Half-Life 2 Review

By Kristan Reed Published 21 November, 2005

Console yourself, it's finally here.

Version tested: Xbox

One of the central problems of the first person shooter is we've pretty much been there, done that so many times, we're a little travel-weary. It's not so much a case of having the T-shirt, as having a bin bag full of XL ones.

Half-Life 2's initial arrival almost exactly a year ago on PC certainly didn't reinvent the wheel as many expected and demanded, but it grabbed hold of the stagnant genre with a gravity gun and purposefully thrust it into a compelling new direction. The wonderful Source engine not only looked truly next-generation (fully 12 months ahead of time) with hugely impressive character models and wonderfully immersive environments, but its innovative use of physics allowed Valve to give us new toys to play with and come up with new gameplay possibilities into the bargain.

But technology can only dazzle a gamer for so long. Eventually it has to have substance behind the glitz and justify the hype. For the most part it did just that - constantly surprising the gamer and reinventing itself with a seamless adventure that is as memorable an FPS as there has ever been. This constant evolution was consistently underpinned by Valve's masterfully understated storytelling techniques, wry, self-referential humour, warm characterisation and some of the most epic scenarios gamers have ever been pitted against. Despite some of its flaws, Half-Life 2 remains a thrilling sci-fi road trip that provides a tantalising glimpse of the possibilities of gaming.

Combine harvester

'Half-Life 2' Screenshot shooting

Smiling because they're safe and sound while you do all the SHOOTING.

Inevitably, despite being among the three most entertaining games of last year, it wasn't perfect. Take the pacing, for example. The gloriously atmospheric opening City 17 section passes in mere minutes, giving way to the over-long Route Kanal and Water Hazard chapters that mark an early low-point in the proceedings. Only when you reach Ravenholm does the game start to realise its epic potential. From there you're running on pure adrenaline, chopping Headcrab Zombies in half with circular saw blades, lobbing explosive barrels with the gravity gun, duking it out with giant Antlions, dodging matter-distorting blasts from 50 foot-tall Striders and sticking it to the Combine masses. And just when you're about to reflect on one of the best games ever made, a bafflingly unbalanced and undercooked conclusion leaves you with a gigantic anticlimax to mull over.

Looking back, it's clear that it wasn't just the ending that could have been better. The AI - both enemy and buddy - left many players feeling rather unsatisfied. After the original Half-Life re-wrote the rulebook in '98 we were right to expect boundary-breaking routines that would leave the competition for dust. What we got, though, were gung-ho encounters with enemies all-to-content to rush towards you leaving them easily exposed to your fire. Meanwhile, the regular arrival of buddy AI helpers were rarely as useful as you wanted them to be, and never survived long enough for you to get attached to them. Such issues didn't become big enough to spoil the enjoyment overall, but there was still an unpalatable, lingering sense of unrealised potential.

The story, too, didn't quite feel as fleshed out as it deserved to be. With such a huge, beautiful environment to explore and so many questions left hanging in the air, there were innumerable opportunities for Valve to pepper every nook and cranny with hidden clues for the determined traveller to discover, yet by and large the world was bereft of incentives to poke around, Metroid Prime-style. Maybe that was the point. Valve is almost as big an enigma as the games it makes, but to create such a grippingly atmospheric and immersive world and then leave it so deserted was strangely unsatisfying - and decidedly last gen.

Soaked

'Half-Life 2' Screenshot deserved

Seriously, they deserved it.

Playing it all over again gave us the perfect opportunity to see if these issues held true. Often it's easy to over-emphasise niggling issues into gigantic problems to fit your argument, while simultaneously missing all the wondrous things that make it a classic for everyone else. Certainly, playing it on a high-end PC in pin-sharp quality was a big part of the experience. Stripping away those layers for the Xbox version does rather remove some of the wide-eyed awe we got 12 months ago. A good number of hours were spent back then just soaking it all up; wandering City 17 listening to the propaganda broadcasts, talking to everyone, pushing and pulling everything, throwing TVs out of the window just because we could. This time... this time we just played the game.

With all the faffing around, it took us about nine hours just to get to Ravenholm last time. This time: just over three. This time we played the Xbox version like we play most games, and found it to be a quite different experience.

