Half-Life 2: Episode One Review

By Kristan Reed Published 1 June, 2006

Eurogamer 4 Valve 2.

Version tested: PC

When is a sequel not a sequel? When it's Half-Life 2: Episode One, the confusingly titled first new episode in a trilogy of releases that picks up the story where HL2 left off. So it's part two of Half-Life 2, but episode one of three of the second half of the story? Something like that. Even Valve boss Gabe Newell seems exasperated with trying to justify it. "We should have just called it Half-Life 3: Episode One, but it's a bit late now," he chuckles. Actually, Aftermath worked pretty well...

Daft naming conventions aside, Episode One very much belongs to the original Half-Life 2 in every sense. Just as the box says, this is "the first new episode for Half-Life 2," and the game's millions of fans will be more than happy with the opportunity to wield the gravity gun again, duff up the Combine forces and hang out with Alyx. Who wouldn't?

But once you play through Episode One it's hardly surprising Valve tied itself up in knots when deciding on a title. The fact that it's the first part of a coherent story-driven trilogy elevates it above expansion pack cash-in fodder, but at the same time it's perhaps too closely associated with its 'parent' game to be thought of as a bona fide sequel. In a sense we're very much in GTA III/Vice City/San Andreas territory: you know exactly what to expect, but love it precisely because it's more of the same.

Pure pop

'Half-Life 2: Episode One' Screenshot 1

Alyx's clothes must be getting whiffy by now.

Actually, as cosily familiar as you'll be with most of what Episode One has to offer, new additions and a shift in emphasis make it a refined, fat free Half-Life adventure that's rarely less than brilliant.

In terms of what's new, Valve has rejected the notion of going for obvious, traditional 'expansion' elements like new weapons, enemies and locations. Like a game that's been on pause for 18 months, you shouldn't expect to return and be surprised to find the arsenal has changed, or that suddenly all the enemies have been replaced and you're in a new place. You're not. This is the ruined metallic starkness of the Citadel, the shattered remains of City 17 and the grandiose, unloved architecture within it. However bleak it looked before, the desire to get as far away from this stifling austerity as possible is palpable throughout - and for the most part you'll be duking it out with the same enemies you faced last time.

The tweaks and changes might not be headline-grabbing 'back of the box' material, but nevertheless play a significant part in making Episode One an important evolution in the series. Most obviously, Alyx plays a far greater role this time around, accompanying Gordon for approximately three-quarters of the game and behaving intelligently throughout. Rather than merely use her as a narrative device and leave the player to go it alone, in Valve's words, Episode One explores "single-player co-op" by ensuring Alyx always dynamically responds to Gordon's situation. In simple terms, if you need combat support, she'll move to a decent position and take accurate aim at oncoming aggressors, and may even take the lead when you're struggling.

Murder in the dark

'Half-Life 2: Episode One' Screenshot 2

Those Antlion Guards don't know when to quit.

Without light, though, Alyx is hugely vulnerable so she relies entirely on you shining your flashlight on the targets to be able to take out enemies and warn you of imminent danger. During the excellent Lowlife chapter, Alyx is reduced to a panicking wreck when the light starts flickering and your batteries run out, leaving Gordon as her only defence against the marauding hordes. One good turn deserves another, though, as not only is she a damned good shot, but she's constantly alerting you to unexpected enemy arrivals whenever they appear.

As dynamic as Episode One is for much of the time, now and then her scripted actions take precedent and she'll unilaterally scale obstacles allegedly beyond your capabilities and take up a sniper/emplacement position, or hang back while you go crawling through a vent. For the most part, though, it's a system that works far better than it ever used to, and bodes well for future episodes.

Given that Episode One will only clock in at around five hours on most people's first run-through (and - it's fair to assume - even less on any repeat play) you might assume that there's not much to it - but you'd be wrong. Set across five contrasting chapters it's a wonderfully balanced affair that rarely dwells on one element too long. The focus on action and combat is sensibly weighted, there are no vehicle sections at all, no time-wasting exploration required and a more satisfyingly logical approach to puzzles. All round, the gameplay feels tighter and more refined. It's evident Valve has listened carefully to the feedback from last time around and really worked hard on polishing Episode One as much as possible.

Zombine harvester

Take the combat, for example. Valve's decision to throw contrasting types of enemies at you at once is a fantastic and well-realised one that makes the firefights far more dynamic, unpredictable and therefore more interesting than ever. Rather than have to do battle with a posse of lurching zombie headcrabs on their own, suddenly you might find yourself having to fend off the much faster, more vicious 'Zombine' (zombie combines...) in addition to leaping headcrabs, fast-moving skeleton zombies and even Combine forces, all at once. Sometimes you'll actually intrude on massed battles in progress between the Combine forces and, say, Antlions or gangs of grenade-wielding Zombines. Usually, you'll smugly hang back and let them try take each other out before you get involved, only to find reinforcements pouring onto the scene to wipe the smile off your face.

With no ability to command Antlions yourself this time, you'll have to find neat physics-based solutions to conquer their arrival, while the suicidal tendencies of the grenade-wielding Zombines calls for cunning use of the gravity gun to literally whip explosives out of their hands before they blow you and everyone in range to pieces. Later, the Zombines become even more deadly as they stagger towards you with several poisonous headcrabs stacked on top of their toppling bodies. As they threaten to attach themselves to your face you'll wonder whether you can take them down quickly enough - but the chances are you'll just flee the scene in terror. Such panic-inducing moments aren't exactly rare.

But Episode One isn't always full of magic moments. The opening chapter 'Undue Alarm', for example, sees Gordon armed only with the Gravity Gun, meaning the whole level relies solely on the rather repetitive process of grabbing and lobbing objects (and/or the Combine onslaught) to make progress. Although it's an atmospheric introduction and pleasant fun reactivating bridges and knackered machinery, you're entirely reliant on Alyx to do the shooting, so you'll be glad when the 'Lowlife' chapter kicks in and you can get back to basics a little. Undue Alarm is a bit like when Half-Life 2 ended, but in reverse, and without the intensity of its unbridled chaos. That isn't necessarily a good thing.

