Half Life 2
As an enormous fan of the unique Half Life, I used to be extremely apprehensive approaching its sequel. Positive, I would heard nice issues, however you hear constructive consensus about an excessive amount of video games that once you truly play, end up to disappoint you. I used to be extremely relieved to find in my first couple of minutes of play, that Half Life 2 is a type of few sequels that manages to stay as much as the usual set by its predecessor.
Half Life 2 once more follows the escapades of scientist and unlikely hero; Gordon Freeman. Following his adventures at Black Mesa, a very long time has handed. You might be once more referred to as upon to avoid wasting humanity and are plunged again into the fray by the mysterious G-man (a recurring character from the primary recreation) to avoid wasting Earth from the clutches of the evil Mix, a mysterious pressure that has managed to overcome the planet and enslave its inhabitants. Clearly the storyline offers the gamer a well-known situation to beat, however there’s a lot extra to Half Life 2 than simply that.
What first hits you once you decide up and play Half Life 2 is the graphical distinction between it and the unique. Even now, a few years after its launch, this recreation nonetheless has the ability to blow you away with its breathtaking visuals. It’s apparent that Half Life 2 is a piece of ardour, of affection for gaming, because it actually does go all out to ship one of the best gaming expertise doable. The variety of ranges is astounding, and the graphics completely complement this, capturing an essence of realism not unearthed to the identical extent within the earlier chapter, however all of the whereas sustaining that conventional Half Life really feel. From the bustling Metropolis 17, to the zombie-infested Ravenholm, to vast expanses of wasteland, the extent design on this recreation is phenomenal, and it provides an important deal to the enjoyment that you just expertise. Such stellar degree design makes nice strides in the direction of creating a way of ambiance that was so outstanding within the authentic. A standard characteristic of many FPS video games is that all of them have the same artwork fashion all through, and as such, most of the ranges seem very related, and get fairly repetitive and mundane after a few hours of play. While Half Life 2 does have continuity by way of artwork fashion, every degree is so vastly totally different to the one which preceded it; it seems like each chapter is its personal recreation, including significantly to the thrill issue, and protecting the gamer hooked from begin to end.
When it comes to gameplay, once more, Half Life 2 pulls out all of the stops. You after all have recurring components of gameplay which were carried by way of; bashing by way of openings with the crowbar, crawling by way of air vents, rigorously manoeuvring round ledges. In some ways it’s pleasing to see that they did not deviate an excessive amount of from the unique recreation. Often with a sequel, in an try to make the sport look new and thrilling, builders destroy the very essence of what made the video games good within the first place. I used to be happy to see that Valve has managed to steadiness the previous components with the brand new components exceptionally nicely, because it does not really feel like a clone of the unique Half Life, however it feels prefer it belongs to the identical household. Which is how, in an ideal world, all sequels ought to be. The sport has an excessive amount of selection by way of gameplay additionally, from fundamental shoot-em-up components, to introducing puzzles and car sequences, all of which captivate the curiosity of the gamer, and guarantee that the expertise is as thrilling within the final minute as it’s within the first. Merely put, Half Life 2 is an excessive amount of enjoyable to play, and I used to be happy to see that simply as a lot emphasis was put upon delivering an pleasing gaming expertise, as was positioned upon the necessity for good, shiny graphics. Once more, on this side, Half Life 2 seems to have gotten the steadiness excellent.
The nice wealth of enemies accessible to battle was an important shock to me. I anticipated what’s the norm for many video games; a number of core enemies interspersed with further characters each couple of ranges. Half Life 2 goes above and past the decision of responsibility, introducing an enormous military of evil creatures, from the headcrabs and barnacles featured within the earlier recreation, to new additions, such because the ferocious ant lions. The Mix troopers additionally add a way of familiarity, as you might be preventing towards troopers, a standard enemy of the style, however one that’s as adept and proficient in using weaponry as you might be, which makes for some tense fight conditions. That is aided by the truth that the AI within the recreation is prime notch, as at some key moments you might be actually put up towards it, and have to make use of quite a lot of ways to come back out on prime.
