BobtheCkroach
06-07-2006, 09:05 PM
Episode 1, the first of 3 planned episodic continuations of HL2, has been released. The game consists of roughly 5-7 hours of gameplay. You pick up the story immediately after the events of Half-Life 2, and your focus will be getting out of City 17 alive. You'll fight all the same baddies that you're used to, as well as a couple new ones.
Story: The story is fairly simple, to be honest. Rather than feeling like an expansion, it almost feels like this is just another 5 chapters that were left off of the end of HL2. In fact, one of the games few faults is that it doesn't move the story a whole lot. Not a lot of new details are divulged, you just continue on your way. In the spirit of all things Half-Life, you actually come out of the game having more questions and no more answers than you did before you started. Still, there IS a sufficient plot/story to the game...it just doesn't answer your existing questions.
Graphics & Sound: Both were top-notch for me. Everything from Half-Life 2, and more. If you've played the Lost Coast demo game they released, you have a sense of what to expect. Through the use of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, lighting is incredibly realistic. If you've been walking around inside, when you come outside, the sun will be ultra bright, then dim down as your "adjust" to the light. The opposite will be true when going inside. Smooth, wet surfaces will appear incredibly shiny and realistic. The sound was great and between these 2, the game felt very immersive. Both are used well in the game, including 1 scene that involves fighting zombies in no light but your flashlight. And since that has a limited battery...The use of the limited lighting, in addition to the sound effects, made this the creepiest section of the game, easily, but also one of the best.
Gameplay: This is the BIG improvement. With Half-Life 2, they had a long development time that involved creating a story, creating a game engine, etc. It was an 6 year process and while the game was good, the effects of that process were somewhat obvious. The full awesomeness of Half-Life is back in this title, however. It was a relatively quick process for them (a year or less, I believe) and they've been able to really improve the gameplay. There's a great balance of action and puzzles in this one, more like Half-Life 1 than 2. 2 provided some, but were usually short and easy. This title will have you going through ducts, finding electric boxes, and more like nobody's business. Among the best parts of the game is a segment where you're in a hospital with Alyx. She grabs a shotgun, and when you walk into the next room, a fantastic rock beat starts thumping and the 2 of you go crazy killing baddies at a rapid rate! In fact, my only gripe on the gameplay is that I was able to go through the game on "Hard" with little to no challenge most of the time. Part of this is undoubtably b/c Alyx has a wicked shot and you can (and sometimes have to) rely on her a bit too much.
Lastly, the new release didn't bring anythign to the multi-player table, except a couple maps. No biggie, though. I don't think many folks are anxiously awaiting the HL releases for MP.
Conclusion: Everything they did right with Half-Life 2 is back, and everything that they did right about Half-Life 1 has returned as well. In all honesty, if all 3 of the episodic titles are this good, those 3 together will be a better game than Half-Life 2 was, and I personally think Half-Life 2 is one of the best titles ever. This is the first title in quite a while (maybe since HL2) where I've finished the game and thought "give me more!" Surely this has to do with the fact that the plot does anything but finish, but also it's because I just wanted more of that, regardless of the plot. I'll probably play through on an easier difficulty, listening to the commentary tracks. For those doubting the idea of putting $20 into 5-7 hours of gameplay...put your doubts to rest. The title is action packed, full of great puzzles, and just plain fun in the best sense of the word!
Sound: 10
Graphics: 10
Gameplay: 9
Multiplayer: 10 (i know it didn't have any, but the lack of MP in this title shouldn't affect it having a fantastic score)
Fun Factor: 9.5
Story: The story is fairly simple, to be honest. Rather than feeling like an expansion, it almost feels like this is just another 5 chapters that were left off of the end of HL2. In fact, one of the games few faults is that it doesn't move the story a whole lot. Not a lot of new details are divulged, you just continue on your way. In the spirit of all things Half-Life, you actually come out of the game having more questions and no more answers than you did before you started. Still, there IS a sufficient plot/story to the game...it just doesn't answer your existing questions.
Graphics & Sound: Both were top-notch for me. Everything from Half-Life 2, and more. If you've played the Lost Coast demo game they released, you have a sense of what to expect. Through the use of the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, lighting is incredibly realistic. If you've been walking around inside, when you come outside, the sun will be ultra bright, then dim down as your "adjust" to the light. The opposite will be true when going inside. Smooth, wet surfaces will appear incredibly shiny and realistic. The sound was great and between these 2, the game felt very immersive. Both are used well in the game, including 1 scene that involves fighting zombies in no light but your flashlight. And since that has a limited battery...The use of the limited lighting, in addition to the sound effects, made this the creepiest section of the game, easily, but also one of the best.
Gameplay: This is the BIG improvement. With Half-Life 2, they had a long development time that involved creating a story, creating a game engine, etc. It was an 6 year process and while the game was good, the effects of that process were somewhat obvious. The full awesomeness of Half-Life is back in this title, however. It was a relatively quick process for them (a year or less, I believe) and they've been able to really improve the gameplay. There's a great balance of action and puzzles in this one, more like Half-Life 1 than 2. 2 provided some, but were usually short and easy. This title will have you going through ducts, finding electric boxes, and more like nobody's business. Among the best parts of the game is a segment where you're in a hospital with Alyx. She grabs a shotgun, and when you walk into the next room, a fantastic rock beat starts thumping and the 2 of you go crazy killing baddies at a rapid rate! In fact, my only gripe on the gameplay is that I was able to go through the game on "Hard" with little to no challenge most of the time. Part of this is undoubtably b/c Alyx has a wicked shot and you can (and sometimes have to) rely on her a bit too much.
Lastly, the new release didn't bring anythign to the multi-player table, except a couple maps. No biggie, though. I don't think many folks are anxiously awaiting the HL releases for MP.
Conclusion: Everything they did right with Half-Life 2 is back, and everything that they did right about Half-Life 1 has returned as well. In all honesty, if all 3 of the episodic titles are this good, those 3 together will be a better game than Half-Life 2 was, and I personally think Half-Life 2 is one of the best titles ever. This is the first title in quite a while (maybe since HL2) where I've finished the game and thought "give me more!" Surely this has to do with the fact that the plot does anything but finish, but also it's because I just wanted more of that, regardless of the plot. I'll probably play through on an easier difficulty, listening to the commentary tracks. For those doubting the idea of putting $20 into 5-7 hours of gameplay...put your doubts to rest. The title is action packed, full of great puzzles, and just plain fun in the best sense of the word!
Sound: 10
Graphics: 10
Gameplay: 9
Multiplayer: 10 (i know it didn't have any, but the lack of MP in this title shouldn't affect it having a fantastic score)
Fun Factor: 9.5