What's next?

'Half-Life 2: Episode One' Screenshot 3

You'd never guess she was such a crack markswoman.

Valve's smart enough to keep switching styles, though, and consistently manages to continue its knack of making each chapter interesting and varied enough for you to always want to know what's around the next corner; it's the gaming equivalent of an addictive page-turner. Part of the reason is the constant variety and the fact that there aren't any stupid difficulty spikes thrown in to artificially pad things out. As a result, you'll happily plough through all five hours in one sitting and never once get bored or exasperated. Seriously, how many games can you say that about?

Even once you've run through the entire game, few Valve fans will want to miss out on the game's wonderful commentary system. Gamers can wander around the game world and stop and listen to all manner of insightful information voiced by Gabe and the gang themselves by activating the rotating speech bubbles placed at strategic intervals. So well implemented is the idea, it's perhaps only a matter of time before other major developers follow suit.

Once again, as a technical achievement, Episode One is absolutely stunning, and there's no denying that the effects debuted in Lost Coast are more than welcome in the context of a full game. Complete with sumptuous High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting effects (where your eyes take time to adjust to sudden changes in light), motion blur, and a more believable animation system, Episode One looks even more impressive than the already-stunning Half-Life 2 did. Most of the improvements are incredibly subtle, though, and whether you'll get to enjoy them will often depend on your PC's capabilities.

Predictably, the game's star attraction, Alyx, reaps the full benefit of all the extra effort (whereas vanilla NPCs clearly do not) and looks even more facially realistic this time around. With more varied dynamic natural motion seemingly the norm, you may initially miss the way light from monitors glows on her face, or the range of subtle facial expressions or the enhanced quality of her lip-synching and array of context-dependent actions, but close inspection is recommended. And ok, so it's old news now, but it's heartening to finally come across a game that uses HDR in a meaningful sense. Take Episode One's epic gunship battle in the confines of a rapidly disintegrating rooftop attic, for example. When you climb up the stairs of the rickety structure, you'll look up to see white shafts of bright light pouring through the gaps in the busted up roof. Once your eyes have adjusted to the light you'll see (and hear) the gunship continuing to scour the area, looking for a chance to put an end to your escape plans. As the pilot becomes aware of your prescence, a hail of hot lead rains down onto the rickety structure, splintering beams and ripping roof tiles off to expose the sky and flood more light onto the scene. As far as showing off the technical capabilities of the engine it's a hugely impressive demonstration of the Source engine that not only looks and feels like a scene ripped straight from a blockbuster movie, but has genuine gameplay implications as your cover gets exposed and even the floor supporting you gets ripped away in a flurry of bullets. It's not just about avoiding being shot, but trying to keep your footing, too. In short, it's one of many such highlights in Episode One and a distilation of the sort of intense scenario that Valve excels at.

Sounding off

'Half-Life 2: Episode One' Screenshot 4

You should see the faces of these unfortunates.

During such intense action sequences, you're constantly reminded of the difference that top quality audio can make to a videogame. Alongside the deafening bursts of gunfire and Combine chatter, the underlying swell of the atmospheric soundtrack stomps its way into your consciousness. As ever, the music punctuates only the most alarming parts of the game and is well up to the superb standard set in previous titles. Somehow it manages to be not only entirely listenable in its own right, but uncannily appropriate for the settings. One day Valve might sell the soundtrack (hint hint). But just as important is the peerless standard of voice acting which, once again, shows many of Valve's stumbling competitors what they should be aiming for. Kudos, too, goes to Valve for keeping faith with the same 'classic' sound effects it as used since the first Half-Life stole our hearts. Call us sad, but we'll never tire of the sounds of erupting barnacles, the spark of electricity or a recharging hazard suit. When we eventually die, we fully expect that flatlining noise to be the last thing we ever hear.

But as much as we all love to cling onto classic elements, though, it's fair to assume that some of the less partisan fans will feel a pang of disappointment that Valve hasn't done more to shake up the Half-Life status quo a bit - but maybe that would be missing the point of what Episode One was trying to achieve. In truth, the main focus for this release wasn't to be a sequel and change the recipe, but to deliver more of what we loved about HL2 while advancing the storyline. As an exercise in revealing how Gordon, Alyx and company manage to cope with the disintegrating Citadel and how they escape the hellish confines of City 17, it does the job just fine. (To explain or discuss the story in any more detail would ruin a large part of the point of playing it in the first place, so we'll resist that particular temptation). So long as that's clear, we can resolutely assure the legion of Half-Life 2 fans that you won't want to miss out on what is a fine adventure that's well up to Valve's impeccable standards.

Perhaps we'll only really be able to fully judge the Half-Life 2 Episodes in context once we've played all three, but even at this early stage it's abundently clear that there's more gameplay variety and design inspiration in the first five hours than most full-length games at triple the price. Throw in the fantastic 'director commentaries' on top and you've got even more reason to invest.

Just like the original Half-Life 2: Episode One keeps the player entertained almost the entire time through perfect pacing, a rich atmosphere and incredible production values. By being inventive, surprising and getting the basics absolutely right, Half-Life 2: Episode One is a wonderful advert for the excitement that true episodic content can generate when approached the right way. The sooner more developers go down this road, the better.

9 / 10

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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 (117) Latest comment 3 years ago

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

  • TheSaint #1 6 years ago

    Sounds good but do I get from a shop or Stream?

  • Gouki #2 6 years ago

    Dang, i've been waiting for a review of this all night and i go an miss first post.

    Any way pops to game on Friday Morn!!!!!!!!

  • karlidog #3 6 years ago

    I am so excited about getting to play this tomorrow.

    Of course, I'd be playing it tonight if stupid Steam accepted Switch or PayPal. And for less money. Grump.

  • smelly #4 6 years ago

    I've bought it over steam, but it's asking for my cd key.

    And although i've found the cd, i cant for the life of my find the box it came in.

    GAAAAH!

