Saturday, January 05, 2008
Half Life 2
I have been hearing about this development studio called Valve for a almost a decade. They were supposedly this cutting edge developer taking first person shooters to the proverbial next level. But they were making games for the PC. I can't play games the same place I write my tragic poetry. It's like using the shower soap in the kitchen! I have been happily playing Perfect Dark and Halo this century, completely oblivious to their rather impressive achievements. That has all changed now. I have seen the light. Valve's three year old opus running on outdated technology even the Wii would be capable of emulating has opened my eyes to a whole new world of first person shooting.
It's crazy how much I have changed during these years I have written for G-Pinions. During the Early Years, Nick and I used to argue about the relative merits of story and presentation in video games. I was feverishly against anything that could potentially spoil my gameplay. "Games are about about action and reaction," I would yell. "No fancy color scheme or generic video game personality is going to get in the way of my gameplay!" I was adamant. Things are obviously different now, or I wouldn't have brought up this example. I would argue that games have evolved during that stretch. Half Life 2 is a great example of games that just didn't exist a few years ago. The gameplay isn't exactly jaw-dropping, but the story is so well-told and engrossing, the world is so real, the problems so immediate, that it was impossible for me not to be swept up in the damning saga of City 17.
I have never played a game with levels comparable to Half Life 2's. It is almost like a straight forward puzzle game, if that makes any sense. There is only one path through the majority of the adventure, but finding that path is where the problems lie. The full environment is your playground as you try to get from the terrifying Point A in which you currently reside to the glorious Point B that awaits. Sometimes you'll need to hop along structures that seem at first to be too unstable to hold a leaping man. Other times, you'll have to mold the environment yourself, blowing up bridges or moving heavy objects out of the way to make the pass accessible. And then there are the myriad scripted events - when you reach a certain point, a gift from god will open a door. Be it an enemy laser or a helpful hand from your mechanical friend, d0g.
The reason the level design works so well is that no section is overly difficult, but most present some slight obstacle. It works as a pacing device, to keep your focus shifting throughout the journey so your actions never get tedious. The game does a good job of shifting quickly between shooting, exploration and story sections to keep the player constantly accomplishing something new.
The story is handled in a fairly unique way as well. Instead of game-halting cut scenes, players talk to you without binding your movements. Feel free to toss boxes around the laboratory or strike your ally with a crowbar while they tell you about the plight of your rather oppressed people. It's a way to keep the player fully involved while important motivation devices are being layed out.
I'm sure other games have stolen pieces of Half Life 2's structure since it was released three years ago, but I have never played a game that fully incorporates all these ideas in one tight package. Half Life 2 may be the best single-player FPS I have ever played. It does not hold a candle to the complex story or striking ethical choices found in Bioshock, nor does it offer the unbridled fun of riding a Warthog with a buddy in any of the Halo games, but it has a much more complete package than any FPS since Goldeneye.
Two more quick notes before I end this review. First, the only real problem this game has is unforgiving collision detection while trying to navigate. It's easy to get caught on broken crates during the most hectic moments of a firefight or accidentally missing a ledge you should be able to jump to with ease. Not a game-breaking flaw, but it is certainly frustrating.
Second, Half Life 2 does not allow you to regain full health by simply avoiding fire for a few seconds. Theres are actual med packs scattered throughout levels. I forgot how much I enjoyed having to seek extra health instead of having it handed to me. I hope this trend of automatically refilling life bars ends soon. It's a very lame game mechanic.
I realize I am extremely late relaying this information. Clearly, G-Pinions has never prided itself on cutting edge PC information. The Orange Box just happens to include the first version of Half Life 2 that is actually playable on consoles, without severe framerate compromises. If you've never played Half Life 2, Orange Box is a mighty fine package. And if you have played Half Life 2 before, stop laughing. Not everyone can be as hip as you are.
It's crazy how much I have changed during these years I have written for G-Pinions. During the Early Years, Nick and I used to argue about the relative merits of story and presentation in video games. I was feverishly against anything that could potentially spoil my gameplay. "Games are about about action and reaction," I would yell. "No fancy color scheme or generic video game personality is going to get in the way of my gameplay!" I was adamant. Things are obviously different now, or I wouldn't have brought up this example. I would argue that games have evolved during that stretch. Half Life 2 is a great example of games that just didn't exist a few years ago. The gameplay isn't exactly jaw-dropping, but the story is so well-told and engrossing, the world is so real, the problems so immediate, that it was impossible for me not to be swept up in the damning saga of City 17.
I have never played a game with levels comparable to Half Life 2's. It is almost like a straight forward puzzle game, if that makes any sense. There is only one path through the majority of the adventure, but finding that path is where the problems lie. The full environment is your playground as you try to get from the terrifying Point A in which you currently reside to the glorious Point B that awaits. Sometimes you'll need to hop along structures that seem at first to be too unstable to hold a leaping man. Other times, you'll have to mold the environment yourself, blowing up bridges or moving heavy objects out of the way to make the pass accessible. And then there are the myriad scripted events - when you reach a certain point, a gift from god will open a door. Be it an enemy laser or a helpful hand from your mechanical friend, d0g.
The reason the level design works so well is that no section is overly difficult, but most present some slight obstacle. It works as a pacing device, to keep your focus shifting throughout the journey so your actions never get tedious. The game does a good job of shifting quickly between shooting, exploration and story sections to keep the player constantly accomplishing something new.
The story is handled in a fairly unique way as well. Instead of game-halting cut scenes, players talk to you without binding your movements. Feel free to toss boxes around the laboratory or strike your ally with a crowbar while they tell you about the plight of your rather oppressed people. It's a way to keep the player fully involved while important motivation devices are being layed out.
I'm sure other games have stolen pieces of Half Life 2's structure since it was released three years ago, but I have never played a game that fully incorporates all these ideas in one tight package. Half Life 2 may be the best single-player FPS I have ever played. It does not hold a candle to the complex story or striking ethical choices found in Bioshock, nor does it offer the unbridled fun of riding a Warthog with a buddy in any of the Halo games, but it has a much more complete package than any FPS since Goldeneye.
Two more quick notes before I end this review. First, the only real problem this game has is unforgiving collision detection while trying to navigate. It's easy to get caught on broken crates during the most hectic moments of a firefight or accidentally missing a ledge you should be able to jump to with ease. Not a game-breaking flaw, but it is certainly frustrating.
Second, Half Life 2 does not allow you to regain full health by simply avoiding fire for a few seconds. Theres are actual med packs scattered throughout levels. I forgot how much I enjoyed having to seek extra health instead of having it handed to me. I hope this trend of automatically refilling life bars ends soon. It's a very lame game mechanic.
I realize I am extremely late relaying this information. Clearly, G-Pinions has never prided itself on cutting edge PC information. The Orange Box just happens to include the first version of Half Life 2 that is actually playable on consoles, without severe framerate compromises. If you've never played Half Life 2, Orange Box is a mighty fine package. And if you have played Half Life 2 before, stop laughing. Not everyone can be as hip as you are.
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