Just how good was Half Life 2 ?

[Kelthurin]

The novelty of HL2 wore off quickly for me, when I realized the story was rather sub-par and the gameplay was tedious. I know most people on this site worship Half Life and Valve, but I fail to see what was so ground breaking about it.

*Hides behind anti flame shield*

/Cast Firaga



I have yet to see 1 pure FPS game that rivals HL2. And Fallout 3 can't be compared to it, because it's not a pure FPS, and thus doesn't really focus solely on the FPS bit.

I see the Halo trilogy as a good rival to HL2. In fact, I prefer it.

Better vehicles, better story, better characters, and better weapons.

*Drags Vrex360 into anti flame bunker*

Halo..How very..American, of you.

I will admit, I had fun playing Halo 1. But the tirades, sorry, sequels after that? *Que sound of horse getting flogged*
Get my drift?

I didn't count Halo as an FPS because it's just..well..Horrible. I'm sure the multiplayer is great fun. But the singleplayer bit is like a greek tragedy. Just like Master Chief.

Oh, and /Doublecast Flare and Ultima.

 

[quack35]

Just how good was Half Life 2?

It was really good.

 

[The Bandit]

I've never been a PC gamer (hurr durr ur opinion is invalid), so I didn't play Half-Life 2 until The Orange Box release. It, counting the two episodes, is by far my favorite game. The gameplay, the story, the graphics (though I honestly don't give a shit about graphics unless it's simply handled poorly), and, most importantly, the characters are all virtually flawless in my opinion. ESPECIALLY the characters. Dear Lord. Valve handles characterization better than any other developer.

The vehicle sections are terrible though. God. How do you people like them? Halo is the only FPS where I can actually enjoy vehicle sections.

It's a great game, but I've always like Halo more.

Any sapient being can see that HL2 was influenced greatly by Halo: CE, just mentioning.

Is there still room in that flame-proof bunker?

Actually, I don't really see much influence at all. I see much more of Half-Life's influence in Halo. They completely ripped headcrabs from Half-Life 1.

EDIT: I take it back. I completely forgot about the car section in Episode Two. THAT was fun. HL2's vehicle sections still sucked awfully though.

 

[theklng]

The novelty of HL2 wore off quickly for me, when I realized the story was rather sub-par and the gameplay was tedious. I know most people on this site worship Half Life and Valve, but I fail to see what was so ground breaking about it.

*Hides behind anti flame shield*

let me guess, you think halo was a superb game in the aspects you mentioned?

 

[Yeager942]

I don't know why people are dissing its story. I've always loved the Half-Life's plot.

 

[squid5580]

The novelty of HL2 wore off quickly for me, when I realized the story was rather sub-par and the gameplay was tedious. I know most people on this site worship Half Life and Valve, but I fail to see what was so ground breaking about it.

*Hides behind anti flame shield*

let me guess, you think halo was a superb game in the aspects you mentioned?

I agree with him and I also didn't think Halo was much different. FEAR on the other hand. That is a good FPS. Guess you don't have to be a Halo Fanboy to dislike HL2. Sorry to debunk your theory and all.

 

[Spitfire]

The novelty of HL2 wore off quickly for me, when I realized the story was rather sub-par and the gameplay was tedious. I know most people on this site worship Half Life and Valve, but I fail to see what was so ground breaking about it.

*Hides behind anti flame shield*

/Cast Firaga



I have yet to see 1 pure FPS game that rivals HL2. And Fallout 3 can't be compared to it, because it's not a pure FPS, and thus doesn't really focus solely on the FPS bit.

I see the Halo trilogy as a good rival to HL2. In fact, I prefer it.

Better vehicles, better story, better characters, and better weapons.

*Drags Vrex360 into anti flame bunker*

Storywise, thats like comparing The X-Files to 300.

OT: I was actually dissapointed by Half-Life 2 the first time I played it. Anyone who remembers the E3 2003 teasers, probably noticed the absence of many of the cool things that were featured, and also a slight decrease in graphics.
Over time though, I discovered newfound respect for HL2. The story is effective, the gameplay is really fun, the level design is intuitive, the Source engine is actually practical, not just eye candy, and the modding community manage to keep the game alive.

