What is it about Half Life 2 that i just ''don't get''

Before anyone comes in here trying to flame, i'm actually trying to have a civil discussion. I'm not saying the game is bad, obviously, it's not. I just didn't like/enjoy it...and i kinda hate myself(not really) because i REALLY wanted to!

I just disliked everything about it...but the sense of isolation/being alone really took a lot of the fun out of it for me. No real NPC's..no real characters...you just go from one side of the level to the next killing things. The mechanics of the game are great, no doubt....but it just didn't feel real? Blah. Hard to explain.

So far those of you who loved the game, what is it about the game you enjoyed?

Well here's my two cents

Loved the characters voice acting Pace Weapons Protagonist Enemies and The fact that there were no cutscenes, everything that happened you saw.

Hated the A.I though.

Eh not everyone is going to like very game out there. I kinda get what you mean about wanting to like a game. I always want to like racing sims like Gran Turismo and Forza but they just ended up being boring :/

Game was overhyped for me. The amount of praise the game got pretty much ruined it for me, I mean it was decent, but definitely not the best I've played. That was the last time I let hype fool me.Luxen90

By the way that reminds of me a certain union you may be interested in joining...

The atmosphere and the pacing was what completed the experience for me. I think whenever there were parts I didn't like (some of the weapons having no ummph. the shoddy combine soldier AI, the finicky car sections, the cliffhanger ending etc), the overall atmosphere of the whole game kept me undeniably hooked, and the pacing for me was nigh on perfect.

They nailed the setting so well, and every element of the game, from music to sound effects to locations... hard to explain really. It is still to this day the best game I have ever played.

the thing is when i first played it i didn't like it, it wasn't like all the other shooters i played before(cod,battlefield)but after awhile i knew this game was different. my brother gave me some tips and once i played ravenholm i could not stop playing. one of my favorites.

Game was a let down for me. The gunplay is nothing special, the characters are kind of meh, the story is poo, the AI is not too good. Like I always say about this game, why praise it for storytelling and pacing when the story it is telling is crap? By the way I played it Nov 2004.

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

Game was a let down for me. The gunplay is nothing special, the characters are kind of meh, the story is poo, the AI is not too good. Like I always say about this game, why praise it for storytelling and pacing when the story it is telling is crap? By the way I played it Nov 2004.

lostfan132

Game was a let down for me. The gunplay is nothing special, the characters are kind of meh, the story is poo, the AI is not too good. Like I always say about this game, why praise it for storytelling and pacing when the story it is telling is crap? By the way I played it Nov 2004.

millerlight89

Before anyone comes in here trying to flame, i'm actually trying to have a civil discussion. I'm not saying the game is bad, obviously, it's not. I just didn't like/enjoy it...and i kinda hate myself(not really) because i REALLY wanted to!

I just disliked everything about it...but the sense of isolation/being alone really took a lot of the fun out of it for me. No real NPC's..no real characters...you just go from one side of the level to the next killing things. The mechanics of the game are great, no doubt....but it just didn't feel real? Blah. Hard to explain.

So far those of you who loved the game, what is it about the game you enjoyed?

cyclops10

Well I havn't finsihed it I literally got my xbox yesterday with orange box as one of the games. Id played it on release to ravenholdt and I felt the same as you did back then. This time sicne it was part of the bundle I gave it a good shoot. I cannot put it down. Admitidly Im just over halfway through now, I think -just done the sand level. Its fantastic.

What do I love?

Well I loved the original. So the continuation of the story is great so forgive me if this seems biased at any point as a fan of that and blue shift. To your points:

NPC: No there isnt NPC's like in say fallout but the ones Ive come across now are pretty good! I love That your fighting through to the different groups of resistance. Sure they dont give obvious markers of where they are but comming across random people is fantastic. Such as the dude at the begining of the sands. They certainly are no better or worse then the majority of FPS NPC's although I think I see what you meen abit.

