has taken storytelling and mood to a new height in an fps.

[sparkfizt]

I beat it in prolly 4-5 hrs, but it was a blast the entire way. I'll likely play through again with commentary turned on. they've really done some great work with HDR lighting, and the facial expressions are better this time around. I really look forward to eps 2 and 3.

[MasterKwan]

Yeah, probably 4 hours here. It was worth the $17, would have been worth $20 to me too. I was hoping for something more. It's good, it's just not as good as I wanted. Played well on my PC 1280x960 with everything I could turn up, turned up. Wish Alyx was a bit more attractive but, can't have everything.

It was fun laying waste to the combine.

I think I'll be going back to "Blood Money" now. Opera assasination wasn't as clean as I liked. Need to re-do it.

[digitalErich]

Wow, even though it's short on time, the action is intense...no spoilers here, but there's this part where both you and Alex have shotguns and are just mowing shit down, running through an abandon hospital while some pretty sweet pump-up music is playing...some of the more fun I've had in a SP FPS in a while.

[ÜberJumper]

I jumped right into this. The controls and all came flooding right back.

Gosh I love the gravity gun. Thank goodness you can use it against antlions.

[Slack3r78]

Hrm I didn't come away that impressed. I got somewhere between 3.5 and 4 hours out of it, and wasn't really rushing it. It lacked as far as plot goes - the entire game pretty much has a single goal; get to the trains and out of City 17. You don't really learn anything new, outside of the suggestion that the Vortigons are somehow interfering with the G-Man's ultimate plans and a few glimpses of the slug creatures that are apparently behind it all. I was mostly annoyed that the only real plot exposition occurred in the first 30 minutes of play.

Also, am I the only one that thinks they honestly overdid the HDR? The effect itself is great, but there were some scenes where I felt it needed to be toned down and actually made things look worse. There were a few spots in the hospital sequence where this really stood out.

Overall, it wasn't bad, but I'm not sure I feel it was worth $20. $12-15 would probably be closer to my sweet spot if this is representative of the amount of content we'll be getting. I paid $20 for Darwinia on Steam and got far, far more than ~4 hours of gameplay out of that one.

[Wyrm]

Dont know how I forgot about System Shock 2, that game is freaking awesome, as is Deus Ex.

So, I'm probably about two hours in. I really really enjoyed the first 30 minutes, and then I found myself getting a little annoyed with each situation I would come across with Alyx. It's Half Life 2 gameplay, so it's still just as fun as it was, but I'm a little bit tired of fighting the same enemies over and over.

And from what I hear, you learn next to nothing new story wise, which makes me sort of wish I had just skipped this whole deal. I know they'll release the three episodes all in one package once they're all out for cheaper anyway, so I could have waited for that. Of course, it's more Half Life 2 right now, which is cool, but it doesn't really seem to be enough.

Are there even any new weapons? So far, I'm getting pissed that I spent money on this.

Well I'm a couple hours in and all I can say is that I'm blown away by this game. Valve has taken storytelling and mood to a new height in an fps.

I'm probably about half way through (which blows ass, because it felt like nothing at all), and I really didn't get a whole lot of storytelling. There's absolutely nothing new happening. It just picks up where HL2 ended, and goes from there. The story is just that you fight your way through endless hordes of different(yeah, this time, it's not one type at a time! yay for innovation ;p) baddies and try to leave the city. Yeah, that's storytelling to a whole new pinnicle right there. I'll give you the mood thing though. The mood is excellent. Very bleak, very dark, very unforgiving. HL2 has always had sort of darker mood to it, but they did indeed improve on it even more with this release. The emotion from Alyx is really pretty amazing, but because Gordon doesnt even respond to it with a fucking hand movement, I'm not sure if he's thinking about masturbating, or about getting a microwavable burrito out of the fridge.

How can Alyx like someone she's never actually had a conversation with?

[Varsity]

Freaken Steam servers have been "too busy" since I got home from work...I WANT TO PLAY!!!
Close steam and delete clientregistry.blob from its folder.

