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Half Life 1 & 2

Posted: May 29th, 2017, 12:30 am
by DaHeckIzDat
So, after years of hearing people heap praise on this game, I have to ask: is Half Life 2 really that great of a game? Or, better question, has it aged well since it was released? If it's as good as people say, I'm considering buying The Orange Box to finally play it (not to mention Portal).

And while we're at it, all I ever hear anyone talk about is Half Life 2. What about Half Life 1? Is that any good? I actually have my doubts that it even exists, since I have literally never heard anyone talk about it. All they care about is 2.

Re: Half Life 1 & 2

Posted: May 29th, 2017, 4:51 am
by Retro STrife
I was in the same boat. I'm not a PC gamer, so I listened to ravings about Half-Life 2 for years but could never play it. Finally, the Orange Box came along in 2007 and I scooped it up to finally give the game a go. Unfortunately, Half-Life 2 didn't hold my attention. I was bored most of the time and pushed my way through, but eventually gave up about 40% through. I think part of HL and HL2's huge success was that they were very unique for their time... being a story-driven FPS adventure with distinct set pieces throughout, at a time when most FPS games were just arcade-style games with repetitive run-and-gun gunplay. But nowadays, many FPS games have copied the HL model, so it's not as unique. It still holds up well for gameplay, but it won't blow you away like it did for people back in 2004. Then again, I'm sure a lot of people will say I'm talking blasphemy, so give it a shot...at worst, you still get to experience a classic. Personally, I'd still like to go back and finish it some day, as I'm hoping the latter part of the game gets better.

That aside, the Orange Box is still a great overall package and worth the price. The real star of the show is Portal, which I did play to completion and loved. Portal 2 also won a few Game of the Year award in 2011, but I haven't played it yet, so I don't know which is best if you only play one. I also have the original Half-Life (PS2 version), but haven't tried it yet.

Re: Half Life 1 & 2

Posted: May 29th, 2017, 7:02 am
by Rookie1
I really enjoyed HL1, and all of its expansions. HL2 I put in a few hours and just couldnt get in to it. It was good but just felt super repetitive, and I cant stand that in a game.