  • Yossarian #5 6 years ago

    huzzah but I can't play it because my pc is bad

  • UncleLou #6 6 years ago

    Sounds great - and I am not at all angry that there aren't vehicles and antlions.

  • Hicksy #7 6 years ago

    Brilliant!

    I will be getting this on Friday

    Oh Yes :o)

  • itamae #8 6 years ago

    Mmh, that picture on the front is mildly arousing. How much do they want for this addon again?

  • Heds #9 6 years ago

    @smelly:
    "I've bought it over steam, but it's asking for my cd key."

    Erk, hang on, I thought you didn't need to have bought HL2 to play this, so why's it asking for the HL2 key? (Or have I missed something?)

    It still said it was unreleased when I tried from home an hour ago...

  • CargoCult #10 6 years ago

    It's being unlocked at 6pm this evening, so you'll need to wait a bit longer...

    Best feature of the lot, though - when the flashlight battery runs out, the light flickers and dies. Makes for some hideously frightening scenes deep underground.

    (Zombines!)

  • TripSkyway #11 6 years ago

    Wow sounds good. Hopefully episodic content will be like this in on other games. It sounds like they really used the short turn around (relatively) to provide a quality update for fans. This is the kind of thing I'd like to be buying for Oblivion (360), well thought out extensive campaigns.

    I still haven't played HL2 and so I won't be playing this any time soon, unless both come to my 360.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 09:49

  • tonynibbles #12 6 years ago

    Already pre-purchase can't wait to play!

  • smelly #13 6 years ago

    @Heds

    I have aboslutely no idea!!!

    I finished pre-downloading it. And at the end it said something like "in order to play this when it's laucnhed you'll need to enter your cd-key, please enter it below".

    I pressed cancel (as i didnt have the key on me). Then i tried running the game, then it just said somehting like "this game has not been released yet, please come back later". No asking for the cd-key.

    I've been pulling my flat apart trying to find it (just in case).


    I'm GUESSING this is because it uses files from the original hl2 to save on download size. When I started downloading it, i already had 80% downloaded because i had the original game installed.

    But i have no idea!!!

    I'll find out tommorow i guess!


  • Helios #14 6 years ago

    Am I right that this is out in 5 minutes?

    I thought it was 10am over here and 6pm over there?

    EDIT: Maybe not

    /continues with replay of system shock 2
    Edited by 2 at 01/06/06 @ 09:58

  • drumbaby #15 6 years ago

    "getting the basics absolutely right"

    Basics:

    1) Good A.I.

    Nope

    2) Non linear interesting levels

    Nope

    3) Convincing NPC interaction

    Nope

    Other than that though...great graphics, and a physics gun -- well worth the high score. :/

  • Heds #16 6 years ago

    @smelly
    "I finished pre-downloading it. And at the end it said something like "in order to play this when it's laucnhed you'll need to enter your cd-key, please enter it below"."

    Hmm, sounds like a bit of bad luck mate, mine started at 80% as well but never asked for the CD key when complete.

    @CargoCult
    Ah, cheers. Think I might wait till 8ish then when the mad panic to authenticate is over. ;-)

  • kewny #17 6 years ago

    Hi guys: I have a couple of questions........

    I take it that this game does not require the original half life 2 to run (ie standalone) ??

    Also, do I need to go on steam again in order to 'activate' the game, even though I would buy it by retail rather than over the 'tinternet' ??

    My computer is probably still OK to run the game (HL2 ran fine) but I only have dial-up so dont fancy having to go back to steam again (as the last time I did was when I first got the original HL2 to run - a long time ago!!!!). Iknow I am still living in the dark ages.... :)

    Cheers

    Steve.

  • manic #18 6 years ago

    can't bloomin wait, this day better pass swiftly and mercifully until that magical 6 o'clock hour!!! smashing review here as always.

  • PearOfAnguish #19 6 years ago

    the sooner more developers go down this road, the better.

    Don't encourage them!

  • Talha #20 6 years ago

    Wow - I expected nothing else from Valve. Kudos for taking the risk in not trying to re-invent the game, and kudos again for retaining everything that was good about the original.

    Can't wait to get my hands on it.

  • bivith #21 6 years ago

    "Best feature of the lot, though - when the flashlight battery runs out, the light flickers and dies. Makes for some hideously frightening scenes deep underground."

    Gah! They aren't still using this lame game mechanic are they? Developers, it's stupid to have flashlights with 30 seconds of battery! Those puppies should last for hours.

  • symmetry #22 6 years ago

    No reading the review as I don't want to spoil any suprises but WOOT! 9/10! Excellent.

    Now if only Valve would accept my damn debit card :/

  • dcangel #23 6 years ago

    I have to agree somewhat with drumbaby on this one.

    "Just like the original Half-Life 2, Episode One keeps the player entertained almost the entire time by being inventive, surprising and getting the basics absolutely right."

    Okay. If "inventive" means "gameplay that probably hasn't changed noticeably in the 8 years since the first Half-Life", then yeah, sure, it's inventive.

    If "surprising" means "probably not remotely surprising or interesting in any way, shape or form", then fair enough, it's surprising.

    If "getting the basics absolutely right" means "most likely being the most simultaneously overhyped, boring and directionless shooting gallery I'll ever have had the displeasure of inflicting upon myself", then sure, I'll bite.

    Seriously, though, if anyone can explain (using simple words of three syllables or less) the mystical allure possessed by the Half-Life series, then please give it your best shot - because having played through the first two, I'm no closer to even /beginning/ to comprehend it.

  • neilka #24 6 years ago

    Excitement Level: Yellow

  • matrim83 #25 6 years ago

    I thought HL 2 was mediocore at best and if this is mostly more of the same then I think I can give it a miss quite easily.

    I do however like the idea of episodic content provided its value for money and at five hours play time I think HL 2 fans are gonna be happy.

    If only they had fixed some of HL2 obnoxious problems.....

  • manic #26 6 years ago

    how people can whinge about HL2 is totally beyond me. i guess some people just don't get it. if you don't like it, don't play it!!

