Half-Life 2: Episode Two Review

What next in the parade of constant obstacles?

Version tested: Xbox 360

Episode Two kicks off with Gordon Freeman climbing out of the twisted metal of a smoking train wreck. Is that a metaphor for Episode One? It's been both fun and slightly disappointing to rib Valve for the way in which its bold episodic experiment 'hit the buffers' as soon as it began in May of last year. 'Fun' in that it's oh-so-typical of Valve to be so far off with its release date predictions for the follow-up again that you can't help but give them a cheeky wink every time a new date emerges. It's disappointing because, well, we really wanted to believe that they could do what no other FPS developer had ever done and turn out three episodes of a triple-A game in the space of a year, as was the original plan.

But when, over Tacos, you hear Robin Walker's admission that the reason Episode Two slipped was simply because "it wasn't good enough", delaying it was clearly the right thing to do.

Maybe, deep down, the reaction to Episode One was just as significant in the decision to move the goal-posts. "Too short!" said some people. "Too constrained!" said others. "Not epic enough!" said another made up person. For the first time in the company's history it released a headline product with an average review score outside of the '90s, and its own online stat tracking system on Steam found that a worrying proportion of its devoted audience switched off long before the end. For a game as short as Episode One, that's a slap in the face.

This Vortal Coil

'Half-Life 2: Episode Two' Screenshot 1

Episode Two is the product of a developer that wants to make damned sure you see this one all the way to its frantic conclusion. Clocking in at a fat-free seven hours, it's about 50 per cent longer than the first one, i.e. not far short of the kind of gameplay hours offered by several full-priced offerings recently. You certainly won't feel short-changed - and wouldn't even if it were being sold separately. After the claustrophobic confines that characterised your escape from City 17, this feels like a dramatic release, underlined no end by the menacing vistas and spectacular 'Portal storms' that threaten all sorts of unspoken havoc in the near future.

Climbing out of the wreckage, your journey picks up precisely where Episode One left off. Emerging from the twisted carriage, you're quickly reunited with your faithful partner Alyx, who seems to have - perhaps predictably - escaped entirely unscathed from what appears to be a pretty devastating collision. With an all-important code in Alyx's possession, she knows all-too-well that the Combine forces are tracking them and will be on their tail in a matter of minutes if they don't push on to the White Forest. And so it begins again in familiar fashion. She hands you the faithful gravity gun and you head underground and set about your silent extermination of anything that gets in your way.

'Half-Life 2: Episode Two' Screenshot 2

As with Episode One, it's quite clear that consistency has been rigorously adhered to. Despite it being almost three years since Half-Life 2's release, there's nothing jarringly new that would make it feel out of place with its parent game. So, yes, it's all very familiar: the same beloved weapons load-out, roughly the same set of enemies, and a series of memorable, tense situations and set-pieces to deal with. This is obviously a good and a bad thing in many ways. Good in that Half-Life 2 was a landmark 10/10 classic, and one that has withstood the rigours of next-gen technological progress (it was, after all, one of the first truly next-gen games). In my book, anything that expands and progresses those adventures and its excellent storyline is very much a positive thing.

Riding shotgun

On the other hand, by being so tethered to the look and feel of the Half-Life 2 story and universe, that familiarity doesn't exactly breed contempt in Episode Two, but there's a persistent lack of the 'wow' factor which infused almost every minute of the parent game. We've flinched at the approaching leap of a headcrab. We've set fire to headcrab zombies. We've sliced them in two with saw-blades. We've whipped grenades from the mitts of 'Zombines' and chucked them back in their twisted faces. We've sat goggle-eyed at the majesty of the War of the Worlds-esque Striders as they suck the very matter out of existence. We've admired the advances of co-op AI and the effortless expressiveness in the facial animation of Alyx, Eli, Magnusson, the G-Man, et al. And all of this is true in Episode Two. It's still utterly brilliant, but you can't escape that this is still very much more of the same. The mechanics are still all there, just as they should be, but if you approach Episode Two expecting some sort of magical new world, then you'll come away disappointed. This isn't the new next-gen or anything, but a refinement and steady progression of one of the best first-person shooters ever made.

