Am I the only one that thinks Half-Life 2 is a little overrated? - Games

I didn't like either half life.

[QUOTE=DinoJesus;27956494]You have to have played it when it first came out to understand. It was way ahead of most games at the time.[/QUOTE] I did the only part I particularily liked was the airboat chase because it felt cinematic but that was it I played counterstrike a lot more than half-life 2 because it just wasn't very fun to play.

[QUOTE=ChosenOne54;27958882]Half-Life 2 is one of the most atmospheric games out there. The ambient noises are absolutely brilliant, and the game has a very distinct Orwellian feel. The first chapter, Point Insertion, is a perfect example of this, and is in my opinion one of the finest moments in gaming. You really feel the oppression of the Combine, and the distress of the citizens. The world feels very fleshed out as a result. The characters had... character which was awesome to see in a game but half life 2 wasn't the first to do this. "The engaging, multi-faceted gameplay" What. When I talk about 'multi-faceted gameplay,' I think it's more about the idea of a game being more than just a specific thing. There's a lot to be said about providing a constantly changing gameplay scenario. It may be the simple thing of avoiding a chopper shooting at you because you can't engage it, running across the beaches, and taking refuge next to thumpers, or having your NPC companion defend you with a sniper rifle, or it could be a big thing like the bug bait, which pretty much re-defines the pace of the game in a single stroke. These things happen chapter by chapter. Halo, Call of Duty - they do not grasp this, and that is why more is done in a chapter of HL2 than the entirety of the former games. I think that's a good way of putting it? Multifaceted gameplay > rinse and repeat gameplay[/QUOTE] Fucking. This. Compare Half-Life 2 to something like Crysis (on its own merits a good game) and you can see the flaws inherent in stale gameplay. The NPCs in Crysis are pretty intelligent, and fighting them is pretty fun (though not extraordinarily) with the suit's abilities. However the actual pace of the game is just "go to this village and slaughter everyone in it, now go to the next one". The only memorable setpiece was the interior of the alien ship, which was a step in the right direction with the whole zero-gravity thing. I distinctly remember running out of ammo inside there and having to bait aliens into charging me so I could punch the living shit out of them. That level forced me to change my tactics in a creative way. Then once you get out of the ship it's just poorly-implemented defend-area/person-from-advancing-aliens and an unspeakably horrible vehicle section. However the developers clearly tried to make those sequences memorable (though they didn't succeed) Therefore we can conclude that having rote "safe" gameplay that is good from a pragmatic standpoint can make a decent game, but to make a truly spectacular experience you have to take risks with setpieces. The Crytek devs got it right with the spaceship part and wrong with everything following, so there is a risk-reward thing going on. In Half-Life 2's case the developers just happened to get this mix of gameplay elements just (or almost just) right.

[QUOTE=Maximo13;27957556]Those games use a similar story. Guess what game came first? Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] Guess what came out before Half-Life 2? War of the Worlds. Alien invasion was not, is not, and never will be an original story line no matter how many 'ooo mysterious' men in business suits you throw in.

[QUOTE=DinoJesus;27956494]You have to have played it when it first came out to understand. It was way ahead of most games at the time.[/QUOTE] Exactly, it failed the test of time. There are plenty of games that were as good as Half-Life 2 and still great fun today. You can't say a game is still amazing if you also say "You had to play it when it came out.".

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959176]Guess what came out before Half-Life 2? War of the Worlds. [B]Alien invasion was not, is not, and never will be an original story line[/B] no matter how many 'ooo mysterious' men in business suits you throw in.[/QUOTE] You can make the argument that alien invasion isn't so much a story and more of a backdrop or setting for the characters to interact in, and it is the interaction between characters that drives the story rather than the aliens themselves. However with Half-Life 2 this is not the case as it is mostly just fighting aliens, so I see your point.

[QUOTE=ChosenOne54;27956778]Really? What about the atmosphere and story? The engaging, multi-faceted gameplay? What about the stunning and realistic characters? The immersion? Did you just happen to miss that on your first play-through? Saying that Half-Life 2 is nothing more than "Physics puzzles and a hour long hover-boat sequence' is fallacious.[/QUOTE] I agree wholeheartedly with you, on every point. But for the love of God, please find an adjective other than 'multi-faceted'.

