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

HL2? Overrated? You finish episode 2 and tell me you didn't like that.

[QUOTE=ChosenOne54;27956440]There was a lot more to Half-Life 2 than that.[/QUOTE] No, not really. It was pretty much just a huge step in the "progress" of PC games.

To me, HL2 isn't great because of the gameplay. It's great because of the story. Unlike alot of sequels, the previous games were actually important. Gordon knows as much as the player does and there are no custcenses - it's all from his perspective, with no skipping ahead or anything like that. Everything you find out about the story you find ingame, although it's not really told - you have to look around and figure it out through all the hints. It also has great characters.

[QUOTE=ChrisDom;27956704]No, not really. It was pretty much just a huge step in the "progress" of PC games.[/QUOTE] 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.

To be honest, the story isn't really that great, at least compared to the games out there today. The only parts I found fun were the buggy and boat levels.

Even though I played it for the first time in 2009, on a PS3, I loved the game. The athmosphere was brilliant, but the game had it's faults. Especially considering the version I played was a shitty console port. Didn't stop me from playing through the entire series, though.

[QUOTE=Sharker;27956787]To be honest, the story isn't really that great[/QUOTE] You must not know the details of it then. Because once you do you'll realize it's very interesting. I suggest the Combine Overwiki if you're ever bored and feel like reading.

[QUOTE=Sharker;27956787]To be honest, the story isn't really that great, at least compared to the games out there today. The only parts I found fun were the buggy and boat levels.[/QUOTE] "Games out there today" includes Call of Duty's Story. Your point is moot.

[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 didn't find it atmospheric and I didn't care for the story really. It was a strong story but I didn't feel anything new from it. 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.

Bad story Good storytelling. Also this guy seems to have pre-emptively summed up what everyone is saying in this thread, including the OP: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uPl6KEXDA8[/media]

[QUOTE=Mystery Penguin;27956845]"Games out there today" includes Call of Duty's Story. Your point is moot.[/QUOTE] Games like Killzone and Dead Space, not Call of Duty, besides, the story is basically just Combine invade Earth, rebels take it back, it's not particularly interesting.

[QUOTE=Sharker;27957233]Games like Killzone and Dead Space, not Call of Duty, besides, the story is basically just Combine invade Earth, rebels take it back, it's not particularly interesting.[/QUOTE] [quote]Bad story Good storytelling.[/quote]

I think that Half Life 2 is an amazing game. The fighting isn't always fun, but the levels are extremely interesting, the physics are awesome, and the narrative was really good.

[QUOTE=Sharker;27957233]Games like Killzone and Dead Space, not Call of Duty, besides, the story is basically just Combine invade Earth, rebels take it back, it's not particularly interesting.[/QUOTE] Your examples don't work all that well. Dead Zone boils down to aliens taking over a spaceship and a mechanic trying to stop them. Killzone boils down to WWII on other planets and space-nazis.

[QUOTE=Sharker;27957233]Games like Killzone and Dead Space, not Call of Duty, besides, the story is basically just Combine invade Earth, rebels take it back, it's not particularly interesting.[/QUOTE] Those games use a similar story. Guess what game came first? Half-Life 2.

[QUOTE=CommanderMayhem;27945415] OP [/QUOTE] Dude you are a genius! "Hey I'll go to a forum that loves HL2 and say it sucks!" :downs:

[QUOTE=Uncle_Earl;27957558]Dude you are a genius! "Hey I'll go to a forum that loves HL2 and say it sucks!" :downs:[/QUOTE] Dude you are a genius! "Hey I'll insult someone who has a valid and well-researched opinion with an ad hominem!"

[QUOTE=Uncle_Earl;27957558]Dude you are a genius! "Hey I'll go to a forum that loves HL2 and say it sucks!" :downs:[/QUOTE] Dude you are a genius! "Hey I'll insult someone who has a valid and well-researched opinion with an ad hominem!" woah what the fuck did just happen with my post

Personally, I think that no game is overrated and that this is a matter of opinions.

[QUOTE=Maximo13;27957556]Those games use a similar story. Guess what game came first? Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] It came out first so it can't suck :downs:

[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] That means that Half -Life 2 didn't stand the test of time AT ALL, it's not even that old a game really, and you're saying you had to play it when it came out to see how good it is? it's not fucking Pong, it came out in 2004 right? I have other games from that year that I got way later and still loved. I'm not saying that HL2 is a bad game, I played it and loved every minute of it, but it is by no means a masterpiece of gaming like people say, this same thing happened with Bioshock, everyone said it was so amazing, while I just don't see why.

IMO for its time it came out it was revolutionary. It wasn't like any other game that in story or gameplay/game engine. Also what I got from the game was that the combine came from the same portal like in HL1 and enslaved us. I don't know but, it was the first FPS single player I found awesome. I'll love it always man.

I fell in love with HL2 when I got to the part where you have to put the air barrels under the basket thing so you can make that jump in the air boat, I thought it was so cool, I'd never seen anything like it before. I would spend hours making crappy makeshift houses with the gravity gun.

[QUOTE=ChaosUnleash;27958640]I fell in love with HL2 when I got to the part where you have to put the air barrels under the basket thing so you can make that jump in the air boat, I thought it was so cool, I'd never seen anything like it before. I would spend hours making crappy makeshift houses with the gravity gun.[/QUOTE] Your example illustrates what I enjoy most about Half-Life's gameplay: It's intelligent. And I don't necessarily mean the AI tactics as they're fairly standard stuff by modern standards, but rather the way the world is engineered. Physics aren't used as a gimmick; they're an integral part of the game. I know my explanation isn't really doing the game justice but it's honestly hard to describe. Everything, from the characters to the level design to the physics engine meshes together to create something unique and more involving than, say, Call of Duty.

Guys, you're using the wrong rating, when you don't agree with someone what should you use? DISAGREE, not DUMB. Someone is not dumb for not sharing the same opinion as you.

I kind of agree with you OP, but you have to realize that not everything that does not interests you is terrible. Personally I don't bother playing SP games, that would be the reason why I don't bother about games like Oblivion, HL2 etc. But you have to be a bit open-minded and try to understand that people are different. If you fail to realize that, I would have to call you ignorant.

i agree with OP i think Half-Life games are seriously overrated

[QUOTE=ChrisDom;27956989]I didn't find it atmospheric and I didn't care for the story really. It was a strong story but I didn't feel anything new from it.[/QUOTE] 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.[/QUOTE] 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=Maximo13;27957556]Those games use a similar story. Guess what game came first? Half-Life 2.[/QUOTE] Nope killzone came out in 2004 too

[QUOTE=ChrisDom;27956989]I didn't find it atmospheric and I didn't care for the story really. It was a strong story but I didn't feel anything new from it.[/QUOTE] 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. [QUOTE] "The engaging, multi-faceted gameplay" What.[/QUOTE] 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