Half-Life (1 and 2) Series [Possible Spoilers Inside]

[Omega]

I'm talking about every game under the Half-Life name, however most notably is the HL2 series.

I've been playing EP1 (In about two hours I'm 2/3rds of the way finished with it, which is fine, woot episodic gaming), and it's refreshed my memory to the story from both games (I haven't played either in a while).

I like how Yahtzee puts it. The Half-Life series has always been a beacon of excellence in the dark, piss stained swamp of the gaming industry. He's completely right too. Although, my eyes actually hurt from having to aim the flashlight at enemies in an otherwise pitch black underground place thing.

I'd like to go over why I love this series: It's god amazing graphics (Go source engine!), The gameplay and story are AMAZING (albiet linear, which works fine for these games, although at times, a lot less recently but in some of the earlier stages in HL2, the game sort of holds your hand as you proceed through it), The character development is great, and the action is superb. Although admittedly, in the level in EP1 where you have to keep the Citadel's core from collapsing and you get in those duct things with the high-energy balls, it felt a bit like frogger. Thank god they weren't death-on-contact. That would have been a trial.

But I mean, everything works out so well. It's a shame that HL1 and HL2's stories don't cross over much. I mean, you meet former Black Mesa scientists, but the story is entirely different. In HL1, it's more of a fight to survive from the aliens of Xen and escaping Black Mesa when the military arrives, etc, but in HL2, the Combine have taken over earth and you've got to bring them down (although anybody who has played it will note that for a good portion of the game, up until you go into the teleporter and arrive at Black Mesa East a week later, you're on the run from the combine, then the tables turn and now you're on the offensive).

Well, I figured I'd make this thread for anybody who wanted to post thoughts/praise/feelings/whatnot on the series. I've always enjoyed it (obviously) and I can not wait for ep3 to come out and wrap everything up! With any luck they leave it at a cliffhanger so that the possibility for HL3 exists (although that probably won't happen =/).

[xRyokenx]

(although that probably won't happen =/).

Nice review dude. Oh, and you never know what the future holds. (God I should take my own advice, lol... hmm... NO, lol)

[.Maleficus.]

Episodes 1, 2, and 3 are considered HL3 I believe :/. That's why I'm waiting to buy them; I'll buy them as a compilation (when that happens).

HL2 was originally what got me into computer building. My eMachine couldn't handle HL2, so I bought a new video card (6600GT) to play it. That was the first game that I COULD NOT live without. Parts were so damn creepy, and other parts were light and fun. My first mod was based off HL2 also, and in the etching thread I started in the Rookies Nook, you can see part of it where I etched a Gravity gun. That went on the window, and it's white and orange everywhere else.

HL1 and 2 have been great games, and always will be.

Wake up, Mr. Freeman...

[NightrainSrt4]

I remember the first time I was exposed to Half Life. I must have been like 10 or 11 or something.

I still remember going down the escalator type platform pretty close to the beginning where the headcrabs are jumping down at you. So many times I freaked out and fell off the damn lift and fell to my death at the bottom. Or strafed to try to avoid them and fell. I remember doing that one damn part like 4 times. Good times, good times.

I still think Half Life 1 is quite a bit tougher than half life 2. As great as 2 is it still won't take that place in my mind that half life 1 holds.

[.Maleficus.]

I was too young to appreciate HL1 when it came out (In '97 I was about 6... :D) but I remember seeing a cardboard shelf thing in Kmart (you know, those special things they make for a certain game that they set in the middle of the aisle) and I saw HL and I was like "Woah, that looks awesome", and then I saw the M rating and I was like "Woah, it must be really scary and cool". I had forgotten about it until the release of HL2, then I bought the Platinum HL1 pack, and I've loved it ever since.

HL2 stole 2 months of my life. I have no idea what exactly happened during those 2 months, except for playing HL2.

[D1337]

Episodes 1, 2, and 3 are considered HL3 I believe :/. That's why I'm waiting to buy them; I'll buy them as a compilation (when that happens).

HL2 was originally what got me into computer building. My eMachine couldn't handle HL2, so I bought a new video card (6600GT) to play it. That was the first game that I COULD NOT live without. Parts were so damn creepy, and other parts were light and fun. My first mod was based off HL2 also, and in the etching thread I started in the Rookies Nook, you can see part of it where I etched a Gravity gun. That went on the window, and it's white and orange everywhere else.

HL1 and 2 have been great games, and always will be.

Wake up, Mr. Freeman...

sadly your right on the Hl3 thing, which means we wont be seeing a new game engine for a few years from valve. Which consequently means no new cs =/

I never finished Hl1 (because i didnt buy it when it came out, but rather as a hl2+hl1 pack) the story was ok, but looking back the graphics are sickening.

Also I would like to say the halflife series is easily top 5 best games ever made. Not only did they bring excitement in single player, but all the mods created, and new maps made via hammer renew the outdated graphics making it enjoyable once again.

