Half Life 2 [19 Feb 2006|10:58pm] If you don’t know about Half Life 2, and I’m sure most of the world does by now, it is a follow up to Valve’s Half Life. Half Life was one of, if not the most, celebrated and successful First Person Shooter games ever made. You play as Gordon Freeman, a “Rogue Physicist,” Whom certainly has the flare of a John Rambo or Chuck Norris character in an action movie. Is this bad? Not a chance. Half Life 2 doesn’t revolve around the run of the mill action First Person shooting core; it branches far beyond the core FPS game play of kill this, shoot that, and move on. This allows for deeper game play and a more involving experience in a FPS ever. I won’t ruin the story for you, but the story is streamed to you in a way that keeps you involved. Valve had a good idea of how to tell a story without using cut scenes, and thus rewards the gamer with a more immersive feeling. You arrive at City 17 Via Train in the opening scene, and the world will capture you to the very end threw Gordon Freeman’s eyes only. Half Life 2 will take you roughly 10-15 hours, a good length for a FPS. 14 levels are included in the single player game, ranging from taking between 30 minutes to even as much as 2 hours per level. Each level is carefully crafted for variety and appeal. The game manages to go far beyond the shooting and “find this key” game play we have all come to be accustomed too in the genre. Valve has included driving (a buggy and a boat) to break up the familiar on foot pace of the FPS genre. This works well, as mentioned, it gives you a break and the driving levels are full of action comparable to your favorite Hollywood action movies. Of course, puzzles are plentiful in Half Life. They add some thinking to the game play and assist in breaking up the “blow this up, drive here” game play. The puzzles are well thought out, and are not forced down your throat. Most of the puzzles make sense to the current situation at hand, and certainly can take some thinking to achieve. Valve has included an automated save feature at checkpoints and loading screens in levels, so incase you forget to manually save (you do have an option at any time,) the next time you put the game on you may just click continue from the start up screen to resume progress. This is shown to be a very welcome feature due to the length of the levels presented. The only problem some might have with the Half Life 2 level design is the linearity. For the most part, they are fairly straight forward and getting lost is rare. Very little to no backtracking is needed in a level, bearing a few times at the very most. It feels very much like a get from point A to point B game, rather then a “Can I find my way to the end?” type of game. Being a First Person Shooter, you have your standard Halo controls. Valve included the option to alter the sensitivity of movement depending on your tastes, which is good. You use the two analog control sticks to strafe and pitch and move forward and back. Two different fire buttons, and a few more buttons control your AVP suit. The controls are some of the most simple ever in FPS, and I found when I played the game, they never managed to distract me from what was going on. The one main difference between Half Life 1 and 2, is that valve included a bit of squad tactical game play. While it’s only emphasized for two or so levels, it does add a little but more depth to the game play. The control of the squad is simple, one button push tells them where to go, two button pushes tell them to follow. It’s not complex like you see in a Rainbow Six game, however, the fact that it was included makes the battles you fight feel more expanded, rather then just the standard you versus the world included in most First Person Shooters. Valve has managed to build a strong game core. The graphics engine is superb, but during game play I couldn’t help but feel they took second tear to the tasks I was playing with at hand. With Progressive scan enabled (480 P is all Xbox offers here), I was amazed by the textures and feel of the world in which Half Life 2 occurs. The water has reflections and life too it. The people move fluently and have human like shape and bodily appeal. The Character designs are well done, and the Combine (your main enemy base in HL2) look dark, and somewhat mysterious, in a scary way. The Graphics compliment and time with the amazing experience Valve brings to the table here. I have no such complaints, minus a few bouts of slow down on Xbox due to older hardware and less Ram to work with during the port. The sound is a mixed bag. The gun sounds and voice acting are well presented, never seeming out of place. The voice actors we’re appropriate for their roles. The one thing that makes this audio package a mixed bag is the music. Mainly a techno base, It does have its times, but a lot of times it can feel misplaced in placing during the game. Sadly, no multiplayer is included in Half Life 2. I don’t consider it a downfall. The Single player is so well made that multiplayer becomes a backseat idea in this well crafted package. It is much better to see a well made single player game with all the energy focused on it alone, then seeing the single player suffer a touch and have a generic multiplayer mode attached. I’m almost sorry to write this review rite now. I am not sorry because Half Life 2 was a poor game. It wasn’t poor by any stretch of the imagination. I dare say this is a must buy for the system, and deserves to be in any gamers collection. The problem with Half Life 2 was it was released far too late into the Xbox’s life cycle. Maybe waiting for a 360 release would have been better, maybe not. The Interest in Half life 2 managed to dwindle thanks to the release of Xbox 360. Saying Half Life 2 wasn’t the best 13 hours I spent on a game the past year would be a lie. It defiantly has its place in my heart forever. In a library full of some very good First Person Shooter/ Adventure games (Chronicles of Riddick, Halo, Brothers in Arms, Far cry, for example,) Half Life 2 has it’s place among the elite. If you want game play, look no further, Waste not another second because you might miss a contender for one of the best pieces of video game design ever made. Go get it. 1 people have been terminated with extreme pork chop ºI WIll Terminate youº

