Going to start playing Half-Life: Should I buy the first game?

[Jumpingbean3]

Buy the original, then ignore the sequel. You'll thank yourself.

Oh Souplex is here what a surprise /sarcasm.

OT: Ignore what Souplex says and buy the sequel. Its worth trying even if you decide you don't like it (if for no other reason than because the sequels are considerably different from the original). Anything you take an interest in is at least worth trying.

 

[Smertnik]

As already mentioned, HL2 stands very well on its own. It's definitely more worth to get the OB, since you'll also get an awesome multiplayer FPS and an original puzzle game.
It doesn't really happen much in HL1, if you want to know its story so bad, just read it up somewhere.

 

[Lilani]

Thank you everyone for your contributions, and I am downloading the Orange Box as I type this :3 And maybe if I feel like it I'll pick up the original Half Life during the Christmas sale.

 

[vashthblackseed]

See if you cant get a copy of the Orange Box; that will have all you need.

 

[brainslurper]

Played half life 2, episode one, episode two, and thats it. I feel that I didn't miss anything.

 

[Zeitgeist1983]

Half Life was a classic when it came out. I might be blinded by nostalgia, but back then there was nothing like it. I still love the game. You will propably not miss that much by today standards, but... hl2 is great! just go ahead with it. And download Black Mesa when it is released some day.

Here is the story of them both (major spoilers ahead! ) :

 

[Jazoni89]

I wasn't much of a fan of the original, yes it is a good game, but it has aged terribly in both graphics, and gameplay.

Half life 2 however is amazing, and despite it now being seven years old, it still looks rather nice (especially Episode 2).

Best of all, it will run on literally anything these days. It really was the Crysis of it's day (back in 2004) and it pushed most cards back then to their limits, but now any integrated card on any modern laptop can run it well enough.

 

[triggrhappy94]

Go ahead. Its a pretty fun game.
I do suggest that you read up on it first though, so you can truely appreciate what it ment.
Like back when it came out shooters werent really plot focussed at all and in most of them you had almost unlimited ammo and almost never had to reload. Also how old it is.
Then you'll see how well its stood up to time, and reflect on its greatness while playing, because its a marathon of a game.

Also, here's this. The whole series is pretty good.

EDIT:
Oh yeah, and the HL1 and HL2 arent super conected plot wise, so if you go straight into HL2, you wouldnt miss much.

 

[Mr Pantomime]

I have played both, and have no idea how they are connected.

 

[psicat]

Buy Half-Life and ignore its sequel. Half-Life is a phenomenal game and in some respects like Deus Ex for me, it may not have aged well graphically but it is still a classic and well worth playing. Half-Life 2 on the other hand is a mediocre, over-hyped corridor shooter with a terrible AI, and a very thin plot that doesn't connect much to the story of the first one.

 

[Dan Comber]

The Half-Life series is a phenomenal game series, and despite the first being more imaginative, they are both worth playing. And play them in order so you get the (very good) story

 

[FreakSheet]

Its my opinion that its best to see where we came from so we can appreciate what we have now. Playing the first can show what an improvement the second was, and its still fun either way. So, if you have the cash, get the first, at least play part way through it, then experience the second.

It will also help you realize who Dr.Magnassun was XD

 

[Dalisclock]

Uh. Oh. What?! How could I miss EP1??? WHAT THE HELL??

OT: never played the original. And never felt like missing anything. I'm mildly curious about it, but here's a question: is there a remake? I'd like to play for more reasons than trying to ctach up on nostalgia and since it's 13 years old...

There's one being made. Since it's a mod you it'll be free: http://www.blackmesasource.com/

If it ever gets released. I've been waiting for Black Mesa for years and at this point, I've lost faith in ever coming out in my lifetime. Too bad. If it's good, I'd be more then willing to pay for it.

As to the OP, I loved HL, and to a lesser extent, Opposing Force(Blue Shift serves no purpose other then to show how Barney made it to HL2). However, It's HL2 and the episodes that I've played more then any other game in the series other then Portal.

I'm sure Episode 3 will be awesome, if it ever gets released. With every passing year and No episode 3(but another L4D), the urge only grows to form a mob, march down to Valve HQ and threaten to burn it down....with Lemons....if episode 3 isn't released.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

I would say that you should buy and play Half Life 1 first. I think it was better. I've played through it 4 times.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

So I've decided to finally get started playing the Half-Life series, as the final step in the ritual of selling my soul to Valve. However I don't have much money to play around with right now (had even less money during the summer sale), so I'd like to get the most bang for my buck. I can get HL2, HL2: E1, and HL2: E2 in the Orange Box for $19.99. However, I really hate starting a series in the middle, and if I get the original Half-Life that will be another $9.99.

I'd really not like to spend $30 on games right now, but I'd really rather not invest money and not get the whole experience. So, Escapists: If I just get the Orange box and start right in with those, will I be missing anything significant? Or is the original really that integral to the story and experience? Thank you~

Well the first half-life is currently being remade with the source engine my a dedicated team of modders, so you'll probably be able to play it for free at some point (you should take this with a grain of salt though, because they've been at this project for at least the last 5 years).

Anyway, you don't really need to play the first game to enjoy the second. The story is self-explanatory enough, and if you get lost you can always look things up using the halflife wikia.

Also, I'm not sure the first half-life even works on all PCs anymore.

 

[viking97]

Uh. Oh. What?! How could I miss EP1??? WHAT THE HELL??

OT: never played the original. And never felt like missing anything. I'm mildly curious about it, but here's a question: is there a remake? I'd like to play for more reasons than trying to ctach up on nostalgia and since it's 13 years old...

theres a source version if thats what you mean. i wish i'd known about it when i bought the original copy, the thing keeps bugging out on me.

OT the story in the original isn't that important, although you might be kinda confused about a few things you won't miss much. if u do get the orange box first, i suggest you get half life when you have ten bucks to spare, its a good game. get the source version. check out the half life expansions too. both run about 5 bucks last time i checked.