x434343 Review: The Orange Box

[x434343]

Okay, Half-Life 2 re-play update. It is getting a 9/10 and is probably going to stay at a 9 of 10. If you don't like it because it's not perfect, you can jump out a window.

 

[Lion Fury]

Time to put on my fanboy gloves.

Firstly, about the linearity. It's FPS. It expect it not to be linear is to expect a dog to solve a maths problem. Some can, but it's a minority.

As for the Getting no where of Episode one, it was really more about Alyx and your relationship wiith her more then actually doing anything else. Throughout Half Life 2 and it's Episodes, it tries to build character and story. That's why I love it so. I guess if you didn't care for such things and rather a blood soaked gun frenzy that overlooks brilliant storytelling then I guess Halo or GoW would have been more to your liking.

Bracing myself. I didn't get all that into HL's story. The fact alone that Gordon is a mute kinda killed the immersion for me. The story was pretty decent, I just didn't get the sense of awe and wonder I was hoping for. Portal was really a breath of fresh air though, even if some puzzles kicked my ass. lol

 

[x434343]

Time to put on my fanboy gloves.

Firstly, about the linearity. It's FPS. It expect it not to be linear is to expect a dog to solve a maths problem. Some can, but it's a minority.

As for the Getting no where of Episode one, it was really more about Alyx and your relationship wiith her more then actually doing anything else. Throughout Half Life 2 and it's Episodes, it tries to build character and story. That's why I love it so. I guess if you didn't care for such things and rather a blood soaked gun frenzy that overlooks brilliant storytelling then I guess Halo or GoW would have been more to your liking.

Bracing myself. I didn't get all that into HL's story. The fact alone that Gordon is a mute kinda killed the immersion for me. The story was pretty decent, I just didn't get the sense of awe and wonder I was hoping for. Portal was really a breath of fresh air though, even if some puzzles kicked my ass. lol

First off, I really didn't think of the episode 1 deal because I thought that games were meant to GO places. The only other game I can think of that didn't have that opportunity to go places was... A really old game called Undersea Adventures, made in 1995 by the Knowledge Adventure company. Eh. I really didn't feel that "relationship building" vibe because, as lion furry said, Freeman's a mute.

As to Lion Fury, I got it and got into it, it just didn't get as attached to me as Portal or Pokemon.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Half-Life 2 Episode 1. Again, very linear. It gets you almost nowhere from Half-Life 2, which pisses me off. You're in the City 17 tower, and It takes an entire game to relay the fact that you got maybe 3/4 of a mile to a train and escaped. Not much of an improvement. 6.5/10.

Ah, you've hit the nail on the head why I thought HalfLife 2: Episode 1 was a FWoT! Yes the budding relationship between Alyx and Gordon was interesting but it was interesting in Episode 2 as well, and IMO Episode 2 is the dog's bollocks! Why couldn't Episode 1 be half as entertaining as Episode 2 and still have the character development? HalfLife 2: Episode 2 is one of the most masterful FPS that I have ever played; HalfLife 2: Episode 1 has got that middle child syndrome feel about it.

Anyway, enough ranting, good review.

As an aside, after all the hype, I didn't want to love Portal as much as I did; but the damn thing is near perfect.