Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but SCARY
Review: After hearing many people say how awesome Half Life 2 was, I decided to download the demo. After the one hour download was done (Using DSL) I decided to play it. There was a creepy guy who kept talking about something and I couldn't make him shut up so I just waited for that to end. Then after the guys stopped talking, I began to play. The graphics were dazzling, this is partially because my video/graphics card is partially new. (I have an ATI Radeon x700) After playing the first level, I had been beaten down with a tazer, watched the beginning of a man being tortured, walked into a room with a bucket in it and a pile of blood in the room too next to a chair, and talked to some guy on a funky looking TV. I thought it would be really great. The second level comes....I'm in a creepy place at night and I am surrounded by ugly shacks. There's tall grass everywhere and then out of the blue a really gross and scary looking zombie attacks me. I kill the zombie quickly using a machine gun of some sort. As I continue walking I see a tree with someone's legs dangling from a rope. The legs had the same blue pants as the other humans that I saw walking around in the first level, but they were bloody and you could see the part that was once connected to his/her upper body covered with blood. After that I opened up this door to find the same thing only the legs are on the floor and the upper body is all bones and is covered with blood. After seeing that, I decided that this was too much for me to handle so I quit and deleted it just so I wouldn't be tempted to play it again.
PROS:
AMAZING graphics
Great gameplay
Good story
Cons: there are none unless you're a chicken like me, if so, this game is really scary.
I rated this game 5 stars because it's great if you're not chicken!
Rating: 
Summary: So I decided to drink the Kool-Aid...
Review: As one of the 3 people in the universe who didn't much care for the original Half-Life, I was hardly awaiting with baited breath the release of this sequel. The things I didn't like about the original, namely the clunky and flawed controls, dated graphics even for 1998, outweighed the undeniable genius of the game as a story. I wasn't ruling out Half Life 2, but I was much more interested and looking forward to Doom 3.
Fast forward to the present. Having just built myself a top-notch gaming PC capable of running both games with ease, I took the plunge, but decided to install and play Doom 3 first. My initial reaction to that game --awe at the graphics and production value, creepy atmosphere-- was quickly replaced with tedium and boredom as the game played out like a 21st century scavenger hunt (find the key card! Get lost in the dark!). When I played Half-Life 2, however, I was BLOWN AWAY. The graphics are as good as Doom 3, but the big difference is that you can actually see them, because the entire game is not in dark tunnels, but rather takes place over a variety of terrains, ranging from beautiful coastline to wonderfully post-apocalyptic cityscapes. This game is truly deserving of all of the "Game of the Year" awards, and here is why:
GRAPHICS: Simply stellar. The textures are terrific, and the water effects are super, second only to Far Cry. The character models are very nicely done, and the way their eyes follow you around the room is both creepy and amazing.
SOUND: Very, very good. The sounds and music are very well done, and complement the game's moods quite ably.
GAMEPLAY: A gift from heaven. The game engine is ruled by physics so real, you're going to try picking up every object just to see what happens. A brick feels and reacts different that a doll, a tire swing responds realistically to a push, and bodies fall convincingly when shot or falling. The control is simple, smooth and effective, and the weapons are generally balanced. I wish there had been a better sniping weapon than the crossbow, but hey, that's what mods are for!
STORY: Again, stellar. It's so noticeable when a story grabs you, and when a story is just filler, a pretext for the setting of the game. In Doom 3, I couldn't care less why I was there. I certainly wasn't about to read the myriad boring PDA's you find on corpses, and the story is really trite. Half-Life 2, much like Knights of the Old Republic, makes YOU the star of the game, and gives you little chunks of info, but never overwhelms you with random names that mean nothing to you. As a result, you internalize the info, and actually come to care about the other characters. The scripted scenes are always logical and never forced, and they are just plain funny at times. I can't say enough about the great immersive world of this game.
NEGATIVES: Much like everyone, I dislike the "Steam" program which basically means that each time you play half life, you need an active internet connection. It's the company's way of authenticating your software, and while it's logical to be paranoid, (after all, this game's code was famously stolen by a hacker last year) it's a bit much. That said, most people have internet, so this is somewhat moot.
OVERALL: I personally don't care for online games; I find that people often act like children or jerks, and that the few games that are fun to play in multiplayer are shooters like Unreal Tournament of the Battlefield series. I can't express enthusiastically enough how happy I am to see that a game developer still cares about putting out a polished and amazing single player game.
Rating:
Summary: Mandatory connection for a single player game?
