Why is Half Life such a cultural phenomenon?

[More Fun To Compute]

Half-Life was a phenomenon because it had a revolutionary tram and genre defining jumping puzzles.

 

[setting_son]

* The aliens who were trying to kill you are now friendly, and electrical shock from them now charge your suit rather than killing you. This is never adequately explained.

Actually it is, they were controlled by the creature you kill at the end of Half Life 1. Some of them express a degree of remorse about all the souls "Who's bonds were cut," in 2, although whether they mean the Humans they killed or the Vortigaunts you killed is left open.

I take your point but for me, that's not an adequate explanation so much as it is the storyline equivelant of wallpapering over cracks. For all the effort Valve put into seesaws, I'd have hope for better writing.

Half Life story was always about the player looking for it instead of being spoonfed with it. Just look for the story dont wait for it to smack you on the head, cause it wont.

After 10 years people still havent get how the story in Half Life is told.

Looking for the story only works if the story is there to be found.

Deux Ex: Doesnt spoonfeed the story to you, leaves plenty of in game material to seek out if you choose.

HL2: Er... hey look, some crates! Why not stack them on top of each other, it's fun and in no way tedious.

No theres plenty story going around. Talk to NPC's, look at the posters, look around you! The story of Half Life 2 IS IN THE GAME! You just too lazy too look for it.

And theres 1 or 2 mandatory stacking stuff puzzles, play the game again and stop complaining.

Talk to NPCs? You don't talk to NPCs in HL2, you click on them and get the same repeating lines of dialogue. That's not especially interesting and it definitely isn't talking.

The story isn't in the game, there is a fraction of a story. How difficult would it have been for Valve to throw in a few newspapers or books or a pirate radio station or any one of a thousand artistic devices they could have used to immerse the player?

There shouldnt be ANY mandatory stacking puzzles. They are not fun, they are game padding and I'd rather play a short game than be stacking boxes, operating pulleys and otherwise exercising the physics engine.

I dont mind the idea of puzzles in a game, but they should be enjoyable and rewarding. The player should not feel like they are being made to do the developer's busy work for no other reason than the developer wants to indulge a masturbatory 'look at what our engine can do' session.

As I said before, HL2 was not fun for me. Now, clearly it was for you. The fact I did not enjoy it or find it immersive doesn't make me lazy anymore than you enjoying it makes you gullible. Different strokes for different folks. You play HL2 again if you want, I'll move on to other things but neither of us are going to convince the other of their argument so why dont we just hold hands and skip towards a brighter future?

 

[Galletea]

Half life 2 took a few new ideas and ran with them. I've recently done it and I'm not impressed. Each new gimmick seems over used, with vast sections of doing the same thing and then not using it again for the rest of the series. The characters range from likeable to downright irritating and the story thus far makes very little sense. I don't intend to get the next one when that appears as I doubt it will restore my faith in the game, which has thus far annoyed and bored me in equal measures. I don't understand why Freeman is so revered asa character as he is a mute, and where I appreciate that this is supposed to help immersion, it actually hinders it, as you have a definite appearance for him, and his lack of dialogue makes any relationship with other characters seem forced and unbelievable.

But people seem to like it, so I'll go back to other games and forget I played it.

And also anything extra that guy said above me.

 

[setting_son]

Half life 2 took a few new ideas and ran with them. I've recently done it and I'm not impressed. Each new gimmick seems over used, with vast sections of doing the same thing and then not using it again for the rest of the series. The characters range from likeable to downright irritating and the story thus far makes very little sense. I don't intend to get the next one when that appears as I doubt it will restore my faith in the game, which has thus far annoyed and bored me in equal measures. I don't understand why Freeman is so revered asa character as he is a mute, and where I appreciate that this is supposed to help immersion, it actually hinders it, as you have a definite appearance for him, and his lack of dialogue makes any relationship with other characters seem forced and unbelievable.

But people seem to like it, so I'll go back to other games and forget I played it.

And also anything extra that guy said above me.

If it weren't for the fact that you are probably a male FBI agent pretending to be female, I'd marry you for this post.

 

[Avatar Roku]

I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2 or Episode 1. However, I found Episode 2 to be an exceptionally well done FPS experience.

Also, the game gets much better once you get to the next chapter. Water Hazard sucks.

Really, I can't explain it in any way other than by saying that different people have different tastes. Some people love Half Life's world and the characters that it presents. I have trouble playing through them because of the lack of characterization on Gordon's part, as well as the soul crushing linearity of the games. With the exception of the vehicle levels they are corridor shooters.

Oh im in the mines under Ravenholm now that level is a pain in the ass

Alright, there are 3 bad chapters: Route Kanal, Water Hazard, and Highway 17 (which you're about to get to). The rest of the game is solid, or even great IMO.

