Is it essential to play the original Half Life before I play Half Life 2?
- Thread starter CatcherJJ
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Storyline-wise? probably not missing entirely too much. A lot of the characters from the first game make small appearances, most of them are pretty inconsequential for all but a few moments. You'll catch on to the storyline very quickly if you start on 2.
The engine between the first game and the second game is very different. HL2 is a vastly superior game. Even the jump from HL2 to HL2E1 is pretty noticeable.
I would say go ahead and start with 2 but play that one before the 2 expansion episodes.
The engine between the first game and the second game is very different. HL2 is a vastly superior game. Even the jump from HL2 to HL2E1 is pretty noticeable.
I would say go ahead and start with 2 but play that one before the 2 expansion episodes.
The graphics are a bit too dated for my tastes. Just read the story summary on wiki or something. Maybe look for the end on Youtube.
I didn't, and I got along fine. If you have a bit of common sense about you, you can figure out what's going on pretty quickly. It might help to brush up on Wikipedia, though.
You would be missing out on one of the greatest games of all time, although admittedly it is a little dated now.
In relation to HL2: it does help the storyline along at first as you understand and know who Gordon Freeman is and what he has been through, and explains a little as to the reason the rift to other worlds was opened, however I do not think it is strictly necessary to play HL1 before HL2. If you would like to know the backstory without playing HL1 then there are plenty of fan sites around the web that will tell you all you want to know.
You should definitely play HL2 before HL2:Ep1 and Ep2 though.
EDIT: Wow, that got answered by several different people QUICK...
In relation to HL2: it does help the storyline along at first as you understand and know who Gordon Freeman is and what he has been through, and explains a little as to the reason the rift to other worlds was opened, however I do not think it is strictly necessary to play HL1 before HL2. If you would like to know the backstory without playing HL1 then there are plenty of fan sites around the web that will tell you all you want to know.
You should definitely play HL2 before HL2:Ep1 and Ep2 though.
EDIT: Wow, that got answered by several different people QUICK...
Although you don't really have to, after playing the first, meeting characters like Barney and holding a crowbar can really send you into a fanboy fit.
I didn't, but I still knew the story so I guess that helps but the story of half life 2 more or less explained in HL2
I wouldn't call it necessary, but HL2 and the episodes are so packed with references to HL1 that you'd be cheating yourself not to find out how it all started. And while HL1's graphics are fairly... well, simplistic compared to modern games, you can pick up Opposing Force and Blue Shift; BS comes with the high-definition models that make the visuals, if not pretty, at least more bearable. Plus Op4 was a fun expansion in itself- trudging down pitch-black sewer passages, SAW in hand, with only my night-vision goggles to show me the Voltigores lurking in the darkness... that was a memorable bit of gameplay. Blue Shift... well, it was nice, but way too short.
Aren't you guys forgetting certain crucial plot lines and certain *crucial* characters that are introduced (*ahem, cough cough*)? Yeah, I know you get most of the details filled in with the later games, but I feel that there's a lot to be missing out on by skipping the first.
I would definitely play Half Life 1 first.
... actually come to think of it, that's exactly what I did when I got the orange box. I put off playing it until I had beaten HL1 again--mainly because I had forgotten how it ended. What me and my roommates got were days of rip-tearingly good fun, and a greater appreciation of Half Life 2's storyline when it began, not to mention graphics (note that I began HL2 immediately after playing HL1).
Bottom line, don't think of playing HL1 as a chore... It's good fun! It didn't gain the reputation that started the series if it wasn't.
I would definitely play Half Life 1 first.
... actually come to think of it, that's exactly what I did when I got the orange box. I put off playing it until I had beaten HL1 again--mainly because I had forgotten how it ended. What me and my roommates got were days of rip-tearingly good fun, and a greater appreciation of Half Life 2's storyline when it began, not to mention graphics (note that I began HL2 immediately after playing HL1).
Bottom line, don't think of playing HL1 as a chore... It's good fun! It didn't gain the reputation that started the series if it wasn't.
