Half Life 2 is not a good FPS

[sgtshock]

In response to calling the Gravity gun a gimmick; did you play the game when it was first released, before any other game had implemented physics to such a realistic or gameplay-essential degree, or just recently, when every game and its grandma had a physics engine?

 

[Gamer137]

The Half Life series has always been about story over combat.

 

[DragunovHUN]

Erh, i don't see how the pistol and SMG in HL2 would seem weak, compared to most other games. The pistol gives you a firm *pop*, and the SMG gives you a decent *ratata* instead of, say for example the P90 (or most guns for that matter) in COD4 that just go *pewpwepwep* or *clankclankclank*, or the assault rifle in Halo that sounds like throwing frozen peas at a plastic sheet.

 

[Aardvark Soup]

I personally loved it, but I'm not such a big fan of FPS's in general. So it is possible the reverse is also true for some people.

 

[Baby Tea]

Why are people even posting in this thread?
The game was critically acclaimed for it's time, and still is. It received a crazy amount of awards, and has a meta-critic score of 96. The lowest score I saw there was 85. That's crazy.

Obviously not everyone is going to like the same game, but making a thread about it isn't going to change people's minds. I personally loved Half Life 1 and 2, and consider them a shining example of an FPS with an actually good and intriguing story. Haven't played one with such a good story since. The point is that this thread isn't going to change my mind. It won't change the mind of the other people who enjoyed it, and it will only get you a few virtual back-pats from those who also didn't like it. So what?

The common reason for useless threads like these are: "But I'm seriously wondering why people like it?" Then go read the reviews that gave it 10 out of 10. They'll probably say the same thing the fans would. Don't agree? Oh well. Then the game isn't for you. Get over it. I'm sure you can admit that no-one here is suddenly going to say something about the story or AI or guns that will make you like them, so what's the point?

That's a rhetorical question because I know the answer: There isn't one.

 

[Zersy]

I could go on, but I'm assuming at this point already half of you are not even going to bother reading a 'wall of text' of this size, so let's see if we can get some debate going about this.

Half life was good for one reason

(Never leave Gordan's eye's) and that's really it ,,when i first played it i loved the whole immersion but everything else was just meh

controls meh

action meh

overall meh er

 

[MattKirby]

By todays standards Half-Life 2 is good, but not great - by 2004's standards it is amazing.

Exactly what I was going to say. It's still better than most FPS' I can think of. And just because the weaps are modeately powered doesn't mean they're bad. It just means that compared to boomfests where every gun is a guaranteed one shot it seems weaker when it's closer to realistic. And headshots work with every gun.

 

[teutonicman]

Some of the weapons are traditional yes, however the weak weapons that you talk about I really one used at the start of the game because they are "upgraded" later. for example the smg is replaced by the assult rifle I've rarely had to worry about being conservative with assult rifle ammo, course I play on normal so that might change for hard.
What would you consider a good FPS? The genre is pretty much defined by set pieces. I think your beating it a little harder then it deserves.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

I were still using the starting gun at the end of Episode Two, so I strongly disagree with you on that one, but then again, I ALWAYS save my ammo for the very last moment. A moment that never comes. Because the credits are already rolling when I remember that ammo.

Nice to know I'm not alone in doing that. And the SMG really is a good working horse for a lot of the sticky situations. If it turns out to be inadequate there's the shotgun. And nobody will convince me that the shotgun is lame. Or the crossbow.

 

[not a zaar]

Some of you are picking a bone with my complaint about the A.I. I didn't say the A.I. was bad, I said the enemies acted dumb. Yeah they could path around obstacles, but when it comes to a firefight they mostly just stand in place and attack you. The only real threats are the antlion minibosses and the elite soldiers (who are only threatening because they get alt-fire bouncy grenades.) The marines in Half Life had an easier time, since they were mostly in box filled warehouses or corridors, which allowed places to take cover and lob grenades from. The Half Life 2 combine police and soldiers are basically stuck in open empty rooms, which means they stand around and just fire at you, or worse they're standing next to stacks of explosive barrels. It's mostly the fault of the level design, which is more concerned with a cinematic experience than a fun firefight oriented FPS.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I found the episodes to be a lot more interesting gaming wise, and I feel that Half Life 2 was just a big show to display all the cool features, lighting and.. oh god.. the physics. Oh look, another physics puzzle. Yes, we got it now!

You know, it's okay that you're listening to the content in Yahtzee's reviews but if you're going to quote him word for word, at least quote him. That way it doesn't look like he's directly colouring your brain with a Branston Pickle coloured marker. Anyway, I actually enjoy the see-saws and other physics logic puzzles. They're not too long, and they're a nice break from the action.

To OP: If you're judging weapons in Half Life 2 as underpowered, remember that it's intended to be a single player game. There's no point to conserving ammo for your big gun if all your guns are perfectly balanced, is there? If you're upset that you're stuck with the pistol or the SMG after using up all your double barrel shotgun buckshot, you deserve to be maimed by the combine.

 

[not a zaar]

Nice to know I'm not alone in doing that. And the SMG really is a good working horse for a lot of the sticky situations. If it turns out to be inadequate there's the shotgun. And nobody will convince me that the shotgun is lame. Or the crossbow.

I thought the shotgun was pretty lame, it's only really effective at melee ranges, which is what you have a crowbar for. But then again, no shotgun will ever equal the greatness of Doom's shotguns.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Nice to know I'm not alone in doing that. And the SMG really is a good working horse for a lot of the sticky situations. If it turns out to be inadequate there's the shotgun. And nobody will convince me that the shotgun is lame. Or the crossbow.

I thought the shotgun was pretty lame, it's only really effective at melee ranges, which is what you have a crowbar for. But then again, no shotgun will ever equal the greatness of Doom's shotguns.

Alternate fire for double barrel.

 

[not a zaar]

Nice to know I'm not alone in doing that. And the SMG really is a good working horse for a lot of the sticky situations. If it turns out to be inadequate there's the shotgun. And nobody will convince me that the shotgun is lame. Or the crossbow.

I thought the shotgun was pretty lame, it's only really effective at melee ranges, which is what you have a crowbar for. But then again, no shotgun will ever equal the greatness of Doom's shotguns.

Alternate fire for double barrel.

I know. Doesn't change my opinion.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I know. Doesn't change my opinion.

Eh, sometimes you need to take care of a trio of fast headcrab zombies, sometimes you just need to bust a nut. Crowbar always struck me as the "don't waste your ammo on weak enemies" weapon. Shotgun is, "I need something at close range dead - stat."

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

Its not a great game full stop...

I agree, but where in the title did he say 'great'?

 

[NeonZombie]

In my opinion i enjoyed the story and was intrested as to what the NPCs were saying and i liked the fact the guns aren't super powerful. It makes the game feel more like a survival game where its one man fighting to survive which is what the game is about basically.