Customer Reviews

Half Life 2

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

If you love first person shooters, this game is a MUST HAVE. The story is great, the AI of friendly NPCs is superb (they're actually helpful and get out of your way when you're trying to move around or shoot) and the AI of enemy NPCs is no less impressive. The physics and graphics are so realistic that you truly feel like you're there (which can be frightening at times).

I've played dozens of FPS games over the years, this is the best hands down. The graphics and sound effects are awesome, and the gameplay is even better. The storyline keeps the game moving, and there is never a dull moment. They even manage to add a good bit of humor throughtout the game that will leave you laughing. (listen for Barney to mention the cat) It took them 6 years to make this game, and all the effort put into creating this game shows.

PROS
Well-rounded weapon selection (I love the .357 revolver)
Gravity Gun - you can pick up nearly anything and use it as ammo
Intelligent AI
Awesome graphics/sound effects
Realistic Physics
Long game - you might be able to finish it in a week... if you do nothing but play games all day
After it's installed, you don't need the cd in your computer to run it

CONS
Higher end computer is recommended - check the system requirements
Must download updates from steam and register before you can play - this takes forever if you're on dial-up, but it's well worth the effort

You'd be hard-pressed to find a person who isn't a fan of the gameplay and storyline of Half-Life. Half-Life two is regrettably an inferior story, but is still thoroughly engaging. The graphics, physics and AI are groundbreaking, and even 2 years or so since it was released, it is still technically superior to most games out there.

*** minor spoilers follow ***

STORY

You are Gordon Freeman, awakened after years (?) of inactivity since the resonance cascade was created in Half-Life. Aliens now control the world, with a human puppet enforcing law from the Citadel, a giant structure in the middle of City 17, where most of the game takes place.

You fight human and alien alike to assist the resistance forces, and ultimately storm the Citadel in a brilliant final level. But first, you have to deal with zombified towns, devlish alien aircraft, vicious ground-dwelling creatures, and a break in and out of a maximum security prison. All in a day's work for Gordon.

Along the way, you are assisted by familiar scientists, including Eli Vance, and his daughter Alyx. You'll command a strong array of weapons, teleport, and manipulate gravity with the aptly named gravity gun.


PROS

- Beautiful looking game. Realistic to a fault.
- Diverse array of enemies to fight.
- Many different environments to fight in. Look for "Ravenholm"- the first time through it is truly a harrowing experience.
- NPC (non-player characters) are very detailed and mostly intelligent.
- Vehicles; a little frustrating but mostly very enjoyable and responsive

- Last two levels: the game designers did something brilliant; the second to last level is a massive firefight against boss-like "striders" armed with destructive weapons. They are easy to beat once you figure them out, but initially you will be in for a good fight as you explore the map and learn ammo locations. That is the "final" level. The last level is quite easy by comparison, and allows the player to take advantage of otherworldly powers in a series of grand battles. I found myself with my heart in my throat feeling ever-so-powerful as I destroyed mob after mob with powerful globes of energy. It's a great way to end the game.

CONS

- Too much of the story feels contrived. The first Half-Life immersed you in a world where everything was wrong but you never doubted how one thing led to another. There were almost no explanations given, and little assistance from NPCs as you went from world to world. In HL2, you never get the utter despair of being alone, helpless, and fighting for survival in a world gone crazy. Big caveat- the game is still very strong and immersive.

- NPC AI from human characters fighting alongside. Alxy, a main character, is mostly alot of fun and a big help. Other NPCs feel like a nuisance.

I've heard alot of complaints about Steam (distribution software for HL2). Personally, I have had no issues to date and have used it for numerous games.

Overall, highly recommended.

Except for Steam, I'd call this about the best fps I've ever played. The artwork is fabulous, and the motion, the weapons, vehicles, overall responsiveness and realism is first rate. And the story line, while not the very best, is a realistic vehicle for a genuine message, like a good video game should be. Because this is a great work of art here, folks.

The overall theme of this game is of the rebellion, taking place around the world right now, of humanity against post-humanity. Kind of ironic since anybody educated and wealthy enough to possess the game and a computer to play it on is probably pretty good posthuman material anyway. But that's what it's all about. (Same with "Prey," really, but the Doom engine s#cks by comparison.) In the game it's all about a violent underground conspiracy against faceless half-human mandroids, who are gradually turning all humans into faceless creeps; where in real life it's all about disorganized lo-tech cults, or tribes, or ethnic groups, struggling (mostly) peacefully to preserve something of themselves as the forces of "civilization" close in and normalize us all. As Gordon Freeman, you are the "last free man," and sort of a heavily-armed messiah. Just as some modern terrorists may see themselves.

