Setting:
In this FPS game you play as Gordon Freeman, an MIT graduate who worked at Black Mesa before its demise. Black Mesa, in short, was the company responsible for the "7 Hour War" by accidentally opening a portal that let in some aliens that took over the world in less than 7 hours.
Now the world is "ruled" by Dr. Breen who is, in short, the spokesperson for the aliens and commander of the combine. Combine are cops, who are hinted to be part machine, that beat the crap out of you with an electrical baton for littering. So they're a common enemy. They also have a habit of hanging around explosive barrels which I assume are a sort of toxic waste that they're responsible for dumping into water sources.
Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance
Initial Impression (No spoilers):
You start with some creepy old dude talking to you about who-knows what. But its mysterious enough to catch your interest and keep you playing. You wake on a train that drops you off at place called City 17. As you walk off the train a wonderfully done sense of irony, repression and uneasiness will overwhelm you with the body languade and complaints the unfortunate citizens of this district.
Quickly you'll learn to hate the combine.
(Spoilers below)
After some immersive exploration and a brief meeting with a good guy named Barney disguised as a combine you'll find yourself fleeing the combines gunfire. Unsure why they're acting so aggressively the citizens assure you its your best bet to just run. After you're certain to die the protagonist Alyx Vance reveals herself.
Alyx Vance:
Girls in games usually fit under two categories. The victim or the half naked big-boobied hero/villain. They're unfortunate stereotypes. Alyx vance isn't any of the aforementioned. She is the best portrayal of a woman in a video game I have ever seen.
She can fight. She can reason. She's close to your character in a nonsexual way. Her animations are very expressive and her voice acting makes you forget that your character is a mute. Oh, and her clothes aren't revealing bikini chainmail or skin-tight tights (except for her jeans. *whistle*). She's only emotional when there's something to actually BE emotional about. That's a trait that I wish more real women would have-- and I mean that in the least sexist way possible.
She's a fantastic character that you can easily crush on at an emotional level. Have you ever met an "okay" looking person and you find they have an amazing personality and their "okay" looks evolve into "hot" looks? That happens. In a game. Or maybe that's just me.
Initial Impression Part 2 (Minor Spoilers):
So after dealing with the combine she takes you to a hideout from the combine. You meet the comical character of Dr. Kleiner and his pet headcrab along with the charming Barney (who I mentioned earlier). Then you get your power-suit and they try to teleport you to the next check point for the fight against the combine. Alyx is successfully teleported. Your turn now.
Of course it would go wrong. Gordon seems to have problems with portals. You partially teleport all over the place. One place being Dr. Breens office. This alerts all of the combine that something is going down. After all of the partial teleportation you arrive just outside the secret building. Barney gives you a crowbar for protection (as they have no other weapons to give) and your adventure begins.
Half Life 2 Overall:
Although some levels overstay their welcome Half Life 2 is a beautiful work of art. The story is very compelling even with no former knowledge of the first Half Life. You'll experience an array of emotions and a spectrum of ideas and sci-fi concepts. Most sci-fi's overdo their technology's advancement but HL2 does a great job at keeping the future reasonable yet fun. There are aliens AND zombies so there's a nice factor of awesome inside. The soundtrack and voice acting is next to perfect. There's a HUGE selection of weapons so you're bound to find something you like.
Other Pluses:
Bad Things:
You start with some creepy old dude talking to you about who-knows what. But its mysterious enough to catch your interest and keep you playing. You wake on a train that drops you off at place called City 17. As you walk off the train a wonderfully done sense of irony, repression and uneasiness will overwhelm you with the body languade and complaints the unfortunate citizens of this district.
Quickly you'll learn to hate the combine.
(Spoilers below)
After some immersive exploration and a brief meeting with a good guy named Barney disguised as a combine you'll find yourself fleeing the combines gunfire. Unsure why they're acting so aggressively the citizens assure you its your best bet to just run. After you're certain to die the protagonist Alyx Vance reveals herself.
Alyx Vance:
Girls in games usually fit under two categories. The victim or the half naked big-boobied hero/villain. They're unfortunate stereotypes. Alyx vance isn't any of the aforementioned. She is the best portrayal of a woman in a video game I have ever seen.
She can fight. She can reason. She's close to your character in a nonsexual way. Her animations are very expressive and her voice acting makes you forget that your character is a mute. Oh, and her clothes aren't revealing bikini chainmail or skin-tight tights (except for her jeans. *whistle*). She's only emotional when there's something to actually BE emotional about. That's a trait that I wish more real women would have-- and I mean that in the least sexist way possible.
She's a fantastic character that you can easily crush on at an emotional level. Have you ever met an "okay" looking person and you find they have an amazing personality and their "okay" looks evolve into "hot" looks? That happens. In a game. Or maybe that's just me.
Initial Impression Part 2 (Minor Spoilers):
So after dealing with the combine she takes you to a hideout from the combine. You meet the comical character of Dr. Kleiner and his pet headcrab along with the charming Barney (who I mentioned earlier). Then you get your power-suit and they try to teleport you to the next check point for the fight against the combine. Alyx is successfully teleported. Your turn now.
Of course it would go wrong. Gordon seems to have problems with portals. You partially teleport all over the place. One place being Dr. Breens office. This alerts all of the combine that something is going down. After all of the partial teleportation you arrive just outside the secret building. Barney gives you a crowbar for protection (as they have no other weapons to give) and your adventure begins.
Half Life 2 Overall:
Although some levels overstay their welcome Half Life 2 is a beautiful work of art. The story is very compelling even with no former knowledge of the first Half Life. You'll experience an array of emotions and a spectrum of ideas and sci-fi concepts. Most sci-fi's overdo their technology's advancement but HL2 does a great job at keeping the future reasonable yet fun. There are aliens AND zombies so there's a nice factor of awesome inside. The soundtrack and voice acting is next to perfect. There's a HUGE selection of weapons so you're bound to find something you like.
Other Pluses:
- Pacing
- Soundtrack
- Funny
- Voice Acting
- Story
- Gameplay
- Weapon Selection and Combat
- Original
- Alyx Vance
- You can get this game in a pack called "The Orange Box" which includes Portal 1, a registered Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2 and the sequels HL2: Episode 1 and HL2: Episode 3. (Episodes are about 1/3 of the length of HL2 each.)
Bad Things:
- Some levels are too long and can get dull.
- Frequent and annoying loading points.
- You may acquire an obsession with crowbars.
GAME FOR YOUR BUCK?
An absolute steal of a deal.
Buy HL2 here. And Orange Box here(better deal).
Other platforms and different (sometimes lower) prices below. Click to see.
Buy HL2 here. And Orange Box here(better deal).
Other platforms and different (sometimes lower) prices below. Click to see.
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