[QUOTE=ChosenOne54;27958892]When I talk about 'multi-faceted gameplay,' I think it's more about the idea of a game being more than just a specific thing. There's a lot to be said about providing a constantly changing gameplay scenario. It may be the simple thing of avoiding a chopper shooting at you because you can't engage it, running across the beaches, and taking refuge next to thumpers, or having your NPC companion defend you with a sniper rifle, or it could be a big thing like the bug bait, which pretty much re-defines the pace of the game in a single stroke. These things happen chapter by chapter. Halo, Call of Duty - they do not grasp this, and that is why more is done in a chapter of HL2 than the entirety of the former games. I think that's a good way of putting it? Multifaceted gameplay > rinse and repeat gameplay[/QUOTE] Ha, you've clearly never played Call of Duty [i]or[/i] Halo. If you think Half-Life 2 is the only shooter to ever have a constantly shifting atmosphere -- well I'm not at all surprised considering it seems you've only ever played Half-Life 2. Halo, for example, is far more than a simple shooting gallery as you seem to be so convinced it is. One chapter may have you fighting with a squad through a large-scale conflict as Covenant drop pods rain from the sky while the next will have you single-handedly fighting off a deadly Flood invasion. Then maybe you'll be tasked with riding through a huge level (on actually good vehicles I might add) stopping occasionally to clear out an outpost, after which you'll take to the skies above a war torn city. I'm not saying that Halo is some godlike game (though it is indeed very good), but to say that Half-Life 2 is the most varied game ever is just pitiably short-sighted. [editline]9th February 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Maloof?;27959277]I agree wholeheartedly with you, on every point. But for the love of God, please find an adjective other than 'multi-faceted'.[/QUOTE] His vocabulary is very limited, much like his experience with games other than Half-Life 2.

As I'm sure it's been said, HL2 and the Source engine were revolutionary [b]for their time.[/b] By today's standards, they're old, outdated and nothing revolutionary at all. I also laugh at people bashing Call of Duty. It may seem simple, but there's a lot more under the surface you probably don't pick up on.

Also to note is the in-game commentary by Valve. While this shouldn't count towards whether or not you 'like' the game, it's amazing how much thought the Devs put into each location, character, monster and encounter (visually and behaviorally). And it becomes obvious that very few other developers make this much effort. Also, I love the Source engine for the fact that it doesn't make every bump-mapped surface look like shiny plastic (Oblivion).

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959419]Ha, you've clearly never played Call of Duty [i]or[/i] Halo. If you think Half-Life 2 is the only shooter to ever have a constantly shifting atmosphere -- well I'm not at all surprised considering it seems you've only ever played Half-Life 2. Halo, for example, is far more than a simple shooting gallery as you seem to be so convinced it is. One chapter may have you fighting with a squad through a large-scale conflict as Covenant drop pods rain from the sky while the next will have you single-handedly fighting off a deadly Flood invasion. Then maybe you'll be tasked with riding through a huge level (on actually good vehicles I might add) stopping occasionally to clear out an outpost, after which you'll take to the skies above a war torn city. I'm not saying that Halo is some godlike game (though it is indeed very good), but to say that Half-Life 2 is the most varied game ever is just pitiably short-sighted. [editline]9th February 2011[/editline] His vocabulary is very limited, much like his experience with games other than Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] As someone who has played Call of Duty 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 and Halo 1-3 and Reach...I still have to agree with ChosenOne. Halo and Call of Duty generally have some nice variety to them to prevent boredom, but Half-Life 2 takes it even further and, most importantly, makes everything feel 100% cohesive and part of the same world. There is a staggering amount of gameplay and environmental variety present in the roughly 15 hour campaign, and none of it feels the slightest bit out of place (in my experience anyway).

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959176]Guess what came out before Half-Life 2? War of the Worlds. Alien invasion was not, is not, and never will be an original story line no matter how many 'ooo mysterious' men in business suits you throw in.[/QUOTE] So, after all the events in the War of the Worlds there was an oppressive alien empire ruling them? I didn't know.

[QUOTE=Protocol7;27959476]I also laugh at people bashing Call of Duty. It may seem simple, but there's a lot more under the surface you probably don't pick up on.[/QUOTE] But it's popular so it must be bad. :downs: It's not like Call of Duty games are amazing hallmarks of modern gaming or even better than Half-Life 2 but they're very competent shooters, and Black Ops even managed to squeeze in a surprisingly good story line.