Review: Great game, and I'm not much for fps (besides halo and unreal). But... I wouldn't buy it again and uninstalled it for good. After you install it, you can't play it - it demands that it connect to 'steam' (like gamespy). Okay... I let it, it autoupdated everything, no problem. I looked at the box and it clearly said internet connection required, the small single page manual did say that it could be played in offline mode. Nope. And yes, I had the simple setting done correctly. It did keep running after i disconnected, but when I rebooted a few days later it went back to 'you can't play without being online' and saying that offline mode is unavailable when offline.
Good game, but waaaaay too much hassle. Maybe there'll be a patch.
Rating:
Summary: Great mix of FPS and some puzzle elements.
Review: HL2 is a game that I had no problem installing, although the steam engine was time consuming (I was playing within 45 minutes after starting installation with a Dell 8400, 3.0 Pentium and a 128 ATI 300se). The graphics far surpass Doom 3 and the physics are much better than any game out there. HL2 has a solid story and the game play is versitale enough that even an experienced gamer hasn't seen all of this before. It is not a straight shooter, but actually requires some thought processes to complete. The MP is not all that great compared to how friendly it was with Call Of Duty but I'm sure people will disagree. Overall this game is the best FPS for the PC hands down.
Rating:
Summary: Nothin in the world is FREE-MAN. Get it?
Review: I feel very strongly about this. The first half-life is so embedded into my psyche that the mere thought of a sequel is stroke inducing. I have had the priveledge of working with the BETA and i must say, other than the early-on problems with frame-rate production, that this game runs practically flawlessly. Yes, Valve is a very unpredictable company. But, we believe they will come through with this one. I have seen the projected system req. They are very low considering the beautiful graphics. You can get away with a geforce 3 and 256 meg of ram. However, like most games these days, expect a WHOLE lotta hard drive space to be reserved for this one. If you don't already have one, get a SOUNDBLASTER AUDIGY 2 for this. I have tried it with both the AUDIGY 1 & AUDIGY 2 and the extra features on AUDIGY 2 (some really unbelievable effects!) make it worth the purchase. This BETA is as clean and polished as any i've played. That must be a good sign for the game. Let's just hope VALVE doesn't have any more 'code' problems before its' next projected release. ADDED INFO : 4/25/04 ---- The game is coming very soon. And, the updated ALPHA will be available shortly. Once I've gotten that up and running, I'll complete this review. They are being very tight lipped about this ALPHA version due to even MORE code problems. This time they were released out onto the internet. Or so it is rumored. ADDED INFO : 7/17/04 ---- The ALPHA was incredible! I set it up on an ATHLON XP 2800 WITH 512 MEG DDR RAM A GEFORCE FX 128 MB VIDEO CARD AND AN AUDIGY 2 SOUNDCARD and it worked flawlessly. The ALPHA was almost a gig in size! So, we can expect this game to be HUGE. I am drooling on my keyboard. This thing will be ready in a month or two!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Great game. PERIOD.
Review: I have to say, I'm still hatin those who say that games have to work on my computer or it won't be a good one! Eg. How many times have you seen a review saying that "This game... don't buy it, won't work on your computer?!" I hate it, and if it don't work on your computer, you DON'T NEED TO WRITE A REVIEW ON IT.
Anyway, back to the point. Basically, the game has a pretty complex physics system ie you throw some bricks on a lever the lever will gradually tip over. The game is quite realistic as well. I remembered first time I played on Half Life I was soooo freaked out. And the same here. Level 6 "We don't go to Ravenholm" isn't for the faint-hearted. Pretty gruesome graphics. If you go to PC-gamer or some other review magazine they will tell you a LOT about the graphics system.
Oh, did I mention some added functions? Zombies who get sliced can stil attack you, so be careful. They don't give up easy. And headcrabs then drop off and hit you! Then you've got the great AI. If people tell you that the AI in Half Life is clever, they are wrong. 1. It's the programmers who are clever, because models couldn't attack and move at the same time. But they hid it! Here, the characters can intelligently negotiate terrain and take cover.
Yes, you can also have a group of characters following you who can fight, heal and give you ammo!
Don't get me to go through everything here, BUY IT. Oh, don't be too trusting with the specs. Fortunately for me I got the best computer I could get. Oh, and you MUST HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO REGISTER, EVEN FOR SINGLE-PLAYER!
Rating:
Summary: Old School Shooter in modern game's clothing
Review: I never played the original Half-Hife. I started playing shooters with Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2, and completely missed the Half-Life bandwagon. When I heard all the hype of Half-Life 2, I downloaded the demo for the first one, but I just couldn't get into it. What can I say, I have my own classics to play.
