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Gamespot and IGN review the GOTY (Half-Life 2)

E

Eric-GCA

Banned
Olimario does seem to always post bad pictures of games he's not "into".
half-life-2-20041115111154303.jpg

The good ones blow Doom 3 away completely :D
 
R

Reanimated

Banned
Wait a tic... I thought HL2 was going to bitch slap Halo 2 and take GOTY?

What' happened? Half Life 1.5? The story sucks? The AI sucks? Eh?
 
D

Duckhuntdog

Member
Also did anyone notice that the gamspot review says that the enemy AI sucks, while the IGN reviews says the enemy AI is great. The only AI they can seem to agree on is that the friendly AI is stupid in close quarters.

I don't know who to believe.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Hmm, I have to admit some of the text in these reviews are a bit disheartening. Especially about the AI and story. I thought this could have been the single player FPS to possibly dethrone Halo 2, but I doubt it now.

I always thought the first Half Life was an above average game at best. After all the talk of Half Life 2 I did expect something more revolutionary than it seems like we are getting. We'll see tommorrow when it'll HOPEFULLY be unlocked on Steam.
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
Duckhuntdog said:
Also did anyone notice that the gamspot review says that the enemy AI sucks, while the IGN reviews says the enemy AI is great. The only AI they can seem to agree on is that the friendly AI is stupid in close quarters.

I don't know who to believe.
Click to expand...

Another thing about that. Yes, sometimes fellow freedom fighters get in your way, but they actually acknowledge it, apologize, and step aside. They also offer you ammo and medical care when you need it. And when one of them has something to say and wants you to follow, he doesn't stand in place and deliver his monologue while you run off. If he starts talking and you decide you'd rather search the area for supplies before trotting off, he'll actually run over to you wherever you are, make eye contact, and reiterate his suggestions. Then he'll wait for you to finish up before leading the way.
 
D

D2M15

DAFFY DEUS EGGS
FartOfWar said:
And, in what must amount to the mother of all that-did-not-just-happen moments, a strider, high on its tripod of telephone-pole-tall legs and unable to flush me out on the ground floor, planted its feet in the walls on either side of the alley and lowered itself to eye level."
Click to expand...

I said it before, I'll say it again:

D2M15 said:
OH MY GOD THE STRIDERS ARE LOOKING INSIDE MY HOUSE
Click to expand...

What a fucking game.
 
M

MrPing1000

Member
I cannot help but ponder what sort of scores Halo would have gotten if it had of never been released on xbox and only pc. I'd guess no higher than a 9.

But anyway, hl2 is goty in my mind, the ai is fine Valve aren't that dumb
 
Guileless

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
9.2? Half Life 2 is the shittiest shit ever shit out of a butt. If you like Half Life 2 you like shit.
 
M

Mooreberg

is sharpening a shovel and digging a ditch
Kweh said:
Any spoilers in the vid review for GS?
Click to expand...

If footage if from last year's E3 is spoilers, yes.

I guess we know at least everything from last year wasn't cut out of the game.
:lol
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
LOL...another "THe Story Sucks!" game?!!?

blah...did kavasin do the review?

hahaha

and lol @ all the people yelling "THIS IS A GREAT SCORE" just to boost up thier GA cool points even tho deep down they wanna bitch.

peace
 
D

DonasaurusRex

Online Ho Champ
..yeah i only have one question. Is TFC2 gonna be in the game? If so, GOTY. If not Counter-Strike Source = more fun with more people than Halo2 could ever hope to have, with a decent single player game. Valve cant lose.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
DonasaurusRex said:
..yeah i only have one question. Is TFC2 gonna be in the game? If so, GOTY.
Click to expand...


sadly i dont think they are EVER gonna make TFC2. (they have been procrastinating forever)

they should make TFC Source at least but there has been no word on it, at least not that i know of.

Newbie said:
914642_20041112_screen028.jpg


looking amazing
Click to expand...

GEEZUS that looks Fricken AMAZING, the water is like....REAL....like...i can go put my hands into it and get them wet.

peace
 
E

epmode

Member
Fixed2BeBroken said:
sadly i dont think they are EVER gonna make TFC2. (they have been procrastinating forever)
Click to expand...
in the massive gamespot article, it is specifically stated that team fortress 2 is alive and well. valve is waiting for half-life 2's release before releasing information.
 