But that's not to say the gameplay's any different at all. It's not. As a game, it's practically identical in every single way that matters. There are no edits, no additions, no sneaky surprises, no dumbed-down sections for the console audience. This is the undiluted Half-Life 2 experience, and for that Xbox owners should be grateful.

For once, this Xbox port has been handled in-house, too, unlike so many console ports that have gone before. But while Valve has limited console expertise, it's pushing the Xbox like you wouldn't believe - though it does come at a price. That price is, predictably, in terms of the lower resolution, lower texture detail and lower frame rate, which dips to wince-worthy levels on a few notable occasions. But even so, the vast majority of the time, the Xbox runs exceptionally smoothly and displays some of the most incredible visuals anyone has attempted on the four-year-old box. That Valve has managed to squeeze so much and resort to so few compromises is a massive feat. Clicking down the right stick and filling the entire screen with someone's face is as impressive as it ever was, and as a spectacle it's damned near one of the best looking games console gaming has been treated to.

Satisfiction

'Half-Life 2' Screenshot see

Question: how can they see where they're going?

Even so, we were fully expecting the physics to be far less impressive, yet everything you saw in the PC original makes an appearance here. The vehicle sections feel fluid and slick, the targeting is slightly generous in terms of auto aim (so therefore feels a slightly easier games as a result), but overall feels as assured an FPS as we've ever come across on a console. If you feel like other console FPSs have let you down in terms of their controls, then give this a try. Valve has got it spot on, both in terms of the sensitivity, and the general control layout. Take the weapons-select, for example. With the d-pad assigned to your entire arsenal, you can now switch between weapons in a split second, which is something too few console FPSs can boast.

Loading times are remarkably swift, too, pausing the game for less than 15 seconds at a time at more than tolerable intervals. Checkpointing is automatic, as is reloading, meaning less irritating save/load shenanigans than you would otherwise find on a stop-start game such as this. On the other hand, it's still a game that relies upon your own diligence to save regularly. A checkpoint save may appear when you're on 3 health points, and progress may be impossible unless you go back to your previous 'proper' save game (which in itself might be half an hour ago). Even so, it's handled better than many, while still retaining the ability to quick-save whenever you fancy.

The one notable fly in the ointment is the lack of any multiplayer whatsoever. Given that Counter-Strike: Source was free with the PC version, it would have been more than logical to extend the same courtesy to Xbox owners - especially as the main dish is likely to only last 12 to 15 hours. When you factor in the lack of the gravity gun-tastic Half-Life 2 multiplayer matches, it seems incredible that Valve could be so mean to leave both out entirely, especially given the fact that the Xbox version actually costs more than the PC original. It's not a deal-breaker, but we're quite sure many Xbox owners will have preferred at least some sort of online multiplayer - especially given the huge popularity of Halo 2's online mode.

Frown Source

Whether you'll want to overlook such niggling issues will come down to how important the lack of a multiplayer mode is to you. Given that about 98 per cent of European Xbox owners aren't Live subscribers, we'd suspect that - for most of you - it's not the biggest issue in the world. As a single-player experience, even in its slightly compromised state, it's easily one of the most intensely enjoyable console shooters there's ever been. While we'd agree that many of the criticisms levelled at Valve's epic are completely valid, the broader context is that missing out on the opportunity to play Half-Life 2 would be a dereliction of duty to buy and play the very best games around; only this time you can get Steam-ed up about it for all the right reasons.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (74) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • Huntcjna #1 6 years ago

    £23 from tesco!

    I love it probably because I didn't play the PC version haven't even opened Battlefield 2: MC yet.

  • Dizzy #2 6 years ago

    Ok ok... my PC runs this pretty badly. I will get it, apparently it runs in HiDef on 360 anyway.

  • Hench #3 6 years ago

    Hmmm, gotta get :)

  • Xerx3s #4 6 years ago

    Ill pick it up when its in the bargain bin. Played it on the pc already and it doesnt really add anything. It was a bit of an disappointment on the pc imo. Still fun though.