'Half-Life 2: Episode Two' Screenshot 3

The real thrill of Episode Two comes, therefore, not from dramatic new gameplay concepts or originality (that's Portal's job) but from fleshing out the game's storyline - its twists, turns, and surprises. But without completely ruining it for everyone considering playing it, discussion of key events would utterly destroy a significant reason for playing it, which kind of makes writing a review of the game a slightly tricky ask. On that level, what I will suggest is that that few - if any - people will be disappointed. There are several absolutely shocking events which amply demonstrate how integral storytelling is to playing a Half-Life game.

Over the past ten or more years, Valve has crafted and invested so much into creating this believable world, with this rich back-story and quality cast that it's now become every bit as important as the gameplay you're wrapped up in. As a fan of the series, if you've played through Half-Life, Opposing Force, Blue Shift, and both previous parts of Half-Life 2, you've unwittingly built up a conscious knowledge of where everyone fits in to a story that never strays into nerdy territory. If anything the inherent gameplay familiarity means Episode Two's storyline is now pushed front and centre when you're running through the six chapters. You care what happens. It matters. You don't mind that you're shooting the same guns, or nailing the same enemies. In a genre where the storyline can often feel like a tacked-on afterthought to link together some maps, Valve's ability to frame the action with such subtle cinematic panache is still leading the way in interactive storytelling, so it's important to emphasis what Episode Two really represents to its fans.

Our Mutual Fiend

You could also justifiably interpret all of this as making excuses for Valve churning out more of the same, but that's definitely not the case. Broken down into a series of mini, linear combat encounters (which is, after all, what most of the gameplay boils down to), it's hard not to admire that, either. Each set-piece, whether you're duking it out in a narrow corridor or caning it across a wide expanse with a gunship in hot pursuit, feels like Valve sat down on every single occasion and asked themselves "is this fun?" There's barely a single moment in the entire game where you'll feel bored, unchallenged or maddeningly overstreched. It's pitched perfect right the way through, always testing you - sometimes to the limit - but never stacking things up so as to feel unfair or outside of you capabilities.

'Half-Life 2: Episode Two' Screenshot 4

It's also important to stress that Episode Two does introduce new enemies, hugely varied environments and, eventually, new gameplay elements when the time is right - and all feel in-keeping with what you'd expect from Valve. First up, you'll encounter the projectile-vomiting Acid Antlions, which come armed with a devastatingly accurate attack that keeps you pinned down, desperately waiting for the right moment to poke out and return a few well-placed grenades.

And just when you might suspect familiarity might be creeping back in, you're sent down some sort of bio-organic nest, deep in the bowels of the Earth on a daring raid to retrieve an egg sample. Not only does it contrast hugely with any Half-Life environment since, perhaps, Xen, you'll feel positively slimy running through its inter-weaving tunnel complex. From underground mine shafts and lift-repair puzzles, you'll escape the claustrophobic netherworld to the complete opposite. On a mission to retrieve a working vehicle, suddenly you'll feel liberated and enjoy the wind in your hair. But learning the lessons of the past, such sections never outstay their welcome, as each chapter clocks in at about an hour. If Valve had have felt particularly brave, it could have easily released each individual chapter at monthly intervals and, bingo, episodic gaming. Such is the density of entertainment and contrast between each segment, it would have worked, too.

Under The Radar

'Half-Life 2: Episode Two' Screenshot 5

The last chapter, in particular, sees Valve really upping the ante, saving some of the best ideas it has ever had for a monumental climax that's as brutally entertaining as any first-person shooter level you'll have come across. Frantic, testing, and jaw droppingly well-choreographed, it's knife-edge stuff as you're tested to the absolute limit in an against-the-odds, all-or-nothing fight to the death. Perversely scripted, it continually fools you into thinking you're nearly there....before unleashing another, even more testing wave upon you. Again, without wishing to spoil the surprise element, the hub-like level structure offers a refreshing degree of freedom to develop your own strategy in the fight against the united efforts of the Combine forces. And then, just when you think the whole thing's over, it unleashes probably the best climax that the series has offered to date. So many unanswered questions...what a cliffhanger. This is clearly what episodic gaming needs to do - leave you desperate for more and yet fully sated for the time being.

Hopefully we won't have that much longer to wait for Episode Three. In what's now set-up to be an incredible climax to a truly landmark sequence of releases from Valve, Episode Two leaves us in no doubt that is Valve back to its very best, feeling like a happy medium between the mind-blowing excess of its parent game and its somewhat compact Episode One offspring. While initially lacking in gameplay novelty or many truly 'new' elements that fans always hanker for, it more than makes up for this with its consistently engaging narrative tricks, refined set-pieces and a staggering climax. Even as a standalone release at full price, you'd be hard-pressed to give Episode Two less than a 9, but within the confines of the incredible value Orange Box, it's simply an essential game that any shooter fan needs to play - but from start to finish this time please...