F

Fixed2BeBroken

Member
epmode said:
in the massive gamespot article, it is specifically stated that team fortress 2 is alive and well. valve is waiting for half-life 2's release before releasing information.
Click to expand...

i dont know.....theyve been procrastinating FOREVER now.....but hopefully we will see something, at least TFC source. (i bet it will probably be just TFC source.)
 
E

epmode

Member
Fixed2BeBroken said:
i dont know.....theyve been procrastinating FOREVER now.....but hopefully we will see something, at least TFC source. (i bet it will probably be just TFC source.)
Click to expand...
i know how you feel. but it is team fortress 2. there were even several tf2-related documents in the stolen build. interesting stuff.
 
W

Warm Machine

Member
The new rating system

10 Perfection
9.9 Amazing
9.8 Excellent
9.7 Very Good
9.6 Worth Playing but expect a hype backlash
9.5 Average
9.4 Some people might like it
9.3 Miss
9.2 Ugh, get this away from me!
9.1 Not a game
9 Bomb
 
shpankey

shpankey

not an idiot
Nerevar said:
9.2?!?!?

Must have a shitty cliffhanger ending.
Click to expand...
Actually, the GS review says exactly that. It actually does.

paul777 said:
I haven't read the review for fear of spoilers, but if Half-Life 2 doesn't break new ground with its integrated(into gameplay) physics, what does?
Click to expand...
Dude, that physics system is not their own creation, they license it from Havok. And to top it off, the physics have already been used in multiple games already. It is nothing new.. and it certainly isn't Valve's creation.
 
shpankey

shpankey

not an idiot
I think 9.2 is a great score for all those problems he listed. In fact, I'd say he was being kind. I mean, bad A.I. with a bad story, super easy even on the harder difficulties? Only multiplayer is the dated and old and worn out Counter Strike that we've all played and got tired of and moved on from? I mean shit, the same fucking Counter Strike with the same maps and everything? Yuk.

So all you get to look forward to is pretty graphics in a game that has a crappy story and horrible A.I. that you can walk through with ease? Granted the graphics are extremely impressive but what does it matter when the lack of difficulty and poor A.I. leaves you with little "good" gameplay to be had? Apparently the story can't carry it either, so there goes that. What's left? Oh yeah, pretty graphics. Sounds like Riddick all over again. :/ A 9.2 sounds pretty kind if what he listed is true.

Mrbob said:
Hmm, I have to admit some of the text in these reviews are a bit disheartening. Especially about the AI and story. I thought this could have been the single player FPS to possibly dethrone Halo 2, but I doubt it now.

I always thought the first Half Life was an above average game at best. After all the talk of Half Life 2 I did expect something more revolutionary than it seems like we are getting. We'll see tommorrow when it'll HOPEFULLY be unlocked on Steam.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more.
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
shpankey said:
I think 9.2 is a great score for all those problems he listed. In fact, I'd say he was being kind. I mean, bad A.I. with a bad story, super easy even on the harder difficulties? Only multiplayer is the dated and old and worn out Counter Strike that we've all played and got tired of and moved on from? I mean shit, the same fucking Counter Strike with the same maps and everything? Yuk.

So all you get to look forward to is pretty graphics in a game that has a crappy story and horrible A.I. that you can walk through with ease? Granted the graphics are extremely impressive but what does it matter if the story sucks and because the lack of difficulty and poor A.I. it leaves you with little "good" gameplay? Sounds like a 9.2 was being pretty kind. If what he listed is true.
Click to expand...

Expect the bits about AI and difficulty are utter bullshit. The story is great too, it's just that, like Halo 2, it doesn't offer closure. More like the ending of Empire Strikes back.
 
E

epmode

Member
shpankey said:
Dude, that physics system is not their own creation, they license it from Havok. And to top it off, the physics have already been used in multiple games already. It is nothing new.. and it certainly isn't Valve's creation.
Click to expand...
did you even read the post you quoted? it's the implementation of the physics into gameplay that will supposedly seperate half-life 2 from the other havok-enabled games. every review i have read so far mentions this feature as being particularly amazing.

we'll see for ourselves tonight, i guess.
 