Characters: Ok I TOTALLY disagree here. The characters are brilliant, engaging and although Ive not finished I actually care about them in the grand story. Alex is just...yer I want her babies lol, The priest in Ravenholdt is a crazy joker, The scientests ooze with individual character. Ofc the typical grunts are just that but all the main people are interesting and so far very well written. I love the fact so many of them are linked or from HL1 aswell brings a lot of personality to it.

Isolation/alone: Well you are struggling to fight your way through and you are the hero. Its no more alone then say Duke Nukem or any pre COD clone FPS. Dont get me wrong I enjoy playing FPS's where you are just one of many NPC's but honestly I dont get the argument here. Many great games have you as the lone wonderer so to speak and it certainly doesnt make me dislike them. I know these days its the thing to have a squad with you of NPC's so you feel part of a war or whatever but Half Life isnt about been part of a squad.. Think maby Resistance 3. You are struggling, there isnt the man power to really fight like a WW2 game or modern set fps. I love it especially as so many games these days ARE just about squad, 1 man in hundreds set up.

Going from 1 point to another killing things? Yes thats true, doesnt EVERY FPS do this though? Now what Half Life 2 manages here is something called PACE. You dont spend every waking minute shooting ala COD. You get your battles which are more tense and dramatic because of the quiet parts. Its a great way to set a good story and CoD could do a lot to learn sometimes its GOOD to have wondering or slower paced sections.

Glad you did enjoy the mechanics because thats what surprised me the most. I feel it plays better then most fps's that have come out in the last 10 years. Seriously its spot on. Was strange to get used to no iron sights but apart from that the shooting feels good, smooth fun imo.

To say it doesnt feel real is well..its a game. Do you honestly think CoD or Battlefield ect are sims? :P

The overall graphics have held up well considering its age and Ive no cpomplaints about any slow down or other frame issues.

Saying all this I do have some negatives.The vehicals can be a little..tetchy to control but maby on PC this is resolved better. and They did go on a little longer then I would wish if I'm honest.

EDIT: Also it does feel a bit easy...maby its because I play a lot of FPS's these days not sure but its not as hard as I expected

thats about it apart from the fact Im a bit addicted to getting through it to see episode 1 and 2 so didnt get much sleep;p

But not every game is for everyone and Im glad you gave it a shot and have some decent reasons for not enjoying it as opposed to it sucks. I don't agree but thats what opinions are for;p

Game was overhyped for me. The amount of praise the game got pretty much ruined it for me, I mean it was decent, but definitely not the best I've played. That was the last time I let hype fool me.Luxen90

Yes, the game is truly amazing, but if people actually go into it thinking it's a god-like wonder of the world, and only get a "truly amazing" game then they'll feel incredibly disappointed in it to the point where they may not even like the game at all
But the fact remains that it's still a truly amazing game :P

I loved everything about it. It sounds like your were just expecting the game to be something that it's not.KHAndAnime

A great game maybe? Who would have thought that with all the praise it gets? :roll:

The atmosphere and the pacing was what completed the experience for me. I think whenever there were parts I didn't like (some of the weapons having no ummph. the shoddy combine soldier AI, the finicky car sections, the cliffhanger ending etc), the overall atmosphere of the whole game kept me undeniably hooked, and the pacing for me was nigh on perfect.

They nailed the setting so well, and every element of the game, from music to sound effects to locations... hard to explain really. It is still to this day the best game I have ever played.

dommeus

I am going to take a wild guess then and say you haven't played that many games. Half Life 2 had to be the most boring game I have ever finished.

[QUOTE="Luxen90"]Game was overhyped for me. The amount of praise the game got pretty much ruined it for me, I mean it was decent, but definitely not the best I've played. That was the last time I let hype fool me.Ly_the_Fairy

Yes, the game is truly amazing, but if people actually go into it thinking it's a god-like wonder of the world, and only get a "truly amazing" game then they'll feel incredibly disappointed in it to the point where they may not even like the game at all
But the fact remains that it's still a truly amazing game :P

Except for the graphics, its worse than HL1 on every aspect.

Black mesa is more fun than City 17

Fighting Marines are more fun than those weird combine soldiers

The combats in Hl1 are way more fun and clever

The Driving parts are boring as hell.

