In this review, we strap on the hazard suit in the PC/Steam game Half-Life 2. We find out how well this FPS game plays.
This game was released in 2004. It is a sequel to Half-Life. That game got a passable score. So, we thought we’d try this game to see if it’s any better. It is also worth pointing out that this game was also the subject of our first “First Impression” video’s we started producing a while back.
The plot of this game basically follows the events of the first Half-Life game. The G-Man awakens the protagonist, Gordon Freeman. After an oddly cryptic speech, Freeman is transported to a train heading for City 17. He then proceeds to join the resistance in the area who are working against the Combine forces. Those forces are headed up by Dr. Wallace Breen.
You start off the game not only completely unarmed, but also without the hazard suit. This, of course, is similar to the first game. Instead, you largely start the game using evasion tactics more than anything else. The game introduces you to how object manipulation works which appears to be a step up from the previous game.
As you venture further into the game, you’ll eventually pick up a hazard suit. You also gain control of your crowbar. This is useful for breaking apart crates and wooden obstructions.
As you take damage, you’ll find that there are two ways of recovering your health and armour. The first way is to find any of a number of charging stations. The orange charging stations will refuel up to 75 of your suit armour for a maximum of 100. Meanwhile, the blue charging stations will refill your health for a maximum of 100. Note that there are also a few special charging stations that recover both for a maximum of 100 health and 200 armour.
The other way of recovering health and armour is through item pickups. Health packs are found scattered throughout the level as well as found in supply crates. There are additional batteries for armour as well, but these are less plentiful.
On a side note, there are two ways you can recover health in addition to the above. The first is through a medic who gives out health packs when you take damage. The other way is if you get poisoned. In that case, the hazard suit will replenish your health all the way up to 95. The problem, of course, is the fact that if you take that kind of damage, you immediately drop down to single digit health (often 1 health). So, this is an especially risky form of damage that likely won’t be worth it.
You’ll also gain access to a number of different weapons. There are your standard compliment of weapons including a shotgun, semi-automatic rifles, pistols, an RPG, and even a special crossbow weapon among other things.
There is then the famed gravity gun which has been cited by many as being a very unique weapon. At this point in gaming history, a comparably unique weapon would be the cerebral bore from Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. Essentially, you can pick up and shoot objects at enemies. The practical benefit is that you don’t use ammo in the process. The downside is that you have to manage the objects in the area wisely for effective use. A shard of wood likely won’t cause much damage whereas saw blades typically deal one-hit-kill level damage. So, it is a balancing act in the end.
Along with the many things you can use in this game, there is also a number of enemies. You have your standard enemy guards. This is represented through the masked combine forces. There are also head crabs. Some are standard head crabs whereas the more spider-like can poison you. These enemies can appear on civilians, turning them into zombies. Depending on how you take out zombies, the head crabs in question can pop off and attack you after anyway. In addition to this, there are robotic enemies. Some are basically camera’s that blind you. Others fire at you and some attack you with razor blades (manhacks). That’s a good sample of the enemies you’ll likely encounter.
You’ll have additional vehicles helping your quest. You’ll get things like magnetic cranes, hover crafts, and even a dune buggy. Some vehicles are mounted with weapons whereas others are meant for speed. It really depends on the situation in the end.
My understanding of this game is the fact that it does have a definite following. It did receive some controversy in the beginning because it was sold exclusively in the Steam game store. The reason for the controversy is because critics worried that it’s being locked in DRM and placed in a walled garden. Steam, of course, was very new at the time and this opened during a time when DRM stores were popping up like mushrooms everywhere and dropping like flies (locking people out of their paid for content in the process). So, the controversy was definitely understandable. While this is notable in the Half-Life 2 history, it does not factor into the game scoring itself because it didn’t directly impact the gaming experience in this case.
One thing that I did like about this game is the puzzle aspects. While there is plenty of shootouts throughout the game, it is nice to have gameplay broken up a bit with something different. In fact, the puzzle elements appear early on in the game even before you experience weapons fire. This, of course, is the boxes puzzle you need to solve to escape through a window. It’s not much of a puzzle, but does show players that this game is not solely dependent on the ability to pick up a weapon and fire. There is some thinking involved in this game as well. It also showcases the object manipulation of this game as well.
The game also makes use of the primary and secondary weapon features. Not all weapons have this, but a couple of weapons do have this. This system was largely established in the the N64 title Goldeneye 007 and further showcased in Perfect Dark, another N64 title.
Additionally, I like the use of vehicles and turret nests. While not exactly a groundbreaking feature in this game, it is nice to see things like this in a game to help give gameplay some variety.
This game, of course, is by no means perfect. At times, this game does suffer from “one long hallway syndrome”. It’s not always the case, but there are moments where the game does have that effect to a minor degree.
A secondary problem is the fact that the storyline can be a bit patchy at times. Things do gradually make sense for the most part to the end, but I did find myself running from one place to another at times being not entirely sure why I needed to do this. Again, this is a minor issue in my view.
One final problem I did see in this game is the AI of friendly units. When you lead a squad, sometimes, they follow you absolutely everywhere. If you hit a dead end, you often have to push them aside to get back out. This is something I did find annoying in the game.
Still, this game is a great game to play through. It has a lot of things to do and there isn’t really any monotonous play throughout. There is a nice variety of weapons along with a good number of puzzles to solves and vehicles to drive. The storyline can be a bit patchy at times and the level design can be a bit on the linear side as well at times. Friendly forces have AI that can leave a fair bit to be desired, though. All in all, despite the flaws, it’s still a great game.
Graphically, this game certainly has a lot going for it. I’ve played Halo: Combat Evolved, Star Trek: Elite Forces II, Elder Scrolls III – Morrowind, and Medal of Honor – Allied Assault from the previous year. This game really holds its own with water effects, wavy walls (machine gun nest walls), and even a nice pinch effect from certain enemy fire. There is even a number of different environments you go through throughout the game. Really, the game that matches this game on this front is Star Trek: Elite Force II. Even then, this game really holds its own. So, I’d say the graphics are excellent here.
If I had to pick the weakest part of the game, I’d say it is the audio. Even then, it’s very solid. The game has some tracks that briefly enter the game much like the previous game. Otherwise, you have nothing accompanying the sounds. Voice acting is certainly decent. Sound effects work quite well. Overall, the audio in this game is pretty solid overall.
Overall, this is a great game worth playing. It’s got solid gameplay thanks to a nice amount of variety. The vehicles work quite well, the variety of weapons are certainly there, and the puzzles break up gameplay nicely. My only complaints is that levels can be a bit linear at times, the storyline can be a bit patchy as well at times, and the AI of squad members leave a bit to be desired. Graphics are excellent and the audio is decent all around. So, an overall great game worth playing.
Overall
General gameplay: 20/25
Replay value: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Audio: 3/5
Overall rating: 80%
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