Meanwhile, the game interface is fabulous, the action is awesome, and the artwork is impressive. The vehicles are awesome, and just loads of fun. The weapons are great, original, and work smoothly.

I'm very impressed that they can do so much without requiring that much of a video card. I have no problem at all with my "mere" NVidia 5600fx card. You can't even play Doom 3 or Quake 4 with my card, really, and their graphics engine is cr@p by comparison to the half-life engine. Sure, IMO any vid card that costs $100 is an unnecessary luxury--but still, compared to what's required to play something like F.E.A.R., or Crysis, I'm really pleased somebody actually tried to make a game that isn't just a demo for the latest outrageously expensive video card. Let the other chumps buy the $400 vid cards and I'll buy them later for an eighth of that. You can actually make really good games with just a good plot, engaging characters, good artwork, and maybe sneaking some ideas in there. It also helps if your graphics engine does a fabulous job. I have a 2.4 ghz p4, 2g ram, and this game flies for me. So a serious gamer would probably say it is a good game for a slow machine.

The only real detractor for this game is the whole Steam process, which requires you to be online while you are playing, even if only single-player like this game was basically designed for. Essentially it's an ironclad piracy protection scheme to keep the game from being pirated to death like the original half-life was. (After all, only the best games get ripped off as much as half-life 1 was.) D@mned shame, really.

After reading all the reviews complaining about Steam, let me say this: The game is absolutely great. If you have a legit copy, a good internet connection, and a Pentium 4 as good as mine or better and a graphics card of decent quality, you will have no problems. If you have trouble installing or registering, do a little searching for solutions before giving up. I discovered among other things you have to install the "optional" other game that comes with HL2 before it will install properly, and then you can uninstall it at your leisure, or just ignore it. I think the guys at Valve have displayed kinda poor business judgment before, at least partly because their focus is on the artistic, or so I like to think. The whole Steam registration scheme is irritating, but with a little patience I got it all worked out and enjoyed the game massively, which is what really matters.

So for $20, as I see it priced here at Amazon, it's a steal. If you haven't tried it this is one of the best FPS games you can get, and the hardware requirements aren't outrageous. You may find yourself losing a lot of sleep playing this great game.

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This added much later. I had uninstalled the game and much later tried reinstalling it, and now Steam will not let me play it. My feelings about Steam were right on target.

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Eh, no, I could still play it on my original machine I installed it on, just not on any other apparently. So perhaps the simply wouldn't let me install it on two machines? I am still hoping there will be an "Half-Life 3" out there.

Pros:
Impressive facial animations
Great story
Game actually made me flinch

Cons:
AI is a little weak
Frustraiting vehicle control
End of the game is too easy

There's not much new to say, given the amount of reviews already out there for this game. My experience was a good one overall though. Graphics were great, even for '08 I still feel they were top notch. The physics in this game our amazing, something I haven't seen done well since the Jurassic Park spinoff 'Trespasser'.
The story was great too, a cross between Matrix type human slavery and Mad Max desloation made for a good backdrop. Like many other reviewers, I feel one too many questions went unanswered though. Cliffhangers are fun, but at the end I felt like 'what did I do all this for again?'
I suppose one can rest assured that all questions will be answered by Episode 3.
Overall I feel Half-Life 2 was a bargain at $10.00. If you like a well thought out action packed game, with only minor and inevitable flaws, grab this one!

One last gripe I have is the entity 'Steam'. Can we please lose this bad idea gone worse? Seriously, eat the losses you get from game piracy and quit being greedy.

Great graphics engine, but it was poorly put to use. Levels are about as linear as in any game we have played in the last 5 years. Instead of being inventive, you need to guess what the level designer wanted you to do. Basically go straight ahead, picking off the enemies 1 at a time is a predictable manner. When you need to use the gravity you will know, as there is an obvious object put right in front of you.

Graphics and monsters look really great. Keyboard controls are great.

So much potential, so much wasted. Had to play only one session a week as it becomes extremely boring. Inside levels look a lot alike. You will get tired of running down the corridor, finding the one door of 12 that opens, shoot the predictable monster, open the next door, loop around above where you were, and finally out a door near where you started. Even the outdoor scenes have boulders and cliffs placed right along the path that the level designer dictated you should go. No attacking from a cliff, no kamikaze jumps into the enemy, no fun.

