Half Life 2 is not a good FPS

[ExaltedK9]

Ok, to address the guns feeling weak, some of them aren't meant to feel as strong as others, and most all of them have different purposes. Every one of them is useful and versital enough to play through the game with relative ease. And Gordon Freeman isn't a soldier, he's a rogue physicist, so some guns arent made to feel more powerful with him using them.

 

[Clashero]

I see so few of you have ever enjoy the sound a crossbow makes when it pins a combine soldier to a wall at a full run. It sounds a bit like pshew....thuk! waaAAuuuuugh

Yes! I forgot about that! The crossbow is an example of incredible sound design. The entire game uses sound expertly, from the high-tempo techno music, to the Combine radio chatter, to the sound of creatures and guns, to the excellent voice acting.

Also, to OP: I see characterization, voice acting, story, sound design, level design, art design, and originality bear little weight for you. It would seem all you want is guns going boom.

 

[sagacious]

Half Life 2 is a great adventure, and a cool series of setpieces and some sci-fi lore, but as far as FPS standards go it's pretty lacking in my opinion. Let's take a look:

Weapons - Arguably the most important part of an FPS. Most of HL2's weapon feel weak and powerless (especially the pistol and the smg,) except maybe for the revolver, which has a pathetic ammo capacity and is hardly ever needed thanks to the dumb-as-rocks enemies which are content to slowly strafe or run right at you while shooting. The gravity gun is cool, but it's more of a gimmick than a weapon as far as I'm concerned.

Game progression - The game basically rushes you from one setpiece to another, with the occasional locked in area while you listen to characters drone about crap you don't care, all the while you're jumping around and crowbarring anything breakable in frustration. The only time in the game I really felt like there was any tactics or intense action was the assault on Nova Prospekt, which was cool, but doesn't make up for the rest of the game.

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.

It seems you dislike the very things i liked the game for, but i will agree with you that the AI is lacking.

 

[Cargando]

I got it a few days ago, and I LOVED it, particularly the way it seemed to switch genre every now and again. Incidentally do those head-crab zombies scare the hell out anyone else, or is it just me?

 

[Mariena]

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.

What the *hell* are you talking about, and what has Yahtzee got to do with this? I got tired of the physics puzzles, and they were clearly using them to show off their physics. I can recall the bricks on the plank to get across, or the blue barrels that float to the surface to create a ramp for the boat, or the section where you climb up somewhere high and drop a heavy fridge on some lift so you can advance, and plenty more.

Or is it because apparently having the same opinion as Yahtzee that makes me a brainless follower? It obviously says more about you than about me. Freaking insulting me like that. Please.

 

[kawligia]

I generally don't like FPS games at all, but I LOVED HL2 and the episodes.

 

[Strafe Mcgee]

Half-Life 2, generally percieved as one of the best FPS games ever made. Because of this status, people backlash against it in much the same way as people did for GTA4 last year. People somehow still believe that when a game gets a fantastic score from several magazines that it will automatically be a game for them when it's not necessarily the case. Surely, even if people don't enjoy it, we can all agree that it's technically a fantastic game that was a milestone for it's time?

And I know everyone's said it already, but that time was 5 years ago.

Also, this best sums up my feelings about Half-Life 2:

Also, to OP: I see characterization, voice acting, story, sound design, level design, art design, and originality bear little weight for you. It would seem all you want is guns going boom.

These aspects are what help to make HL2 a continually endearing game to many. The game world is detailed and interesting, the characters memorable without resorting to stereotype (anyone else get upset at the end of Episode 2?) and the overall experience of the game comes second to very few. If you want a blasty shooter, play Cod4 or Halo 3. Nothing wrong with that, they're both fantastic games. But if you want to play something a little bit special, you play HL2.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Or is it because apparently having the same opinion as Yahtzee that makes me a brainless follower? It obviously says more about you than about me. Freaking insulting me like that. Please.

Nope but you pretty much quoted him word-for-word, either innocently or through a lack of originality. I assumed the worst - I'm sorry if it was just a coincidence. Take a deep breath, count to ten, don't track me down and kill my dog.

 

[Chipperz]

Also, Half Life isn't about the gameplay itself, but more on the story and the characters.

And therein lies the problem for many gamers. Sacrifice a game's gameplay for storyline, and you're making an interactive movie. This is known as Hideo Kojima Syndrome, HKS for short, and has been known to kill games in less than an hour of playtime.