  • space_ace #27 6 years ago

    but i still haven't finished sin episodes :-/

  • UncleLou #28 6 years ago

    HL2 wasn't the milestone Half-Life was, but it was great nonetheless. Immacualte art design throughout, a brilliantly realised sci-fi/police state atmosphere, fun weapons, and great levels throughout. If you didn't enjoy being in that world, it's your loss. :)

    The only letdown for me was the AI.

  • manic #29 6 years ago

    space ace- are you enjoying Sin? quite tempted, but don't want to be disappointed!

  • Talha #30 6 years ago

    @dcangel : Quite why you put so much effort into drafting an admittedly fine post about why you are so disgusted with this game, is beyond me. If you don't get the mystique, you don't get it and that's fair enough. And that cannot be explained in words of three syllables or less - in fact if it requires explaining for you, chances are you will never 'get' it.

    So give it a rest, take a coffee and smell the fresh air outside, while accepting the fact that for a large section of gamers (myself included) Half Life means a lot, as the review will testify...;-)

    And as someone above so rightly said, if you don't like it, don't play it!!

    PS: UncleLou: +1
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 11:02

  • dcangel #31 6 years ago

    I'm not disgusted with the game, it's clear a lot of work went into it. I just didn't enjoy it nearly as much as everyone else seems to have, and I can't quite get to grips with all the gushing praise that gets heaped on it.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 11:03

  • Talha #32 6 years ago

    @dcangel : OK i don't really need to do this, but I am taking the bait. HL/HL2 has a story, and a tremendous atmosphere, not to mention brilliant pacing, variety in settings and memorable set pieces. The atmosphere either gets under your skin or it doesn't. The sense of being there, and simultaneously wanting to get away from City 17, is so strong that the issue of mediocre AI becomes truly secondary.

    As I said, it is all subjective and it is all in the mind. It is just that you cannot preach to the believers, and they can't convert you. End of story.

  • dcangel #33 6 years ago

    Talha: You hit the nail right on the head. Good stuff :) I can go to work a little happier now.

  • Talha #34 6 years ago

    @dcangel : And let's find a game we can both like... Super Mario Galaxy??? Let's discuss that over coffee....

  • space_ace #35 6 years ago

    manic- if you need small doses of a simplistic shooter with mindless enemies, then sin delivers!

  • manic #36 6 years ago

    smashing :)

  • ChrisOTR #37 6 years ago

    Email I sent Valve after having my credit card refused and being sent around the houses:

    "Sorry but this is ridiculous - I feel like a criminal using my own credit card! Emailing you and my bank all for the pleasure of spending my OWN money is far too much effort! Back to buying games in the shops for me! :)

    Please close this call."

    Answer I received:

    "Your reply did not process correctly. Please REPLY to this message and enter the text between the specified lines. Your message has been attached."

    Go figure!

  • Artemus #38 6 years ago

    How large is the download?

  • mazzl #39 6 years ago

    @ChrisOTR
    lol the frensh ;)


  • smelly #40 6 years ago

    @dcangel : If you didnt like hl2 for those reasons, then top tip - DONT BUY FEAR! You'll hate it!

  • UncleLou #41 6 years ago

    FEAR is a completely different game, concentrating on shootouts against the incredible AI. No epic story, no setpieces, just pure gameplay, which is better than in HL2.

  • ses #42 6 years ago

    "@dcangel : If you didnt like hl2 for those reasons, then top tip - DONT BUY FEAR! You'll hate it!"

    I hated HL2 and loved FEAR.

  • rascoj64 #43 6 years ago

    how much is this to buy through steam? I ain't paying £30 for a patch, does this have the same amount of content as the first game? If so I might be tempted, HL2 was so ace!

  • Golgo #44 6 years ago

    Why is Eurogamer spreading reviews over two pages nowadays?
    Are reviewers being paid by the word?!

  • Helios #45 6 years ago

    Golgo - as far as I can see, the reviews aren't actually any longer than they used to be either.

  • TwistidChimp #46 6 years ago

    Rascoj64

    Its about a tenner through steam, and no its not a patch ? not sure where that came from, but neither does it have as much content as HL2, it looks to be about a 3rd of the length of HL2, and a 3rd of the price.

  • gallow #47 6 years ago

    So whats the UK cost for buying E1 over Steam then?

  • absolutezero #48 6 years ago

    People saying FEAR is better than HL2 makes me sad, its not even as if their similar games. Reminds me of people comparing Metroid Prime to Halo.

    FEAR was ok but it was basically just a really shiny version of Doom. Run down corridor shoot. shoot some more. Shoot again. Mildly amusing jumpy bit. Shoot.

    Protip! Shoot the Cyberdemon until its dead!

  • UncleLou #49 6 years ago

    People saying FEAR is better than HL2 makes me sad, its not even as if their similar games. Reminds me of people comparing Metroid Prime to Halo.

    FEAR was ok but it was basically just a really shiny version of Doom. Run down corridor shoot. shoot some more. Shoot again. Mildly amusing jumpy bit. Shoot.


    People not realising how FEAR raised the bar in several respects in the genre, unlike HL2, make me sad. HL2 is closer to Doom than FEAR is.

    I liked both games for different things, and was trying to make that point in reply to smelly.

  • bad #50 6 years ago

    I preordered (so 10% discount off $19.99) + VAT = $21.09, which my credit card company worked out as £11.71 from Steam.

  • gallow #51 6 years ago

    Cheers Bad.

  • Mho7276501 #52 6 years ago

    Personally i enjoyed playing through HL2 much more than FEAR, i have completed HL2 many times and still go back to play the odd level.

    I still think FEAR is a great game though, i liked the ai and the shootouts. But it is very repetitive. A friend of mine who borrowed my copy couldn't even be bothered to finish it!! Which is a shame as the ending is totally awesome!!
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 13:06

  • Machiavel #53 6 years ago

    FEAR had majestic gameplay and exceptionally fun gunplay wrapped in an untidy ball of bland levels and cliched scripting. I'm looking forward to the 360 conversion since my graphics card never even did halfway justice to it.