 

[AllHailTheAltmer]

I just finished playing through it again a couple of days ago. It reminded me just how technically solid that game is. It is a masterpiece of atmosphere, pacing, sound design, and cinematics. You could just at Half-Life 2 on the surface and just see a sci-fi shooter, but it is so much more than that. Half-Life 2's graphics may have aged a bit, but its gameplay is timeless; it's still one of the best games ever made.

 

[Razorback0z]

Wow 40 responses in the time it took me to drive home from work (30 mins ish)

Can I submit that this basically adds to what Im saying here. This game is 5 years old and not one person has really strongly disagreed with the notion that on the normal list of elements that make a shooter, HL2 still measures up strongly and may still in some minds, hold the mantle of the best so far.

I am equally pleased that this game is out there and I can enjoy it as I am disappointed that nothing in its genre tops it so obviously that multiple posters agree on it.

I wish it wasnt the case because I so wanted to be playing Fallout 3 in 12 months time and enjoying the same level of rich, timeless detail and varied game play, instead I was over it 3 months after I go it.

I also agree that HL1 relatively speaking, was a better product again, but does not stack up quite as well now.

But what is on the horizon ? Will we still be sitting here in 18 months or 2 years wondering when someone is going to blow away a 7 year old (by then) game ?.... wow I sure hope not.

 

[Crimson King]

Half Life 2 is a great game. Although in my opinion it deserves a fraction of the the hype it gets, the Half Life 2 experience is fun, immersing, and quite literally unforgetable.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

I thought it was pretty average. I thought Portal was better. It didn't reinvent or redefine what a FPS was or is; I just thought it had a better story then most FPS's.

Uh, it did. When it was released in 2004. Now, if you want to be wowed by today's standards, play the episodes. They take everything a step up in terms of storytelling and production values.

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

I thought it was pretty average. I thought Portal was better. It didn't reinvent or redefine what a FPS was or is; I just thought it had a better story then most FPS's.

Uh, it did did not. When it was released in 2004. Now, if you want to be wowed by today's standards, play the episodes. They take everything a step up in terms of storytelling and production values.

Storytelling, yes. As far as a shooter experience, no. Halo 2 also came out in 2004. And it was/is a far better FPS experience. And some would argue that it had a great story to.

 

[Cowabungaa]

It's one of my favorite games ever. The gunplay wasn't anything special yes, even for 2004, and it's not just the story itself (people were right that it's not such a special story: aliens conquered the earth, go beat them) but it was the way the story was told that made me give a damn about it. But what really made the game so fantastic for me, was the atmosphere. I still haven't played a game with such a rich atmosphere, I truly felt being hunted and slowly changing into the hunter. It felt fantastic, and I still replay various levels (especially Ravenholm and Water Hazard, gods I love that chopper chase) 4 years after I bought it. Everything felt right, the whole combination of things (music, enviroment and gun sounds, the enviroments, the characters, etc etc) made it my most immersive FPS and probably most immersive game I've played to date.

 

[MasterSqueak]

I shall address all of you who were kind enough to reply.

Chicago Ted: Half Life has good AI, I will admit. But its not as fantastic as people claim. I recall Vrex posted a video involving a paint can and a turret? I found Halo had pretty good AI as well, but not the best. As for the jeep and airboat, they seemed extremely out of place, and handled awkwardly.

Squid5580: I'm sending a dropship to pick you up.

Kelthurin: The comment on americans makes me think less of your views, as it is a personal insult and therefor irrelivent. I would like you to explain why you dislike Halo 2 and Halo 3? I can accept hating it because of gameplay or story flaws, but hating it because its popular will make me void your opinions, as they are not opinions on the game itself.

Theking: Yes, yes I did. I thought Halo had an interesting plot, universe, and good storytelling. The gameplay was simple, and fun, allowing for tense firefights without having to worry about key bindings or anything. The vehicles were great fun, and the warthog was just awesome.

Dannyreign: I do not understand, as I have seen neither. If you like the story and gameplay, thats all right with me. I agree with you on the Source engine and the mods though. Source was one of the few things I really liked, some others being Dog and the Antlion pod. I enjoy the mods far more than the game itself however, and this is a discussion about the game itself.

I hope this post prevents me from sounding like a mindless fanboy.

