Why I might not buy Half life 3

[Papadam]

All a matter of perspective. In my opinion, Bioshock was head and shoulders above HL2.

In terms of indirect storytelling through atmosphere, yes, all the Bioshocks take Half Life 2 to the cleaners. But that was always an element for which the Half Life series was somewhat overpraised.

But Bioshock 1 is the ONLY FPS in almost 10 years that is comparable to HL2, that says alot. And the gameplay is lacking in Bioshock compared to HL2.

It's always fun to read the weekly HL2 thread where hipsters can tell us how overated it is.

 

[Icehearted]

I'm not planning to buy it because I doubt it's ever coming out.
Also HL2 wasn't that great.

Not sure I agree with the first part of your statement. The second part is spot on. Title and nostalgia aside, it wasn't really that impressive a game. Hell, by the time it came out it's engine was already being used in other better titles already out or on their way.

Then there's the episodic nonsense, which isn't dead either. "There weren't enough people into the first 30 minutes of my movie, so sorry to those that paid and waited to see a full movie, those 30 minutes are all you're getting!"

 

[Dr.Awkward]

I think Valve has been changing ever since they hired on that economist. Gabe seems to show little care anymore and would rather spend time with his son's interests right now, and if that wasn't enough it seems that the flat structure is more hostile than we thought with the apparent formations of high-school level cliques and the fear of a changing office culture.

The smaller, more active Valve that we loved in the mid-2000s is no more. Now, it's a big, idling, lumbering behemoth that we want to love, but does nothing but stare back, or just throws a sale or an occasional game it helped co-develop with another company (i.e. Turtle Rock Studios with L4D, Hidden Path Entertainment with CS:GO).

 

[BloatedGuppy]

But Bioshock 1 is the ONLY FPS in almost 10 years that is comparable to HL2, that says alot. And the gameplay is lacking in Bioshock compared to HL2.

It's always fun to read the weekly HL2 thread where hipsters can tell us how overated it is.

Kind of like peaches and nectarines there, if not necessarily apples and oranges. The Bioshocks are humdrum shooters with lightweight RPG aspects that are largely about the exploration of very intricately designed areas. HL2 was a high octane shooter that lived and died with its superb pacing. Whether you find the gameplay of one or the other "lacking" will be largely contingent on what kind of gameplay you prefer.

As for it being overrated...at least at launch it was. I remember PC Gamer getting up on Valve's cock and giving it 98% in return for their early exclusive. Steam was a fucking mess at the time and thrice the headache any of today's much loathed DRM schemes are, and the source engine suffered from a host of bugs...most notably the infamous stuttering bug that rendered the game almost unplayable through large segments. My initial playthrough at launch ended 75% of the way through because the stuttering bug dropped the frame rate to 1FPS and didn't let up through half an hour of play.

So...is it a landmark game? Certainly. Is there a fair charge to be made that it was somewhat overrated? Certainly.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

The games are a flag of what the company are capable of at the time...this is why some ppl can judge a developer based on certain aging titles. It shows what they can do that all the other companies cannot. This is how they gain our trust. And considering there are only officially 2 half life's...the 2nd being in 3 parts, they have shown their talent very well with the source engine and such well designed storytelling. The whole '1st person, experience everything going to shit while you try to stay the fuck alive' was invented with half life...yet do you not notice how many other FPS's now use that trickery since? That's why newcomers don't think much of valve other than the portal games, because they think it's been done before by the games that have used HL 1 and 2 to inspire their storytelling direction.~

Also i do not know what ppl mean by hipsters...as far as im aware, these people are just uneducated in certain areas of gaming. Not guys that wear large glasses and beards for some fashion fueled reasons (i really don't know what a hipster is sposed to be...and honestly...i don't fckin care)

 

[Olikar]

All a matter of perspective. In my opinion, Bioshock was head and shoulders above HL2.

In terms of indirect storytelling through atmosphere, yes, all the Bioshocks take Half Life 2 to the cleaners. But that was always an element for which the Half Life series was somewhat overpraised.

But Bioshock 1 is the ONLY FPS in almost 10 years that is comparable to HL2, that says alot. And the gameplay is lacking in Bioshock compared to HL2.

Comparable in what way? if you just simply mean in terms of quality then I guess you've never played STALKER or F.E.A.R

 

[lacktheknack]

My prediction: They're waiting for all expectations of the game to die (they're almost there) and will suddenly release it without warning.

The internet would shear in half from the sudden shock.

 

[Depulcator]

IT'S NOT A FEMINISIM THREAD I'll take it! Also, I'm Interested but it's not near the top of my "to buy" list.

 

[Vigormortis]

...sorry, why may you not buy a game that you don't know anything about yet?

I fail to see the purpose of this thread.

In classic Escapist Forum fashion, this thread is designed to berate and condescend to any and all Valve/Steam/Half-Life fans that may still be around. And, just like the many before it, it is thinly veiled under a "question for discussion".

They're a common occurrence. We tend to see them, in one form or another, at least twice a week. They've followed this pattern of appearance for at least five years now, if not longer.

