Half Life 2 is not a good FPS

[jboking]

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.

MGS is much less of an interactive move than Half-life is. Just throwing that out there.

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.

As nice as that would be, I seriously don't see it happening.

At op, Lower to 2004 standards and you have an amazing game. That's basically what everyone defending HL2 has said.

 

[Baby Tea]

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).

See, this is exactly what I'm talking about.
I thought it was excellent, as did many others. So who is right? You or me?
The answer is: It's just our opinion (Though you state yours with far more absolutism). You aren't going to change your mind on HL2, and neither am I going to change my mind. So what's the point again?

Sure forums are great for discussions, but there is little discussion going on here. It's the people who didn't like it saying how it wasn't that great, and the people who did like saying they are wrong and it was great, and the people in the middle who are saying it was just ok. No-one is changing minds, no-one is bringing anything new to the table. It's the same old arguments, same old debates, same old points, and it will come to the same old resolution, which is this thread dies and in a week someone else will raise another 'Half Life 1 or 2 wasn't that great' or 'Half Life 1 or 2 was the best thing EVAR!' and the cycle starts all over again.

Maybe if someone had the hindsight and creativity to come up with a better/not done to death thread about Half Life (Or any game), there could actually be some interesting discussion. But as it stands, it's just two sides throwing the same, tired points back and forth at each other while the apathetic sit in the middle shrugging their shoulders.

These threads about just a game not being good, or being good, are totally pointless. The person has already made up their mind! What's left to discuss? Maybe if they didn't understand a part of the story, or a way to finish a level, there could be some discussion. But not here. No, here it's just a guy saying 'I don't like this game! Discuss!'. How? How the heck can we discuss that? Answer: We can't.

 

[Zefar]

I don't see how most of the weapons are weak in the game in your eyes. :/

Shotgun, pretty much kills anything in one shot or double shot. Few monsters can take more than a double shot.

SMG and pistol are weak with normal fire where as SMGs grenade is pretty devestating.

Magnum is mostly one hit kill too.

Crossbow is one hit kill and pins people to the wall.

Assault Rifle secondary fire kills almost everything in one shot. Only striders and Guardians live through this one.

Rocket launcher and grenades kill like everything in one hit. Rocket launcher being the first weapon in gaming history that will not just turn around when you point your red dot on something but it will keep trying till it hits. Never before have I seen a rocket do that even today I have yet to find a game that does that.

Gravity gun being pretty powerfull where most things on the map is a instant death to most enemies you meet.


Weak my ass. Also back in 2004 you had to fight with what like UT2004, Doom 3 and maybe Far Cry but that one came out later. Maybe Halo 2 had come out too by then. Looked like crap compared to HL2 btw. Doom 3 was kinda fun thou but nothing compared to HL2. Far Cry was also fun, but got pretty hard at the end. Their AI could change pattern when you reloaded a savestate.

As for UT2k4, it was fun but for me Half-Life 2 was the better one.

Btw what's this "It got no MP part" Do you people completely forget about HL2DM?
Halo had like CTF and DM. UT series had more modes but it was strictly MP.
Most games in DM are not that fun to play because they are mostly the same. Like use your weapons against them and not use the enviorment against them.

Well no one is gonna read most of this but claiming it's not good is blasmey. It didn't get low scores for a reason as for Halo series, pretty much all there is in those game is a story+loads of shooting. I can't remember once when I as the character had to ACTIVATE a buttom myself rather than letting my AI deal with it. HL2 had way more of those things.

 

[jj90]

never understood why people like half life :S, personally i think its pretty poor. but i suppose each to their own aint it?

 

[Nukey]

inst every Fps based around set piece's?
and how is the pistol weak the thing holds 16 bullets and is very fast firing?

but i agree in a sense, its not perfect but nothing really is

 

[Thunderhorse31]

Also, I'm curious. Have you played through the Strider/Hunter battle at the end of Episode 2? Because in my experience with FPS titles (stretching back to, yes, the original Doom) I've found few other experiences like it in terms of balls-to-the-wall action and tension.

Agreed. I was going to bring this up myself, as I found Episode 2 (and especially this ending) to be one of the most exciting and ridculously fun debacles in any FPS I've ever played.

OP, you should give it a try if you haven't (it sounds like you haven't, anyway).

 

[Joeshie]

Half-Life 2 certainly had it's flaws...but it also still happens to have less flaws than any of the Halo's, Call of Duty's, or other single-player FPS games since it's release.

Also, the complaint about the weapons is ridiculously stupid. Not every weapon needs to make a crater sized explosion.

 

[Cowabungaa]

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.