Uneventful ending. The whole last 1/3 of the game is a waste of great graphics and playability is poor (1 star).

Steam updates nearly every time you start the game, delaying your session by a minute or two even if you aren't playing online. The game doesn't even start loading for 15-30 seconds even if there isn't an update. Just dumb.

Great game engine, terrible game implementation.

Half-Life 2 is a game that made me believe in first-person shooters again. I have to admit, it's not my favorite genre of gameplay (run, jump, shoot everything, repeat). This game goes above and beyond what this genre can be.

Half-Life 2 comes across as a living breathing world, a world where extra-dimensional aliens have taken the Earth, and the remaining humans are living in internment camp/cities or joining the resistance. The character designs and voice-acting are top-notch, the controls are fluid and easy, and the Havok engine means you get to interact with almost every random object on the screen. I loved using the 'gravity gun' to hurl a can of paint at a head-hugger zombie, and having the paint make a nice splatter that remained on its torso while it pursued me, for example. Little real world details abound, from birds overhead, combine officers chatting off-camera, civilians muttering about their plights, trains in the distance, combine propaganda posters covered with graffiti, etc.

Don't expect enemies that expose themselves and just stand there, either. These enemies DO use cover, and WILL attempt to flank you.


Valve's Steam server is also a great addition if you're an avid gamer, BTW. They own a lot of great older titles (Deus Ex, The Longest Journey, Pirates!, to name a few) that you can download, and the server usually does a PC scan to optimize your graphics settings for the best gameplay. Plus you can delete them for space and re-download them anytime.

I used to use a NVidia 7300 LE graphics card, which is pretty basic, and this game still ran great.

I have no idea how the game is because I bought it from an Amazon marketplace seller and now the "Steam" anti-piracy protection system won't let me play it.

I went to the Steam support pages like I was told to, and I read this:

"... you must have a copy of your purchase receipt from within the last 90 days to have the CD Key moved to your account.

"We do not accept receipts from online auction websites or used software vendors. If you do not provide a purchase receipt, Valve will not be able to transfer the CD Key."


I can't believe that anyone accepts this as a reasonable way to sell consumers a game in a box, but I guess they do!

I read a thread on some Half-Life 2 forum where the users were telling a guy not to bother Valve, the software creators, with questions about their policy, but rather just to return his used game to whoever he bought it from.

Unbelievable!

From what I hear, maybe if I send the right person at Valve an actual photo of my box, and wait two months, I might be allowed to play. However, that's certainly not what the text on the Steam support page says.

If this is really the accepted practice regarding used copies of Half-Life 2, then what is Amazon doing letting their marketplace sellers sell these used copies?

Unbelievable! How much research is one supposed to do when buying a game?

Update - actually quite long overdue. After upgrading to a respectable speed of DSL, I've been able to play and have enjoyed HL2. It's really a substantial game, in every way a worthy successor to the original HL. A powerful video card is necessary - at least a half gig of dedicated VRAM, if not more. But this isn't your standard FPS, between the immersive plot and problem-solving required to advance levels, not to mention the clever if not nigh-impossible methods needed to destroy some enemies, you're really getting quite an entertaining package.

Oh, and where's the smiley for SHEEPISH GRIN? Yeah, Steam is a lot easier than I had thought. You do have to connect to download the initial game, and once in a while for updates, but Steam is otherwise very user-friendly. It still would have been nice to receive the standalone game in the package, rather than a key to download.

Changing rating from Fun/Overall of 1/1 to 5/5.

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So Steam is the Digital Rights Management (DRM) software that prevents Valve Entertainment from getting stung by pirates again. When you buy a Steam-powered (ahem) game, you buy the software to download it and the access code that tells Steam online that you actually bought the game at Amazon. Then you use your nifty T1 (or excellent DSL) connection to download all 8 GB of the game and run it.

You have to sign on to Steam every time you play the game. Steam verifies you are who you are, and updates your copy of the game. If you ever get a major crash, or your disc breaks (or wears out), you still own your own copy of the game and can re-download it whenever you need.

The downside - and this is what crucially ruins it for me - is that you have to reconnect every bleeping time you want to play. If there are updates, the updates must install before you can start up. Microsoft is bad enough, but Vista will still keep running even if you're not totally up to date with the latest patches, service packs, etc.

Not Steam games. Not Half-Life 2. Especially not on my slow internet connection. I play games for a release, and its not helpful to have to spend an hour to 90 minutes downloading updates to play this game once a week.

Call me a crybaby if you want. I still can't justify upping to a $35/month high-speed DSL plan to play a $19.99 game. I've got better uses of time and money.