R

radioheadrule83

Banned
From the edge review (10/10):

"First person shooters haven't become outmoded, they've not even lost their way. They've simply not managed to do what we thought they could do. Half Life 2, on the other hand, does exactly what we thought they could do. Those unrealised visions of intensity, action, drama and relentless challenge weren't just a figment - Valve knew that. The genre still has a way foreward and the Seattle team has found it. Yes, it's a linear shooter: a magnificent, breathtaking paragon of the form. Half Life 2 takes the squad-based elements, the vehicles, the physics, the gorgeous good looks, the whole sedimentary block of genre conceits and carves out a masterpiece. This isn't about doing things differently to anyone else, it's about doing them better"
Click to expand...

"Half Life 2 mixes AI and scripted sequences to create believable behaviour. Chief among these are the sections involving combat robot Dog. Initially it teaches you about physics and the gravity gun, and later goes onto fight Combine troops in the most spectacular manner. Animation is one of Half Life 2's most superlative-defying elements, particularly with the human characters. This attention to the nuances of movement manages to imbue Dog with genuinely cute canine charm, despite being a giant cyclopean mech-ape."
Click to expand...

"Half Life 2 is a firstperson shooter. But in action, storytelling, technical achievement, atmosphere and intensity it has far outdone its peers. Valve just hit the top note no other PC game developer could reach"
Click to expand...
 
A

Andy787

Banned
This is probably the most civil backlash thread I've ever seen for a situation like this. It's also probably the first time I've seen where just about everyone still has every confidence in the game and isn't going berserk, regardless of score, and I feel the same. I just cannot accept that any single player FPS is going to be a better experience than Half-Life 2, and to be perfectly honest, just the HL2 bink videos alone, to me, already present something far greater than what Halo 2's single player has, and probably any other FPS, imo. And I'm sure that HL2, at least for me, will offer more gameplay and replayability than any other game, ever, with just the sheer magnitude of not only their fantastic in-house lineup, but the mod community especially.
 
shpankey

shpankey

not an idiot
epmode said:
did you even read the post you quoted? it's the implementation of the physics into gameplay that will supposedly seperate half-life 2 from the other havok-enabled games. every review i have read so far mentions this feature as being particularly amazing.

we'll see for ourselves tonight, i guess.
Click to expand...


as far as i'm concerned, the games that have great physics have always been integrated into gameplay. i guess you mean in some super special way or something? i have avoided spoilers so if there's something "special" then i wouldn't know about it. but physics have been "integrated" into gameplay for a very long time. hell i remember in Myth: The Fallen Lords taking Dwarfs and throwing their little lit bottle bombs into the creek to put them out and amass a bunch of them in the water then taking the Fetch and shooting its lightning at the base of the water which propelled the bombs out of the water and lit them at the same time, scattering a plethora of bombs forward toward the enemy and killing them in bundles.

or we could do a variation on this and basically send one of them flying across the map almost like artillery heh. we used to have all kinds of fun messing with the physics in that game and using the physics engine "in gameplay" as you say.

anyhow, carry on. :)
 
P

paul777

Banned
shpankey said:
Dude, that physics system is not their own creation, they license it from Havok. And to top it off, the physics have already been used in multiple games already. It is nothing new.. and it certainly isn't Valve's creation.
Click to expand...


Yes, I know, but the implementation of it is unlike anything that has ever been done.

Allow me to illustrate with a small taste of what can be done in the game:
"In terms of battle, it's quickly understandable how absolutely excitingly gloriously entertaining this really is. When Gordon breaks out the gravity gun, it's all about using the environment to your advantage. If an enemy hides behind a car, flip it over on top of him. If ammo is in short supply simply use the gravity gun to pick up and fling deadly objects at enemies, including exploding barrels, saw blades, and more. Block entrances to doorways with bookcases and tables. Use metal objects as bullet shields. The varieties of options that open to you are immense and only limited by your style of play and creativity. I encourage everyone who plays this game to experiment heavily with this wonderful device. It's totally rad. RAD I say!"

And yes, I know games like psi-ops and that free radical game have used physics as a gameplay element, but let's be real - no game out right now can even approach the level and scale of Half-Life 2's implementation of physics.
 
shpankey

shpankey

not an idiot
paul777 said:
Yes, I know, but the implementation of it is unlike anything that has ever been done.