[24 Oct 2005|04:29am] birthday today. 22. ºI WIll Terminate youº

[29 May 2005|07:51am] I think i am going to start Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater today...i'll be damned if that game hasn't been sitting on my shelf the past 6 monthes sealed laughing it's ass off at me. "play me damn it...you will like me" 1 people have been terminated with extreme pork chop ºI WIll Terminate youº

[28 May 2005|07:00am] not much going on, stayed up all night and humilated i lost a job i loved very much, that i had already wish'ed to have. ºI WIll Terminate youº

[09 Aug 2004|10:34pm] ive had enough of my loserness. ºI WIll Terminate youº

Movie Night [31 Jul 2004|02:11am] So last night, Kelli and i went to Albertsons for their 99 cent one day rental Movie night. We rented Return of the king, and Gladiator, two good choices. So we stayed up from 12 to 6 am watching these two movies, my thoughts? Gladiator is the better movie. A little shorter (2 hours and 20 minutes about opposed to 3 hours and 20), its pace was better, acting was better, and all the charactors had a correct place in their world. Return of the king, while giving it the benefit of being the third in the series, i have to say is just missing something for me. I dont know what it is exactly, maybe the ending wasnt the best, or it seemed like peter jackson was trying to be a film god or something, but the ending was just blah at best. The action scenes were good, the acting was decent, for what i could make out of their speechs anyhow. To me, I think it was just missing charactor depth, wether it was covered or not in the other two films, i just didnt feel anything for any of the charactors on the quest. perhaps its because the movie is based in a fantasy world and their motives are entirely different then someone would have in the real world. eitherway, goodnight. 12 people have been terminated with extreme pork chops ºI WIll Terminate youº

Final Fantasy X [27 Jul 2004|10:03pm] So after so long, and my third time threw, I think i must say that final fantasy x is a great piece of work. The best part of FFX has to be the charactors and their devolopment. While not as good as Suikoden III, i have to say its done pretty well. Each charactor has their place in why they are part of the pilgrimage, and the world binds well with the charactors as they do not seem out of place. Some games and movies have a problem where the charactors seem to have no place whatsoever in their environments and it kind of ruins the entire plot. Any RPG needs a good plot to survive. good gameplay matters, but an rpg isnt an rpg without some kind of motivation from the charactors to make their journeys worthwhile (usually saving the world, as you prolly know anyway.) ºI WIll Terminate youº

Just For One night I remember... [21 Jul 2004|06:30am] Please show me the cure Just gimme the feeling Want some of that remedy that gave my spirit healing This body has been aching Inner soul's just crying you were the only drug that kept me from dying A whispering soft rain Dark clouds line my heart Building the undying pain Tearing my inner soul apart Wanting back the memories That put smiles on our face Days living in comfort Within each other's embrace We called it our heaven The beauty of all dreams Perfection in a moment That's only how it seems Apart now we are alone A nightmare that is real Lonelyness comforts me now Something I hate to feel That undying dream lived Remembering where we been Every night I cry lonesome Feeling tears down my chin Without you now is a world Where I must be lonely Happiness was our memory The best, the one, the only ºI WIll Terminate youº

navigation [ viewing | most recent entries ]