9 / 10

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Comments (62) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • dean_c #1 4 years ago

    Awesome

    All 3 getting 9's means I'm picking up the orange box
  • symmetry #2 4 years ago

    Woot! Very soon now, palms are getting itchy!

    /reads review
  • taiiomi #3 4 years ago

  • Stormflood #4 4 years ago

    This'll be my first console Half Life. But which console?
  • DUFFKING #5 4 years ago

    So I'd imagine that as a complete package Orange Box gets a 10?
  • TriggerHippie #6 4 years ago

    Gah which one to play first?
  • TDS #7 4 years ago

    Is Orange Box not out til the 19th?
  • TDS #8 4 years ago

    What the ....?
    You mean it's available on Steam already, but we have to wait til the 19th to get it on the 360?
  • Wayne #9 4 years ago

    Question 1: If you buy the Orange Box on 360, can you start with Episode 2? Or does it need to be uinlocked by playing HL2 and Ep1?

    Question 2: Has the aiming been changed in any way to faciliate joypad play?
  • jack_klugman #10 4 years ago

    Embargo? Ken Barlow.
  • Peew971 #11 4 years ago

    HL2 is the Orange Box game I'm not interested in but it's still nice to see it with a high score. That box is really a bargain.
  • useyourloaf #12 4 years ago

  • TDS #13 4 years ago

    @Wayne

    Q1: No, they're all available from the main menu - though I'll be refreshing my memory by playing through frrom start to finish.
  • Yaster #14 4 years ago

    Stormflood "This'll be my first console Half Life. But which console? "

    I pondered over this too but seeing as the 360 version is out on the 19th and the PS3 version has no release date so far them answer is the former
  • Wyrm #15 4 years ago

    I'm on a University net connection and am not allowed to connect to Steam. Is there anyway for me to actually get this working without resorting to Piracy?
  • Killerbee #16 4 years ago

    Sounds great. Along with Portal, I fear the Orange Box is turning into a must-buy for me. I'd still rather not have to purchase HL2 and Episode One all over again...
  • fatbb #17 4 years ago

    If you're only interested in EP2, you can now buy it separately from Steam as well. It's 30 USD+whatever your local tax rate is.
  • FortysixterUK #18 4 years ago

    I've un-installed everything and am waiting for Orange box to re- install it all with it's patched up goodness.

    That and Steam kept giving me some dodgy error about not finding some kind of "friends.xxx" type file and refused to load.

    Or should I re-install and play HL2 and Ep1 quick before the release of Orange box?
    But then steam are charging rip off prices compared to Amazon as Steam are actually charging us VAT...arrrghhh....what to do?

    ( Decides to wait for 360 version to at least get the Gamer score and is frankly amazed to be in the first 20 posts on a subject on Eurogamer )

    ( Then realises in the time it took to type this I have slipped to position 22 in the forum )
    Edited by 1 at 10/10/07 @ 09:15
  • space_ace #19 4 years ago

    but how does it play on the 360? controls, frame rate, tell us!
  • UncleLou #20 4 years ago

    I've un-installed everything and am waiting for Orange box to re- install it all with it's patched up goodness.


    Wait a minute, does that mean HL2 (the original game) has been given a workover you only see if you reinstall it?
  • kangarootoo #21 4 years ago

    Any chance of a back to back comparison EG? The review could have done with some more technical info, but I accept that you can't really review all three versions back to back so easily.

    I also have a choice of console platforms for this, and don't much mind about achievements. For me its frame rate and graphical fidelity that will decide. Lets assume the PC version depends on the spec of your system. Any info to add regards 360 and PS3 comparison?
  • barnard666 #22 4 years ago

    Its criminal that this probably wont sell even 25% as many copies as halo
  • StaticKing #23 4 years ago

    This too shall be my first foray into the HL world on a console, am looking forward to playing through HL2 and Ep1 again, but this time on a comfy chair and in big beautiful widescreen glory... Just hope I can get used to the controller...
  • Darren #24 4 years ago

    According to IGN, Half-Life 2 on the 360 has received the minimal of updating and doesn't even look as good as the PC original. They say the 360 version looks like the Xbox version with a resolution increase and slightly better textures. However, Episodes 1 and 2 apparently look much improved which begs the question of why Valve didn't also update the original game to the same standard as well to maintain visual consistency? Disappointing to hear really... :(
  • Dizzy #25 4 years ago

    >Any info to add regards 360 and PS3 comparison?