I really hate Half Life 2. I've never understood the universal praise it gets. I wrote a negative review of it for a friend's website when it first got a release and got frenzied emails from the fanboys, as if my opinion was going to hurt Valve's feelings.

Amonst the things I didnt like:

1.Every goddamned five minutes it makes me build a seesaw to get somewhere.
2.You spend too much time in shitty driving sections.
3. When you pick something up it floats there, as if you use telekinesis rather than hands.
4. When you drive you operate the wheel with your mind too. Electricity from wallsockets and powerstations is still harmful, presumably having sided with the combine.
5. Antlions.
6. The aliens who were trying to kill you are now friendly, and electrical shock from them now charge your suit rather than killing you. This is never adequately explained.

I could go on but you get the idea.

I like Half Life, it was a fantastic game but I didnt feel that HL2 did anything original other than ripping off 1984, crossing out the word 'communists' and putting 'aliens' in its place.

In the interests of not triggering a flamewar I would like to remind you that the above is my viewpoint and if you did enjoy HL2 then I'm glad that you did so but for me it was a waste of £30 and was not fun.

I respectfully disagree, and I'd like to point out why, if I may. I numbered your points to make it easier.

1. Really? Off the top of my head, I can think of only one seesaw in HL2, and one in HL2: EP 2. If I'm wrong, feel free to give me specific instances.

2. Admittedly, the driving sections could be stronger, but they're relatively short.

3 & 4. I don't understand how this makes it bad. Harder to believe, perhaps, but it's really just a design choice.

5. Yes, they're annoying, but they're hardly enemies for that long.

6. I assume you mean the Vortigaunts? Like most other exposition in HL, you have to listen and/or go out of your way to get this explained. Basically, in the original, they were mind-controlled slaves of the Nihilanth. When Freeman killed it, he freed them, making them side with humanity against the Combine. As such, they use they're powers on, shall we say, a lower level, rather than the lethal one.

Again, your entitled to your opinion, it just seems that the reasons you provided weren't that strong.

EDIT:Wait, I thought of another seesaw. So that's a total of 3 through the series.

 

[quack35]

Also, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Water Hazard is best level in any game, ever!

 

[Gerazzi]

All a matter of taste really, but compared to the vast majority of single player shooters Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and the 'Episodes' (Ep1 being my least favorite) are delivered with a superb polish and seamless gameplay.

When it comes to plot and NPC design few games can compare to Half-Life 2. The mannar in which the plot is delivered without cutscenes (excepting the G-Man sequences at the start and end of games) greatly enhances the feeling of immersion for me. In my opinion this is where the Source Engine comes into its own, the range of facial expressions displayed in the characters heightens this immersion even further.

Frankly, considering its 2004 release, the original incarnation of Source shows up the comparitively lazy production put into the NPCs that populate the likes of Oblivion, Halo, Fallout3 and many other games I can't be bothered to list.

The bespectacled Gordon Freeman is also a million times more iconic than any of the faceless space marines that populate most shooters (including the bland green master chief).

In short Half-Life is the gourmet shooter experience. If you don't care for the finer details then it isn't for you, you might as well stick with the crudity of Halo or FarCry; but if you are looking for absolute refinement then the Half-Life games are a cut above the rest.

agreement.

 

[Random Argument Man]

On-topic: It's a great game. Not a masterpiece like any fanboy would tell you.

I think the whole gravity gun part was a really fun and original. The story has some strong points.


Off-Topic:The only thing that Halo fanboys would have a definitive win in a debate against Half-life fanboys would be the driving sections. The rest is very subjective.

 

[setting_son]

I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2 or Episode 1. However, I found Episode 2 to be an exceptionally well done FPS experience.

Also, the game gets much better once you get to the next chapter. Water Hazard sucks.

Really, I can't explain it in any way other than by saying that different people have different tastes. Some people love Half Life's world and the characters that it presents. I have trouble playing through them because of the lack of characterization on Gordon's part, as well as the soul crushing linearity of the games. With the exception of the vehicle levels they are corridor shooters.

Oh im in the mines under Ravenholm now that level is a pain in the ass

Alright, there are 3 bad chapters: Route Kanal, Water Hazard, and Highway 17 (which you're about to get to). The rest of the game is solid, or even great IMO.

I really hate Half Life 2. I've never understood the universal praise it gets. I wrote a negative review of it for a friend's website when it first got a release and got frenzied emails from the fanboys, as if my opinion was going to hurt Valve's feelings.