  • drumbaby #5 6 years ago

    What, only 1 lot of 9/10, rather than the PC versions 3 x 10 gush-athon?

    Hmmmm...picking boxes up using a gamepad must pale next to doing it using m/keys. ;)

  • trevd72 #6 6 years ago

    never been one to keep up with the arms race on the PC so i have only played this on the xbox and my god how good. love the gravity gun - best thing ever...i have only just recieved the gun and i easily spent 1 hour messing around with it.

  • Carlo #7 6 years ago

    or lack of a possability of every other mod that's on the PC version.

    OR it's God-knows long long AFTER the PC version...

  • Artemus #8 6 years ago

    Or the fact the framerate regularly dips.

  • yegon #9 6 years ago

    Er, you can spin the roundabout iirc!

    Otherwise, great review. Having played the PC ver to completion, and half way through the Xbox version, it's good to see a review that, AT LAST, acknowledges some of the games flaws. It is a great game, but I was rather puzzled on its release that nearly everyone described it as PERFECT - the so-so AI, the slight shortcomings in pacing, the ultra-ultra linearity (not necessarily a bad thing, but a tad more freedom would have been nice) and the deeply unspectular vehicles left it, for me, a little short of that accolade.

    I believe some mods reveal the AI to be actually pretty impressive (not tried them myself), but thats irrelevent in relation to this version.

  • ralphwolfenstein #10 6 years ago

    apart from the fact that you can't push the roundabout in the City 17 playground

    ahem. yes you can

    Edit: COCK!
    Edited by 1 at 21/11/05 @ 16:01

  • CargoCult #11 6 years ago

    What? No mods? Oh noes!

    : huggles PC

  • jack_klugman #12 6 years ago

    haven't even opened Battlefield 2: MC yet.

    I hope the Eurogamer team have.

  • CargoCult #13 6 years ago

    Half-Life 2's AI: It's actually pretty good, but woefully under-utilised. It seems to be tuned to be very forgiving towards players, so while enemies know full well how to take cover, they take just a little bit too long for such a tactic to be effective against many players' reflexes...

    Loads of people keep claiming MINERVA's got new AI code, but it hasn't - I just tweaked the NPC damage settings so that enemies are more dangerous, and thus much more fun to play against for hardened FPS players. Have a go at playing HL2 through MINERVA, it's well worth it - type map d1_trainstation1 or something at the console to start.

  • krudster #14 6 years ago

    You kind people misunderstand me!

    Of course you CAN push the roundabout in the PC version, but the point I was making in the review is that you CAN'T in the Xbox version.

  • ralphwolfenstein #15 6 years ago

    Of course you CAN push the roundabout in the PC version, but the point I was making in the review is that you CAN'T in the Xbox version

    And that's where you're wrong. I personally played on the roundabout this very weekend. On Xbox.

  • yegon #16 6 years ago

    No no, you CAN push it in the Xbox version! I'm (pretty) sure of it! :)

    /can't be arsed checking

  • ralphwolfenstein #17 6 years ago

    GOTCHA

  • yegon #18 6 years ago

    >> GOTCHA

    lol

  • space_ace #19 6 years ago

    irresistible game. completed it on pc, now at episode #11 on xbox.

  • Huntcjna #20 6 years ago

    I thought it was a good review I picked it up for silly money during that tesco.com sale thing so i am more than happy with it.

  • drumbaby #21 6 years ago

    Roundabout-pushing patch to be dl'ed on Xbox Live?

  • smoothpete #22 6 years ago

    You bloody well can push the roundabout, I did it not 24 hours ago

    edit - aha, I see we've covered that already. Flipping great game though
    Edited by 1 at 21/11/05 @ 16:30

  • krudster #23 6 years ago

    Hrm, well I stood pushing the blessed thing and it did nay budge!

  • jack_klugman #24 6 years ago

    Hrm, well I stood pushing the blessed thing and it did nay budge!

    For as wise man say it is not the man who pusheth the roundabout, but the roundabout who pusheth the man.