    There is no PS3 version yet. Release date is in 1+ month.
  • kangarootoo #26 4 years ago

    Playing HL2 on the original XB I could tell the difference between it and the PC version if I looked for it, but overall the gameplay experience was the same. I felt just as immersed, just as impressed by the vistas, just as scared in the spooky bits.

    I seriously wouldn't worry about it.
  • kangarootoo #27 4 years ago

    @Dizzy

    Hehe, well thats that decided then :)
  • menage #28 4 years ago

    I'm curious how they will handle a next episode on a console then. I'll buy this, I just need to slip under my girlfriends radar:p
  • Twincoil #29 4 years ago

    Oh FFS, just review the ORANGE BOX and GIVE AT 11 will ya!!
  • krudster #30 4 years ago

    Orange Box review complete and going up shortly.

    I have no idea what IGN are on about. Half-Life 2 looks fabulous on 360, and is every bit as good as Episodes One or Two visually.
  • AlvySinger #31 4 years ago

    *Dull question alert*

    Can anyone enlighten me on the PC system specs for this?

    My PC had no probs with Episode 1 but I was planning to get this on 360, for safety's sake. Sadly, the death of my 360 one hour into Halo 3 threw a crowbar (geddit) into the works.

    For techie folk, I'm running a 1.5Gb, 3.2Ghz machine with a Radeon X1600XT card.

    For console folk, this probably makes it more powerful than the PS3 - despite being three years old and made by Dell. I'm kidding, I'm kidding ;)
  • TDS #32 4 years ago

    OMFGZ!!!! Half-Life 2 looks fabulous on 360. IGN are teh lozers!!!11!

    If this is true (the first part), then that's just made my day.
  • Darren #33 4 years ago

    Does the 360 version still have those annoying 15 second loading pauses like in the original PC game? With streaming technology, which works so flawlessly in Halo 3, it would amaze me if Valve are still using old-fashioned (and, in my opinion, immersion killing) loading pauses. Can anyone confirm this?
  • stoopidgreg #34 4 years ago

    why does EG always use press-release screenshots?

    i wanna see some new shots
  • Darren #35 4 years ago

    @AlvySinger - I know you were joking but the PS3 actually uses a modified NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX graphics chip for its RSX GPU and that is superior to the one your PC has plus the Cell processor is supposedly very powerful. Your PC does have more memory though which does give it an advantage over any console. ;)
  • 3william56 #36 4 years ago

    So come on EG. 'Fess Up.

    Why is this not as good as Halo or Bioshock? From the review, it's kicking goals all the way, with none of the caveats that Halo 3 had. So seriously - what's the catch??
  • Darren #37 4 years ago

    There isn't a catch. Presumably the games individually might not all be getting a 10 but I'd wager that if it was rated as a whole package that it would deserve a 10, for value alone.
  • krudster #38 4 years ago

    Firstly, I didn't review Halo 3, so comparing the scores isn't fair. It's not as good as Bioshock for many reasons - visually inferior (but then, everything is), about a third as long, and not really doing much that the other HL2 games didn't. As part of The Orange Box, it's a 9, but The Orange Box itself is a 10.
  • Azazel #39 4 years ago

    So seriously - what's the catch??

    Not enough shiny helmets?
  • monkie_king #40 4 years ago

    @DUFFKING: "So I'd imagine that as a complete package Orange Box gets a 10?"

    Nope, 27 =)
  • Beano #41 4 years ago

    "I have no idea what IGN are on about. Half-Life 2 looks fabulous on 360, and is every bit as good as Episodes One or Two visually."

    Thank you :)

    I was a bit worried after reading IGN's review.
  • Azazel #42 4 years ago

  • monkie_king #43 4 years ago

    3william56: also, the Halo3 score was based on both the single-player and the Xbox Live experience, online co-op, Forge etc. Rob said somewhere that the single-player element was worth a 9 in its own right.

    So if you consider the whole Halo3 experience to be the Orange Box of the single-player levels, you pretty much have score parity.

