anyone play half life 2? is it any good? and how much is it?
I bought my copy Christmas vacation.I'm embarrassed to admit that it is the fist video game i've ever played ! Just about every computer gaming magazine has rated it one of the best games of '04.There have been a number of issues with the Steam account that is necessary to load the game. I didn't experence any of those difficulties however.I must say i got hooked,but haven't finished the game yet.The graphics are incredible,but the game is very linear.Not having anything to compare it to,for me it was worth the $49.- i paid.I also bought Doom 3 but haven't started that yet.
Get ready for the first negative review of Half-Life 2 you'll read on the internet: This game has been anticipated for years, and I was one of the millions dying to play it. Needless to say, I'm glad I had used one of those game vouchers they give with some video cards. Otherwise this game wouldn't have been worth the gas it took to drive to the store. I'm going to put aside the Steam problems, which caused me to have to re-download/patch the game seven times. The graphics are truly astonishing, and the physics are wonderful. They used a 3rd party library which truly captures "real world" physics almost perfectly. You can interact with a wide variety of objects, such as coke cans, bottles, boxes, etc. The opening gameplay which introduces you to the storyline is interesting, and much better well done that Doom 3's intro, which I thought was tedious and dull. Then comes the actual game: The selection of weapons is horrid. I believe the original Wolfenstein 3d had a more interesting variety. Over a decade ago. Other than the gravity gun, everything is "been there, done that." The reloading mechanism, which was interesting and added to the horror element of Doom 3, just seems like a chore here. The enemies are equally uninspiring. I can count on one hand the types of enemies there were. 90% of them are "Guy in black suit with machine gun." Again, I was expecting more, and got "blah." The levels are like a bad case of Deja Vu. Every level looks exactly the same! Same bleak urban landscape with the same bleak office/apartment buildings. Zero Variety. They could've took notes from Duke3d on how to do Urban settings. What bore the Half-Life 2 levels are. Frequently the game (and the saves!) got corrupted and I was unable to awaken certain key NPCs/events, including the end of level barrier mark. So in many instances, I had to restart from saves several levels ago, to get past the point where something got corrupted. I read other reviews online, from both gamer fan sites and PC magazines, all of which gave the game 10 out of 10. I had to do a double take, to make sure they were playing the same game as me. Most of my friends felt the same way about the game as me. Are we the weird ones, or do the magazines have bias/fanboyism? You decide
I was a HUGE fan of the first one. I played through it and all of its sister games (Blue Shift, etc) several times through. The new game is no less astonishing. I have only just started it, but I am loving it!
I am really enjoying HL2, but I do have some problems. The graphics are good, but I can only run 8x6 and play it decent! (P4 2,8, radeon 9500). My realy problem is with the sound though. I cannot even use my speakers. It messes all up. I am havng to use my headphones. Anyway, I am really liking the game, and much more so than Doom3. Doom3 was so dark, it got boring fast. To me it was the biggest dissapointment I have had in a while. The game I really like more than both is Far Cry. It is incredible and the MP is by far the best of the 3.
I've beaten it. It's one of the best games I've ever played. The physics engine is brilliant and the gameplay is wonderful. It also manages to be far more frightening at certain points than Doom 3 ever was. The Ravenholm chapter was particularly unnerving with the brightness down and lights off. The gravity gun is also one of the best weapons in video game history. Later in the game, you get a boosted version of it, which is even better. In comparison to Doom 3, I believe HL2 is far and away the better game. Top notch in nearly every aspect. I highly recommend it. The only things I don't like are Steam, the long loading times, and the ending. While I won't tell you how it ends and mess up the game for everyone, suffice to say that it's not very good. A game this good deserves a far better ending than what was given, especially given the drama and pace of the last playable scenes of the game. Just my two cents.
While I liked HL2, I thought Far Cry was the better game. It's too bad that new games like this never had a chance against sequels.
I can also vouch for Far Cry. I haven't played it myself but I have sat with my brother while he has played through much of the game. The graphics and the gameplay are incredible. It could perhaps be a bit more slower paced than HL2, but that is by no means a bad thing! Doom 3 is also amazing, simply put. THE scariest **** ive ever seen in my life. DO NOT play that game alone or late at night...trust me!