[Mason]

Giving them character makes the role more believable because without it we insert ourselves, and I really can't imagine myself fighting off aliens.
I think that that's the whole point, though. Freeman is a dweeb with a crowbar, not a cyber-soldier from the distant future. The immersion in the first game was based on actually having a FPS set in a modern-day environment, playing a regular guy who picked the wrong day to come to work. And even on Xen when you come across corpses in HEV suits, it reinforces just where you are on the food chain.

HL2 does the same thing. The intro, where you're just another guy stuck in the Combine system, brings the player and Freeman back to basically the same place. Sure he ends up a freedom fighter, but he starts out as a nobody who can be herded and bullied by bored tyrants. The part where the metro cops chase you up the stairs was brilliant.

So my point is that a silent nerdy Gordon, who always starts out just as powerless as we are in the face of catastrophe or authority, actually gets the player invested in ways that a quipping musclehead just can't mimic. The genius of the games is that they make you believe you could handle a few aliens.

Oh, played Episode 1 and enjoyed it without reservation.

[Busted_Astromech]

I suppose it does work well in Half-Life 2. They certainly implement "you are Gordon" in extreme detail.

Still, I think it's a limited case. While an extremely talented dev can put out a game that expects you to fill in all the hero's personality by giving it a 'modern apocalypse' setting, that can only be used so often before it becomes a gimmick. I think that (with some notable exceptions) the future standard will be, and should be, talkative heroes in first person games.

[Mason]

I suppose it does work well in Half-Life 2. They certainly implement "you are Gordon" in extreme detail.

Still, I think it's a limited case. While an extremely talented dev can put out a game that expects you to fill in all the hero's personality by giving it a 'modern apocalypse' setting, that can only be used so often before it becomes a gimmick. I think that (with some notable exceptions) the future standard will be, and should be, talkative heroes in first person games.
Well of course, it shouldn't serve as a general rule. I mean, if you're playing as a combat cyborg or super soldier or whatever, you're generically uninteresting enough that commentary is pretty much required to give what you're doing (blowing stuff up) any meaning or context.

A silent protagonist only makes sense when everything else you're doing is all about immersion as well, and I honestly can't think of a second developer who is capable of such a feat.

Way too many developers just make dumb assumptions about identity and agency in their games. They don't have to emulate Valve, as there are lots of other options, but they still should try new things.

[Ravenlock]

Valve needs to study the Japanese if they want to know how to trigger some emotional moments. They try but, it seems pretty forced to me. There's more to it than facial expressions. I suspect the Japanese are experts at it because so much of their media is animated and they have to figure out how to add emotions to basically animated drawings.Yeah, I'm sure Alyx would benefit from a Final Fantasy-esque cornucopia of continual gasps and sighs.Comedy GOLD. :D Seriously, the worst thing about Japanese RPG's is the over-emoting of the characters, especially now that pretty much all of them have voice acting. I honestly can't play them with the sound on if my wife's around - it's embarassing.

As for Ep 1, I haven't gotten it yet, but I will at some point in the near future. Steam is a godsend - I know people didn't like it when it came out, and yeah, it had some snags at first, but preloading and purchasing online is definitely the way to go. The purchase and download of SiN: Emergence was one of the easiest acquisitions of software I've ever legally engaged in (hey, I was in college once), and making it that easy to purchase and play games legally is good for everybody.

[ElPresidente]

For the record: story != gameplay. (RPGs and oldschool adventures being a notable exception as the gameplay is tied directly to the story).

A good story is icing on the cake, it isn't the cake itself. If the only thing that keeps you going through a game is story then there is something wrong with the game (Hello The Neverhood).

So far I'm loving this expansion. It is a heap of fun, if you don't like run and gun then what on Earth are you doing playing Half-Life?

P.S. The Japanese aren't the sole masters of story telling in games. Sure, there are some impressive stories in japanese games (FFVII, Metal Gear Solid & Metal Gear Solid III, Earthbound and more) but I've yet to see a single Japanese game provide a story with the power of Mafia, Planescape: Torment, The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts, etc, etc.

