Support NeoGAF

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Half-Life is a 1998 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios for Windows. In November 2001 Gearbox Software would port Half-Life to the Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2). This port was not just a standard port, it featured many enhancements over the original and in today's episode we take a deep dive at the PS2 version and talk about why its an impressive package with many unique and interesting features.

TimeStamps:
00:00 - 01:45 - Intro
01:46 - 03:27 - Introducing the PS2 Version
03:28 - 04:45 - PS2 Resolution and Framerate
04:46 - 07:56 - PS2 Controls
07:57 - 10:54 - Visual Enhacements
10:55 - 12:03 - Decay
12:04 - 13:13 - Is the PS2 version worth playing today?
13:14 - 13:52 - Main Menu Music
13:53 - 14:13 - Conclusion/Outtro

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

Always enjoy a mvg video will watch later.

 

[MadchesterManc]

The PS2 version was my first full playthrough of the original and I still have it today. Back then it was easier to get it on PS2 than PC, not many shops stocked PC games and 56K would have been a lifetime to download with in the 90's (I don't even know how video chat was managed on that) I remember playing MOH: Allied Assault on the PC not long after so it's not that the PC we had wasn't up to snuff, just the only shop that sold PC games had like the smallest selection out of all the game systems available Split-screen coop on the PS2 version of Half Life was the highlight for me

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

The PS2 version was my first full playthrough of the original and I still have it today. Back then it was easier to get it on PS2 than PC, not many shops stocked PC games and 56K would have been a lifetime to download with in the 90's (I don't even know how video chat was managed on that) I remember playing MOH: Allied Assault on the PC not long after so it's not that the PC we had wasn't up to snuff, just the only shop that sold PC games had like the smallest selection out of all the game systems available Split-screen coop on the PS2 version of Half Life was the highlight for me

A/S/L?

 

[Evil Calvin]

The PS2 version was my first full playthrough of the original and I still have it today. Back then it was easier to get it on PS2 than PC, not many shops stocked PC games and 56K would have been a lifetime to download with in the 90's (I don't even know how video chat was managed on that) I remember playing MOH: Allied Assault on the PC not long after so it's not that the PC we had wasn't up to snuff, just the only shop that sold PC games had like the smallest selection out of all the game systems available Split-screen coop on the PS2 version of Half Life was the highlight for me

Plenty of stores stocked PC games. Back in 1998 PC games were all over the place......Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA.........not sure what you are talking about.

 

[poodaddy]

Plenty of stores stocked PC games. Back in 1998 PC games were all over the place......Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA.........not sure what you are talking about.

You don't know where he grew up though. Who knows, could be some super small town that didn't stock PC stuff.....but then why would a super small town like that have console games?

I dunno, puzzling, but I'm sure he's not lying as there's no real point in lying about that.

 

[Genesis Knight]

I guess it's required to have an eye-catching title for YouTube but considering the amazing full-3D games on PS2 this wasn't an "impossible" port in the same way that Lobotomy's id Software ports for Saturn were or even PSX Quake 2. Honestly the Dreamcast running Half-Life (cancelled, mostly final build out there) is more "impossible" to me.

Anyway, that's pedantic I guess.

I've never played Decay but I just got done playing Half Life / Blue Shift / Opposing Force and I'm very interested in playing Decay: Solo Mission once it's done:

 

[Papa_Wisdom]

You don't know where he grew up though. Who knows, could be some super small town that didn't stock PC stuff.....but then why would a super small town like that have console games?

I dunno, puzzling, but I'm sure he's not lying as there's no real point in lying about that.

I loved it as a kid walking into my local computer store/pc world/ game store and browsing Amiga boxes and eventually pc boxes. I remember fondly taking the bus into my town centre and picking up yuris revenge expansion for red alert 2 when it came out (though they had switched to dvd cases by then)

 

[Evil Calvin]

You don't know where he grew up though. Who knows, could be some super small town that didn't stock PC stuff.....but then why would a super small town like that have console games?

I dunno, puzzling, but I'm sure he's not lying as there's no real point in lying about that.

Maybe. It's not like it was 2010 where it is almost impossible to find boxed PC games. But, even if he bought Half-Life on PS2 (likely 2001-2005) PC games were still widely available. Unless he bought it on PS2 waaay later for some reason.

 

[MadchesterManc]

Plenty of stores stocked PC games. Back in 1998 PC games were all over the place......Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA.........not sure what you are talking about.