    Buy both, be happy.
  • Beano #44 4 years ago

    Is the 360 version of Orange Box out in EU this friday (12th) or next friday (19th) ?
  • J.C #45 4 years ago

    Well i thought that was a terrible review. no mention at all about how it runs on the 360, frame rate etc.
  • kangarootoo #46 4 years ago

    @Darren

    Putting dynamic streaming into a game that didn't previously have it is sooooo far from being a trivial task.
  • J.C #47 4 years ago

    According to IGN, Half-Life 2 on the 360 has received the minimal of updating and doesn't even look as good as the PC original. They say the 360 version looks like the Xbox version with a resolution increase and slightly better textures. However, Episodes 1 and 2 apparently look much improved which begs the question of why Valve didn't also update the original game to the same standard as well to maintain visual consistency? Disappointing to hear really... :(

    Come on krudster, we need confirmation on this. what is the frame rate graphics like on 360 halflife 2?
  • Darren #48 4 years ago

    @J.C - Krudster has already confirmed what you're asking. He said that Half-Life 2 on the 360 looks as good as Episodes 1 and 2. It wouldn't surprise me if IGN US don't know what they're talking about as they marked PGR 4 down for its Career mode and didn't seem to understand what Bizarre Creations were attempting to do with it. They also complained about jaggies in the game (which appear to be minimal in the demo I've been playing) yet made no mention of them in their Halo 3 review, where they're far more obvious! Yeah, different reviewers and all that but even so... LOL
  • Darren #49 4 years ago

    @kangarootoo - Yeah I understand that but given that Halo was using data streaming in 2002, how come Valve didn't use it for Half-Life 2 which came some time later. While I think the games are amazing, having it freeze for upwards of 30 seconds to load another section in really hampers the immersive factor I think. Do any PC developed games use streaming and, if not, why not?
  • krudster #50 4 years ago

    There's a general overview of how all The Orange Box games fare on 360 in that review, including thoughts on graphical and control difference.
  • mikew1985 #51 4 years ago

    Can... not... wait!

    Was away last summer and never manged to get around to buying ep1 so as soon as I heard about this deal i was sold. too many games!
  • Bulbatron #52 4 years ago

    Can't wait to play this.
  • Barkotron #53 4 years ago

    Halo used streaming data? So what were all the loading screens and cutscenes for then?
  • SomaticSense #54 4 years ago

    "According to IGN, Half-Life 2 on the 360 has received the minimal of updating and doesn't even look as good as the PC original."

    When sites like IGN make comments like this, you can guarantee that they haven't actually checked their opinion by actually going back and playing the versions they referenced. This is a case in point. So many times sites like IGN and Gamespot have made comments like that that end up being proven plain wrong by 95% of the gaming public's opinions when the game's released. It's like the comment about loading being "30 seconds to a minute", which is plain wrong, no two ways about it.
    It's frankly unprofessional, and due to the fact they are supposed to be professional reviewers it's relative to those fanboy-type comments of "insert 360/PS3 game looks like PS1 grafix!!11!".

    My tip, is if anyone's still got HL2 on the 'box, is play through the first level in preperation for the 360 one. That way you'll be better placed to judge stuff like that.
  • Aegus #55 4 years ago

    Is it wrong that I completed this in about 4.1 hours? (according to my Steam stats page)
  • Joe #56 4 years ago

    Great review Kristan. Didn't spoil anything but gave me a good overview of the game. Well done.
  • Waffleaber #57 4 years ago

    Currently playing catch up on the half-life series, finally got round to completing Half life 2 today (I had problems with BSOD nv4_disp but it would run on dx7 but thats a rant for a techy forum) while the orange box was downloading and have just started episode 1. Good to know the latest one is worth looking foward too.
  • Tango #58 4 years ago

    ah cr@p I only just got the first one!
  • Lee #59 4 years ago

    Completed this, and yes, it's definately worth a 9. I like the new "Achievements" feature, which gives you an excuse to play through again to see if you can complete all the challenges. However, once that's done, the wait for EP3 is going to be agony...
  • Skye #60 4 years ago

    If only it were out today on the 360 as you FREAKING SAID IT WOULD BE.
  • PotajiTo #61 4 years ago

    Amazing game. Hl is the best franchise ever-
  • wayn3h #62 4 years ago

    This definitely deserved a 9. Though the thing that amazes me most everytime Valve release a new source based game is how scalable and modular the engine is. Episode 2 looks leagues ahead of HL2 with a minimal performance hit. Definitely one of the best game engines ever created.
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/07 @ 15:59