[QUOTE=Maximo13;27959565]So, after all the events in the War of the Worlds there was an oppressive alien empire ruling them? I didn't know.[/QUOTE] you're being facetious and you know it

[QUOTE=Maximo13;27959565]So, after all the events in the War of the Worlds there was an oppressive alien empire ruling them? I didn't know.[/QUOTE] 1984 also came out before Half-Life 2. (No they weren't aliens, concept is the same.)

also reposting my reply because it was at the bottom of the last page [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1058115-Am-I-the-only-one-that-thinks-Half-Life-2-is-a-little-overrated?p=27959135&viewfull=1#post27959135[/url] [editline]9th February 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=postmanX3;27959593]1984 also came out before Half-Life 2. (No they weren't aliens, concept is the same.)[/QUOTE] how do you know? we never see big brother :ohdear:

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959419]His vocabulary is very limited, much like his experience with games other than Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] Oh, I'm sure he's played other games. Games only made by Valve, of course.

My only absolute negative comment about Half-Life 2, is indeed, the airboat parts. That part was just plain boring to me.

What's Half Life? But seriously, Half Life isn't a bad game at all and for the longest time has the best modding capabilities out there. Even if you don't agree with the story, you can't deny that it's a great game of its time. The first Half Life however is clearly better.

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959419]Ha, you've clearly never played Call of Duty [i]or[/i] Halo. If you think Half-Life 2 is the only shooter to ever have a constantly shifting atmosphere -- well I'm not at all surprised considering it seems you've only ever played Half-Life 2. Halo, for example, is far more than a simple shooting gallery as you seem to be so convinced it is. One chapter may have you fighting with a squad through a large-scale conflict as Covenant drop pods rain from the sky while the next will have you single-handedly fighting off a deadly Flood invasion. Then maybe you'll be tasked with riding through a huge level (on actually good vehicles I might add) stopping occasionally to clear out an outpost, after which you'll take to the skies above a war torn city. I'm not saying that Halo is some godlike game (though it is indeed very good), but to say that Half-Life 2 is the most varied game ever is just pitiably short-sighted. [/QUOTE] There may be variations in the environment, but the fundamental gameplay stays almost exactly the same throughout. You are still doing nothing but killing enemies with the same weapons. On top of that, these variations are few and far-between. ON the other hand, changes in Half-Life 2 occur every chapter. For example, in Half-Life 2, for the first level, you don’t even have a gun. You can’t do anything except run. When you get the gravity gun, the game mechanics are turned on their side, and you trek through an abandoned village, alone. When you are traversing the coast, you suitably have a vehicle for fast transport. When you are making your way to Nova Prospekt, you get bugbait, which completely changes the pacing of the game once again. Later on, you get the ability to command troops in a similar fashion. Every chapter is highly unique, and very different from the previous chapter. [QUOTE] His vocabulary is very limited, much like his experience with games other than Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] Oh, so a thinly disguised attack at my vocabulary somehow makes your opinion any more valid? If you really knew what you were talking about, you would have an actual comeback, instead of childish, flamebaiting replies. I have played FPS for as long as I can remember. I was 5 years old or so when I first played Duke Nukem 3D. I was even younger when I played such ancients as Wolfenstein 3D. I have played the Doom series. I have played the Quake series. I have played Crysis. Far Cry 1 and 2. Every Call of Duty installment. I have played F.E.A.R. Every Halo game. Bioshock. Killzone 2. Fallout 3. The L4D series. So what the hell is your point?

HL2 is good, but I don't find it particularly "fun" MW2's storyline was bullshit, but it was fun

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27959593]1984 also came out before Half-Life 2. (No they weren't aliens, concept is the same.)[/QUOTE] You guys are mainly just looking at the enslaving portion of the storyline. There's more to the game then oppression.

I think a great way to judge a game is to see how it influenced the gaming industry. When a game makes use of cool new elements other developers will try and copy them. Take for example the audio logs in Bioshock, it was innovative, and a great way to tell a story. And you see it used in quite some games today (Fallout 3/new vegas, Mass effect etc). Now I can't really think of ways half life 2 influenced the industry. Sure the facial animations were great, and so were the physics. But those were merely the result of advancing technology, not innovation. This discussion isn't about how good we think Half life 2 was, I think we all pretty much agree on what it is. But that our definitions of "good video game" differentiates. We should discuss what it is that make the characteristics of a good video game, and then discuss if these characteristics apply to Half life 2.