[Ichbin]

Well, with HL2 ep2, they start mixing in the "competition" (Aperture) of black mesa. But overall, you are correct, but then again...how do you mix the storyline from h1 to h2? at the end of h1 you go in a "Space tram". I think theyre doing a fine job with the resources they have :P

[xRyokenx]

You're forgetting about the System Shock series... those games were kickass. I haven't played either of them unfortunately but am trying to get my hands on a copy to play... HL is pretty cool though... I should try to get a copy.

[Omega]

Well, with HL2 ep2, they start mixing in the "competition" (Aperture) of black mesa. But overall, you are correct, but then again...how do you mix the storyline from h1 to h2? at the end of h1 you go in a "Space tram". I think theyre doing a fine job with the resources they have :P

Well here's the thing. From what you said, they do the whole space tram deal, kind of like the ending in HL2 where it goes black and the g-man walks out a door that just kind of appears.

From what I've gathered, you're sort of the g-man's employee, if you hadn't noticed in hl1 and hl2, he's watching you almost everywhere you go, usually from a good distance. Also, gathered from the intro sequence where the g-man tells you to "wake up" and how "your hour has come again", you're obviously thrown into situations by him, and through the normal half-life linear connecting encounter to encounter type deal you end up saving the day (whether or not you actually want to, however there's no reason to play the game if you don't), kicking all kinds of ass until the balls-to-the-wall ending.

In all honesty, though, I'm not complaining about the "oh god, inevitable death" cliffhanger endings that Valve so amazingly pulls out of certain doom and then proceeds to throw a whole new (albeit still related) slew of challenges your way. It's simply amazing, despite some minor things that I've probably wrongly misinterpreted as inconsistency or withholding information from the player (As Valve does to give the games an element of "god damnit, tell me why I am here" gameplay, which, to me anyways, helps you with the experience and leaves you craving information that can only be acquired by proceeding through the game). I think that the way they pull them off is phenomenal, especially how they can do this time after time and not foul things up.

tl;dr:

I am not complaining.

[Fuganater]

Oh ep3 will come out. Don't you worry. But do you think that in 10 years when it does you'll still be gaming? I would like to be but I'll be like 30 :(. But when it does come out, I'm sure it will be great.

[Ichbin]

I've heard the Ep.3 will introduce the portal gun to mr.freeman. Rumours though.

I honestly believe the "Monitor" that you blew up in portal will be somewhere on the Borealis.

@Fuganater
Nothing will stop my "Passion" for gaming. It's like telling an art person "You'll grow out of it."

Games are very much an artform that need to be appreciated just as much as any other :P. Oh yea, EP.3 will most likely be amazing.

[dexaroni]

Episode 3 will come out within the next two years I'm sure.

I am really hoping that we get a portal gun in episode 3, since I think that we will be looking more into Aperture Labs and their involvement with Black Mesa.

I am still going through HL2, and honestly, I am missing the classic Cutscene. Crysis did it well where it blends in, but in HL2, its just part of the game, and I often miss out on plot devices. I also feel sometimes that there isn't that much of a plot, I mean all of Episode 2 was "Get to White Forrest", then oh **** this happened, then "hey lets kill something", and then "OMG WERE HERE". Everything that happened in between the train crashing and the rocket launching was just filler to me.

I realize that I am pretty much alone in this boat, but I just wanted to get my opinion out there. HL2, and the HL series in general has some awesome lore and characters, and I think that Valve should take some time to flesh out the story.

[simon275]

Yeah the corporation that did the portal gun also own the ship and are the competitors to the Black Mesa Corp. I don't think anything from portal will be on the Borealis so no portal gun but there might be a more mature version of the technology allowing you to create portals and travel through them to other places on the planet or even other planets.

Maybe it is another technology and somehow Gordon will be able to overcome the GMan or the GMans shadowy employers.

Also I think where the Monitor says at the end I won't be able to keep them out anymore is referring to the Combine so maybe that explains some of the parts of portal and how there is only the screwy computer watching you and not any other humans in the control room.

HLF has got interesting.

Also the Gman still has Shepard the guy from Opposing Force in storage as well so he has a few more aces up his sleve.

Also I want Gordon and Alyx to get it together!!!!

[Omega]

Also the Gman still has Shepard the guy from Opposing Force in storage as well so he has a few more aces up his sleve.

Remember that Opp. Force was made by Gearbox software and NOT valve, so it's pretty unlikely that they'll use characters from mods (for hl1 at that).

[.Maleficus.]

Blue Shift and Opp. Force were actually real expansions, not just mods, so they might...

[Ichbin]

As for the "advanced" portal gun, black mesa had actually created one in opposing force. It was a portal gun that shot portals at your enemys making them disappear, OR it ported you to Xen