HL2 EP2: The beginning of the end? If you liked Hl2 then you will enjoy this game.
Gameplay wise: Nothing new was tried, It is the same linear ,repetitive formula as in the previous games. Which is fine since Valve has it down to a science. There are some new enemies to fight including the Hunters, which are by far the most challenging in the series. There AI is far beyond that of any of the other Combine forces. Making them tricky to deal with in some areas. Though I did find some of the sequences a bit dull. The whole antlion tunnels was boring has heck, including the battle. I also found the driving sequences in the car annoying. The controls where just to sensitive. I really did not like the finial battle that annoyed the hell out of me because it was so repetitive. And the ending while shocking was not unexpected. Someone had to go. Something they did had in this game that helps with the replay value is the Achievements that one can complete during the game to rack up points. In reality this gives the game some replay value but most of the achievements can be completed in two play troughs.
Story: Well nothing to really comment here. It is a continuation of the events in HL2 and EP1. We have now left City 17 with Alyx carrying important information. The retreating Combine are pushing into the wilds surrounding the city trying to regain some control over the area. I am not going to go into detail of the story. But basically we have to find our way to an long forgotten missile base where the resistance is trying to launch a missile to close the Portal to the Combine. Alyx is still our sidekick but unlike Ep1 she is not at our side the entire time. Thank god. We have some new enemies to fight, but still get to fight some of the old ones. This is the first Hl that takes place mostly outside a urban area, so we now can see what the Source engine can do with nature.
Graphics: Are solid but starting to show their age. While Valve did add some new features, and higher resolution textures it all seems outdated compared to some new generation games. But still the animations are very good, with some excellent facial expressions. I found some of the textures are still very low resolution. Making things like the cool car look ugly up close.
Sound: Nothing different than previous HL games. Some of the voices changed so don't be surprised by that.
Overall: I liked this game including the extras added to the Orange Box including Portal. I will separately review Portal. I have not played TF2 since I have no real interest in multi player games. The story really does not add much to the game, while the game play seem tighter it is more the same as in Hl2. The graphics are not outstanding but are still very nice. I really liked playing HL2 EP2 but could not complete it more than a few times. It has little replay value since it is so linear. It seems like Valve was playing it safe with the Ep. Trying to kill time to the next and final Ep. Hopefully EP3 will be the final chapter to Gordon's adventures.
I will say Portal makes up for some of the failings in Episode 2. That is why I am rating the Orange Box a 9, instead of giving it a lower rating just based on EP2. Portal is a magnificent puzzle game, with a dark comedy story. By now most people know about the game so I won't go into detail about it but it is the jewel in the Orange Box. Much better than the by the book HL2 Episode.