My big problem with Half Life (and I'm SURE I've said this before on these forums, but meh, I'll pad my post count like the rest of ya!) is that the people who are most vocal about liking it will tear your down if you think ANY other FPS is better, and will then start all their arguments with "Well, it's not quite about the shooting, but..."

Final statement. Half Life is not a FPS. It's a First Person Adventure Game. Hopefully this revelation will stop some people from comparing Halo (great series) with Half Life (EQUALLY great series) for the next few weeks.

 

[Tili]

I don't even like to play FPS games.

But I absolutely love Half-life 1 & 2

It's just a really good polished game, how it should be done!

 

[DM.]

If you think that the NPCs whining about stuff you don't care about is bad then why are you playing a game that is known for having a lot of dialogue and story?

 

[King Yayap]

There's a few things that we must take into account when asking whether Half Life 2 is a good FPS. For instance, it has been five years since it was first released, and still being played by countless thousands of people. Also, there have been so many add-ons, mods etc. that have been (and still are being) made for it. There is an absolutely INSANE fan base, ranging from fan fictions to a film being made (Escape from City 17). Half Life 2 may not be the best of first person shooter's in relation to modern standards, but that does not mean it is bad. The fact that this has survived this long shows how well designed and made it was in the first place.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Also, Half Life isn't about the gameplay itself, but more on the story and the characters.

And therein lies the problem for many gamers. Sacrifice a game's gameplay for storyline, and you're making an interactive movie. This is known as Hideo Kojima Syndrome, HKS for short, and has been known to kill games in less than an hour of playtime.

Nnnnope. Half-Life 2 is told, almost entirely, through Gordon Freeman's perspective. Metal Gear Solid has cinematic cut scenes. Half-Life 2 is great because it tells a story, with decently fleshed out characters, in the FPS medium - and it works. It doesn't fall back on cut scenes or debriefings outside of the context of the game. You're always wearing your glasses, wielding your crow bar, interacting with a coherent world.

Anyway, the experience of a fleshed out world is an essential part of some games, competition and visceral challenge in others. If you want a game where you're killing wave after wave of soldiers in a satisfying display of bloodshed and gore, perhaps Half-Life 2 isn't for you. It's still as much of a game as Gears of War, DOOM, or anything else that involves shooting people in the face - but it's a different style of game. It's not trying to be a movie - it's trying to be a video game that tells a story while still being a video game.

 

[smithy1234]

I couldn't play through all the levels due to my computers limited capacity for playing video games. Perhaps I'll try it out on the Xbox 360 Orange Box.

 

[Shycte]

What difficulty were you playing on?

The standard difficulty is piss-weak, but the harder one is... well, harder. Admittedly, the AI is inferior to today's standards.

Maybe because it's five years old.

As for your issues with the gameplay, I have one thing to say.

What the fuck?

Not intense? You're telling me that when you're running from a pair of Combine helicopters screaming bullets after you as you duck and cover behind thin sheets of metal while Combine soldiers fill you full of lead isn't intense? What IS intense for you?

When you play an older game, you need to take into account its age. This is like playing Super Mario Brothers (for the NES) and saying it gets repetitive, cause all you're doing is jumping.

Side Note: I still get a boner every time I hear the Combine soldier's death scream.

^This

What's up about complaining about the guns being weak?

Of course the pistol is weak, did you expect the recive a BFG 9000 as the first firearm?

 

[Iron Mal]

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.

This is a question you asked me not too long ago (that being 'what is the point?') and the answer is still along the lines of everyone being able to express their opinion (the point of a forum is to have discussions, and discussions require people of differing opinions and perspectives).

Yes, critics gave Half Life 2 great reviews but we should all know that critics (like us) have bias and a tendancy to jump on bandwagons (let's face it, there was an arseload of hype surrounding HL2 when it came out which it didn't really live up to) so I don't hold their opinion in higher regard than anyone else's.

Half Life 2 was not great or excellent, it was a solid, functional shooter on the PC by a massively popular developer that did a few party tricks no-one else had thought of (whether you want to admit it or not, the gravity gun was a gimmick or USP, like bullet time or destructable environments...just an extra shiney thing to make it slightly different than every other FPS on the market).

 

[xXGeckoXx]

I think half life 2 is great. I wonder where the fandom went here. This is going to be like halo isn't it. People Love it then start going against it just because it is popular. Halo was pretty good but got bad reputations from its low life community (this is a generalization and if you are reading this then it may not apply to you). This is all the sadder in half life's case because half life does not deserve the snobby anti-popular behavior.

 

[TopaZzz]

It's as good as Dr. Pepper in comparison to Coca-Cola!