    It does surprise me though that many people have a blind spot to Half-Life 2's achievements, even though it's always perfectly healthy that for every great game there can be "is it just me" naysayers active on the forums. The sense of place, variety of experience, great script and use of emotional colourings (kind of a poignancy draped across the canvas of the dying world) made up for its AI shortcomings - and you could always guarantee that 2 hours later your location and experience would be markedly different than what preceded it.

    I hate Steam, and for some unknown reason my HL2 game now locks up on every new area load (never happened in the first six months), but I'll no doubt be buying this episode from the shops and crossing my fingers (and deleting all my old wonky files, of course)

  • Talha #54 6 years ago

    @UncleLou: Hey, can't agree with you on that one. There is very little common between HL2 and Doom, and I have played through individual levels of HL2 many times. Incredibly enough, every time I felt the same degree of involvement.

    That said, it is totally wrong to think that FEAR was light on story. It had a very compelling and cohesive story and it is genuinely scary. AI and shootouts are second to none. It has its own atmosphere that is no less intense than that in HL2 - only it is gets too repetitive and drags after a while.

  • Golgo #55 6 years ago

    Golgo - as far as I can see, the reviews aren't actually any longer than they used to be either.

    Helios: maybe by splitting it up into 2 you increase your page hit-count,
    thus making the site seem super-popular before you go to sell it?

  • bad #56 6 years ago

    That and twice as many pages = twice as much advertising space and therefore twice as many advert 'views'.

  • foxy2006 #57 6 years ago

    looking forward to this as well..will buy it tonight!
    Just hoping there is a decent ending to this episode as they shootout with the giant ball thing in HL2 was very lame.

    /considers loading up Fear again to see what all the fuss about the ending is..:p

  • UncleLou #58 6 years ago

    @UncleLou: Hey, can't agree with you on that one. There is very little common between HL2 and Doom, and I have played through individual levels of HL2 many times. Incredibly enough, every time I felt the same degree of involvement.


    Heh, I don't really think HL2 and Doom have that much in common, either - but if we compare FEAR and HL2 to Doom, than HL2 is more related to Doom-like shooting gallery gameplay than the tactical shootouts in FEAR are. ;)

    I see where people are coming from when they say FEAR was too repetitive, no doubt. But I think of the people who immediately dismissed it, many played it on a too low difficulty level. The AI on the low difficulty levels was great, too, but they can't hurt you enough, so you're not forced to play cautiously.

    I've said it before: the ultimate FPS game would be Half-Life 2 with FEAR's AI for the Combine.

  • rascoj64 #59 6 years ago

    TwistidChimp

    Thanks for letting me know about the price, I'm quite interested for a tenner. It's £15 if you buy the boxed product from play.com

  • TwistidChimp #60 6 years ago

    Yeah Bad has confirmed that after conversion it works out to £11.71 if you pre-ordered, not sure if thats still possible, If not its 10% more.

  • neuroniky #61 6 years ago

    @UncleLou: I completely agree with you about the HL2 + Fear crossbreed as the perfect FPS. I've read a lot of bad comments on F.E.A.R. but for me it was even better than HL2. And while the game can be long-ish since it has alot of very similar places and very similar shootouts, it can be played in so many different way it is astonishing at times. You can play it without the slow-mo, and it gets one of the most intense games ever made. You could play it at maximum difficulty level and quick save and load your way to victory thru perfectly executed shootouts that makes you feel like you're starring in the next John Woo movie. There are also many people that have never ever tried using the Matrix like close combat attack, and these can really change the way you tackle the various gunfights. Not to mention the fact that IMHO the F.E.A.R. graphical engine is probably the most next-gen thing I've seen up to date.

  • deadlock #62 6 years ago

    I played FEAR up to just past the point where the baddies who can turn invisible come into it. I didn't play for a few days then because life got busy and when I finally did get to sit down at my PC I actually couldn't muster the enthusiasm to start the game up again. I just found the whole thing pretty dull overall; I mean, the shootouts were absolutely fantastic, the graphics were ace - I especially loved the dust and particles that got thrown up during firefights and made visibility poor in some of the smaller rooms - and the soundscape was very well done as well.

    But on the flipside, the environments were terminally repetitive and actually rather dull. What really bugs me is when people talk about the story and how it gets really good near the end. I hate to roll out hoary old cliches but the journey is just as important as the destination and the journey in FEAR just wasn't particularly compelling. I reckon I got to approximately the mid-way point in the game and I have absolutely no idea what it was about or who that freaky kid was and that's a shortcoming and one of the reasons that I couldn't be bothered finishing it: I just didn't care enough about the plot or the characters.

    Comparisons to Half Life 2 are valid to a certain extent and while FEAR comes out on top in terms of AI and gunplay, HL2 is the more compelling game overall. You can say that Half Life 2 suffers from some of my complaints about FEAR's narrative - that even at the end of the game none of the major plot points are resolved and in fact you are just left with more questions. And yeah, that's frustrating but the difference is that with HL2 you're frustrated because you know what the questions are and you want the answers whereas with FEAR the only question I had was "what's this about again?" and the answer was "who cares?".

  • CordableTuna #63 6 years ago

    "you'll happily plough through all five hours in one sitting and never once get annoyed, bored or exasperated."

    Yes! A game for Ninja Dogs!

  • El_MUERkO #64 6 years ago

    People not realising how FEAR raised the bar in several respects in the genre, unlike HL2, make me sad. HL2 is closer to Doom than FEAR is.

    rofl, joo is funneh

  • MikeD #65 6 years ago

    I hate Alyx, I was hoping she died at the end of halflife 2. Oh well. Not sure if I can cope with 'annoying tough girl' accompanying me for 3/4 of the game.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 14:25

  • UncleLou #66 6 years ago

    rofl, joo is funneh

    Don't worry, I wasn't expecting everyone to understand it. :p

  • jumpdeveraux #67 6 years ago

    FEAR AI was nice but I found you could crouch behind a corner, zoom weapon, flash your torch a few times and the enemies would come trolling around the corner every time, rinse, repeat. I did entire levels without getting hit once.