  • mustardkid #25 6 years ago

    what about the swings?

    if you can't push them then we've got ourselves a dealbreaker

  • markypants #26 6 years ago

    You can push the roundabout... Think you press the Y button to do it? Something like that but 100% can do it... Not that it makes this juddering masterpiece any better. All the baddies seem to have terrets/epileptic fits when ever the action gets going... Frame rate issue gets looked over a bit too much I think.

  • peterfll #27 6 years ago

    !You can push the swings!

    I thought it was just me, but it took me close to 3 hours to complete Route Kanal and Water Hazard, and was thinking 'this is overly long and samey'. Glad to see it was pointed out in the review.

  • Fubdub #28 6 years ago

    Frod, with certain games, the mod community plays an important part in the value of the game. Morrowind is a good example of this, though the game is excellent without it of course. Just as multiplayer is important with certain games, and not with others.
    Half life is a good example of a game that was pushed forward extensively by the mod community.

    I would also devalue a game like HL2 on a console because I couldn't use a mouse, but that, I think, is something I'm alone with, everybody else seems to have embraced it.

  • smoothpete #29 6 years ago

    I've never played any FPS with a mouse, 2 analog sticks suits me down to the ground

  • peterfll #30 6 years ago

    Clearly the mouse vs joypad argument comes down to preference as you can play a well-designed FPS just as easily with both (personally I prefer the joypad).

  • caligari #31 6 years ago

    "I've never played any FPS with a mouse, 2 analog sticks suits me down to the ground"

    I'm the same! I've never had enough cash to get a PC that would run the latest fps games, so I've always been happy with the (hassle free) console versions.

    Gawd damn, I used to kick me some buttock online with the Dreamcast's Quake 3!

  • Yossarian #32 6 years ago

    the roundabout works best if you time it to hit the bars, I think, but yes, you can definitely push it

  • Carlo #33 6 years ago

    Frod. i was trying to explain why the PC version might have got a 10, and the xbox version 'only a 9'.

  • Killerbee #34 6 years ago

    Very fair review - in fact, much better than most reviews of the PC version. Having played it on the PC and had a while to mull over it, I think all the criticisms raised here are more than fair - they actually drag the score that the game (in my humble opinion) deserves to a competent 8/10.

    The story begins quite promisingly, but simply goes nowhere at the end. Sure there are a number of fabulous set pieces in there (fighting the striders towards the end being a high point), but I found the buddy AI (artificial incompetency) to be painful to the point of annoyance when they go and get themselves blown up for the umpteenth time.

    I know I'm in a minority saying this, but I really did enjoy Doom 3 much, much more. I'm almost finished playing Resurrection of Evil now and I've enjoyed that a load more than HL2 - more atmoshpere, better graphics (although the people in HL do look more realistic, the monsters and environments in Doom3 are superior), more satisfying weapons... I just enjoyed the whole experience a lot more.

  • Huntcjna #35 6 years ago

    Now you see I hated Doom 3 and I love FPS games it was just mindless and samey to me.

  • smelly #36 6 years ago

    Did someone just say doom 3's graphics were better than hl-2's?!?

    WTF?!?!?

  • Roamer #37 6 years ago

    Why no multiplayer? Live is *not* compulsory. Offline multiplayer would do the trick even better, since, as the article points out, very few xbox-owners actually play online.

  • tannerd #38 6 years ago

    Tut! All these posts, and no-ones said it!

    Better than Halo then?

  • stephen #39 6 years ago

    Fucking right its better than halo.

  • jonnyreb #40 6 years ago

    I totally agree with the score - I just hope it didn't miss a 10/10 simply because it didn't have multiplayer options.

    Some game review sites are marking it down as low as 8/10 because it's missing multiplayer - to me it's a crazy decision.....don't we have enough CTF, DM etc etc Halo Clones already`?

  • krudster #41 6 years ago

    Quite, jesus, does anyone actually *care* about the 400th deathmatch clone anyone? Answers on a postcard...

  • MrAtheist #42 6 years ago

    Well if the 401st deathmatch clone is "Quakeworld-The Return" IM THERE BABY!