The US isn't the world, definitely a far cry from a northern mill town in the north of England during the 90's. We had a Woolworths that stocked console games and a small independent game store just up the road - funnily enough we had a pretty big Games Workshop tho

A/S/L?

Good ol' dail up. I remember not long after getting something called ISDN from BT that went up to 125K and you could still use the phone when connected

 

[Mephisto40]

I remember this running like absolute crap on my PS2

 

[poodaddy]

I loved it as a kid walking into my local computer store/pc world/ game store and browsing Amiga boxes and eventually pc boxes. I remember fondly taking the bus into my town centre and picking up yuris revenge expansion for red alert 2 when it came out (though they had switched to dvd cases by then)

It was a special time for PC's and consoles to be certain. Something about the magic of gaming in that period, I don't know if it will ever be replicated. I lost my step dad recently, and he's the one who taught me how to run a game on MS DOS. I still remember how we laughed when Duke gave the strippers money in Duke Nukem 3D, and how we both agreed it would be best not to tell my mother about the game's content lol. In a weird way, Duke Nukem, Red Baron, and Diablo will always remind me of my step dad, who was an incredible guy and a rad old gamer.

He never did beat that damn computer in Atari chess, never stopped trying though .

 

[Xaeroxcore666]

Great video. Just aditional note: most of the PS2 graphical enhancements came from the unreleased Dreamcast version.

 

[Hudo]

I guess it's required to have an eye-catching title for YouTube but considering the amazing full-3D games on PS2 this wasn't an "impossible" port in the same way that Lobotomy's id Software ports for Saturn were or even PSX Quake 2. Honestly the Dreamcast running Half-Life (cancelled, mostly final build out there) is more "impossible" to me.

Anyway, that's pedantic I guess.

I've never played Decay but I just got done playing Half Life / Blue Shift / Opposing Force and I'm very interested in playing Decay: Solo Mission once it's done:

I did not know this existed. Thanks!

 

[Senua]

I was never a fan of the newer models gearbox introduced, they look better in isolation but don't gel with the rest of the game world as well.

I think he's overrating this version quite a bit tbh. Arguably the best looking version of half life he says? The resolution and frame rate are much too low for such claims

 

[IDKFA]

I had HL on the PC in 98 and bought it again on the PS2 in 01 just so I could play it on a big screen.

At the time I was pretty amazed on how great the port was. I agree with the video that the weapon selection is a bit of a pain, but it was probably the best solution GB could come up with.

Overall an incredible port of an incredible game.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Plenty of stores stocked PC games. Back in 1998 PC games were all over the place......Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA.........not sure what you are talking about.

This. I still have my regular Half Life box

 

[CamHostage]

Hmm, I didn't have a PC to play games on at the time so I was excited to finally get into HL, but the control of this port just annoyed me too much to enjoy. Targeting headcrabs as they scuttled and jumped around was just no fun with a controller in that aiming system.

 

[March Climber]

This game always felt like the secret definitive edition of Half-Life 1, that barely anyone paid attention to. It was such an amazing experience.

Hmm, I didn't have a PC to play games on at the time so I was excited to finally get into HL, but the control of this port just annoyed me too much to enjoy. Targeting headcrabs as they scuttled and jumped around was just no fun with a controller in that aiming system.

Didn't it have a Metroid Prime-style lock on IIRC? I remember having a lot of fun with it.

 

[CamHostage]

Didn't it have a Metroid Prime-style lock on IIRC? I remember having a lot of fun with it.

Sort of, but it was the worst of possible solutions IMO. You hit O button and it locked onto something in your crosshairs, but that either made it too easy or else a frustrating experience of hitting the lock button more than actually pressing the trigger because it was refusing to lock.



I'd prefer the aiming was just balanced instead of being rigged with a solution that didn't do it much good. (To be fair, I never gave it much of a chance after a few levels and I never got used to the Lock Button because other shooters of the time didn't have it; also to be fair, it at least preserved the original game instead of totally changing the gameplay or enemy attack patterns, and you didn't have to use lock if you didn't feel the need.) I kept meaning to go back to HL1 PS2 with KB&M (since that was one of the games where that was supported) but never got around to it.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

This was my introduction to the series and Valve in general, I kinda want to go back and play it again for the novelty someday, but copies aren't cheap.

It was a really cool version, a perfect introduction to Half-Life imo.