Half-life 2 is worse than its contemporary rivals Doom 3 and Far Cry, that were truly masterpieces but sadly got ofuscated by the HL2 hype..

[QUOTE="millerlight89"]

Game was a let down for me. The gunplay is nothing special, the characters are kind of meh, the story is poo, the AI is not too good. Like I always say about this game, why praise it for storytelling and pacing when the story it is telling is crap? By the way I played it Nov 2004.

lostfan132

No need to insult someone because they have an opinion on a game that differs from your own.

I like Half Life 2 because it's just a lot of fun to me. Of course if that isn't good enough, I'll explain why.

First and foremost, it was a big deal at the time it was released that you could interact with so much of the stuff. On top of that, they gave you the gravity gun to pick up all these little things and throw them at the enemies, which was just awesome. This is pretty common by today's standards, but at the time it was a cool addition.

Secondly, I enjoy the subtlety of the game. It isn't all in your face with the story, and if you just want to play and shoot things feel free. If you really want to explore what's going on you can explore the world and learn things here and there. The G-Man sightings compliment this, and there's this mysterious tone to the series that makes it intriguing.

Finally, everything just fit, at least to me. A lot of people complain about the driving sections, but I thought they were fun. I liked the air boat section because you actually had to run away for once, and drifting while dodging helicopter fire and jumping off a collapsing building was just fun. The shooting isn't anything special when compared to games like F.E.A.R., but they work fine. The gunship fights remain awesome. In modern FPS you see a helicopter, sigh, and put it down in a boring fashion. Half Life 2's was chaotic, as it buzzed around and tried shooting down your missile as you spin it in the air and then refocus the laser on the tail end of the gunship. I loved those moments as much as I loved Ravenholm, Nova Prospekt, and everything else in between. It was a varied and fun game and very little annoyed me. I suspected Alyx to get in the way and be an annoying NPC companion, but even that didn't happen.

[QUOTE="dommeus"]

The atmosphere and the pacing was what completed the experience for me. I think whenever there were parts I didn't like (some of the weapons having no ummph. the shoddy combine soldier AI, the finicky car sections, the cliffhanger ending etc), the overall atmosphere of the whole game kept me undeniably hooked, and the pacing for me was nigh on perfect.

They nailed the setting so well, and every element of the game, from music to sound effects to locations... hard to explain really. It is still to this day the best game I have ever played.

-Renegade

I am going to take a wild guess then and say you haven't played that many games. Half Life 2 had to be the most boring game I have ever finished.

I enjoyed the game. It's definitely not for everyone though. :P

it was the relentless nature of the game, the sense of isolation, the oppressive, on the run, can't-rest-for-a-minute atmosphere, the fabulous level design and variation (vehicle sections notwithstanding), the story and memorable characters and, very importantly, the fluidity of the controls and natural feel of the gameplay.

it's beginning to show its age (as are the episodes) but it's a genuine classic and worthy of its reputation, in my eyes anyway

You're not alone. I am a huge fan of the original, and was eagerly waiting to play through Half Life 2. Really, it was amazing for many things, but I didn't like the story, setting, weapons, Combine. It was a fun ride, but IMO the original Half Life was a superior and much more innovating game.

You were probably just expecting too much out of it because of the hype. Have you ever been really excited to see a movie and when it finally comes out you see it and think "It was ok, not as good as I thought it was going to be." It also works in reverse, if you go into a movie thinking "hopefully its not that bad", you will usually end up thinking its better because you had low expectations for it.

Before anyone comes in here trying to flame, i'm actually trying to have a civil discussion. I'm not saying the game is bad, obviously, it's not. I just didn't like/enjoy it...and i kinda hate myself(not really) because i REALLY wanted to!

I just disliked everything about it...but the sense of isolation/being alone really took a lot of the fun out of it for me. No real NPC's..no real characters...you just go from one side of the level to the next killing things. The mechanics of the game are great, no doubt....but it just didn't feel real? Blah. Hard to explain.

So far those of you who loved the game, what is it about the game you enjoyed?

cyclops10

For someone who loved the Metroid Prime series would i find Half Life 2 enjoyable.

