That Was Half-Life 2?

[Thaius]

I know I'm way behind on this one, but I just finished Half-Life 2. It was a really good game; I can see why it's respected and held as a standard, especially regarding the first-person storytelling. Sure, the vehicle sections were awful, but just about everything else was fantastic.

But for all the praise this game gets, why haven't I heard a single word about the ending? That was one of the most incomprehensible, abrupt, unsatisfying endings I've ever seen. It's a mix between a cliffhanger and WTF ending the likes of which I've rarely seen.

I know it has the episodes, and I'm installing Episode 1 as I type this. I'm just trying to understand; for all the praise this game gets, I would have expected the ending be mentioned. It was a big deal for Halo 2, it was a big deal for Assassin's Creed, and I won't even get into the response to Mass Effect 3's poor excuse for an ending, but why has Half-Life 2 gotten by as one of the most highly-praised games of all time without having a single word mentioned about that frustrating stopping point?

 

[Rawne1980]

Shhhh.

Say nothing bad against lord Valve lest it's fans burn you at the stake for heresy.

 

[Zhukov]

At the time it generated some considerable rage.

However, they released Episode 1 fairly quickly and all was well.

 

[Dryk]

That's also how the first game ended ^_^

 

[Vault101]

well....

actually....you have a point

at least in made sense in universe

just...ummm..mabye you dont want to play episode 3...jsut saying

 

[The Madman]

A lot of people were upset actually, but that was like eight years ago which in internet time means like a bajillion decades ago.

Then Episodes 1 and 2 came out... we're still waiting on a number three of any sort.

 

[DoPo]

Bowing man talk bad against the master! Protect the master. Stop the lies. Must crush bowing man!


Seriously, now. First of all, it wasn't a definitive ending. Unlike other games. It was just an end of a long chapter while waiting for another one. Personally, I thought it was rather awesome. It was how HL 1 ended...sort of. More like Opposing Force, though.

Just play and enjoy Episode 1. That has a more satisfying ending. Then play Episode 2 and wait just a little bit for Ep 3.

 

[The Night Angel]

As said above, the ending did produce some anger at the time, but they released the first episode very quickly, so it wasn't a big deal. If that had been the definitive ending, your complaints would be understandable, as it is, you should just wait till you've played the episodes

 

[distortedreality]

Heh, if you're raging now, wait until you finish Ep2.

I'll grab some popcorn and wait.

 

[Korzack]

Yeah, I remember at the time it was disappointing for me as well, but compared to a lot of what we see nowadays? Still an improvement.

 

[Mike Richards]

I fucking loved the ending. True, I did play it for the first time in the Orange Box so I could move onto the next part immediately, but I thought it was fantastic. I love abrupt endings when the narrative slams into them headlong at full speed. Even just based on the storytelling of 2 alone without counting the episodes I didn't feel like they were setting up something they weren't going to deal with as soon as it started up again.

It's a cliffhanger, that's a pretty standard thing to do in a running series and they did a great job with it. TV shows do it all the time and people don't seem to complain much there.

 

[Grottnikk]

I think everyone knew that Episode 1 was going to come out eventually so their rage was a bit watered down. That is, if they had any. The first game ended like that, only kinda worse .

 

[the spud]

Yeah, I would have raged, but I played episode 1 immediately after, so, you know.

On a related note, I just finished Deus Ex 1, and I must say, for such a well made game, the endings were quite shit. You barely see the effects of your final major choice. Very disappointing, but I never hear people complain for whatever reason.

 

[wintercoat]

I actually thought the ending was handled rather well. I first played the entire Half Life series sometime mid last year, and the theme that events are being controlled by some greater forces, and that the characters, and especially Gordon Freeman, are just pieces on a rather large chessboard, was rather well done.

 

[SajuukKhar]

I actually thought the ending was handled rather well. I first played the entire Half Life series sometime mid last year, and the theme that events are being controlled by some greater forces, and that the characters, and especially Gordon Freeman, are just pieces on a rather large chessboard, was rather well done.

I think this is why people didn't rage as much on HL2 as they did on ME3, or other games endings.

Other games give "choice", and people get made when they are told your choice is nothing.

Half-Life has always been about gordon being this pawn, whose actions are controlled by a higher being.

 

[Lugbzurg]

I just finished Half-Life: Source today, and my mind was blown. It had an awesome somewhat-twist ending with some openness. (Not to mention, an amusing bad ending, which I got for being a second too late)

G-Man is rather strange. He just popped out of nowhere, and... How did he do that? And how was he watching Gordon? And, no, dude. You didn't need to strip Dr. Freeman of all his weapons. Yeah, the machine gun and shotgun were borrowed, but, the rest of that stuff was either from Xen or else Black Mesa property!

I can't imagine what you were just going through. I for one am positively pumped for Half-Life 2!

 

[Zeckt]

.... But I LIKED the vehicle bits ...

 

[SajuukKhar]

I just finished Half-Life: Source today, and my mind was blown. It had an awesome somewhat-twist ending with some openness. (Not to mention, an amusing bad ending, which I got for being a second too late)

G-Man is rather strange. He just popped out of nowhere, and... How did he do that? And how was he watching Gordon? And, no, dude. You didn't need to strip Dr. Freeman of all his weapons. Yeah, the machine gun and shotgun were borrowed, but, the rest of that stuff was either from Xen or else Black Mesa property!

I can't imagine what you were just going through. I for one am positively pumped for Half-Life 2!

The G-Man is.......................... no really thats all we know about him, he simply IS.

He has all the powers of a Deus Ex Machnia, but with some evidence of his existence before-hand thus making him not a Deus ex Machina.

 

[Chunga the Great]

It's pretty much the same as the first game's ending, and does everything it needed to do while leaving it open for expansion and speculation. Plus I think it has one of the best final scenes in any game ever (Alyx shielding her eyes as the citadel explodes and the G-Man materializes)