IGN score Xbox Half-Life 2 9.4

[KamaItachi]

IGN (http://xbox.ign.com/articles/666/666049p1.html) have a review of the finished version of Half-Life 2 for the Xbox. Despite the slightly toned down graphics and lack of K/M control, it seems to impress and deliver well enough to score a 9.4.

So...2004's game of the year on IGN comes to Xbox, and though it's a year old, it's still an amazing, beautifully crafted, and must-have Xbox title. What's there not to like about it? It is one year old. if you played it on PC, then you have already experienced this game. The high resolution graphics fade a bit on Xbox, but the game is nonetheless beautiful compared to any Xbox game. And the control is not quite as pixel-perfect as the PC version is, but Valve has done a superb job of balancing the controls and making Half-life 2 feel smooth and loveable on Xbox.

Having said all that, if you don't have a billion dollar PC set-up and you're itching for this fall's knockout title? Um, yeah: Half-Life 2 is it. Get it, own it, and you will be a happy, enriched person. If you haven't played the PC version, then there really isn't much to say except get it. The story itself is worthy of great praise, but the way it's implemented into the gameplay, along with amazingly fresh missions that all blend into one another, make this easily one of the best games on Xbox this year, if not the best.

Not having a workhorse of a PC I'm pretty excited to get my hands on the Xbox version, although I would have waited another month or so and got it on the 360. Are there many others that will pop their HL2 cherry on this version?

[emperordahc]

I'll be picking it up when the price drops. I've got too many games I still haven't played through to pay full price and set it on a shelf.

Oh, and the lack of multiplayer really stinks. Not saying the game is horrible because of it, but $XX for the XBox version vs. $XX for the PC version, which has multiplayer, kind of sucks.

[Stormwatcher]

The screenshots for this xbox version are really appalling. It may look good for the Xbox, but it is a lot inferior to the PC version. Aliasing galore, ugly textures, gamepad instead of a keyboard+mouse... People, please get the PC version. Really. Even with a Geforce FX5200 it looks better.

[Babbster]

I'll be one of those others getting the first taste of HL2 on the Xbox. I refuse to support Steam, so it's my first chance.

[Taco]

Hmm. I have it on my computer and I didn't support Steam any more than you will by purchasing it for the XBox.

[Babbster]

The screenshots for this xbox version are really appalling. It may look good for the Xbox, but it is a lot inferior to the PC version. Aliasing galore, ugly textures, gamepad instead of a keyboard+mouse... People, please get the PC version. Really. Even with a Geforce FX5200 it looks better.

Wow. So you mean a game looks better using two-year-old technology instead of four-year-old technology? That's quite an insight.

[Captain Awesome]

I refuse to support Steam, so it's my first chance.

lol why? You could have purchased the retail box PC version?

[see colon]

I'll be one of those others getting the first taste of HL2 on the Xbox. I refuse to support Steam, so it's my first chance.
i've never really understood the hatred people have for steam. i don't care for HL 1 or 2, but i own them both, and when i do care to play them (usualy for mods), steam removes 3 of the biggest hassels of PC gaming:

1) i don't have to find a disc to put in the drive
2) i don't have to look around the net for the newest patch
3) i can have those games installed on any computer in my house (and not have to worry about 1 and 2)

these are good points that become moot for me because i rarely play the games, but i've very pleased with what steam has done to remove the annoying copy protection schemes other PC games have, and it's not a bad distribution method either.

[Captain Awesome]

1) i don't have to find a disc to put in the drive
2) i don't have to look around the net for the newest patch
3) i can have those games installed on any computer in my house (and not have to worry about 1 and 2)


Not to mention the great feature of backing it all up on DVD. Steam gets better and better with every update.

[StoneGut]

Steam is great... no question there!

I'd encourace anyone who hasn't played this awesome game on a PC to pick it up for the xbox. It's that great!

[Bishop]

I have to agree that this game is awesome, even on my low-end PC which uses a GeForce FX5200 it looks really good. No matter if this game doesn't look as good on the XBOX as on the PC pick it up anyway, IT'S THAT GOOD.

[H.Bogard]

if you don't have a billion dollar PC set-up and you're itching for this fall's knockout title? Um, yeah: Half-Life 2 is it.

What the fuck? i remember last november playing this game on a $50 video card and the game STLL looked better than the xbox version, plus higher framerate!

[Taco]

It ran at 800x600 on a Geforce3 card.

[SynapseLapse]

Having said all that, if you don't have a billion dollar PC set-up and you're itching for this fall's knockout title?[/i]

I do have a billion dollar pc setup!
And the game runs awesome at 1048576x589824x1024bit at 3600 frames per second! I really hate any game that falls below 1000fps.

j/k. :p

Anyway, I'm really surprised that the x-box version doesn't include HL2: DM nor CS:Source. I would think that the thousands of Halo 2 fanatics would be itching for a new DM to play on live.
*shrug*

[Paltry]

It ran at 800x600 on a Geforce3 card.

thats how I played it

Fear too

hah :cool:

[Ajguy]

Well, a few things to note. Regarding why there is no CS, Conter-Strike Conidition Zero is already available for the Xbox and it didn't make sense to delay the game any longer to get that out if it's already (sort of) available. Perhaps CS:Source will come ot 360.

