Australian Gamer Review

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Half Life 2

Reviewed on: PC
Available on: PC, Xbox

Go. Buy it now. It really is the best first person game available. And buy it straight from steampowered.com because it?s cheaper for us Aussies in US dollars.

Players: 1 (This is a Half Life 2 review,
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Release: TBA

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Lets be honest here, if you are reading this particular review, on this particular site, you will have at least HEARD of game Half Life. I could go as far to say as you also have heard, and most probably were extremely turned on, by the fact that there was indeed a sequel created.

Now, I played the original half life. The first taste of it was a demo CD of the fist level in the game that came free with the 3d accelerated graphics card I had just purchased. I remember locking myself in my shoebox of a room when I lived in what could only be described as a Christian brothel of a share house in Sydney (please don?t ask). I remember calling in sick to work the next day, then the day after that (its more believable if you are sick 2 days in a row you know), and pretty much avoiding all contact with the outside world until I had reached the conclusion to that game. Really, it was THAT good. At least, I thought it was.

However, that was a long time ago, almost 6 years ago. I have honestly forgotten a good majority of the original Half Life 2. Like a movie you watched as a kid, when you watch it again as a grown up you realise you don?t remember half the stuff that was ACTUALLY in it (Condorman was such a classic). So I will admit to you know, as I should, that when some guy called some guy goes ?Hey Gordon, its me, Barney!?, I had to search Google afterwards to find out who the hell he was.

I shouldn?t have worried though. If you haven?t played the original Half Life, it?s not going to ruin your enjoyment of the sequel. Don?t think you need to trudge through circa 2000 graphics just to understand some of the obscure references. That?s half of the charm of Half Life 2, is that there is so much that just isn?t explained, because it doesn?t NEED to be. Valve have created one of the most believable words in recent memory, and a big reason its successful is because they don?t hold your hand, then let you roam free and use your imagination.

So what?s so good about this game? In a single word: ?everything?.

After you have gone through the whole steam registration process (honestly, quit complaining, it?s not THAT bad), you begin the game. I must stop right here for a second and mention, that pretty much every one I bring over to my place these days (except most of the girls, they just don?t seem to appreciate this stuff ? sigh), I make them sit down, turn off the lights, turn up the sound, and play through the first 3 or 4 levels of this game. The graphics are jaw dropping. It has atmosphere coming out the ass. When I first played through it, I felt like I was watching some movie, and yet here I was controlling where to go and what to do. It seemed like everything I did was the ?right? thing to do, I didn?t feel like I was restricted or was doing something that wasn?t intended. It was beautiful.

For the first few levels you have no idea where you are or what you are doing. You don?t even get a ?weapon? until about 20 minutes in. Just to put all you trigger happy first person fans out there at ease, this is a good thing. Just like a good bottle of cab sav, it allows you to appreciate the finer points of the game that you may have blasted your way past later. Actually, that?s nothing like a fine red wine. Scrap that.

Appreciate you will however (so says Yoda Yug) things such as the incredible graphics, haunting sound effects, lifelike characters, the physics system with a point, well thought out scripted sequences, amazingly detailed art and level design, and so much more.

The characters deserve special mention, as you can see valve has gone to special detail to make you actually care about practically every single god damn character in the game. Just a simple flick of their glinting eyes as they tell you about the terrible things they have endured makes you empathise with almost every single character you come across. I swear to god, there was one bit where Alyx Vance (the not-quite-token female character) was talking to me, and I realised by her hand movements she was flirting with me. Then all of a sudden, she was backtracking and really nervous, stroking her hair back and darting her eyes. God, if they would just licence the ?source engine? for a dating simulator, maybe males all over the world could have a chance.

Bringing the character animations to life however wouldn?t mean squat if it wasn?t for the spectacular graphics. On a PC, this will always come down to what system you have. I have a Radeon 9800 with 256mb of ram, a P4-2.6, half a gig of ram, etc (everything else really doesn?t matter THAT much). It will run anything I throw at it these days pretty much. Doom 3 seemed to actually think about each frame it was about to display before it actually displayed it. I could drink a carton of beer AND sober up by the time it took Farcry to load its levels. And yet, Half Life 2 is so much more graphically impressive then either of those games (not to say they are bad, but c?mon, didn?t anyone else just get BORED of doom 3 after the hell level?).

It?s not just the fact that it has more effects than I?ve seen any other game try before. It?s not just that every floor looks realistically clean (ooo, shiny) or dirty. It?s not just the way light blooms and gleams off every surface and texture. It?s not just the way a level can be running through claustrophobic corridors one second then opening up into expansive outdoor beaches the next. It?s all of that combined, plus some of the most creative artistic design you will ever see. This is where most of the 6 years of development when I?m sure of it.

From prisons to beaches, sewers to caverns, abandoned houses to expansive bridges, train yards to alien complexes, the list goes on, and it?s all just as impressive as the next. And unlike a lot of games these days, the last few levels don?t disappoint. On the contrary, they are probably some of the most haunting and impressionable levels and sequences I have ever seen. Now if that isn?t going to get you to play the game ? well ? keep reading.

I haven?t even touched on one of the most important and hyped aspects of the game: the physics. Now, why is this such a big deal you might ask? Every game these days has rag doll physics. Most recent games allow you to most objects around, bump lights off tables or shoot up a chair if you want. But no other game actually makes the physics anymore than a gimmick. Half Life 2 changes all that. Half Life 2 gives you a gravity gun.

Almost anything you see, you can pick it up, throw it, smash it, break it, and most importantly, USE it. You will be surprised at just how different the game is because of these single features. Like the lightsaber in Jedi Knight, the Gravity Gun becomes the surprising weapon of choice after you realise it might not be as powerful as say the rocket launcher, but it is just so much more ?fun?. Probably because there?s never been anything like this in any game before it.

But for every high, there is a comedown. And Half Life 2 does have its flaws. The worst thing is these flaws aren?t exactly ?bad?, they just aren?t up to the same quality of the rest of the game, and it shows. Of most note are the vehicles in the game, of which there are two: a jeep like buggy, and a hovercraft like speedboat. Sure, I know, they sound cool, but to me they really did feel a bit ?tacked on?. When driving the buggy, I really didn?t feel like it interacted with the environment around it very well, it felt too ?loose?. It could also be because I rarely play my driving games from a driver?s perspective (with the exception of NFSU drag mode), so it?s not something I am used to or comfortable with.

There are other things I had issues with, such as the techno music soundtrack. Now hey, I love my electronic music, it?s the theme music of my weekends as I abuse my body. However, it felt rather out of place in a game as elegant and refined as Half Life 2. I would have preferred an epic, sweeping orchestra ala Halo.

Last but not least is the double edged sword in regards to the game itself. 6 years in the making doesn?t mean it will take you forever to finish it. If you really wanted to miss all the subtle elements in the game, you could finish it in just a weekend. To me, it?s a case of which would you prefer: play a mediocre game that lasts 50 hours, or an almost flawless game for 10 hours. Quality over quantity I say, and yes, I thought Max Payne was fantastic.

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Final Verdict

Go. Buy it now. It really is the best first person game available. And buy it straight from www.steampowered.com because it?s cheaper for us Aussies in US dollars.

Pros
Graphics, Story, Atmosphere, Physics Engine, it just does almost everything right
Cons
Vehicles feel inadequate, techo soundtrack is hit and miss, short ? sudden ending.