Anyways, I got Half-Life 2 to test the strength of my new custom gaming system, and was completely blown away by the experience. From the opening cutscene to the final blank screen, I was mesmerized. After searching for a while, I had found a game that was pleasantly challenging without being downright impossible; a game with responsive and fun weapons to use; with the most amazing graphics I have ever seen. It is just all perfectly put together top to bottom.
It's so addictive that it should come with a warning label: "Warning do not play when you have work tomorrow" because you will find yourself staying up into the wee hours of the night without either trying or realizing it. Yet, you look at the clock and see 2:00am and still think "just a few more minutes." it's unbelievable.
There isn't much more for me to say about the amazing graphics and physics that hasn't already been praised from a hundred other sources. So, I will say that this game goes back to the days of old shooters, where you can carry lot's of guns and ammo and kill lots of bad guys, and never get frustrated, angry, or have to suspend your disbelief for a few moments, because a dead guy is laying through the wall, thanks to bad invironment borders.
I just can't recommend this game highly enough. It looks great, plays great, and is the most fun I have had with a video game in a long time.
Buy Half-Life 2, and grab something to eat and drink, because once you start, you won't be going anywhere for a while.
Rating:
Summary: Best game ever? To the sheep, yes...
Review: I remember seeing the original Half-Life box and walking right past it a few years ago. It didn't look special sitting beside a bunch of military shooters. I was never a big fan of military shooters- they're overdone, and they try too hard to be cool. I later bought Half-Life Platinum as the suggestion of some friends. Currently I only have Half-Life installed for the sake of TCs. I'm not impressed. At all.
I was told by other HL1-loathers that it was a good game. I took up on their word this time and to my surprise it turned out to be a pretty good game. Just one thing kind of bothers me. It still seems to have this... "Oh wow, look, I'm Half-Life 2, the gaming world's equivalent of Starbucks! I am the sequel of a gaming PHENOMENON!" auora about it. They tried too hard to wow people and make gamers feel giddy when talking to the NPCs. The NPCs act like they were your old friends when you never even met them in the first game.
I was also bothered that several things promised in the E3 videos were cut. You can't block doors from enemies, and they got rid of half of the traps that were set out in Ravenholm. The hitboxes and lighting system are a complete joke, as well. As a 2002 title, this would probably win GOTY. This year, I think GOTY goes to The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay. As for the king of shooters... that's Duke Nukem 3D. Valve can kiss Duke's ring.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS, VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!
Review: The new half life requires an internet activation. Now dont panic, it's not that big of a deal. the makers of the game just dont want anybody using illegal copies. When you activate the game, a steam file will be sent to the makers saying that the half life is not fake. Then you can play your game without needing to use the internet again. Obviously you have internet, but warn the people who dont have internet that they are wasting their money since they cant make that single internet connection. The internet dosent have to be high speed or anything special eather. I totaly recomend this game and dont ever let the single internet activation change your mind.
Rating:
Summary: Be prepared
Review: The world of first-person shooting games was revolutionized in 1998 when Half-Life hit the mainstream. Featuring a slew of smooth graphics, a huge three-dimensional environment, and an interesting arsenal of weaponry, Half-Life was bound for greatness. Since its conception, several modifications have been created, including total game revamps like Counterstrike and Team Fortress Classic. Now, Sierra has decided enough time has passed since their original creation, and are onto bigger and better things.I base this information from the 25-minute video shown from the debut at E3 of 2003 that showcased Half-Life 2 to the fullest. Graphically, no other first-person shooter has ever looked so good. The characters have "rag doll" physics, meaning when a body hits the ground, its arms and legs flail lifelessly. Barrels float in the water, and splinters fly from a section of wood that is shot by bullets. The realism is astonishing. The opening sequence features the G-man from the last title that greets you in the end to offer you a position to work for him, or to face a fate "you have no chance of surviving." The programmers inform us that the G-man has over twenty separate "muscles" in his face that change when he talks, or has emotional responses. The A.I. is revolutionary. During a street combat, you find yourself being bombarded by enemy fire, while several resistance fighters alongside you are trying to fight back. The computer-controlled characters wait for prime opportunities to move and counterattack when their opposition isn't attacking them. A.I. of this calibre has never been seen before. In addition to the classic weapons we've seen (with updated graphics and sound effects, of course), new revolutionary ways of dispatching enemies await the classic hero Gordon Freeman. So, whenever Sierra decides to release this game (if the actual date isn't pushed back again), we'll get to see the mystic wonders of the world of Half-Life once again. Only this time, it's personal.
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