Just got around to this game yesterday (I play WoW alot) and the first time through the installation, I chose not to install Counter-Strike but the game failed to install around disk 4. Going on-line and searching for the error which others encountered, I find you have to install Counter-Strike to avoid this glitch. Ok Valve missed one thing, I can forgive that.
Now it has installed this Half-life 2 game and tries updating Steam since the version it installed from the disk must have been older - the updater goes into a loop around 28% and then quits. Every time I try it the same thing happens. I searched on-line and found many people were having this problem with various solutions sporadically working for some and not for others. I tried everything I read and could think of but nothing worked. Several hours wasted after the game itself had already installed. I just couldn't play it without an updated version of Steam. As mentioned before, search for this and you will find many have run into this same problem where Steam does not update correctly. I even uninstalled Steam and tried the Steam installer from Steam's website which also fails between 28% and 33% completed. Steam has something on their website about AOL ACS getting in the way as of January 2007. No solution to that though. When I contacted AOL, they were not aware of the problem so Valve has apparently not tried to resolve a known issue with them to satisfy their customers due to their unnecessary anti-piracy Steam software. Just alienate all AOL users. Anyway the game might be good but I cannot tell because Steam will not update properly so this game is junk to me and deserves the lowest rating I can give it (yea I know yours may work so don't whine to me Steam fanboy cheerleader - this is my experience and my rating and it deserves it).

Half-life 2, even mroe so than its predecessor, is an incredible gaming experience. The storyline is completely immersive, the graphics are beautiful, and the game engine is the most impressive one I've seen to date. Despite meeting the minimum qualifications I did have some problems with my video card, which hindered somewhat my gaming experience: the flashlight didn't actually illuminate anything, and a couple times I endured some serious lag when the game was trying to do too many things at once. But I can't blame the game for the shortcomings of my own computer.

To some extent I had trouble thinking of this as Half-life 2, since the entire feel of the game is largely different from the original. It was sort of like watching the beginning of Revenge of the Sith, where you realize a lot of backstory has occured since the last time you participated in this universe. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the storyline for what it was, and actually found the level settings and environments to be more enjoyable than the original Half-life. Two levels in particular - an abandoned zombie-infested town and a prison complex - are outstanding gaming experiences.

After having so much fun in the first dozen or so levels, it's unfortunate that I have to take away a star for what is in my opinion a terrible, terrible ending to an otherwise incredible game. I found the last three levels to be aggravating rather than enjoyable, and kept playing only because I knew I was near the end as opposed to any real enjoyment. The last couple levels essentially involve you being shot at from all sides by constantly respawning enemies with very little cover (often forced to sit around waiting for a hole in the wall to appear so you can continue to progress in the game) and I found this to be boring rather than exhilirating. In addition, like most games involving NPC teammates, I found my teammates' AI at the end levels to be extremely frustrating: they would get in the way more often than not, had no sense of combat tactics, and were generally only good for drawing enemy fire as opposed to actually contributing something. Finally, the final levels in the omnipresent Citadel were largely anti-climatic, focused far more on concluding the story than on providing an enjoyable gaming experience. Some people love the final weapon you acquire in the Citadel levels, but I found it to be overpowerful and pretty dull, especially since, again, I spent the whole time being surrounded on all sides.

The weapons, in fact, were another one of my slight disappointments. The game introduces two excellent new weapons: the much-toted Gravity Gun (which allows you to pick up and throw most objects in the game) and the so-called Bug Bait (which puts an army of alien insects at your command). Given these outstanding new weapons, the rest seem somewhat pedestrian and disappointing, as they are essentially repeats of your original arsenal in Half-life 1. I would have liked to have seen more creative weapons in the game (for example, I'm surprised that at no point you are able to utilize Manhacks a la the Snarks in the original game).

Despite these disappointments, however, I found Half-life 2 to be an excellent game. The first time I played it the quality of the video and environments blew me completely away, but having played it so many times now I've reached a point where I take them for granted. That is the reason you need to play this game: it will (if not already has) become the standard by which all other first-person shooters will be judged.

P.S. I know a lot of people have had trouble with Steam. I personally only experienced one minor glitch that was fixed after a reboot, but the potential problems are something to be aware of. However strong the rationale behind Steam, it goes without saying that through Steam Valve has put themselves first and the customer second (I wonder, for example, if I can ever reinstall this game on another computer ever again). That being said, the sheer excellence of the gaming experience justify tolerating Steam.