Speaking of 360, this game is on the list of backwards compatible titles, which means the 360 will wun it in 720p widescreen with better anti-aliasing. So you got that going for you when you get your shiny white box next week!

[Taco]

Won't that just bring out the low res textures? Honest question, before I get flamed. Up until the 360, television hid a lot of the ugliness.

[Paltry]

word life taco

[superherotaco]

I hated Steam too, until I tried to reinstall my HL2 on my new laptop about 8 months ago, and realized one of the CD's got damaged enough that it wouldn't install, I popped onto Steam and was able to just download the installation with my existing CD key with no hassle.

[Stormwatcher]

I'll be one of those others getting the first taste of HL2 on the Xbox. I refuse to support Steam, so it's my first chance.

Wow. So you mean a game looks better using two-year-old technology instead of four-year-old technology? That's quite an insight.

Wow, so you mean that I should care for your opinion when you say something stupid as your first post above?

Wow, so you mean people should buy an inferior version of a game because some random fool dislikes a perfectly good system for no decent reason?

HL2 can be run very well on medium-level machines. It is an excellent game that looks pretty well on a Athlon XP, 512GB system with a Radeon 9600pro. It is still playable on a geforce FX5200. So, no reason to play it on the xbox, unless your pc is a pentium 233mmx with a voodoo 3 board and 64mb ram.

[Varsity]

Won't that just bring out the low res textures? Honest question, before I get flamed. Up until the 360, television hid a lot of the ugliness.
HL2 will run on the 360, and aside from AA/higher resolution there's a rumour that you'll get higher res textures too. Don't put much store in that myself, but what do I know? It's not like they don't have the resources sitting about from the original version.

[novicius]

So, no reason to play it on the xbox, unless your pc is a pentium 233mmx with a voodoo 3 board and 64mb ram. Ergo, the reason why I'm going to be playing it on the Xbox. That, and it doesn't run so well on my 17" Powerbook... :D

[Cubfan]

I'm gonna pick it up for Xbox (or rent it from Gamefly). My PC still has an original Radeon.

[TheKeck]

What the fuck? i remember last november playing this game on a $50 video card and the game STLL looked better than the xbox version, plus higher framerate!

Seriously. HL2 scaled very well.

[absolut taco]

HL2 can be run very well on medium-level machines. It is an excellent game that looks pretty well on a Athlon XP, 512GB system with a Radeon 9600pro. It is still playable on a geforce FX5200. So, no reason to play it on the xbox, unless your pc is a pentium 233mmx with a voodoo 3 board and 64mb ram.
Damn, I need some of that RAM!

Kidding aside, it ran like butter on my 1.5GHz 512MB 9600XT 128MB system @ 800x600. Now that I have a 3GHz 1GB system it runs even better @ 1280x1024. The video card is getting old though. I would have loved to see this on the X360 with the skull-fucking good graphics that rig is capable of. Can you tell I'm getting one next week? ;)

[see colon]

just so everyone knows, HL2 scales down remarkibly well. the minimum supported video cards are DX7 class (ie geforce 1/2, radeon/7000) but it's been known to run on hardware that's even weaker. deferred power (http://www.hardspell.com/pic/2005/11/10/b9e6d50d-1682-4811-b8fb-0fdf6ff3cc3b.jpg) has some screenshots of it running on a powerVR kyro. kyro's have no pixel shaders, no vertex shaders, and no hardware transform or lighting. it's feature set falls squarely between dx6 and dx7. and more amazing, OCForum (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?p=3234362#post3234362) has some screenshots of HL2 running on a voodoo5. horray for dx6!

[ÜberJumper]

My 6800 crapped out right after I started HL2. I swapped in a GeForce 2 GTS 64MB card and it ran very well.

[Ajguy]

Yes, the game does scale, but you lose things like reflections, shaders, flora and fauna. All features in the Xbox version. Plus, it has some features the PC version lacks, such as a partial implementation of HDR (I believe I read that the Xbox version uses bloom lighting and a few other effects). The PC version will not be for everyone, just as the Xbox version is not. For some, being able to pop it in, instantly play it, and sit back on their couch and not lean over a desk is reason enough. Me personally? I already beat the game twice on my x850XT, so I won't be buying the Xbox version anytime soon. But my friend with a laptop that has a GeForce 4 440go (the laptop equivilant of a GeForce 4mx, which is really a GeForce 2) will certainly be getting the Xbox version.