Episode two ****

Valve made such a big mistake with episodic content which sure it brings them in more money but both Episode one and Episode two have been dated mediocre FPS games. I don't see the point in buying them when HL2 is cheaper and much betterand longer than both of them. they offer nothing in terms of gameplay and episode one even took away many gameplay elements. I don't see why it took them soo long to create episode two cause it just doesn't do anything new...

The main problem with HL2 and the episodes is the guns all feel soo crap and dated, everyone i know complains about the crap guns. They were fine in HL but now they just scream DATED, that says it all for the source engine now too.

I'd rather have a fantastic game every 6 years than 3 mediocre short and dated FPS over 6 years.

I disagree.

Episode 2 was excellent, and I'd greatly prefer it for Valve to continue making the episodes - I'd rather play four top-quality hours of gameplay every year than 10 hours quality/10 hours filler gameplay every six years.

*Edit* As for the weapons being dated, who cares? They're fairly balanced, and they kill things. It's the interesting battles/scenarios that make the combat awesome - especially in Episode 2, where ammo was relatively scarce.

It's not like Gordon is likely to find a whole new arsenal of weapons a few hours after the previous episode - the Combine/rebel forces use the HL2 guns, so that's what Gordon is going to find.

Valve is just milking the source engine. Look for one more episode after this, and then thats it for Half life 2.
0Neo0

Either that, or they're continuing to push new ideas in the niche market of digital distribution.

...and the Steam engine has clearly been upgraded since Half-Life 2. It still looks great and runs perfectly, so why should they bother making a new engine?

[QUOTE="0Neo0"]Valve is just milking the source engine. Look for one more episode after this, and then thats it for Half life 2.
Planeforger

Either that, or they're continuing to push new ideas in the niche market of digital distribution.

...and the Steam engine has clearly been upgraded since Half-Life 2. It still looks great and runs perfectly, so why should they bother making a new engine?

I agree. The Engine is fine, and CSS is the most popular Shooter to date. I think people are complaining because they are getting tired of the half life 2 series and what it has to offer.

I don't think a new engine is necessary for a long time. The Source engine is still going strong, and with the release of the orange box it just shows what it can do.