    Not quite in the spirit of gameplay I know. It would be nice to see them sit back and force ME to move out - as I get bored of camping eventually ;-)

    If only they weren't so fixated with torch beams...

  • teabagger #68 6 years ago

    With regards to the few negative comments on HL2, I don't believe that a game has to reinvent the wheel to be considered 'good'. It just has to pick what it wants to be and then execute that perfectly. HL2 delivers in this respect. All of the best games I can think of have done this one way or another. Shadow of the Colossus is, gameplay-wise, fairly basic but it is implemented extrememly well and one of the few games I've played to completion. Most games that try to reinvent a genre end up messy, unfocused and doing nothing exceptionally well.

  • HoriZon #69 6 years ago

    "Thats my copy ordered, at the knocked down price of £14.95 :o)

    /not interested in downloading ;o)"

    You will still have to install Steam if you buy it from a shop and dl the last few bits that are not on the CD as it was with HL2.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 17:15

  • Narv #70 6 years ago

    w00t! decrypting now :)

  • manic #71 6 years ago

    nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
    it locks up JUST as it is about to play (intro etc are fine).
    anyone else having this problem??? perhaps a driver update is in order....

  • Walshicus #72 6 years ago

    I hope this stuff makes it onto the 360 release of Half Life 2. I rather enjoyed the first one, despite its linearity.

  • RedPanda #73 6 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • Collie #74 6 years ago

    I still haven't completed HL2 since it came out. There were some good moments, but far too many long-winded sections that got boring and repetitve fast (examples: vehicle sections and the Antlion part). And now my PC locks up every half hour just trying to play the game for some reason so I gave up on it. The review for the episode makes it sound interesting, but I'll be holding out until the other episodes are released. Maybe the complete 'HL2' experience will make the shortcomings of the existing game seem less important. And maybe they'll be a nice reduced bundle price.

  • krudster #75 6 years ago

    There's no sprawling epic levels this time, so if you didn't like the lengthy approach of HL2 you'll prefer the tighter environments and more concise level design in Ep1.

    I'm torn, though. I liked the occasional open desolation in HL2, as it made for a great contrast. There will be a return to vehicle-based sections in Ep2, so, like I said, we can't really judge until we've seen the whole picture.

    Valve told me yesterday that hard mode is *much* harder this time, for those of you that fancy the challenge.

  • manic #76 6 years ago

    wow, it works! great stuff indeed (though some funny texture glitches). how are you guys finding it? up to the 'dark' level, and without spoiling anything there have been some superb moments. the progression and minor puzzles really just work wonderfully. very polished indeed.

  • space_ace #77 6 years ago

    the argument "hl2 ai vs. fear ai" makes me smile, because i immediately remembered the shock at the encounter with the wicked commandos in hl1... everything else is just a joke.

  • TwistidChimp #78 6 years ago

    Mine doesnt work :(

    It gets to the title of the first chapter, then it leaves you looking up at the citadel, with a wierd milky opaque texture infront of you, unable to move.

    F**KS SAKE.

    I've updated my drivers, but its exactly the same. Im hoping someone is going to tell me theres a new "get up" key that i'm unaware of.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 20:41

  • manic #79 6 years ago

    @ TwistidChimp - yes!! the same thing happened to me, crashed the whole PC a couple of times... third time after rebooting it just worked ok. V bizarre. as i mentioned earlier some textures are still a bit odd, sparkling rocks and stuff.
    keep trying and you will succeed! would like to hear if anyone else suffering same problems (using 1gig RAM & ATI Radeon 9800 XT, not updated drivers for a couple of months)

  • UncleLou #80 6 years ago

    the argument "hl2 ai vs. fear ai" makes me smile, because i immediately remembered the shock at the encounter with the wicked commandos in hl1... everything else is just a joke.

    You might be surprised, but you're not the only one who played Half-Life. :p

    And I take it you haven't played FEAR. HL2 has less impressive AI than Half-Life. FEAR is like a game built upon the idea of the battles in HL, only bettering it with 6 years of more PC power behind them. The awesome firefights in the original HL are why I love FEAR so much.

    Now be a good boy and buy a copy of FEAR.

  • space_ace #81 6 years ago

    UncleLou - yup, i have no fear, but i think i understand your description :)

  • manic #82 6 years ago

    enough chit chat! bring on thoughts on this delightful new episode!!!!

  • Mephistopheles #83 6 years ago

    Only done the first two chapters, but it's absolutely fantastic. Full of WTF moments and amazing w/ surround sound. Some stunning sights (sci-fi done right). Liking it more than HL2 so far.

  • Hunam85 #84 6 years ago

    The last chapters are a real treat, specially the hospital, still only 3 and a half hours long, sure sin was longer...

  • absolutezero #85 6 years ago

    Im only on the second chapter but im loving it. Giving you back the Super Gravity Gun at the start of the game is a stroke of genius and Alyx is no where near as irritating as I thought she would be.

    Loving it.

  • TessaTickle #86 6 years ago

    My feelings after ~30 minute's (?) worth of play, just finished stabilising the core thingy. I had to stop myself. I have to pace myself and not run right through the game in one go. It took some serious willpower to exit the game after the core was stabilised.

    I won't comment more on the points already made about the weapon, the puzzles, the action, Alyx. I however do very much want to talk about how Valve has put an amazingly immersive atmosphere together.

    The level design is very very powerful. When the design of the location is that evocative, it stops being just a backdrop to the story but becomes an actor in its own right. At this point, what would constitute rather standard simple game mechanics reach another plane. You're no longer flipping switches, you're manipulating this monster environment. The atmosphere has become an active part in the story and had me in awe the whole time. I'm sure that I'll get more of that in the remainder of the episodes ~5 hours.

    I'm going to sound really gushy here but I believe this Episode is perfectly timed to show us what we have been trying to deny for a while already : the FPS has been done to death. It is spent.

    The only way forward that remains is what has always been left behind (or so poorly executed) and that Valve has somehow been alone in trying to do since HL1 : the Story. There has been a 10 year dip in game making where the techies were able to steal the show with improving the gfx in small increments. The story got left behind because it's only ever just the story, right ? Those are easy to write, anyone can write a story.