Amonst the things I didnt like:

1.Every goddamned five minutes it makes me build a seesaw to get somewhere.
2.You spend too much time in shitty driving sections.
3. When you pick something up it floats there, as if you use telekinesis rather than hands.
4. When you drive you operate the wheel with your mind too. Electricity from wallsockets and powerstations is still harmful, presumably having sided with the combine.
5. Antlions.
6. The aliens who were trying to kill you are now friendly, and electrical shock from them now charge your suit rather than killing you. This is never adequately explained.

I could go on but you get the idea.

I like Half Life, it was a fantastic game but I didnt feel that HL2 did anything original other than ripping off 1984, crossing out the word 'communists' and putting 'aliens' in its place.

In the interests of not triggering a flamewar I would like to remind you that the above is my viewpoint and if you did enjoy HL2 then I'm glad that you did so but for me it was a waste of £30 and was not fun.

I respectfully disagree, and I'd like to point out why, if I may. I numbered your points to make it easier.

1. Really? Off the top of my head, I can think of only one seesaw in HL2, and one in HL2: EP 2. If I'm wrong, feel free to give me specific instances.

2. Admittedly, the driving sections could be stronger, but they're relatively short.

3 & 4. I don't understand how this makes it bad. Harder to believe, perhaps, but it's really just a design choice.

5. Yes, they're annoying, but they're hardly enemies for that long.

6. I assume you mean the Vortigaunts? Like most other exposition in HL, you have to listen and/or go out of your way to get this explained. Basically, in the original, they were mind-controlled slaves of the Nihilanth. When Freeman killed it, he freed them, making them side with humanity against the Combine. As such, they use they're powers on, shall we say, a lower level, rather than the lethal one.

Again, your entitled to your opinion, it just seems that the reasons you provided weren't that strong.

EDIT:Wait, I thought of another seesaw. So that's a total of 3 through the series.

When I say seesaw, I include all pulley, floating wedge, box stacking, etc.

You say they put another one in Ep 2? Quelle surprise!

As for the rest, you make your points well but as I said to the gentleman above, we arent going to convince each other of our respective cases so we should probably just move on instead of polluting the internet.

I will say this though: I'm relatively new to this site and I am overjoyed that this conversation was so civil and didn't descend into a horrific internet abuse match. I'm feeling a warm glow, though that may be my back medication.

 

[Zarthek]

I'm guessing because the main character relates to most of the fan-base. He isn't some testosterone fueled giant (Gears of war...killzone... almost anything else released in the last 5 years). The gunplay is for the mostly similar to other shooters (See a guy hit fire button til' it falls over), but the story is well thought out, the characters are realistic, and the friendly NPC's arent completely clueless..... unless they are in a large group (Follow Freeman chapter for an example...)

 

[Avatar Roku]

On-topic: It's a great game. Not a masterpiece like any fanboy would tell you.

I think the whole gravity gun part was a really fun and original. The story has some strong points.


Off-Topic:The only thing that Halo fanboys would have a definitive win in a debate against Half-life fanboys would be the driving sections. The rest is very subjective.

True, although I feel the driving section at the end of EP 2 sort of redeemed it. Still annoying, but better.

 

[Lios]

It's not really a cultural phenomenon. A lot of people just really like to idolize Gordon Freeman (and his epic greatness). It didn't really start becoming an obsessively "cultural" thing until the insane brainwash hype caused by Halo. A satirical war between the two games started (and hypochondriacs made it a real war).


I mainly like Half Life and its sequel for the incredible modding potential of the engine's they're built on. There are mods out there that don't seem in ANY WAY related to the main game!

 

[Avatar Roku]

I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2 or Episode 1. However, I found Episode 2 to be an exceptionally well done FPS experience.

Also, the game gets much better once you get to the next chapter. Water Hazard sucks.

Really, I can't explain it in any way other than by saying that different people have different tastes. Some people love Half Life's world and the characters that it presents. I have trouble playing through them because of the lack of characterization on Gordon's part, as well as the soul crushing linearity of the games. With the exception of the vehicle levels they are corridor shooters.

Oh im in the mines under Ravenholm now that level is a pain in the ass

Alright, there are 3 bad chapters: Route Kanal, Water Hazard, and Highway 17 (which you're about to get to). The rest of the game is solid, or even great IMO.

I really hate Half Life 2. I've never understood the universal praise it gets. I wrote a negative review of it for a friend's website when it first got a release and got frenzied emails from the fanboys, as if my opinion was going to hurt Valve's feelings.

Amonst the things I didnt like:

1.Every goddamned five minutes it makes me build a seesaw to get somewhere.
2.You spend too much time in shitty driving sections.
3. When you pick something up it floats there, as if you use telekinesis rather than hands.
4. When you drive you operate the wheel with your mind too. Electricity from wallsockets and powerstations is still harmful, presumably having sided with the combine.
5. Antlions.
6. The aliens who were trying to kill you are now friendly, and electrical shock from them now charge your suit rather than killing you. This is never adequately explained.

