Should I start playing the half life series?

[Overusedname]

Without spoiling anything, did episode 2 end the series on a cliff-hanger? I've been waiting to start the series until episode 3 came out but...well...I'm feeling pretty behind and I don't think the next game is coming until next gen.

Does the first one hold up well? And if I start with HL2 will I just be confused?

 

[tippy2k2]

Episode 2 ended on a HUGE cliffhanger.

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back had a smaller cliffhanger then Episode 2

The Half-Life series is good but the FPS genre has evolved since then. They're still good games but they are not going to hold up compared to modern shooters.

If you don't mind the dated game-play and don't mind "ball-smashing frustrating" cliffhangers, go for it.

If you know you won't enjoy the dated game-play or hate cliffhangers, hold off.

You could start with HL2 and be pretty much fine. The bald doctor, the bad dictator, and the fat guard were in the first game and they worship you (or greatly fear you) for stopping...whatever the hell it is you stopped in the first game. I'm still not sure what the hell Gordon actually did in the first game besides not die. You're now caught up.

 

[Goofguy]

To be honest, pretty much everyone who played HL2 was confused at the start, regardless of whether they played the first or not.

I haven't tried the Black Mesa mod that just came out but it'd be worth starting with that if only to avoid the dated graphics of the original HL.

I recommend everyone try HL. It's not whether you like it or not but rather that you at least played the game to form that opinion.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

The Half-Life series is good but the FPS genre has evolved since then. They're still good games but they are not going to hold up compared to modern shooters.

Are they really that dated? I played them for the first time this year and they quickly became some of my favourite games ever.

 

[tippy2k2]

Are they really that dated? I played them for the first time this year and they quickly became some of my favourite games ever.

I would call the game-play dated. There's nothing wrong with being dated but for some people, that would be a deal breaker (or a deal sealer; some people don't like all the changes made to the FPS genre).

There are plenty of great games that have aged MUCH worse than HL2 but the game is almost a decade old (August 2004). I play just about every FPS you can find so I find the game dated (that does not mean bad) but that just might be due to my own experiences in the genre.

 

[DoPo]

The Half-Life series is good but the FPS genre has evolved since then. They're still good games but they are not going to hold up compared to modern shooters.

Are they really that dated? I played them for the first time this year and they quickly became some of my favourite games ever.

I dunno. I keep seeing people mention this. Now, maybe it's because I don't play lots of shooters but they seem totally fine to me. Also, I still play Quake 3, so maybe my opinion doesn't count.

OT: Well, you can start off with HL2, I see no reason not to. You will be missing, like two pieces of actual information - the incident and G-man. None of these is even spoiler worthy.

The incident is caused by an experiment in the Black Mesa research facility - Gordon Freeman was in it. It brought aliens from another dimension to Earth and then things promptly went to hell. This happens ~30 minutes into the game. At least half of those are a train ride. The experiment dealt with teleportation, which is also the catalyst of the result you'll see in HL2.

G-man is some guy in a costume, carrying a briefcase, who has rather odd speech pattern. During HL1, he can be seen keeping tabs on Gordon Freeman and it's somewhat implied that he orchestrated some events around the whole Black Mesa incident and the immediate events that followed (Basically, HL1, Opposing Force and Blue Shift, which all happen at the same time - from a few minutes before the resonance cascade to about a day or two after). G-man finally "recruits" Gordon Freeman at the end of HL1 - this is the only direct interaction with him (well, there is another one at the end of OpFor) and he mentions something about "his employers" and some plans. Nobody really knows much about him, and almost nothing is revealed. Well, at least until HL2 and the episodes, where you get few more appearances and interactions from him. he is also the one who "releases" Freeman in the beginning of HL2. You as a player would know as much about the state of things as Freeman himself, though.

Those are the only two things that might confuse you, if you skip HL1, I suppose.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

The Half-Life series is good but the FPS genre has evolved since then. They're still good games but they are not going to hold up compared to modern shooters.

Are they really that dated? I played them for the first time this year and they quickly became some of my favourite games ever.

If you don't want the dated graphics then go for HL: Source. It's worth it to start from the beginning.

 

[CityofTreez]

The Half-Life series is good but the FPS genre has evolved since then. They're still good games but they are not going to hold up compared to modern shooters.

Are they really that dated? I played them for the first time this year and they quickly became some of my favourite games ever.

Some people say they hold up, some people say they aged a lot.

I personally feel they aged fairly bad, but others will disagree.

 

[Lilani]

Without spoiling anything, did episode 2 end the series on a cliff-hanger? I've been waiting to start the series until episode 3 came out but...well...I'm feeling pretty behind and I don't think the next game is coming until next gen.

Does the first one hold up well? And if I start with HL2 will I just be confused?

