After Half-Life 2's successful release, Valve decided to continue the series with episodic content. It wasn't very smart of them if you ask me. Enter Episode One, the first of three episodes that are supposed to conclude Gordon Freeman's story. So what's new? Not much. First off the developer did a good job at improving the game's pacing so that it doesn't feel so fractured. But that's about the only thing they improved. Episode One still suffers from some of the same problems as HL2: a painfully linear design and frustrating gameplay in certain circumstances. The flaw that sticks out the most is team combat. It's really annoying to have companions with you because they get in your way all the time. You'll encounter zombines that have a habit of running towards you with grenades in their hand. The last thing you need is some team mate blocking your efforts of putting some space between you and your suicidal enemies. It's not that bad in wide areas but half of the game takes place in tight indoor environments where this problem really sticks out. Also, the movement controls can prove imprecise in situations that require good timing and a bit of acrobatics. Side-stepping especially, it's just too ample. When you're running in a hurry across narrow ledges you can't risk falling but that's what's going to happen if you try to side-step. In contrast with side-stepping is jumping, which is not ample enough. It would have been nice of Valve to concentrated a bit on these details. You can't make a shooter that claims to have pedigree and have this sort of problems. Take UT2004 or Quake 3, these two games are a lot faster than HL2 but don't exhibit this sort of finesse problems.
But probably the game's biggest problem is it's length, or lack of it. You'll finish it in two or three casual sessions which isn't nearly enough considering that Episode One arrived 19 months after HL2! Still, the game world still has that unique feel that HL2 had. It looks and sounds great and it also performs great on a large variety of hardware configurations. As for a recommendation: no, I don't recommend spending your money on it. It's just too short and the story is almost absent, so you will not be missing anything important if you skip this one.
Other Helpful Reviews for Half-Life 2: Episode One
Graphics – While the graphics in this game are pretty much the same as Half-Life 2. Although I did notice that most of the items and things have a little more detail. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a strider for the ... Read Full Review
Episode One is a continuation of the Half-Life 2 story and picks up just where you were so helplessly cut-off at the end of Half-Life 2. Stepping back into the boots of Gordon Freeman has never felt as good as it does in... Read Full Review
