Can someone please direct me to the next closest thing there is to Half Life 2?

[Paul Campbell]

I just finished everything on the PS3 version of The Orange Box (I am now a PS3 owner, by the way), after having already gone through Half Life 2 on the PC a few years ago, and I am absolutely craving more.  I LOVE that game!  (Portal was also amazing in its own right, but not the same thing) 

Let me tell everyone what I loved about it, and then I would love some suggestions on the closest thing or the most likely thing I would enjoy after having enjoyed HL2 so much:

           1:  The enveloping storyline.  I loved the claustrophobic feeling of being one of the few people left unaffected by what had happened to the rest of humanity.  I loved the teamwork between myself and the other characters, and the way they interacted with the main character (I think a HUGE part of this is that the main character never speaks a word of his own.  Brilliant move)

           2:  Good first-person control.  I was totally comfortable with the control on both the PC and the PS3, which kept me from getting frustrated early.  If the game does not allow inverted up/down control, count me out.

           3.  Dark, but not too dark.  Half Life 2 was a good mix of deep dark environments and bright sunny environments, with the darker being a bit more prominent.  If the game is nothing but endless misery and gore, I tend to be a little depressed by it and my interest fades.  Also, the darker parts always rewarded you with the sight of other surviving humans at the end which, even though it is just a game, gave me an in-game glimmer of hope.  (Cheezy.  I know.)

Hopefully some other HL2 fans can tell me what else has fed their appetite for this kind of gameplay.  I do not have the time to experiment with a bunch of games and hope I find one that suits, so I am hoping this will help.  I have a GC, Wii, and a PS3.  One person recommended I buy an N64 again and pick up Perfect Dark.  I also have had a few recommendations for Resistance:Fall of Man, but I wonder if it isn't too gloomy. 

Any insights?

[wur1]

Yeah, I'd definitely recommend Perfect Dark. It's not so much like Half-Life, though; personally, it reminds me of a 3D Contra. (there are different "levels", no "save points" within a level, lots of crazy weapons, the levels are impossible until you memorize them, lots of dumb, easy-to-defeat enemies.)

The first Half-Life costs only a few bucks on Steam now, if you haven't played it. There are several "side stories" that you get too: "Opposing Force", where you play as a marine, and "Blue Shift", where you play through the events as Barney.

[Edward1]

You are not gonna find another game quite like Half Life 2.   Nothing comes close to the feeling it provides.   Also many games have tried to rip off the gravity gun (Doom 3 expansion pack, Timesplitters 3, Dead Space..)   But none have come close to halflife's gun.



But if you want a good story based game, get an 8 year old PC game called No One Lives Forever.   It is clearly inspired by Austin Powers, except you play as a hot woman.   I think its far funnier than Austin Powers.    It has some of the greatest levels, including a level on a crashing plane.   I believe the game has about 50 levels, so it takes a long time to beat.

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/913839.asp?q=No%20One%20Lives%20Forever

It has an 88 percent at gamerankings, but I actually feel thats underrating it.   Try it out.    Its about 10 dollars new after shipping on amazon. (or 20 dollars new for the game of the year edition which has a few more levels.)



But do not get the PS2 port.   I heard they messed it up, and it only has a 70 percent at gamerankings.

[MappyMousePD]

If you haven't played it, I would definitely recommend the original Half-Life on PC.  You missed out on the big 10th anniversary sale, but you can still get it for next to nothing.  HL2 is bigger and flashier, but the original still has more satisfying combat and isn't bogged down by those seemingly endless driving sequences.  

Another good game is Call of Duty 4, which is just as satisfying as HL2, with big set piece battles and non-stop action. 

[Paul Campbell]

When the original Half-Life is available for the PS3 in some form, I'll be all over that.  I don't want to get too tied up in any PC games anymore because console games at least keep me out in the living room with my fam.

I am on the verge of picking up CoD4, so hopefully that will provide some satisfaction.

[JasonhasRSI1]

Absolutely play Bioshock, if you haven't yet.

[Tourian]

I'm not big into multiplayer first-person shooting, but I do like a good single player mode.  Bioshock may well have the best that I've played.  Better than Half Life, which I also enjoyed very much.  Better than Resistance as well.  Haven't played Half Life 2 though.

My only concern for you Paul would be that Bioshock is pretty damn dark.  Much darker than Resistance.  It's pretty much a horror game.

Oh, and the original Half Life is available for PS2.

[JustLikeHeaven1]

I agree that you won't find anything really like Half Life.  These would be my 2 suggestions.

Resistance: Fall of Man - This is the premiere FPS on the Playstation 3.  The single player campaign is roughly 10-12 hours and very satisfying.  If you like silent protagonists then you will love Nathan Hale.  He has maybe 2-3 lines of spoken dialog throughout the whole campaign.  The weapons in Resistance are among the best I've ever seen in a FPS.  You have the BullsEye which can lock onto targets and shoot around corners or the Auger which can shoot through walls...later in the game you get XR-005 Hailstorm which is a mini gun with ricocheting bullets!  You can find this game VERY cheap and its all sorts of fun.  I highly recommend this one.  Plus the sequel is top notch and you will want to complete this one before you dive into the second game. 


Bioshock - I second this pick.  There is a reason why 360 owners used to toss this one in the face of PS3 owners.  It's a highly stylized, smart FPS.  It features a great story, wonderful power-ups and completely unique setting.  This one might be too gloomy for you, but I would make sure to play it at some point.  Read the Critic's glowing review for further info.

[ActRaiser1]

Based on comments on why you liked Half-Life 2 so much, I'd highly recommend Halo 1 for the Xbox.  I know, I know it wasn't one of the consoles you mentioned but for about $30 on ebay you can get a console and a couple of games with most likely one of them being Halo. 

1.  The storyline is great.  Tons of team action.  Heck, there are several novels about the events both before and after this game to further flesh out the storyline.
2.  Pretty much defined the control scheme for FPSes on a console that you're using today.
3.  Fight indoors and in outdoor areas, getting on and off vehicles as you see fit. 

And yes, I understand Halo 1 isn't Half-Life 2; however, for the reasons you stated you liked it, it sounds a lot like Halo 1.

[wur1]

If you have a backwards-compatible PS3, there's a PS2 port of Half-Life 1. (BTW, you'll be missing out on the Opposing Force and Blue Shift side-stories.)