You're not alone. I am a huge fan of the original, and was eagerly waiting to play through Half Life 2. Really, it was amazing for many things, but I didn't like the story, setting, weapons, Combine. It was a fun ride, but IMO the original Half Life was a superior and much more innovating game.

SovietsUnited

this

Did you keep in mind that the game came out in 2004 while you were playing it? the game is old

[QUOTE="dommeus"]

The atmosphere and the pacing was what completed the experience for me. I think whenever there were parts I didn't like (some of the weapons having no ummph. the shoddy combine soldier AI, the finicky car sections, the cliffhanger ending etc), the overall atmosphere of the whole game kept me undeniably hooked, and the pacing for me was nigh on perfect.

They nailed the setting so well, and every element of the game, from music to sound effects to locations... hard to explain really. It is still to this day the best game I have ever played.

-Renegade

I am going to take a wild guess then and say you haven't played that many games. Half Life 2 had to be the most boring game I have ever finished.

The game is 7 years old... what were you expecting? If you were in 2004 you'd like the game like every single person who've tried it.silversix_

You don't get the characters, you don't get the storyline, you don't get the atmosphere, you don't get the level design, you don't get the gravity gun and you don't get anything really. :P If you want pure action and generic space marine heroes, HALO This way---->

Dont worry about it. I liked the experiance, but its far from my favourite shooter, let alone game. completely blown out of porportion based on past nostalgia. it was also the "Crysis" of its time... as in "LOOK AT ME IM TEH GRAPHICS KING SO MY OTHER NEGATIVE POINTS DONT EXIST NOW."Birdy09

Half Life is synonomous with overated!

DOOM3 was a better experience, CoD (not all iterations) was a better experience, Halo: CE was a FAR better experience, Red Faction was a better experience. So many games that are better than Half Life..... I couldnt even force myself to play all the way through it..... got about 75% of the way through and just had nothing going on that made me want to continue

For a shooter not to have satisfying gunplay is a cardinal gaming sin.Zeviander

Oh, getta half life will ya. :twisted:

Seriously, I liked it a bunch and looking forward to Some Day playing future eps or gasp, HL3 :P but honestly, it's not the best in the west or least in the east but a interesting fun gaming experience fo sho.;)

I found the game a tad dull in spots, in gameplay and originality.

Before anyone comes in here trying to flame, i'm actually trying to have a civil discussion. I'm not saying the game is bad, obviously, it's not. I just didn't like/enjoy it...and i kinda hate myself(not really) because i REALLY wanted to!

I just disliked everything about it...but the sense of isolation/being alone really took a lot of the fun out of it for me. No real NPC's..no real characters...you just go from one side of the level to the next killing things. The mechanics of the game are great, no doubt....but it just didn't feel real? Blah. Hard to explain.

So far those of you who loved the game, what is it about the game you enjoyed?

cyclops10

I did not like Half life 2, all the driving was boring, gunplay was decent, story was bad, overall HL2 is meh. I seem to be the only PC gamer who thinks like that :P

I enjoyed the game, but I share some of the same feeling TC has.

The game feels empty sometimes, like something is missing but I can't put my finger on it.

I don't know. Maybe you were expecting a shooting gallery corridor fps like halo or call of duty.

Stringerboy

How is HL2 different in that regard? It's not like Stalker or Crysis, in that you're in a sandbox style enviroment. I'd say it's better than CoD when it comes to allowing the player to explore, but it seemed about equal to Halo. Larges areas to explore connected by linear passageways, but a constant forward sense of progression because the level design propels you forward. Only difference being that HL2 had more puzzles, but in Halo's defense, driving the Warthog was infinitely more enjoyable than driving any vehicle in HL2

Even Bioshock did had a better sense of exploration IMO (Which I also think had a superior atmosphere and story all things considered).

I have to agree with the OP - considering the amount of praise HL2 gets compared to other shooters - it was a bit 'Meh' when I played through it. Not bad, but hardly the "OMG Amazing" game that I expected given the hype. Didn't even have the drive the finish it - stopped after the beach part where you attack people with pheromone balls - Such an awesome level.