[MasterKwan]

I have a feeling Valve is afraid of plot progression. They've invested heavily in these characters and want to keep them around as long as possible. If you have plot, eventually you have to have conclusion. Conclusion is what they don't want.

It's hard to beat HL2's game play mechanics. The puzzles and so forth are well designed and fun. For me it's empty fun though, like original Doom. I'm a reader so, I aways look for traditional reading elements. Every story should have a beginning, middle and end. I look for it in my entertainment.

If I could change one thing in HL2, I'd add a rifle, a real rifle with selective fire. Not as powerful as the magnum but, very accurate in single fire mode. I'm just not much for the spray and pray weapons and the ammo for the precise weapons is hard to come by.

[Stormwatcher]

Dont know how I forgot about System Shock 2, that game is freaking awesome, as is Deus Ex.

So, I'm probably about two hours in. I really really enjoyed the first 30 minutes, and then I found myself getting a little annoyed with each situation I would come across with Alyx. It's Half Life 2 gameplay, so it's still just as fun as it was, but I'm a little bit tired of fighting the same enemies over and over.

And from what I hear, you learn next to nothing new story wise, which makes me sort of wish I had just skipped this whole deal. I know they'll release the three episodes all in one package once they're all out for cheaper anyway, so I could have waited for that. Of course, it's more Half Life 2 right now, which is cool, but it doesn't really seem to be enough.

Are there even any new weapons? So far, I'm getting pissed that I spent money on this.



I'm probably about half way through (which blows ass, because it felt like nothing at all), and I really didn't get a whole lot of storytelling. There's absolutely nothing new happening. It just picks up where HL2 ended, and goes from there. The story is just that you fight your way through endless hordes of different(yeah, this time, it's not one type at a time! yay for innovation ;p) baddies and try to leave the city. Yeah, that's storytelling to a whole new pinnicle right there. I'll give you the mood thing though. The mood is excellent. Very bleak, very dark, very unforgiving. HL2 has always had sort of darker mood to it, but they did indeed improve on it even more with this release. The emotion from Alyx is really pretty amazing, but because Gordon doesnt even respond to it with a fucking hand movement, I'm not sure if he's thinking about masturbating, or about getting a microwavable burrito out of the fridge.

How can Alyx like someone she's never actually had a conversation with?


Alyx likes the legend, the hero, the myth. She is learning about the man, now. i.e. the zombine joke. Also, Gordon is thinking WHATEVER you are thinking. YOU are Gordon. I AM Gordon. (I'M SPARTACUS)....

People, STOP playing games like they're movies. NOW. You are NOT watching a character do stuff. YOU ARE THE CHARACTER DOING STUFF. If HL was a movie, of course Gordon would have to build up more character. But the reason Valve does not develop Gordon's personality is that they want him to have the player's personality.

I'm not an obnoxious chauvinistic pig, so I'd hate if gordon was another Duke Nukem. I'd hate if gordon was gangsta like CJ, or an uptight science man like Kleiner. Valve seems to be one of the very few devs that UNDERSTAND how the immersion of the player into the character works... The sad thing is that most players are too lazy and shallow to get it either.

BTW, There is a lot of exposition and storytelling along the episode. It is just subtle. Take Kleiner's hylarious and really interesting speech on the city screens, or Judith's message, or the things you glimpse while going up the elevator and reaching surface... It's there, kids, just make a little effort. it makes everything more tasty.

[ElPresidente]

I'd do the whole quote the post before me and add QFT but I think that's self evident from the content of Stormwatcher's post.

Oh crap.. I've just gone and done that haven't I?

[Wyrm]

If I'm playing a game, how come when I pull a lever, or open a door, Gordon's hand doesnt go out and actually perform the action? That little bit of animation whenever you interact with the environment would have been monumentaly cool, and would have added yet another layer of immersion.