Couple of things bolded wich stand out for me. First about the revolver: it's Magnum revolver, they carry 6 bullets. It's also called balance, don't forget that it's a multiplayer game as well, a shot from the Magnum is usually a 1 shot kill.
About the "crap you don't care about": I did care. It's an area the Half Life series excells in, it's story driven, a real cinematic experience.

Anyway, I dissagree about the feel of the weapons. They didn't feel really powerfull, indeed, but I didn't really care about that. Most of the time you were wielding law enforcement weapons, the SMG and pistol did indeed feel weak, but that's because they basically are weak. They're just small arms. I felt like they were really well done, the weapon animations and sounds especially. The pistol and SMG indeed felt like they weren't much, that's good because they indeed weren't that much. The shotgun and pulse rifle had heavy sounds with more bass, bigger knockbacks, they felt powerfull and they were powerfull. It was all in balance.

As for the AI, yes it's not much, compared to today's standards. Half Life 2 was realised in 2004. It's no wonder, for that time they did really good. They sometimes took cover and try to dodge your fire. I see enemies retreating plenty of times, and they move around your obstacles.

Half Life 2 was a milestone in FPS history, by today's standards it's not omgwtfbbq anymore although there are still some area's I think it's unsurpassed. Yes, the FPS gameplay itself is not one of them, but do not forget that it's a 5 year old game.

 

[WrongSprite]

Its not a great game full stop...

Seriously, this has just become winging now. Half life 2 was one of the best games available at its time. When I first played it I was so engrossed and enjoyed every bit of it.

Obviously this game was a bit too hard for people like Wrongsprite lol.
There really isn't a point in ripping apart the game and analysing every part such as the fps aspect and comparing it to a full fledged fps. Half life 2 was supposed to incorporate lots of different game genres which it did extremely well.

What you're saying is essentially the same as buying a banana split and complaining because the banana is covered in ice cream and peeled for you. Go buy a banana if you want a banana.

What?? Fuck you, man. Don't tell me a game is too hard for me if it isn't to my personal taste. Do I have to share you opinion? No.

 

[WrongSprite]

Its not a great game full stop...

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

As for you, stop picking on all my posts, I used great instead of good, is it really a big deal? They both put a positive spin on the game.

 

[CtrlZee]

Who cares if it's a bad game. I'd tap Gordon Freeman sideways.

Edit: Give a revolver a larger ammo pool, and HL2DM gamers (including me) will cry a river.

 

[JC175]

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.

You know, the funny thing is, especially after I've read some of your later posts, if that you don't address the story at all. The main reason I feel HL2 is a great game is because of its storyline, especially if you were a player coming from the original game, as I was.

And as for the weapons, the pistol does feel weak, because it's supposed to. It's a shit gun. That's why the revolver feels so badass in response. And I can't think of a section in a game that has ever made me feel as awesome as when you're finally equipped with the super-charged Gravity Gun in the Citadel, and have to rely on it to take out hordes of enemies and Striders.

But I'm not attacking your view, that's just my opinion. I'd be interested to know what your favourite FPS titles are for comparision.

 

[quack35]

Ehh, to each their own. HL2 is my absolute favorite Action game.

 

[Chris^^]

i must admit, i enjoyed the actual fps part, but about 60% of the game was either the dumb-as-fuck support characters talking, or that same bloody fucking see-saw puzzle and other physics related propblems which totally fuck up the immersion of the game.

i mean who seriosuly though that it would be a good idea to pause a huge escape sequence by forcing the player to build themself a little ramp up to the next ledge, especially when you can see it within arms reach =@

they tried to hard to be clever, and ended up making waht was certainly not a proper fps

despite the raw epicness of the last level (H), that redeemed a lot

<3 the physics gun

 

[McGee]

Half-Life 2 is my most favorite FPS of all time. And that is quickly followed by HL1. The combat is fun an intense, the story is interesting and well thought-out, the characters are easy to connect to, it has a huge backstory, and it's just....fun. And I didn't jump around crowbaring things while people talked, I actually listened to them. It's interesting, you should try it.

 

[SniperWolf427]

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.

Complete agreement.

The only difference is, I get a boner every time I shoot a grenade from an SMG into a group of combine and watch the physics at work.

Man...the good times.

 

[Dr.Sean]

For those of you bitching about the AI/Stupid NPCs, just stop for a moment and mess around with the AI. I was playing multiplayer and cheats were on, so somebody spawned some antlions for us to fight. The Antlions circled the house we hid in, and when I looked out of one of the windows and pointed a gun at the antlion, it crawled out of view, almost as if it was being controlled by a human being. I, for one, was very impressed by this.

 

[JediMB]

But then again, no shotgun will ever equal the greatness of Doom's shotguns.

I have a shrine built to the greatness that is the double-barreled shotgun from Resurrection of Evil. I need nothing else.