Allow me to illustrate with a small taste of what can be done in the game:
"In terms of battle, it's quickly understandable how absolutely excitingly gloriously entertaining this really is. When Gordon breaks out the gravity gun, it's all about using the environment to your advantage. If an enemy hides behind a car, flip it over on top of him. If ammo is in short supply simply use the gravity gun to pick up and fling deadly objects at enemies, including exploding barrels, saw blades, and more. Block entrances to doorways with bookcases and tables. Use metal objects as bullet shields. The varieties of options that open to you are immense and only limited by your style of play and creativity. I encourage everyone who plays this game to experiment heavily with this wonderful device. It's totally rad. RAD I say!"

And yes, I know games like psi-ops and that free radical game have used physics as a gameplay element, but let's be real - no game out right now can even approach the level and scale of Half-Life 2's implementation of physics.
Click to expand...

that sounds very very cool, i would only worry about that kind of weapon unbalancing the game and making the game too easy. does sound fun though.
 
C

CrimsonSkies

Member
"This is probably the most civil backlash thread I've ever seen for a situation like this. It's also probably the first time I've seen where just about everyone still has every confidence in the game and isn't going berserk, regardless of score, and I feel the same."

It's on the PC. It's neutral turf for these folks.
 
S

Solid

Member
Warm Machine said:
The new rating system

10 Perfection
9.9 Amazing
9.8 Excellent
9.7 Very Good
9.6 Worth Playing but expect a hype backlash
9.5 Average
9.4 Some people might like it
9.3 Miss
9.2 Ugh, get this away from me!
9.1 Not a game
9 Bomb
Click to expand...
True :lol
 
M

Mrbob

Member
FartOfWar said:
Expect the bits about AI and difficulty are utter bullshit. The story is great too, it's just that, like Halo 2, it doesn't offer closure. More like the ending of Empire Strikes back.
Click to expand...

I know many probably won't agree, but I like this aspect about the story not ending. Halo 2, Half Life 2, they aren't the final tales in the story. They are building upon previous foundations and expanding upon them. I hate it when people want some sort of closure in a sequel. What if these tales are planned to be spread over 3, 4, 5 games? Yeah, it sucks to wait but overall I think the games are better experiences because the developers didn't try to be shortsighted and cram every single story piece into the sequel.

The AI aspect I'm worried about is reading that Half Life AI is better than HL2 AI. That is one hell of an oversight to get something like this wrong.

It's on the PC. It's neutral turf for these folks.
Click to expand...

PC gamers tend to be more civil. :p
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
Mrbob said:
I know many probably won't agree, but I like this aspect about the story not ending. Halo 2, Half Life 2, they aren't the final tales in the story. They are building upon previous foundations and expanding upon them. I hate it when people want some sort of closure in a sequel. What if these tales are planned to be spread over 3, 4, 5 games? Yeah, it sucks to wait but overall I think the games are better experiences because the developers didn't try to be shortsighted and cram every single story piece into the sequel.

The AI aspect I'm worried about is reading that Half Life AI is better than HL2 AI. That is one hell of an oversight to get something like this wrong.



PC gamers tend to be more civil. :p
Click to expand...

Well, chances are we will see a follow-up sooner than later---likely sooner than Halo 3 I'd say. But as for the A.I., I guess I can't say anyhting more than see for yourselves. That bit about it not comparing to HL 1 is laughable to me.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
I'm not saying you are wrong, but what perplexes me is that there could be such an oversight as stating HL2 AI is worse than HL1. HL1 AI was great for its time, but most games nowadays, even the mediocre FPS games, stomp it in the AI department. If HL2 AI is worse than HL1, this just isn't some minor deduction. This is a massively underwhelming achievement. That's why I have trouble buying the statement that the AI is worse.
 
F

FartOfWar

Banned
Mrbob said:
I'm not saying you are wrong, but what perplexes me is that there could be such an oversight as stating HL2 AI is worse than HL1. HL1 AI was great for its time, but most games nowadays, even the mediocre FPS games, stomp it in the AI department. If HL2 AI is worse than HL1, this just isn't some minor deduction. This is a massively underwhelming achievement. That's why I have trouble buying the statement that the AI is worse.
Click to expand...


Exactly. Did you catch the examples of HL 2 enemy A.I. I listed on page two? None of that happened in HL 1.
 
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