As I said Storm, the first 30 minutes were freaking incredible. It reminded me of why I loved Half Life 2 so much, and it revealed little bits of plot at an absolutely perfect pace. Then, it drops off. No more plot, just run and gun. Now, that's cool, but I agree with the above poster that said something about a single shot rifle. Most of the guns just dont feel like they do enough damage. I played through HL2 on easy and normal, and I started Ep1 on normal. It's a decent challenge, but sometimes I feel like I'm unloading right at something and doing little damage. But, that's neither here, nor there. It is still Half Life 2, and I guess I'm just being overly picky these days.

Having so little money to spend now days, I am extremely careful with the games I purchase. I used to have a much more cavalier attitude about gaming, but a couple years ago, I grew up and did the whole 'get a job live in the real world' thing, so I'm stuck with what very little cash I can make on my own. Plus, in order to play the games I want to play, I have to have a nice computer, and all the damnable consoles as well. So, I bitch about everything in an attempt to over scrutinize and over analyze every game I own.

I think I'm gonna go to fry's and pick up all the Baldurs Gate games, both Icewind Dales, and Planescape: Torment if I can find them, and it will probably cost me about 50 bucks. I seem to have misplaced my BG games, and I never did get around to playing all the way through the other two. PT is my favorite game that I never got the time to finish. And I do still have a copy of Psychonaughts lying around that I've barely touched....

[earthworm48]

If I'm Gordon, why can't I decide to say "Fuck this" and just ignore all these people and just walk away or join the combine?

[ÜberJumper]

Best moment for me last night was...

... when trying to get out after the train, in one of the parking garages. I shut out the flashlight to let it recharge, and I hear a zombie type noise, so I spin around freaking out looking for it, and Alyx goes "hahah gotcha" Total immersion. I was all "Fucking bitch! God damn I love her." (she looks like a girl I had a crush on).

That and the scene after the train wreck, when you wake up and the stalker's spazzing in your face, and then you see Alyx pinned under another one.

[Citizen Philip]

I suppose it does work well in Half-Life 2. They certainly implement "you are Gordon" in extreme detail.

Still, I think it's a limited case. While an extremely talented dev can put out a game that expects you to fill in all the hero's personality by giving it a 'modern apocalypse' setting, that can only be used so often before it becomes a gimmick. I think that (with some notable exceptions) the future standard will be, and should be, talkative heroes in first person games.

Garret from Thief is a nice strong but silent anti-hero, he says what needs to be said, and only when needed. However, Garret, had missions briefings between levels which wouldn't work in HL.

I kind of enjoy the silent hero, more is implied by silence then by filling in the void with a voice/chatter that might take more of the experience away.

[Spigot]

Garrett has two T's. Otherwise, you've hit the nail on the head :)

Only reason I mention that is because I'd be really pissed off if I was wrong and spelled my son's name wrong...

[Stormwatcher]

If I'm playing a game, how come when I pull a lever, or open a door, Gordon's hand doesnt go out and actually perform the action? That little bit of animation whenever you interact with the environment would have been monumentaly cool, and would have added yet another layer of immersion.
Ok, agreed here, my SINGLE complaint about HL2's imersion is the lack of a body for Gordon. That should change, it wouldn't be harmfull to the whole "entering the main character" thing. But HL is still miles ahead of the competition.

As I said Storm, the first 30 minutes were freaking incredible. It reminded me of why I loved Half Life 2 so much, and it revealed little bits of plot at an absolutely perfect pace. Then, it drops off. No more plot, just run and gun. Now, that's cool, but I agree with the above poster that said something about a single shot rifle. Most of the guns just dont feel like they do enough damage. I played through HL2 on easy and normal, and I started Ep1 on normal. It's a decent challenge, but sometimes I feel like I'm unloading right at something and doing little damage. But, that's neither here, nor there. It is still Half Life 2, and I guess I'm just being overly picky these days.

I disagree. there are lots of plot stuff after the first 30 minutes. I even mentioned them. Kleiner speech and the many glimpses of how the other people are doing... In this game, even the dead bodies tell stories. you just have to look.

