Half-life 2 (xbox)

[Guest henofdoom]

Half-Life 2 posed several questions to me after its completion. Firstly, was is really that good and, secondly, did I really enjoy it.

Well, obviously I enjoyed it. Half-Life 2 is fun, at the very least, in that you can run about and shoot people (obviously) but that you can also use the environment to throw at enemies, block doors etc etc. When I say environment, I mean objects littered around the game world like barrels, planks and circular saws. It is obvious that this is clearly the best use of physics in game; Half-Life 2 has weight and definition about it that no one else has managed quite yet, and that lends itself to a compelling universe.

However, this doesn’t really answer that first question. As much as I like the physics that are employed by Valve, does it really make that much of a gameplay difference? I’m not sure it does, but then again Half-Life 2 steers away from the average puzzle tat you’re used to in favour of real world physical situation, like propping water bridge with air filled barrels to counter-balance it. This is, perhaps, where Half-Life 2’s true home lies.

So, the story then. Well, everything’s rather vague and Orwell-esque (coming to think of it, it’s a direct rip of the man) and obscure. Earth has been taken over by a unknown nasty force of nasty people; humanity is enslaved and is slowly dying. So, along comes Gordon with the ultimate aim of saving Earth. Yes, it’s all very cliché. However, the beauty of this game is in the story telling. Gordon doesn’t speak (of course) and yet he is worshipped by the resistance and some sort of living martyr. Alex, for example, is clearly into you. The lead female in the game is the most obvious love interest, but not in a cheap way. She’s empowered, self-ware and sassy. And there’s none of that lovey dovey, Faria like ‘Oh we’ve only been together for 2 hours but I love you’ rubbish. It’s never uttered, but it’s clear where she stands.

Alex is, to a certain extent, Half-Life 2’s crowning achievement. Not only do you feel empathy toward this girl, but she builds a genuine relationship with you – the player. She walks and talks in a manner you’d expect, and you know that you wouldn’t want to mess her around. I don’t think, in the history of my gaming life, I have ever quite felt this toward a female lead and a NPC in the way I did for Alex. Her fleeting appearances are easily the highlight of the game for me, and a piece of truly unbelievable characterisation.

You can’t, however, base your game solely on one NPC, even if she is truly groundbreaking in every way. Of course, Half-Life 2 doesn’t fail anywhere. Combat is gratifying with conventional weaponry, enemies are relatively intelligent, it’s very pretty. The gravity gun is clearly the highlight of the game, opening up new avenues of gameplay in a way that’s never been done quite like. Deus Ex 2 let you hurl objects at enemies, as did Psi Ops, but Half-Life 2 makes it work. Take the gravity gun away, however, and you’ve got essentially a traditional FPS. It would still be gratifying, but one wonders whether the entire gaming world would still be jumping through Valve’s hoops. A certain other Xbox FPS beginning with the letter H clearly has clearly made an impression, as demonstrated by the driving sections of the game. However, the buggy is not a warthog and I personally found these segments tedious. This is exemplified by tricky driving controls and a spastic boost function, but then that is possibly a taste thing.

On the graphics front, even on Xbox, most of its glamour and obvious beauty remain. There are a few blips, like a slowdown laden final section, as well as some truly woeful textures in places (Gman’s tie, for instance) but the impact remains. Facial detail is retained, animation is intact and the full PC single-player is present and undeniably beautiful. Loading times are, bizarrely, ridiculously quick (we’re talking 10-15 seconds) which quite surprised me, but then they are relatively frequent. It is clear that Half-Life 2 is without a doubt the most beautiful thing about, even though it’s clear where the concessions have been made.

On the more disappointing front, the Xbox version has no multi-player what-so-ever. Half Life deathmatch certainly has its appeals; gravity gun laden matches would have made it gratifying. Presumably Valve got a case of ‘we couldn’t be arsed-itis’ or perhaps it wasn’t technically feasible, but it’s a shame. It is especially biting when you consider that a certain other FPS offers such a complete and rewarding package.

