While an overall phenomenal technical and level design achievement; the story simply underwhelms.
User Rating: 9.8 | Half-Life 2 PC
Like most gamers, six years ago I was floored by the release of Half Life. The game was simply like no other game anyone had played before. The fact that you started the game by "going to work", and the memorable tram ride drew you in like a sketch artist. The feeling of living within a working, living world was never done so well. Back to the present and long awaited (And delayed) Half Life 2 has finally arrived. First off I would like to say that while Steam is a noble idea on valve's part; it simply is a barrier to getting the game up and running right away. I went to my local Best Buy and they unfortunately didn't have it. So I ordered it via Steam. First I couldn't log on, then after finally logging on, the Steam servers informed me that they rejected my credit card and that I was going to be investigated for credit card fraud. I tried again and the game was finally purchased. The long download transpired and I was finally ready to play the game I’ve waited six years for. I believe some companies learned a long time ago that it might be best to make a loading screen have some sort of animation or dynamic to it (percentage meter, a status bar, etc.) so you know if the game is actually loading and your computer hasn’t crashed. Well after five minutes of waiting through the load time, I reset my computer. I repeated the process, another five minutes. I left it there for a good fifteen minutes until the Menu screen appeared. I promptly adjusted my Video and Audio settings and the game crashed. Another ridiculously long load time later, I started the game. After about fifteen seconds, the headache of getting the game up and running swiftly left my memory. Just like last time you enter via a train. City 17 (think Warsaw Ghetto) was alive and kicking. The first thing I noticed was the eerily realistic propaganda video. My eyes convinced me they used F.M.V but I soon realized I was witnessing one of the greatest achievements ever in a video game. The life like features and dead on lip-synch completely sucks you in like a Barnacle grasping you from the darkness. I ventured around a little bit before following my fellow train riders, and noticed a zombie using a broom. We’re not in Kansas anymore set in. Barney returns to your aid (he’s been masquerading as a Combine soldier) and he informs you of what is going on. You also get a nice nostalgic video link up with one of the scientists from the original Half Life. This is where the actual game play begins. You immediately take advantage of the new Physics technology. You have to stack two crates and jump out of a window. I cannot overstate how amazing the graphics in this game are. Are they as photo realistic as Doom 3? No. Do the graphics immerse you into this City-State and make you care about non-player characters? Abso-freakin-lutely. The photo realistic characters you encounter throughout this game are so life like that you care about these characters, you want to help them, you care about their cause (Even though the game never truly explains why City 17 is in this state of affairs). After getting your first “mission briefing” (and can I say how much I’ve missed this type of briefing? How sick are you of reading a text screen informing you of what your objectives are?) Barney hands you the ole’ trusty crowbar and sends you on your way. What’s remarkable is you don’t receive this item until about an hour into the game. A full hour of listening, learning, and taking in the beauty of the graphics. Normally this would seem to be a hassle, but not in this game, not at all. Graphics obviously do not make a game. (Note Doom 3). Level design and game play do. The overall creative genius that went into these levels is what makes this game a truly remarkable achievement. I have never been so eager to turn a corner and find out what new puzzle await me, or what new strategy will I need to implement to get over that wall, or get past this roadblock. The levels where you explore (more like run and keep shooting) through the building of City 17 are so amazingly thought out that I couldn’t imagine how long it might take to create one of these monstrosities with a level editor. Walking through the halls of the Nova Prospect prison give you a feeling of dread. The game can bring you from sheer enjoyment to terror (Ravenholm) as effectively as any Oscar winning motion picture. This game is truly an interactive book, where you honestly believe you are a hand in writing the next chapter. The much touted physics aspect of the game has been hyped since the game was officially announced. I had my reservations. I figure what could physics truly add to game play? Well all I can say is that any game in the future needs to add this type of function. My first “wow” moment was a basic seesaw. You must take cinder blocks and weigh down the see saw to allow you to jump from said seesaw onto a ledge. There are dozens of these types of ‘physics puzzles’ throughout the game, and each time I overcame one, I simply nodded my head in respect (to my monitor I guess). The physics engine really gets engaging when you play fetch with Dog. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it. The weapons in the game are pretty much a rehash from the first game. The two notable differences are the gravity gun and the Overwatch Pulse Rifle. The gravity gun is simply amazing. The fact that you can pick up just about anything within the game and throw it at something adds so much replay value as well as game play depth, you simply have to use it to believe it. (The super gravity gun you receive in the last mission also rocks). The pulse rifle is also quite impressive. On my 5.1 speaker system at home, you could feel the bullets as they blasted out of the rifle. Unfortunately you can only hold 60 rounds at one time, but this is one powerful weapon, so use it wisely. Another interested “weapon” involves Ant Lions (in the Nova Prospect level). You come under control of Ant Lions (think Lion mixed with Ant J ). These ferocious beasts follow you into combat like you were General Patton himself, and they don’t suffer from shellshock. They keep coming and fighting for you until either you die, or the enemy is eliminated. The few flaws I found in the game involved the story and the squad system. First off there really is no story. The G-Man tells you ‘you’re time has come again Mr. Freeman” and you pretty much walk along and come across characters who will explain some things to you. The game is pretty identical to the first game in that there is a portal accident and you get a crowbar and go kick some bad guy ass. Along the way you’ll meet up with Alyx (an amazing CG character) and her father, and you’ll rescue her dad, then lose him, then lose Alyx, meet up with Alyx, rescue dad etc… So the story in this game is lacking. However it does not exactly detract from the overall game itself. It simply makes you say “wait that’s the end, what about [inter any question here] because they aren’t answered. My problem with the squad system was that, yes you get to fight along side people (again take note Doom 3) but it never seems like they are part of your squad. Squad members simply respawn from different areas of a map and typically die before they do much good. Multiplayer is non-existent. If you’ve been playing Counter Strike like everyone else for the past few years, then there really is no multiplayer element. Yes C.S was updated to the Source engine and it does look quite amazing, but it’s the same old CounterStrike. I would have loved to play a Deathmatch level where the only weapon is the Gravity gun. Unfortunately none of this comes with the game. I’m sure the Mod community will implement this very soon. The game is a little buggy at times, which is kind of shocking consider the long development cycle. The main bug that I encountered and many others did as well, is stuttering. The game ‘hiccups’ quite occasionally, followed by a drastic drop in frame fate, then audio stuttering. (As of this writing, Valve has announced a patch is in the works). In conclusion, while Half Life 2 is an overall phenomenal technical and level design achievement; the story simply under whelms. I would have rated this game a 9.9 but the lack of story and closure to the game doesn’t allow me to. So should you be playing this game? Yes, what the hell are you waiting for? It’s been six years! 
