F*** Half Life 2:Episode 2

[McMullen]

I've been playing HL2:EP2 and I'm on the part where you have to takedown the striders with the Magnussons and it has got to be the worst,hardest,most frustrating thing I have ever played in a Half-Life ever or maybe even any shooter. Now don't get me wrong I love Half-Life and Valve and own every one of there games except Portal 2, but this is what makes me what to slap Gabe Newell so hard his eyes switch places. Your supposed to grab Magnussons (the sticky bombs) and launch them at Striders with the gravity gun while hunters shoot at you, they also shoot the bombs, Striders shoot at you and the bombs, the Striders are faster than you, the hunters are much faster than you and guard the Striders,you have to constantly grab the bomb put on the thing on the back of your car drive ALL THE WAY over to FUCKING Strider and then your bomb gets blown the FUCK up and you have to drive all the way FUCKING back and get DAMN bomb.To me that is just frustration in its purest form and it doesn't help when the car you drive is so twitchy that driving it feels like you pulling teeth, and trying to kill hunters feels like I'm lacerating my own genitals with a rusty tin can. I just hope that HL2:EP3 when it comes out in 2045 it will have balanced levels and fights, but what I want to know is what your experience with this level was like and if share the same frustration with me.Oh and I'm playing the 360 version because this is before I had Steam (which is awesome) and therefore cannot use cheats and also I'm on the hardest difficulty.

First rule of game difficulty: If it seems ridiculously hard, examine the possibility that you might be doing it wrong.

For example, I don't think I ever died, failed, or had to adjust the difficulty. I just started killing all the hunters in each pack before attacking the Strider, and then getting the Strider from behind. Run the hunters over with the car if you can, and if you miss, consider getting out and using the gravity gun and rocks/logs/whatever to finish them off. Use the alt-fire of the AR3 if you need them dead fast.

If anything, I was disappointed that the Striders were nerfed in EP2. In HL2 and HL2 E1, they were so insanely lethal that the first time I fought one, I was wondering if I was supposed to kill them or just run for my fucking life. I like enemies that can cause epic Oh Crap moments just by showing up.

Running around in the open in E2 with a Strider in view and not expecting to die immediately just didn't feel right.

 

[Sewer Rat]

If I recall correctly the logs nearby that can be picked up with the Grav Gun does absolutely ABSURD ammounts of damage, by which I mean it can kill hunters with one or two hits. So spam those away and focus the magnesuns on the striders. Oh and make sure you carry one on the rack of your car, you are going to need it.