I started the HL series with HL2, and I wasn't too confused. It doesn't actually sit down and tell you what's happened, but you end up piecing it together really quickly. A lot of the big questions you'll find yourself asking (Who is this creepy guy in a suit who talks funny? Who is the actual enemy here?) aren't clearly answered even if you play through HL1 first, though if you are interested in HL1 I suggest getting the updated mod [http://release.blackmesasource.com/] of it, which is not only a full graphical update to look pretty and shiny like HL2, but also includes chapters and setpieces which were cut out of the original game. So it's basically full graphical and sound overhaul plus a director's cut. Honestly, you picked a wonderful time to get into the Half-Life series

Or if you want to skip all that, I see some people have already posted synopses in this thread, or you could go to Wikipedia for a more thorough rundown. Again, I started with HL2 and I still had fun with it. But I think if I had the choice, I would have rather started with this updated version of HL first.

Oh, and to answer your question about it being dated--the original HL1 is very dated, but I think HL2 and the episodes have aged pretty well. They don't have as much graphical fidelity as FPS's that have come out in the last few years of course, however they have very good art direction, aesthetics, and atmosphere. Graphics age to be certain, but good art direction lasts forever, and HL2 is full of great art direction and details that make the world come alive. It's not a game you want to just rush through without reading any posters or talking to people. So I think they look just fine, but if you're used to playing modern FPS's on consoles and HD displays then you'll probably notice, but honestly I've never had a "God, that is just terrible" moment with the graphics.

 

[DoPo]

Without spoiling anything, did episode 2 end the series on a cliff-hanger? I've been waiting to start the series until episode 3 came out but...well...I'm feeling pretty behind and I don't think the next game is coming until next gen.

Does the first one hold up well? And if I start with HL2 will I just be confused?

if you are interested in HL1 I suggest getting the updated mod [http://release.blackmesasource.com/] of it, which is not only a full graphical update to look pretty and shiny like HL2, but also includes chapters and setpieces which were cut out of the original game. So it's basically full graphical and sound overhaul plus a director's cut. Honestly, you picked a wonderful time to get into the Half-Life series

Black Mesa cuts at Xen. The rest is not supposed to be released this year. Well, technically, it's the final chapter, so it's not too bad, but it still sucks.

 

[Souplex]

You should play 1 and then pretend the series ended.

 

[Sacman]

It's a great series... even the old ones have aged very well... look good, especially with the help of mods, and play just as well... though the original is dated, it;s certainly still playable...

And Episode 2 did hang on a cliff hanger... but it still works surprisingly well as a stand alone game... I mean the story applies well to the over arching plot, if you're following it, but it's not unplayable if you're not...<.<

 

[nexus]

It hasn't aged well, as most shooters do not.

Half-life has some of the simplest gameplay, considered outdated by any standard today. It was lauded for it's "gravity gun" and use of physics and other stuffs when it came out, but since then we've had many more leaps in gaming.

The story is decent, the "police-state" commentary and allegory is good. If you haven't played it, you'd probably be into it for the theme anyway, regardless of it being outdated.

 

[Braedan]

If you feel like it.

And yes ep 2 ended on a massive cliffhanger.

 

[StylinBones]

Yea, they're good games if you like to shoot stuff and solve some puzzles. The grav gun in HL2 was a revolution in the gaming world. If you appreciate gaming history, this is one you can't miss

These are the life-altering shooters that I've played in chronological order:

Duck Hunt > Doom 2 > N64 Goldeneye > Resident Evil 2 > PC Counter-Strike > Half-Life 2 > Gears of War 2

 

[Smooth Operator]

If you don't want the dated graphics then go for HL: Source. It's worth it to start from the beginning.

HL: Source looks exactly the same as the original, only difference is the assets are in a new engine.
Black Mesa however is a complete recreation of HL in the new engine and looks on par with HL2, actually even better.

If anyone is interested then really start out with that, and yes the gameplay is dated:
- they still have colors
- no QTE
- no jellyfish bukake
- you haveto aim on your own
- opening doors is not a cutscene where you wait for someone to open the doors
- no insta health regen, getting hurt actually has consequences
- and worst of all you carry more then two guns
Now this might all be extremely confusing to new FPS players, but if you can stomach all these horrible shortcomings then it's a pretty neat game.

 

[Captainanorach]

it's well worth a play even now. I'd start with rthe black mesa mod even though it ends before xen. which isn't a bad thing and you're not missing much, apart from a fairly average platform section and generic big bad at the end.

the gameplay whilst starting to feel a little stale now compared to new fps, but is still playable. The story told through the characters and the incidental details in world are what makes the game still worth playing.

 

[hazabaza1]

- no jellyfish bukake

I... what? Are you mixing up your dating sims with your FPSs?

OT: Get Black Mesa Source, then play HL2 if you like it. I prefer HL1 over 2, but 2 is still okay. Not nearly as good as people say it is though.