    Now the gfx are pretty much there and we've tried all the weapons and gadgets and enemies we could come up with, we've realised we could get bored with those just like a kid with attention deficit can get bored with a PSP with the full games catalogue.

    To be fair, HL2:Ep1 wouldn't be half as immersive without the lovely gfx I've just gone and bashed. So let's say we've gone full circle. The storytelling is back, the gfx are there to support the story, to illustrate the story. *That* is the correct mix, the correct balance.

    The funny thing is that a good story is actually the best "effect". There are the Graphics Effects and there are the Narrative Effects. The best gfx in the world can't gloss over stupid gameplay, cheesy NPC monologues, stereotypical character types, etc. Narrative Effects, however, can. Something as basic as a timed dash past an intermittant death ray (however sexily rendered) becomes truly exhilarating. Weak groups of soldiers thrown at you in dribs and drabs irritate less when you feel that the game designer's motives is more to show that the soldiers are themselves in a desparate situation and that everyone in the Citadel really wants to get the hell out of there but some of them have a job to do. The gravity gun is put to better use in circumstances where it truly makes all the difference and goes beyond just being a cool gadget (I'm thinking of the glass platform going down to the core).

    I could continue writing a whole essay puzzling about why Valve seems to be the only company smart enough to be able to build such worlds and why the rest of the industry seems oblivious to the fact that it makes money ... but I won't.

    To think that some say that games aren't art !!! Pah ! I haven't finished this episode and I already can't wait to see the next two.
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 22:08

  • bodypopper #87 6 years ago

    Can anyone comment on Half Life Deathmatch Source? It's half my reason for buying Episode 1 having wasted countless hours playing the original
    Edited by 1 at 01/06/06 @ 22:15

  • UncleLou #88 6 years ago

    Good post, TessaTickle - I agree that the environement, the citadel, is an incredible piece of work. I loved it in HL2, and it's just as great here. Probably the architecturally most impressive building ever in a video game, and so full of atmosphere, it's beyond belief.

  • Hunam85 #89 6 years ago

    @bodypopper

    Its halflife DM with pretty water, not a complete overhaul (again) hell, im sure they promised that they would source it properly, but alas.

  • bodypopper #90 6 years ago

    Same weapons as HL1 and all the classic maps Hunam85? What about the physics?

  • Hunam85 #91 6 years ago

    The physics are in place, but they are using the original skeltal structure's of HL1, so dont expect much from the people, and the rest of it isnt really noticeable...

  • Mephistopheles #92 6 years ago

    Just started chapter 3 and it's gone to the dogs after the brilliant first two chapters. Whereas for the reviewer it was the reverse (1 was bad, 3 was good). Hopefully a momentary lapse in gameplay only.

  • UncleLou #93 6 years ago

    I thought the third chapter was the best one yet (szoppped playing at the beginning of the 4th one).

  • Tiiti #94 6 years ago

    All done and it was good fun! Alot better than the normal HL2 which I thought was pap

  • Talha #95 6 years ago

    @TessaTickle: Wow, you should write reviews man.

    @UNcleLou: Completely agree with you about a hybrid of HL2 and FEAR being the ultimate FPS - but I would like to thrown in some Far Cry level design and enemy AI for good measure. :-)

  • patlike #96 6 years ago

    100th!

    /hides

  • TessaTickle #97 6 years ago

    @Talha

    nah mate, I re-read that and noticed that it was an assembly of lines that are written every day by reviewers over and over again day after day. The difference here is that when it's Valve, you can replace a few "I wish someone did this" with "Valve have done it".

    Let's just say it was an outpouring of my impressions at the moment. I'll just leave it at that.

    Thanks for the kind word anyway.

    (note to self : must stop with the self-deprecatory thoughts, it's counter-productive and stops getting anything done)

  • gazareth #98 6 years ago

    I played the first 2 chapters in about 55 minutes last night, and I have to say I'm underwhelmed so far. For me the best parts about HL2 were the environments that were in some way related to the real word because it really helped the immersion factor, particularly the outdoor sequences such as the boat section.

    The citadel is impressively designed and some of the sequences are pretty cool, but I got that same feeling of apathy and disinterest as I had when playing the last chapter of HL2.

    The other part of HL2 that I loved was the combat, and so far I haven't even had a gun. I sincerely hope it picks up because I'm not too impressed so far.

  • wonton #99 6 years ago

    chroinicles of riddick: escape from butcher bay (pc version) did the same sort of commentary system where you could activate radios floating in mid air and hear the developers talk their stuff. I listened to all two hours of , and it was fascinating stuff.

    Game developers must do this more often. It makes you aware of all the subtletees of the game which the developers put in but you probably didnt realise was there, and by the sounds of it the developers enjoyed themselves. (talking for nearly twenty minutes about the toilets in the gamre, lol!)

  • a.d.venturer #100 6 years ago

    Valve still need to sort out the Combine fight sequences... I had to dial down the difficulty to Normal for Lowlife, but have left it up since. The Combine are still just cannon fodder... especially when Valve does their other lazy trick of dumping piles of ammunition and health around.

    If Adam Foster can do good fight sequences for Minerva without having to touch the AI routines, you'd expect Valve be able to.

    Lowlife was a great chapter, and the Zombines with grenades are brilliant tactically - do I take him down and back off or whip out the gravity gun and steal it off him?

  • Pob #101 6 years ago

    Pure awesome.

  • Katsumoto #102 6 years ago

    any news on when the next episode is out? just completed this now, the ending is much more of a cliffhanger than hl2, in my opinion. At the end of that you weren't really begging to find out what happened; just "Alyx is dead, and i'm back in stasis for x years". But after that ending, i'm desperate for episode 2!

  • krudster #103 6 years ago

    In six month's time...

  • Feanor #104 6 years ago

    Are Valve the smartest company in gaming? Their Steam network which got so much criticism in the past seems like a cash hose now. $20 for a five hour game, and Valve get to keep every last cent.