You just sort of learn to put up with them. Or just ignore them. (the smarter move)

Which probably leaves you wondering, "Why did you post in here then if you've seen so many?"

I don't know, honestly. Maybe I was hoping that, just this once, the discussion would actually be a fucking discussion and not just a useless rant or a "lets pick on the Valve fans" thread.

Or maybe I'm a closet masochist and like torturing myself with pointless aggravations. I just don't know.

You like Half life great but accept that people will disagree with you I accept that people hate Legacy of Kain despite the fact that I love those games( If my Avatar didn't make that obvious )

Maybe it's because you're not a fan of the games; and in some occasions one of the outspoken detractors; but there's a difference between accepting that others may not like what you like and constantly...incessantly...being picked on and questioned for your opinion.

You've been on the forum for at least a year, so I'm going to assume you've noticed the absolutely immense number of threads that start with an OP bitching about Half-Life being "overrated" or "bad" or some such thing. And, in many of them, the fans are often portrayed in a very negative and very insulting manner.

How many other games or game series do you see receiving that kind of negativity towards the source material or its fans on this site? For that matter, how many do you see receiving even half that level of ire?

The only ones that come remotely close are Halo and Call of Duty.

My point is, the vast majority of us that are fans of the series know perfectly well that there are people that don't share our opinions. Anyone with half a brain cell knows opinions differ. However, when you're made to feel like garbage for having an opinion, and treated like you're an "idiot" or a "blind fanboy/sheeple", there's only so much you're willing to take before you say something back.

 

[WanderingFool]

It's been 10 years since this too but patience did pay off or might pay off at the very least for the next gen coming?

Yeah ok so you might not buy HL3, im sure a lot of other people wont and a lot of other people will.
Does it matter if HL3 even comes out or if its good or not? Nope

Kingdom Hearts had the added benefit of having regular titles coming out to stem the waiting. There's also the fact that their developers are actually good at their jobs. Half Life doesn't have either of those luxuries.

Oh sweet Jesus...

Had I known what I was walking into, I wouldnt have stepped inside..

OT: Im actually quite anxious to see if HL3 is released. Not because I want the game (played HL2, didnt care for it), but just to see the reaction from people.

 

[Vigormortis]

Gabe has confirmed that they're working on HL3.

*citation needed*

I've lost the original link/news post, but this Gamespot article talks on the interview in question - http://www.gamespot.com/news/half-life-3-wait-explained-6372687

And since then, further evidence has cropped up showing that internal development is taking place.

... Actually, Valve's business model isn't so much "Make a hundred collector's editions" as it is "shoehorn our crap into every possible third party Steam title we can and hope people remember it!" Surgeon Simulator released on Steam with a completely worthless "Medic and Heavy" mode, and there was a puzzle game in the Unreal Engine that put the companion cube in the Steam release. And Super Meat Boy had the Headcrab character.

"Let's piggyback on the talents of real developers!"

I thought I just had a screwed up game, thank you for clarifying this. I got Steam somewhere between a year or two ago for Audiosurf, nothing else, and still haven't gotten anything on it. The game came with a collection of music from their games, one of which was "Still Alive." I played it, it was fun, the song is great. The one day when I boot the game up, regardless of character, that song put me in first person perspective with a fucking portal gun. My only thought was "why?" I still refuse to play that song for that reason, it's senseless and having a first person view in that game does nothing for the player.

Um...you DO realize, of course, that Valve doesn't ask or tell these devs to add that content in, right? Those devs often create that content on their own as either an homage or as part of a cross-promotional campaign.

In fact, when you see promo items appear in TF2 to coincide with the release of a new game, Valve is the one who often makes them. And, for many of those promotions, the dev of the game makes the offer to Valve.

This whole "Valve just let's everyone else do their work for them" bullshit is ridiculous.

Unless you're talking about TF2 hats. Most of them are community made, so.... There the statement is valid.

 

[Tomeran]

Love the people that raise their noses and go "Hmpf, Half life 2? Wasnt that good anyway. *sniff*"

I'd love to see people in 2004 sit and play that game, compare it to the rest of the stuff that was out back then, and go, honestly and seriously: "uugh, this is crap."

Those kind of replies just seems like another "buuh, too mainstream!"-go.
Sometimes mainstream is good. Half-life2 was one of the highest rated(if not THE highest rated) game in gaming history for a reason.

As for comparing it today? The game is almost ten years old. For a game of that age, I'd say it does -very- well. But if you honestly buy that game today and expect it to hold up much to modern titles, you got your expectations a bit weirded out.


As for the overral point of the thread...not sure what to say that hasnt been said already. If you dont want to give it a go when its released, fair enough? I'll argue that it will likely be your loss.
Your questions are answered pretty well by TheKasp so I wont bother.

 

[thebakedpotato]

I played HL2.Honestly?
I dont care.The game is just boring,the level design is just wierd and honestly sometimes the dificulty curve just goes batguano.
I dont care for hl3,or even the Half life series in general.
Overated as heck is my opinion.

Honestly, I think nostalgia does give it that bit of hype. For a lot of us, Half Life was our first introduction into PC gaming. And with the huge mod community it had, for me personally, it felt like I had an endless supply of free games from that one purchase.

