BobtheCkroach
07-28-2006, 01:29 AM
I know, I know. This isn't exactly a "new" title. Nonetheless, it was new to me when I picked it up last Monday. On the recommendation of a friend, and on the weight of how well done episodic gaming was in HL2:Ep1, I decided to invest the $20 and see what was there to see.
The game comes packaged with SE:E as well as its predeccesor, Sin1 and Sin1's Multiplayer. Sin 1 was a little know title in 1998 that looks like it probably ran on the Quake 2 engine or something similar, if I had to guess.
SE:E runs on the HL2 engine. It looks a bit less polished than HL2 - Not as many intricate details on some of the models, etc, but looks nice none the less. You are John Blade, a member of a futuristic police. The game starts out with a massive rack (yes, THAT kind of rack :D) in your face. You're coming to after being put under and you've been drugged. This drugging will be the basis for the entire episode as you struggle to find the person responsible and gather an antidote. Graphically, the game does a fine job of keeping par, but definitely doesn't add anything that we haven't seen before.
In a move that feels a bit too much like a HL2 ripoff, you'll have a female assistant that's not all that great running around off and on with you.
Game play is where this title stands out. While the AI in the game isn't great (actually, a few times it was downright atrocious), the game manages to keep you on the edge of your seat with sheer numbers. Now certainly, this is not a Serious Sam kind of game. That said, there are times where waves of enemies keep coming and coming. there is precious little downtime and not much puzzle solving as you're basically just fighting for your life through the entire game. While the AI isn't the best, mixed with the number of enemies, the game does a good job of keeping you rivited and making you want more.
Health is found in typical HL2 style, with little fillers on the wall, but there's a twist: These fillers need energy capsules. Often you'll find a filler with maybe 10 or 20 health in it, but if you search around on shelves, file cabinets, etc, you'll often find a full canister somewhere else that you can stick in.
In quite the odd move, there are only 3 guns in the entire game: A sexy looking magnum, a shotgun, and a machine gun. Each has a powerful secondary fire and there are incindiary grenades as well. These are fun, as you get to watch enemies catch on fire and burn, screaming all the way, rather than just fly as the grenade explodes.
For the most part, enemies will be your standard fare, though there are a few mutant things scattered around the game, 2 of which stand out as being a pretty good challenge.
After playing through a second episodic title, I've got to say that I just keep liking the idea more and more. I was really skeptical when valve first said they'd do it for HL, but I've really enjoyed both titles that I've played, and in a lot of ways I've found that they actually tend to be of a bit higher quality than a lot of the other titles.
As with HL2: Ep 1, your $20 is going to buy you about 5-6 hours of gameplay (I was exactly 5:38). You're going to get a game that, graphically, will not blow you out of the water, but will be more than enough. It makes up for it with a great pace and excellent action sequences, as well as a story that's engaging enough to want more. Also you get to see that chick's rack. And later you get to see her in a thong. That might be worth $20 right there :P
Hope you guys find this helpful. It's a solid title and I'm anxiously awaiting the next episode.
The game comes packaged with SE:E as well as its predeccesor, Sin1 and Sin1's Multiplayer. Sin 1 was a little know title in 1998 that looks like it probably ran on the Quake 2 engine or something similar, if I had to guess.
SE:E runs on the HL2 engine. It looks a bit less polished than HL2 - Not as many intricate details on some of the models, etc, but looks nice none the less. You are John Blade, a member of a futuristic police. The game starts out with a massive rack (yes, THAT kind of rack :D) in your face. You're coming to after being put under and you've been drugged. This drugging will be the basis for the entire episode as you struggle to find the person responsible and gather an antidote. Graphically, the game does a fine job of keeping par, but definitely doesn't add anything that we haven't seen before.
In a move that feels a bit too much like a HL2 ripoff, you'll have a female assistant that's not all that great running around off and on with you.
Game play is where this title stands out. While the AI in the game isn't great (actually, a few times it was downright atrocious), the game manages to keep you on the edge of your seat with sheer numbers. Now certainly, this is not a Serious Sam kind of game. That said, there are times where waves of enemies keep coming and coming. there is precious little downtime and not much puzzle solving as you're basically just fighting for your life through the entire game. While the AI isn't the best, mixed with the number of enemies, the game does a good job of keeping you rivited and making you want more.
Health is found in typical HL2 style, with little fillers on the wall, but there's a twist: These fillers need energy capsules. Often you'll find a filler with maybe 10 or 20 health in it, but if you search around on shelves, file cabinets, etc, you'll often find a full canister somewhere else that you can stick in.
In quite the odd move, there are only 3 guns in the entire game: A sexy looking magnum, a shotgun, and a machine gun. Each has a powerful secondary fire and there are incindiary grenades as well. These are fun, as you get to watch enemies catch on fire and burn, screaming all the way, rather than just fly as the grenade explodes.
For the most part, enemies will be your standard fare, though there are a few mutant things scattered around the game, 2 of which stand out as being a pretty good challenge.
After playing through a second episodic title, I've got to say that I just keep liking the idea more and more. I was really skeptical when valve first said they'd do it for HL, but I've really enjoyed both titles that I've played, and in a lot of ways I've found that they actually tend to be of a bit higher quality than a lot of the other titles.
As with HL2: Ep 1, your $20 is going to buy you about 5-6 hours of gameplay (I was exactly 5:38). You're going to get a game that, graphically, will not blow you out of the water, but will be more than enough. It makes up for it with a great pace and excellent action sequences, as well as a story that's engaging enough to want more. Also you get to see that chick's rack. And later you get to see her in a thong. That might be worth $20 right there :P
Hope you guys find this helpful. It's a solid title and I'm anxiously awaiting the next episode.