Should have played the game 7 years ago, buddy.

[QUOTE=ChosenOne54;27959982]There may be variations in the environment, but the fundamental gameplay stays almost exactly the same throughout. You are still doing nothing but killing enemies with the same weapons. On top of that, these variations are few and far-between. ON the other hand, changes in Half-Life 2 occur every chapter. For example, in Half-Life 2, for the first level, you don’t even have a gun. You can’t do anything except run. When you get the gravity gun, the game mechanics are turned on their side, and you trek through an abandoned village, alone. When you are traversing the coast, you suitably have a vehicle for fast transport. When you are making your way to Nova Prospekt, you get bugbait, which completely changes the pacing of the game once again. Later on, you get the ability to command troops in a similar fashion. Every chapter is highly unique, and very different from the previous chapter.[/quote] And in Halo, you spend one chapter fighting hordes of Flood in dark, dank corridors and the next in a huge battlefield swarming with Covenant of all kinds. To say that Half-Life 2 is more varied than any other FPS ever created is, to use a word you seem to like so much, completely fallacious. [quote]Oh, so a thinly disguised attack at my vocabulary somehow makes your opinion any more valid? If you really knew what you were talking about, you would have an actual comeback, instead of childish, flamebaiting replies. I have played FPS for as long as I can remember. I was 5 years old or so when I first played Duke Nukem 3D. I was even younger when I played such ancients as Wolfenstein 3D. I have played the Doom series. I have played the Quake series. I have played Crysis. Far Cry 1 and 2. Every Call of Duty installment. I have played F.E.A.R. Every Halo game. Bioshock. Killzone 2. Fallout 3. The L4D series. So what the hell is your point?[/quote] My point is that you clearly haven't played the other games you claim to have played, or in the very least played only, say, two of their chapters. Otherwise, it could just be that your rose-tinted goggles are glued to your head.

HL2 didn't do much for me, I mean it was fun like a game should be, but when I was done all I did was go "Well that was cool I guess" and went on doing other things. To be honest I liked Halo 1 at the time so much more in every way than HL2.

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27960686]And in Halo, you spend one chapter fighting hordes of Flood in dark, dank corridors and the next in a huge battlefield swarming with Covenant of all kinds. [/QUOTE] Even so, it doesn't have nearly as many varied scenarios as Half-Life 2. Like I said, the fundamental gameplay remains almost exactly the same. In Half-Life 2, with many of the new scenarios, the basic fundamentals of the gameplay and combat are changed. The bugbait changes the pace, and makes the gameplay more deliberate and strategic. In Ravenholm, you will most certainly be making use of the various saw blades and explosive barrels scattered around, as well as the traps. In Our Benefactors, the upgraded Gravity Gun is completely unlike any previous moments in the game. Should I go on? [QUOTE]My point is that you clearly haven't played the other games you claim to have played, or in the very least played only, say, two of their chapters.[/QUOTE] Really? Are you REALLY sure about that?

[QUOTE=postmanX3;27960686]And in Halo, you spend one chapter fighting hordes of Flood in dark, dank corridors and the next in a huge battlefield swarming with Covenant of all kinds.[/QUOTE] As true as that is, that's an environmental change, not a gameplay change. Halo's gameplay remains the same throughout almost the entire campaign. Half-Life 2, on the other hand, forces the player to update his strategy in almost every level. It also includes the massive environmental variety that's present in Halo. This is why Half-Life 2 is more varied.

[QUOTE=JeanLuc761;27960907]As true as that is, that's an environmental change, not a gameplay change. Halo's gameplay remains the same throughout almost the entire campaign. Half-Life 2, on the other hand, forces the player to update his strategy in almost every level. It also includes the massive environmental variety that's present in Halo. This is why Half-Life 2 is more varied.[/QUOTE] I found that Half-Life 2's gameplay was about the same thoughout, forcing you to use nothing but a supercharged grav gun doesn't make MY strategy of "shoot every goddamn thing that moves" any different.

It's a shame that these discussions on facepunch never transcend the "You are wrong I am right" level of discussion, and never actually discuss the essence of the issue. Which in this case is the definition of a good game. it's impossible to argue about what game is a good game if you haven't established the definition of a good game. Therefore this should be about what is a good game before discussing if Hl2 is one.