  • cov #43 6 years ago

    keyb/mouse vs controller debate is a non debate in terms of which is the easiest, most intuitive and accurate, a console gamer would stand no chance against a pc gamer in any online fps game

    Personal preference in wanting games to work out of the box, not to have to enter the upgrade space race, and wanting to sit on a sofa are another matter altogether of course :)

  • Yossarian #44 6 years ago

    it'll upscale it and apply AA, but I imagine the game experience itself, including framerate, remains untouched

  • Pirotic #45 6 years ago

    Frame rate wont remain the same when played on the 360, as its emulated the CPU and GPU - with the PS2 it uses the old PSX CPU (which is normally the I/O controller) to run the game, and just get the GPU to output the graphics. which is why they can look better but still run slowly.

  • bootsy_NL_30 #46 6 years ago

    @better than Halo comments

    1. comparing half life 2 to halo is like comparing Driver 3 to ICO

    2. its a very very old game (halo) let it go

  • Calgon #47 6 years ago

    I wonder if Valve have actually thought about the Xbox360 more since they may have been aware that BC was in for some time, they might have left some of the higher resoloution textures on the disc. Its unlikely but not impossible, would be nice to see non the less. You dont need a high def tv for higher res textures(rather than screen resoloution) so thats something everyone would appreciate along with AA.
    Edited by 1 at 21/11/05 @ 19:49

  • Furbs #48 6 years ago

    OR!! They have a sense of humour and enjoy the history that comes with being part of the best online communities there is?

  • BillGaitas #49 6 years ago

    "I'm in a minority saying this, but I really did enjoy Doom 3 much, much more"
    Me TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    I havent played it on the xbox, but having palyed it on the pc and having read the review I have to say I think the gravitygun is higly overrated. To me it was only fun for about 15 min. As for the Ravenholm, thats the lamest level in hl2, it almost ruins it. Its just so weak, the second it ended I started enjoying hl2 again. To me route kanal is much more enjoyable, and it fits very well in the hl2 environment.

    I also have to say that the ending, to me, its perfect.
    Edited by 1 at 21/11/05 @ 20:11

  • Subquest #50 6 years ago

    Picking up some points above, I too thought Doom3 had the better GFX - despite the darkness, the lighting was exquisite. HL2 is a better game though, people above who wear thin with the grav gun after 15 mins have no soul. I'm also with the minority who thought the ending was spot on.

  • tiddles #51 6 years ago

    Gah! I hate review scores... I wish I could do my own ratings...

    ps. the sign-in area at the top of the page goes a bit screwy in Firefox if you're not signed in... but I'm sure you knew that already.

  • BraveArse #52 6 years ago

    I'm enjoying this soooo much more than the steamridden PC version. No jerkies, no 3 minute loading screens ( although they're still as frequent, they're nowhere near as intrusive). Still got the MOST irritating pace breaker in any game ever made tho ... "Quick! They're coming! Head for the stairs! Quickly! .... LOADING"

    Very much agree with the well balanced criticisms of the game in PC form ( and hence, mostly in xbox form too ). Exactly the sort of thing I got barbequed for 12 months ago, when I dared criticise it on my usual forum. Also I was a bit peeved that halfway through the game they seemed to get bored with using the physics engine to solve the puzzles and just ditch puzzles altogether.

    Agree with the linearity comments too, but reckon that linearity can work well when the pace drives you forward fast enough ( ie without hundreds of loading screens ).

    It's a great game, just don't expect it to do for gaming what the first one did. Nothing ever could.
    Edited by 1 at 22/11/05 @ 00:20

  • Killerbee #53 6 years ago

    /Comes out of hiding

    Glad to see one or two people agree with me! I just thought Doom 3 was more stylish and the environments (though admittedly samey) were a lot more interesting to look at. HL2 had far too many plain, grey, flat walls in it, whereas Doom3 had things like pipes and server boxes dotted around its environments.

    The one area HL2 really excelled was in the facial animations - the people you meet in Doom3 do not look realistic, but (although we're not at Final Fantasy: Spirits Within levels of realism yet) you could at least believe the people in HL had some character to them.

    Don't get me wrong - Half-Life 2 is a very, very good game and I enjoyed playing it a lot. Just not as much as Doom 3. :)

  • Artemus #54 6 years ago

    Doom 3's characters looked like they were made of plastic. Something I'm glad they fixed in Quake 4.

