Quote:
Originally Posted by Masta Shake
But my question is WHY? Everybody says it's so great, but I've nevr played it and am a bit leery of it. I didn't like Halo, and people said it was an amazing game. Just my opinion of course. But what makes HL so good?
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i like the halo games, but they are seriously overrated. halo is mostly popular for it's multiplayer, IMO single-player halo has been mediocre since halo 2.
half-life 2's single player (it doesn't have multiplayer) is leaps and bounds ahead of halo's. why you ask? it's hard to describe just how great it is, but i will try to sum it up in a few points:
1. immersive story-
there are no cutscenes in HL2, from beginning to end it never leaves the first person perspective and you always have control of what you're looking at. the characters seem like real people, their facial expressions are animated in such a way and scripted events occur so naturally that you can really suspend your disbelief and feel like you're living out the story. the storyline has the quality of a good movie, with some humor thrown in here and there. adding to the immersive experience is the fact that it's not just run-and-gun through repetitive structures, there are allies and non-combatants who you can talk to and who will help you. alyx is your companion during parts of the game (and most of episode 1), and she actually functions very well. she's often helpful, never annoying, and never gets in your way. all in all you will feel like you are part of the half-life 2 world.
2. interactivity/physics puzzles-
HL2 has one of the most realistic physics engines in any game, which stands to date even though the game is 3 years old. almost any object can be picked up and thrown, and has realistic qualities related to mass, weight, and even buoyancy. objects can be manipulated in any number of ways either for your own amusement or often to solve one of many physics-oriented puzzles throughout the game. objects aren't just scenery, they are actual objects with properties that can be used to your advantage. and later on in the game you get the gravity gun, which can be used to pick up and violently throw large objects, at which point almost any object becomes a weapon (and you will find some very fun things to throw around... such as saw blades).
3. it's fucking EPIC-
as you go from chapter to chapter you will find yourself in a vast variety of different levels, and new forms of gameplay. the first time i played it there were so many moments where i just thought "HOLY SHIT! THAT IS AWESOME!", and the wonderful surprises just keep coming and coming and coming.
the graphics aren't the best, but it still looks amazing, and the entire game is just put together SO well you won't even notice that some of the textures are low res. the game is simply GENIUS, and as you play it becomes clear that more thought and effort was put into the creation of this game than most developers put into 10 games. it is that good.
i can't really describe it any better than that, but if you like FPS games at all you will love this game. it will put a huge grin on your face over and over again when you discover an unexpected aspect of the game that is incredibly fun and/or just awesome. it's the game that just gives and gives and gives, way more than we've come to expect from games.
if you're still not convinced, rent it. but rest assured this game is not merely overhyped, it truly is a masterpiece. it raised the bar so high for FPS games that in 3 years no game has come close to equaling it. this game has it all- fascist soldiers, aliens, zombies, vehicles, breath-taking environments, intense action, huge robotic insect-like vehicles, i could go on and on.
and i'm ONLY talking about half-life 2! then you have the additional episodes, portal and TF2 on top of the best FPS ever made. you would have to be crazy not to buy this game!
halo 3 has a lot of praise, but it also has a lot of nay sayers who criticize the game and say it's just an average shooter. NOBODY says that about half-life 2. nobody who has played through it can say it sucks and keep a straight face. there is no argument here, half-life 2 is a great game and everyone who plays it knows it, end of story. that's a very rare thing in the world of videogames but in this case it's true. half-life 2 is universally, undeniably, objectively, definitively great.
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