  • Pob #105 6 years ago

    Good on them I say! They made the bloomin' game, so why can't they get the cash? eh?

  • fawe3 #106 6 years ago

    Just one thing. Do I have to install HL2 again or is standalone?

  • absolutezero #107 6 years ago

    It has it written on the back of the box that no copy of HL2 is needed to play the game.

    I also think of it like this, back in the day I paid £50 for Resident Evil 3, I finished it in around 6 hours. Thing is I never ever felt short changed about length or anything like that because I loved every minute of it. I'd rather the game be nice and short rather than them throwing a game padding sequence just to make the numbers people happy. Does 2 or 3 hours make all the difference anyway, is there some kind of giant countdown clock in your head, that when a game does'nt reach the 7 hour mark it becomes not worth playing? Simply because its short? EH?

  • BurningR #108 6 years ago

    pretty nice game! - they succeeded very well in making Alyx a deep character (for FPS anyway). I love the place in lowlife where you're in pitch black darkness, suddenly you hear the familiar sound of a zombie, and panickly turns around to spot the bastard. But it's not a zombie, just Alyx imitating one, with the comment "haha, gotcha!" afterwards - just brilliant!

  • fawe3 #109 6 years ago

    Basic math:
    HL2 normal 12 hours 50€
    HL2 episode 1+2 combined 12 hours 40€

    Dont see much wrong with that.

    ps.
    According to this screen:
    http://ep1.half-life2.com/img/screens/screenshot_6.jpg
    aint Alyx become more gifted in the behind compartment? :)

  • ttursas #110 6 years ago

    If you must play a 100% linear game, why not try Sin Episode 1, it's got more character and more hidden bonuses, and humor.Played through both this and Sin Episode 1, and have to say that the only good thing in this "game" are the parts where you fight the zombies in the dark. The plot sucks, and so do the boring characters. Much overrated game. And yes, Silent Hills and Resident Evils do the zombies much better.

  • tiddles #111 6 years ago

    I really enjoyed it. I guess my biggest disappointment was that so many of the environment assets were reused from Half-Life 2 - as a result it feels a little too much like an expertly created fan-mod for my tastes. The hospital sequence near the end seems to feature some new textures, and when you get there it feels like a breath of fresh air, but then it's back to those old HL2 textures and models...

    But otherwise it's superb, with great design throughout. The new HDR lighting looks fab, with it running smoothly on my X800 when every other game says that card can't do it. Too short? Probably, but I don't feel I wasted my money in any way... Maybe I'd feel more unhappy if I was a cash-strapped student, but $20 for around 5 hours of top notch entertainment keeps perfectly satisfied these days.

    Developers' comments are brilliant too - letting us see how the masters do it... :)

  • space_ace #112 6 years ago

    no crowbar?! what is the world coming to?

  • jack_klugman #113 6 years ago

    Just completed. ZOMBIES IN THE DARK FTW!

  • foxy2006 #114 6 years ago

    Sorry to troll a bit but i find the whole thing a little disheartening.
    I loved HL2..but after a couple of hours into it i found myself getting a bit apathetic about the whole thing. The surprise element was missing because nothing new has been added into the mix.
    Its obvious that this is a vehicle for Valve to fund HL3 and other future projects, but even for the respectable price of the download, i couldnt help feeling a little hard done by. Hopefully they'll add a few new elements into the coming episodes, shooting endleess combine does wear thin after a while..

  • smoison #115 6 years ago

    This was a Great game for the weekend!

    I found it very good, and felt they took the best bits of HL2 and re-did them into a great Add-On. I can't wait for Episode 2.

    And you do get your crowbar, but the Gravity guns is far better.

    Walking into fights between the combine and the zombies is still a world of fun.


  • Wombat_ #116 6 years ago

    ***SPOILERS ALERT!!! DO NOT READ THIS POST UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED EPISODE 1***




    Hmm...just finished playing thru this last nite...have to say it is good fun, but to be honest, i was a bit underwhelmed for the most part. The introduction with alyx, dog and eli is really good and i love the animation but once the action kicks in inside the citadel it felt oddly boring...fairly bland level design, waste a mindless group of soldiers, solve a little ball puzzle thingy, rinse + repeat, didnt grab me. The core looks nice but i think they could have been a bit more creative there in gameplay terms.
    'Lowlife' was interesting, fighting zombies in the dark was new, and it was satisfying blowing away collections of different enemies with ur more conventional assortment of guns and weapons. Also liked the puzzle solving.
    Really like the look and feel of the streets of City 17, and i enjoyed the hospital section where it gets quite intense with shootouts with soldiers and a gunship pelting u with bullets from one side if u get careless.
    The rescue near the end is a good idea and i like the way things change up but somehow it wasnt as exciting for me as it was meant to be.
    The finale tho, i thought was top-notch - loved it! The music kicks in and the intensity ramps off the chart and suddenly ure in the sweet-spot of half-life gaming goodness. Excellent way to finish.
    So its a bit of a mix. And the variety is great, its great to have lots of different things to see and do. I guess my main complaints are that i wish the story-telling was more focused and that there was more of it - I felt that the main reason i kept playing was out of interest in what sort of scenario was around the corner to puzzle out/blow through with guns blazing, rather than being driven or compelled to move on to breathlessly keep up with the story or escape the harrowing conflict around me. I guess its that drive to play for the story and level of excitement and intensity that i feel makes a great game, and here, bar the end, it was missing a bit.
    So its well-varied, good-fun and great to look at, its just that most of it feels a little too by-the-numbers for me when half-life 2 really blew me away.



    ***END SPOILERS***

  • Katsumoto #117 5 years ago

    Krudster: "In six months time..."

    ha - the joke is on you! :)

    - edited for smiley face to indicate good-natured tone of post!
    Edited by 1 at 03/04/07 @ 12:43

  • CitizenGeek #118 3 years ago

    I really enjoyed Episode One but the final chapter was frustratingly difficult at times, which kind of marred the whole experience! Still, on I go to Episode Two :)