  • Genji #55 6 years ago

    A question: did you feel the "unrealised potential" when you were reviewing the PC version? Did you notice the painfully long and boring low points of the hovercraft and jeep levels? Looking back, do you still feel that it deserved a 10?

    I'm just curious, is all. Has your opinion changed?

  • spidermanalf #56 6 years ago

    Is using the gravity gun as good as picking people in and hrowing them into exploding barrels like in Psi-Ops? If so, I am getting it !

  • ave #57 6 years ago

    I've had massive problems with bad fps, and I'm not the only one.

  • hoathenfold #58 6 years ago

    Ive never played the PC version of HL2 but have has the Xbox version since Friday. Ive just got to the 'jeep' bit and so far its been an absolute joy. Framerate issues are negligable imho. Runs sweet on my standard uk launch day xbox. i really cant see what the fuss is all about re framerate problems - its completely playable and looks fantastic!

    And for only £23 delivered from Tesco thanks to their special deal a few weeks back its even sweeter!
    Edited by 1 at 22/11/05 @ 08:39

  • Huntcjna #59 6 years ago

    I don't think I have had anymore fun in a game than I hace throwing saw blades with the gravity gun. It will never ever get old.

  • ralphwolfenstein #60 6 years ago

    I’m mid-way through the jeep section now, having just used the magnetic crane to hoist it onto the docks…

    It’s a superb, set-piece driven action adventure. Comparing it to Halo seems a little pointless, but I think I still prefer Halo’s emergent, combat driven gameplay to this story-telling linearity. Probably because I’m an old-school gamer and appreciate a harsh technical challenge rather than ‘just’ an experience

    That said, what an experience. Atmospheric, fraught, relentless… superb characterisation and dialogue as well. The single player game really deserves to be played by more people than high-end PC owners and Xbox owners - it’s like an unashamed, classic action movie, as far removed from ‘hardcore’ gaming as anything I’ve played this year

  • squeakyg #61 6 years ago

    "If multiplayer isnt included a point should be ticked off, just because. Doesnt matter if its good or not. The 5-10% of xbox live players says so."

    I know what you mean. It annoys me when games get points knocked off for not having multiplayer.

    Fact is, only a few games ever become popular on Xbox Live - the few that were lovingly-crafted as multiplayer experiences. That means Halo 2 for shooters, PGR2 for racers, etc. Most games with an online mode never become a success on Xbox Live, because they can't match the dedicated craft of the most popular ones.

    So why should developers waste their time, resources and budget cobbling together a multiplayer mode, when they could dedicate themselves to the single-player experience?

    If Half-Life 2 had a quick little deathmatch and CTF mode cobbled on, you know damn well you'd pop onto Xbox Live for a few minutes, see that all your friends are still playing Halo 2, then never use Half-Life 2's multiplayer again.

    And the reason Counterstrike: Source isn't included is because Counterstrike is a seperate Xbox release. It would be nice and charitable of them to include it for free with HL2, but it's not a relaistic business model. They have thousands of copies of the retail Xbox game Counterstrike on shop shelves, and they want it to make money.

  • Beanie #62 6 years ago

    What gets me is that the game won't allow me to have to controls how I like 'em:

    Left stick: Move/Turn

    Right Stick: Look/strafe

    Why is it so difficult to include this option?

  • Mashum #63 6 years ago

    @Beanie... 'legacy' controlls? Madman!! ;)

    It really hacks me off when FPS games don't include southpaw and legacy in their controller setup screens - as a left hander it ruins a game outright for me and I can understand that it must do the same for people who like to use look/move on the same stick.

    Just rented out King Kong on the Xbox, which has no southpaw or legacy style controls so don't waste your money there..

    /sulks

  • Mashum #64 6 years ago

    It's probably a daft question but why can't available controller styles be mentioned on FPS reviews?

    Farcry is another one...
    Edited by 1 at 22/11/05 @ 19:58

  • kangarootoo #65 6 years ago

    " It's probably a daft question but why can't available controller styles be mentioned on FPS reviews?"