Half Life 2 ushered in innovation with the source and physics engines, and supplemented the mod community with titles that went along swimmingly. Team Fortress 2, and the Portal and Left 4 dead Franchises. It's not so much a new one that I am hoping for (Though dear god did they cliffhanger themselves over and over with the episodes and it's kind of annoying that they didn't finish them.) but the spike of innovation that will follow its release.

Of course, that's just me. Because I have a sentimental attachment to the franchise.

 

[Olas]

It's been so damn long, DNF long and well, I've kind of lost interest.

Nobody would call that unusual, Valve is certainly aware of how long it's been so they're obviously going to do what they can to renew interest in the series for the next installment. That being said, your lack of caring could also be a result of the fact that there is nothing really to care about. Valve hasn't released any Half-Life related content in years.

They'll hype the fuck out of it and you'll be able to buy a $250 special edition and get all tens from everyone but I just don't care anymore.

Valve has always been very price considerate. They made The orange Box, and Steam, Dota 2 and TF2 are both free-to-play.

As for what scores it gets, why should that matter to you?

It's been almost ten years since episode 2, does anyone even care at this point ?

6 years, which is less than the time between Half Lifes 1 and 2, and yes apparently. Though you're hardly alone either, many people are tired of waiting.

Can HL3 even live up to the expectations of the internet/gamers ? I feel a terrible disappointment looming on the horizon.

Only if you have high expectation for it, and it sounds like you don't, and like I said you're not alone. Still, I don't see a reason to lose faith in Valve, their track record is still pretty good and if they were just going to release a mediocre uninspired sequel they'd have done it already.

It's pointless to speculate any more though on the quality of a game we know positively zip about.

Maybe I'll pick it up at a summer sale somewhere in 2016 or something.
Anyone else done waiting for what might never come ?

Trust me, it's coming.

1: Gabe Newell has been completely and deliberately silent about the subject of Half Life 3, he refuses to address or answer questions about it. Rather strange for them to be quiet about a game that they aren't making. If Valve had no plans for another Half Life 3 why wouldn't they just say so?

2. The Easter Egg in Portal 2. It was very real, and you don't have to do any crazy math to interpret its meaning.

3. In case you haven't realized Valve hasn't been doing much of anything big lately, at least that we know about. Portal 2 was the last big title they've made and even that was 2 years ago. What do you think the gaming giant is doing with all it's time and resources? Do you really think it's all going towards TF2 hats?

4. Gabe Newell: "We've been working on Valve's new engine stuff for a while, we're probably just waiting for a game to roll it out with."

Fact: Both Half Life 1 and 2 debuted alongside a new engine made by Valve.

5. Not making HL3 would be ridiculous just from a business perspective alone. The franchise has an enourmous, hugely devoted fan-base. It's pretty much a guaranteed to be successful even if it sucks. So why on earth wouldn't they make this game?

6. Valve has a history of long development times.

 

[Lunar Templar]

it probably won't live up to the hype, but since nether Half Life games are that great anyway and those are hyped by the fan base to ridiculous levels, doubt it'll matter, we'll still have to deal with people saying its the greatest thing ever.

though ... if it does suck watching the fan base burn the internet down would make for quiet the show

quote unrelated to topic

an animate Gif of Zone-Tan's 'why we aren't doing MLP porn'? I approve, as it was funny as hell XD

 

[MercurySteam]

All a matter of perspective. In my opinion, Bioshock was head and shoulders above HL2.

But Bioshock (1) had three years to improve on HL2. It(Bio) was head and shoulders(IMO not really true) over HL2 because it stood on its shoulders. All great games are, eventually, based on something before, be it rules, atmosphere or a game design paradigm

I disagree. If anything Bioshock heavily borrowed from its predecessor, System Shock 2. You can't say that every single game that came after HL2 that had good storytelling, character design, etc 'borrowed' from HL2. Credit where it's due, sure, just not for everything.

 

[DanielBrown]

Loved my Half-Life collection box and played the shit out of it as a young teenager. For a few years my life was all about Counter-Strike and when Half Life 2 was released I played it like crazy.
If/when HL3 comes out I'm sure it'll be at the very least a good game, that I'll most probably play more than once, but I'm not giving in to the hype of a game we got no information on. Will possibly do a 180 turn when some gameplay footage is leaked, however until then I don't see the point of getting obsessed with the game.

 

[Unsilenced]

Aaaaahhahahahah Aaahah. AAAAAAAAAHhahaah. Hee hee. Ooohohoh. Heh.

People still think it's going to come out.

Kills me every time.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Fact: Both Half Life 1 and 2 debuted alongside a new engine made by Valve.

Well, HL1 was made with a modified Quake engine integrated with the id Tech 2 engine, originally developed by iD not Valve. All Valve did was mess with a previous engine and released it as GoldSrc so it wasn't new just heavily modified, which is why Team Fortress was easily "ported" to the "new" engine. Source was their first real ground-up engine. But I'll agree that Valve is making something big to debut with the new engine. Whatever it is though I don't know if it can hold up to the predecessors.
Time will tell.