I could go on but you get the idea.

I like Half Life, it was a fantastic game but I didnt feel that HL2 did anything original other than ripping off 1984, crossing out the word 'communists' and putting 'aliens' in its place.

In the interests of not triggering a flamewar I would like to remind you that the above is my viewpoint and if you did enjoy HL2 then I'm glad that you did so but for me it was a waste of £30 and was not fun.

I respectfully disagree, and I'd like to point out why, if I may. I numbered your points to make it easier.

1. Really? Off the top of my head, I can think of only one seesaw in HL2, and one in HL2: EP 2. If I'm wrong, feel free to give me specific instances.

2. Admittedly, the driving sections could be stronger, but they're relatively short.

3 & 4. I don't understand how this makes it bad. Harder to believe, perhaps, but it's really just a design choice.

5. Yes, they're annoying, but they're hardly enemies for that long.

6. I assume you mean the Vortigaunts? Like most other exposition in HL, you have to listen and/or go out of your way to get this explained. Basically, in the original, they were mind-controlled slaves of the Nihilanth. When Freeman killed it, he freed them, making them side with humanity against the Combine. As such, they use they're powers on, shall we say, a lower level, rather than the lethal one.

Again, your entitled to your opinion, it just seems that the reasons you provided weren't that strong.

EDIT:Wait, I thought of another seesaw. So that's a total of 3 through the series.

When I say seesaw, I include all pulley, floating wedge, box stacking, etc.

You say they put another one in Ep 2? Quelle surprise!

As for the rest, you make your points well but as I said to the gentleman above, we arent going to convince each other of our respective cases so we should probably just move on instead of polluting the internet.

I will say this though: I'm relatively new to this site and I am overjoyed that this conversation was so civil and didn't descend into a horrific internet abuse match. I'm feeling a warm glow, though that may be my back medication.

I see what you mean. I personally like the physics puzzles, as they keep the gameplay varied, but to each their own.

And yes, there's another one in EP 2, just before the driving section. And before you say it, the driving section is...different than, say, Highway 17. It's just to keep the game flowing between encounters, rather than being the "attraction" itself.

I agree, probably best to agree to disagree (although I couldn't resist those last few points).

Agreed, we stay here for a reason

 

[-Seraph-]

My opinion on the game has already been well versed by setting_son and galletea, so I have no need to reiterate what has already been said. I am grateful I got these games as gifts from other friends because I just could not see the nerdgasm that was Half Life. Half Life one I will give greater credit to as I found it far more exhilarating and fun, but HL2 is about as overrated as Halo, difference being the stereotypical Half Life fanboys are annoying in a less childish manner like the stereotypical Halo fan is. Quite frankly, it is nothing more than a decent game in my books that is not as important to the FPS genre as people give it credit for, especially story telling. Do people so quickly forget about System shock, Theif, Deus Ex, and Marathon!?

Oh well, everyone has different tastes and mine is a rather bitter towards Valves crown jewel.

 

[VTSK]

I bought the orange box a few weeks ago to play Team Fortress 2. Well my X-box live expired so i tried Half Life 2. I played up to "Water Hazard" and had to go but what i want to know is why is this game such a big deal. It's a good game but what makes it such a culteral phenomenon?

Not trying to start a Flamewar so don't turn this into one.

The gameplay itself isn't really what makes the game great. I think it probably has more to do with the story. Not even the story really, but the characters. Its the main reason I prefer it over Halo. They're both fairly average shooters, but Half Life has characters you actually give a damn about.

 

[Pyre00]

If you can't figure it out from just HL1 and the clues in HL2 you have some serious mental problems. Really. Also, big collection of newspapers in Eli's lab.

 

[VeX1le]

*sigh all of these things need only few words. matter of opinion some peopl think halo is the shit and some thinks it is overly hyped. no 2 peoples are exactly the same. just respect the other and move on. like this. do you like halo? no? well ok thats your thoughts NOT MINE.

 

[PTSpyder]

It's not, it just brutalizes stereotypes so completely that it itself has become one.

 

[Joeshie]

You guys realize that this game came out five years ago. Of course it's starting to show a bit of it's age.

 

[Overlord_Dave]

Be ready to disagree...

The reason why HL is so highly valued is because it is about as near to perfect as a game can get. Just think about it - try and name something that is wrong with Half-Life 2 or the episodes (actually if you do I'll probably just disagree anyway ).

The only bad thing I can think of is how rarely the episodes come out.