*Gets into CCS-Class Battlecruiser and goes into space*

 

[Kelthurin]

Kelthurin: The comment on americans makes me think less of your views, as it is a personal insult and therefor irrelivent. I would like you to explain why you dislike Halo 2 and Halo 3? I can accept hating it because of gameplay or story flaws, but hating it because its popular will make me void your opinions, as they are not opinions on the game itself.

Well. For one, the gameplay in 2 and 3 is just crap. The guns are better? No, the guns are crap too. I ended up using the pistol 60% of the game because every other gun aside from the siper rifle is like any generic war movie; shoot, and keep shooting until you're out of bullets or the target is dead, and you have no ammo left either way. And the story is like that generic hooker you see on the streetcorner at night. Used and bruised.

The third reason I hate it, is because it's popular with acne plagued teens that love to spew their obscenities into headsets to anyone not smart enough to find the Mute option. And the 12 year olds, who think Halo is the best thing since sliced bread, and god forbid, american dad.

In short, console tards. Now mind you, I don't mean to say that every console gamer is a tard. But it's that group of social delinquents that just put me off the whole mess.

 

[MasterSqueak]

Kelthurin: The comment on americans makes me think less of your views, as it is a personal insult and therefor irrelivent. I would like you to explain why you dislike Halo 2 and Halo 3? I can accept hating it because of gameplay or story flaws, but hating it because its popular will make me void your opinions, as they are not opinions on the game itself.

Well. For one, the gameplay in 2 and 3 is just crap. The guns are better? No, the guns are crap too. I ended up using the pistol 60% of the game because every other gun aside from the siper rifle is like any generic war movie; shoot, and keep shooting until you're out of bullets or the target is dead, and you have no ammo left either way. And the story is like that generic hooker you see on the streetcorner at night. Used and bruised.

The third reason I hate it, is because it's popular with acne plagued teens that love to spew their obscenities into headsets to anyone not smart enough to find the Mute option. And the 12 year olds, who think Halo is the best thing since sliced bread, and god forbid, american dad.

In short, console tards. Now mind you, I don't mean to say that every console gamer is a tard. But it's that group of social delinquents that just put me off the whole mess.

Fair enough, but why do you dislike the gameplay in 2 and 3?

 

[irrelevantnugget]

I've tried HL² 3 times so far. It's been a mindless BOREfest each time. I still want to give it another shot, but my experiences with HL² are just that it's a terribly overrated game. Admittedly I haven't gotten that far before I quit, but the parts that I've played were just lineair as hell, with forced gimmicky puzzle elements. That, and loading times. Loading times. LOADING TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTENSE CHASE? Way to break immersion.


I really want to like the game, experience the orgasms everyone else (such as the OP) is getting. But I'm just not getting it. It's all boring and... yeah, boring.
... I'll give it another try after I've played through Brothers in Arms Earned in Blood and Hell's Highway, I might be up for a linear FPS after that.

 

[Bat Vader]

*Joins Mastersqueak behind flame shield*

Next time I'm bringing a anti flame bunker.

So, what are you two hiding from?

 

[MasterSqueak]

I've tried HL² 3 times so far. It's been a mindless BOREfest each time. I still want to give it another shot, but my experiences with HL² are just that it's a terribly overrated game. Admittedly I haven't gotten that far before I quit, but the parts that I've played were just lineair as hell, with forced gimmicky puzzle elements. That, and loading times. Loading times. LOADING TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTENSE CHASE? Way to break immersion.


I really want to like the game, experience the orgasms everyone else (such as the OP) is getting. But I'm just not getting it. It's all boring and... yeah, boring.
... I'll give it another try after I've played through Brothers in Arms Earned in Blood and Hell's Highway, I might be up for a linear FPS after that.

Get in the ship.

*Joins Mastersqueak behind flame shield*

Next time I'm bringing a anti flame bunker.

So, what are you two hiding from?

Fanboys, threads like these attract them like a horse to...horse...food...um, yeah.

 

[not a zaar]

Half Life 2 is a good game and a bad FPS. It's got nice storytelling, and the graphics are nice, they were well optimized for their time and ran smoothly and it's not totally ugly. The set pieces are interesting, but the gameplay is just bland. Bland weapons, barely any enemy variety, unnecessarily long unskippable vehicle sections, etc...