The story, I hasten so as to add, was considerably of a disappointment. I touched on this notion beforehand, that whereas it carries on components featured within the authentic, and options recurring characters; Half Life 2 makes little effort to fill us in on what has occurred to Freeman for the reason that debacle of the earlier recreation. As an avid fan of the unique, this aggravated me, as I anticipated the sport to fill me in on sure questions that had been raised beforehand. This does create a way of thriller that works comparatively nicely as an accompaniment to the storyline, however in actuality it will have been higher to see some components of the story drawn to a conclusion, as you get the sense that Half Life 2 was merely paving the way in which for future sequels. The story that it does include is hardly groundbreaking, the Mix are successfully futuristic terrorists, and on this sense Half Life 2 does little to maneuver away from what’s the foundation of so many cliché FPS video games. On this sense it’s a disgrace that the builders weren’t daring sufficient to introduce one thing as revolutionary because the gameplay and graphics managed, and as a substitute opted to take the straightforward method out.
That mentioned, the notion of Freeman being the reluctant hero does work extremely nicely, and the range of environments carries by way of what would in any other case be a reasonably mundane and predictable journey. There’s little emotional improvement of the character of Freeman, which might have been good to see, because it was an element additionally absent from the earlier recreation. This is not aided by the truth that the character by no means speaks, or the shortage of cinematic reduce scenes. You’ll’ve thought that Half Life 2 would have been the right alternative to flesh out his position a bit extra, however this was not seized. I feel that the reasoning behind this was that it was purported to let the gamer tackle the position of Freeman; we see all the things from his perspective. Nevertheless, for my part, as a substitute of reaching this impact, it simply made out what doubtlessly might have been a really fascinating character, right into a fairly bland one, devoid of all emotion. However that’s nitpicking the idea of the primary recreation simply as a lot as this one, so it’s hardly Half Life 2’s fault for together with this issue of continuity.
While the gameplay and graphics could also be a number of the greatest, and clearly present that effort and time have been put into the sport, they aren’t as progressive as what was achieved by way of the unique recreation. Half Life revolutionised the style, in some ways it was unfair to pit the sequel up towards its predecessor, however it’s clear that Half Life 2 makes little effort to reciprocate this notion of attempting out one thing new, and as a substitute goes for the protected method. This can be a boring, however nonetheless comprehensible choice. That mentioned, there are new components of Half Life 2 that do add an important deal to the enjoyment issue. Autos are a neat addition, and undoubtedly assist to interrupt up the segments of blasting by way of hordes of Mix troopers. The Gravity Gun additionally provides a complete new side to the sport, flinging round crates and objects presents an especially refreshing break from the continuous motion gameplay, and the sport itself places an excessive amount of emphasis on this weapon as an help to assist fixing puzzles and defeating sure enemies. It additionally offers a chance to point out off the outstanding physics engine that’s in place. This addition I really feel is among the recreation’s strongest, it actually provides to the sci-fi side of the sport and is simply plain enjoyable, a component all too missing in video games of the latest generations.
Nevertheless, one other factor by way of which Half Life 2 falls down is the precise issue of the sport. This isn’t saying that the sport is a stroll within the park, not at all is that the case. Significantly on onerous mode, it’s a must to be an avid gamer, conversant in the style, to make it by way of in a single piece. That mentioned, the sport is extremely inconsistent. I discovered myself ceaselessly getting caught on puzzles at early factors within the recreation, which was made extraordinarily irritating by the truth that the educational curve was particularly sharp. This was adopted by extremely straightforward elements that might merely be waltzed by way of with the help of a shotgun or different highly effective weapon. I feel the period of the sport was sufficiently lengthy, however Half Life 2 didn’t construct up the problem all through the expertise, and I feel it suffers on account of this. The ending was pitifully straightforward; I do not know what occurred to the frustratingly tough bosses of previous however I would like them again. It felt like an achievement to lastly full the sport, however it was a hole achievement. I needed the problem of the sport, the effort and time that the builders put in, to culminate on the finish with one terrific boss battle. Alas, this was not the case, and for those who had been anticipating an emphatic conclusion, you’ll be sorely upset.
That mentioned, Half Life 2 continues to be an incredible recreation in so many various elements. It’s a masterpiece of the fashionable age, and I advocate that anyone who’s even the slightest bit on this planet of videogames would discover one thing to get pleasure from in Half Life 2, whether or not you’re a fan of the collection, or simply beginning out. Pure gaming enjoyable all through; a superb feat of improvement, Half Life 2 would make a wonderful addition to anybody’s assortment.