    I second that. For many left handed gamers its more important than multiplayer or widescreen support. The control system is fundamental and if half the gaming public can't use the thing (yes I said half, not now but soon, look into it) that is crucial information to have.

    Can anyone answer the widescreen support question BTW. I'm right handed myself :)

  • jack_klugman #66 6 years ago

    Quite, jesus, does anyone actually *care* about the 400th deathmatch clone anyone?

    Yes, frankly. I own the PC version, but would state that the immediacy and accessibility that Xbox Live provides when it comes to the multiplayer experience make it far more compelling than sitting down to a bout of the PC equivalent. Whilst the same can't be said for an experience like Battlefield 2, the simplicity of HL2 Deathmatch is ideally suited to the Live environment. I would have loved to have seen this version shipped with online multiplayer as that, for me, was the clincher in complementing my PC copy of Doom 3 with one on Xbox.

  • cockeroo2 #67 6 years ago

    @kangarootoo: yes, there's widescreen support. I think it checks to see if you're Xbox is set to widescreen and alters the screen width accordingly.

    Agree with jack_klugman on the multiplayer issue. For most games I couldn't give a monkey's about online multiplayer, but the simplicity and immediacy of HL2 Deathmatch strike me as being perfect for Xbox Live.

    Owen B: it's worth taking your time and looking around a bit to soak up the atmosphere and the little narrative touches. Hearing the ghostly sound of children playing in the playground in City 17, seeing the photo of all the Black Mesa scientists on the wall of Kleiner's laboratory, with Breen's face blanked out. Breen's broadcasts are well worth a listen for getting a sense of what's going on, and they change with each location. It's the details that make this one of the best games ever for me.

    EDIT: also wanted to mention the framerate thing that everyone seems to be talking about. It seems rock-solid to me. There's a tiny bit of lag when a new area loads, but that's it. I think reviewers may have got a pre-release version, and a lot of those moaning about frame rates on forums have got their copy off bittorrent. Load times are quick too, but there are a lot of load zones.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/05 @ 18:29

  • jack_klugman #68 6 years ago

    Should I go and get it and play it first so I get what's going on here, as I feel I'm missing a LOT of plot. For a start, who the HELL am I? Why am I some kind of hero? Who are the cops in robot masks? What are the frozen chickens trying to jump on my head? When is it set? Why is everyone in curfew mode? I don't get it... :(

    Playing the first game *would* provide answers to some of these questions. However the history of City 17 and the origins of the Combine are touched on exclusively within HL2 (even if only through inference and very occasionally). Freeman's notority and fame within HL2 is entirely based upon his actions within the first game, though it should be noted that the characters he interacts with in the sequel do not feature directly in the original - they are instead based on the fairly generic NPCs you encounter from time to time.

  • jack_klugman #69 6 years ago

    I've not even played Half Life 1, as I thought the PS2 version looked, well, shit.
    Should I go and get it and play it...

    Yes. But be forgiving.

  • squeakyg #70 6 years ago

    "I've not even played Half Life 1, as I thought the PS2 version looked, well, shit."

    Well, that's the best it can look, since the PC version came out in 1998. The PS2 version actually improved the graphics a little. You have to accept that a game from nearly two generations ago is going to look like that.

    All the combine stuff and the present situation in HL2 is new to this game, so playing HL1 won't explain it. However, it explains who *you* are, why you're employed by G-man, where aliens like the headcrabs came from, and your friendships with the scientists. Plus it's still a damn good game, however primitive it seems today.

  • jack_klugman #71 6 years ago

    Much better put than I managed, squeakyg. LISTEN TO THE MAN!

  • ChocNut #72 6 years ago

    Finally got myself an xbox and this and halo2 are my first games. I've played through about half of the game already on a smart PC but this is still great.

    Doom3 next for me!

    -ps the doom movie isnt totally terrible (saw it tonight and its enjoyable in a brainless kina way)

  • rommy667 #73 6 years ago

    this is a great version of hl2 also the ONLY console version awsome stuff.i do however think that doom 3 converted "better" to console than hf2 did.........
    Edited by 1 at 30/12/05 @ 05:44

  • Paukl #74 3 years ago

    \o/