As a single-player package this is a must buy. There is no wrong step and everything smells of ridiculously high production values. I still have my first question to answer, though. Is it really that good? Well, yes. However, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is a game that radically changes things in the genre. As far as I can tell, shooting stuff up is still the main name of the game, even if everything else is exquisite. Clearly, this is an important game in every sense of the word. And perhaps my comparisons to Halo are misplaced – they’re totally different. Is Half-Life 2 all that? Well, it’s certainly most of the way there, but I’m not entirely sure it’s completely there. Who knows? Maybe several replays will recolour my opinions.

9/10

[Com_Sig]

Half life 2 on the Xbox......Mmmm to be honest since iv played it on the pc and completted it Far to many times im not realy into the single player anymore apart from using the gravity gun to bounce combine troopers off walls and shit like that.

so theres no multi player at all? thats a bitch and i thought microsoft where really into xbox games being xbox live compatable! i could be wrong.

with no multi player to me there would be no draw since i must have played the single player for like 40 - 60 hours but im still playing DM and CS : S and thats since release!!

hehe soon all games will be running physics if not from the HL2 engine but from everyone else who was running slightly slower than valve even with the 2 year delay.

[The Peep]

Didn't bother with getting it for the Xbox cause I have it and completed it for the PC.

PC version is good though cause it comes with HL2 Deathmatch and CS:S

Although I don't think my PC will be able to handle HL:3, so I'll probably purchase that for the 360

[pretentious_helvetica]

Played the demo on the Official Xbox Magazine and loved it. Really, really impressive work. I keep playing the demo too, which means sooner or later I'll buy the thing.

[Guest]

Does anyone else think the transmission played when you kill a Civil Protection Officer is the best thing ever?

[Mr Do 71]

Does anyone else think the transmission played when you kill a Civil Protection Officer is the best thing ever?

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Definitely

[Metallichick]

Does anyone else think the transmission played when you kill a Civil Protection Officer is the best thing ever?

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Mister Capp thinks that too. Absolutely loves it.

I got this just after Christmas, haven't played too much so far but I'm really enjoying it, and it looks lovely. Going to carry on with some more today methinks.

[Guest]

Call me a bad geek...but I really want it in MP3 format, to use on my phone when i get a message. Without the flat line bit, though. just the *transmission start (Which is the best sound ever)*followed by officer down at x*transmission end (second best sound ever)*

[Metallichick]

Call me a bad geek...but I really want it in MP3 format, to use on my phone when i get a message. Without the flat line bit, though. just the *transmission start (Which is the best sound ever)*followed by officer down at x*transmission end (second best sound ever)*

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nah, that'd be an ace message alert tone.

[Guest]

nah, that'd be an ace message alert tone.

←

That's what I thought. I wouldn't mind the stares either, it'd be that cool

I spent about 30 minutes searching the other night, but to no avail, all I could find were the sound files for commands that they presumably give out to other CPOs in game. Someone with l337 h4x0r google skillz must be able to find it for me.

[Lok]

Ive played hl only via pc, but my mate swears the xbox version is all joy, will have to give it a look sometime.

[luth714]

Had plenty of hassle with the game crashing on my xbox, once when I was halfway through the prison level (the autosave saved on a crash, meaning I had to restart the whole frigging game again) and then again it crashed on the boat level...meaning I had to start it for a 3rd time!

Although the world it is in is great, I found the opening levels dull, and felt like I was playing the first game again...no particular progression (smash hatch, hit crab with crowbar etc) I think the game really shines through towards the last few levels with the urban combat fighting the walkers, but the frame rate on the xbox made these moments slightly frustrating. The loading on the xbox felt intrusive as well - it seemed to really spoil the pacing at times (really frantic moment, adrenaline pumping then...stop, scratch nose for a while, tap foot, wait for it to finish loading...)

Found the ending a little unsatisfying too, an interesting way to finish it in the same way that the ending of the first game in unconventional, but made me feel a bit hmmmm...

[henofdoom]

I think overall it was a fairly decent port, considering all the technical limitations etc.

It'll be interesting to see what HL2 360 looks like... really they've got no excuse.

[The Chief]

I should be getting this tomorrow!