Having so little money to spend now days, I am extremely careful with the games I purchase. I used to have a much more cavalier attitude about gaming, but a couple years ago, I grew up and did the whole 'get a job live in the real world' thing, so I'm stuck with what very little cash I can make on my own. Plus, in order to play the games I want to play, I have to have a nice computer, and all the damnable consoles as well. So, I bitch about everything in an attempt to over scrutinize and over analyze every game I own.

I sympathize with you, I live in brazil, everything related to gaming is a hell lot more expensive to me - except PC games. But HL2e1 is short but it has more gameplay goodness in it than Doom3, FEAR or quake4. It may be short, but it's chockfull of great moments and experiences.

I think I'm gonna go to fry's and pick up all the Baldurs Gate games, both Icewind Dales, and Planescape: Torment if I can find them, and it will probably cost me about 50 bucks. I seem to have misplaced my BG games, and I never did get around to playing all the way through the other two. PT is my favorite game that I never got the time to finish. And I do still have a copy of Psychonaughts lying around that I've barely touched....
you have just become a close friend of mine. Those games are better than 95% of all other games in the universe. You are wise. PT is a game to be played 3 times, at least, and so is BG2. Be sure to get BGtutu, it makes BG1 run on BG2's engine.

[Slack3r78]

BTW, There is a lot of exposition and storytelling along the episode. It is just subtle. Take Kleiner's hylarious and really interesting speech on the city screens, or Judith's message, or the things you glimpse while going up the elevator and reaching surface... It's there, kids, just make a little effort. it makes everything more tasty.
It's there, but my problem is that it's nothing substantial. About the only hanging question left over from HL2 answered along the way (besides how they escaped the explosion, but you kind of had to see something like that coming anyway) was how the reproductive supression field worked, which, honestly, doesn't even rank on the list for me.

Yes, Kleiner's speech drops a couple of little hints, but then Judith's message is little more than more questions thrown on the heap. My biggest problem with the story telling in Episode 1 is that very little is answered with regards to the grander scheme of things, and the vast majority of the plot advancement is directly related to the single real quest of the episode - find a train and get out of City 17. Which honestly, knowing that it was a 4 hour chunk of content, I couldn't really bring myself to become as invested in. The simple fact is I have far more time invested in the lingering questions of HL2.

For some reason, I just don't find things as satisfying in a standalone chunk like that. I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that I can boil the entire game to a single goal like mentioned before. True, you could say the same for HL2, but somehow, bringing down Earth's evil alien overlords is somehow more satisfying than catching a choo choo out of town. ;-)

In HL2 the obstacles along the way made you feel like you were accomplishing something, working closer and closer to taking down the Combine. Episode 1 made me feel like I was late to work and the obstacles along the way were just rush hour traffic. In HL2 you were a force of change. In Episode 1, everything that happens is essentially inevitable. The Citadel will explode and destroy City 17. The best you can do is delay the process and hope to escape before this happens. You don't actually change anything. Maybe that was a concious decision on Valve's part. They've certainly toyed with the idea of free will and the illusion thereof before, especially through the G-Man.

Either way, I came away from it less than completely satisfied. If Episode 1 wasn't essentially picking up from the end of HL2, I'd probably be pretty happy with it. As it stands, I feel like I was railroaded along a path that never really offered me much in the line of suspense as to what would happen in the greater scheme of things. "Oh more bad guys between me and the train." C'est la vie.

Also:
I just wanted to note that I'm a little annoyed that Valve appears to be planning on using the exact same deus ex machina to connect Episode 1 and Episode 2 as they did HL2 and Episode 1. It wasn't particularly satisfying the first time, and it's certainly not the second time around.

[Stormwatcher]

I sincerely don't see what is wrong with this one episode being about ONE goal. I can't see why should they include a miriad of objectives ALL the time.

HL1 was about escaping Black Mesa. Blue Shift was about that too. And they rocked.
And, judging by the trailler, Ep2 will have plenty of goals :)