"The Freeman Returns" with The Official Orange Box Thread

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I'M IN UR HIVE
EATIN' UR GRUBS' BRAINZ
 
Having never played HL2 before, but having HAD read Concerned, I'm having a hard time taking the game seriously, because you run into Gordon Frohman within the first like 10 seconds, and several times subsequently :lol :lol
 
HomerSimpson-Man said:
If you ever played the Xbox version, you would know that statement is BS. Think about the logistics of it for a bit, why would you port a port that was downscaled greatly to fit on Xbox in the first place and port that instead of the using the original PC assets as a base?

Must be people confusing with the fact that Episode 2 simply is a better looking game than the original Half-life 2.

I'm going by the IGN review for "ported xbox game" comment. I'm going to buy the game anyway, but I still remember reading an old preview where it was stated that they would be beefing up the HL2 graphics to match more closely with episode 2, and it sounds like it didn't happen.
 
I was going to be good and play through Half Life 2 and Ep.1 before touching Portal but I just couldn't help myself.
I don't care how many times you've seen the video, looking then stepping through a portal for the first time is like a fucking revelation.
Also, Am I the only one who got creeped out to no end when
arriving at the first turrets room? I was all happily strolling along, laughing at the computer voice and its silly yet strangely ominous voice and my face went STONE SOMBER when I first saw the word "Help" scribbled on the ground in blood. :lol:

I'm guessing that I'm almost at the end of the basic maps for Portal. Am I right in that assumption?

Good times!
 
Ep2: Any tips on the
valley fight, which I guess would be the last fight in the game? The striders aren't that big of a deal, but the hunters keep kicking my ass. Any easy way to get rid of them?
 
Coen said:
Ep2: Any tips on the
valley fight, which I guess would be the last fight in the game? The striders aren't that big of a deal, but the hunters keep kicking my ass. Any easy way to get rid of them?

thowing things at them kills them faster. Also, magnum and crossbow work well. Use the combine machine gun secondary fire. You have to kill the hunters first.
 
Coen said:
Ep2: Any tips on the
valley fight, which I guess would be the last fight in the game? The striders aren't that big of a deal, but the hunters keep kicking my ass. Any easy way to get rid of them?


Two words:

Use the car as a weapon that could be used against the enemy that you speak of.
 
BruceLeeRoy said:
Sorry if this is posted somewhere else in the thread but do we have any Fing idea when the ps3 version comes out.

Damn if I know. :|

In the mean time I'm playing Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 that were kindly gifted to me through stream.
 
Coen said:
Ep2: Any tips on the
valley fight, which I guess would be the last fight in the game? The striders aren't that big of a deal, but the hunters keep kicking my ass. Any easy way to get rid of them?

Load up a strider bomb on the car and then use the car to run over the hunters before attempting to take out the strider. Shooting them is basically useless since they take so many hits to kill. Once all the hunters are dead just park the car at the stiders feet and blow it up.
 
This is my first, full experience playing anything HL and the game kicks so much ass. With that said, I'm having a few problems playing the game and it might be becuase it's a direct port/I suck at playing PC fps games.

Firstly, I'm having a hard time getting through tunnels or falling into holes. I'm used to fps games where you see the body, but HL isn't like that. Is there a sweet spot to doing this right? For instance, in the runaway railroad bit, there is a train car that has a hole where I need to drop to. I run to the hole but can't fall in. I look directly down and I see the hole directly underneath me. Takes me a minute of running back and forth to finally fall in. Same thing with tunnels where you need to crotch. For the life of me, I can't seem to get this right.

Another thing is the soldiers. Is there a correct way of killing these guys quickly without having to rely on shooting barrels near them? I was shooting one of them and it took nearly a whole clip with a pistol to take him down. I even shot him in the face and he still wouldn't go down. Is this just a part of the design of the game?

Also, is there a melee attack or do I need to switch to my crowbar?

So far the game is living up to my exceptations. The graphics are just gorgeous and the level design is just fantastic. It really does feel like I'm living in an oppressed society. The character models and how they interact with you is so fluid and natural. The game does a very fine job of making this seamless. Also, the voice acting, and the acting in general by the npc's, are just amazing to watch.
 
I think I've identified one of my issues with Ep2, and it's all Resistance's fault. That game did the chasing bugs in tunnel thing so well that it's hard to find much interest in the bare bones presentation here.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
I think I've identified one of my issues with Ep2, and it's all Resistance's fault. That game did the chasing bugs in tunnel thing so well that it's hard to find much interest in the bare bones presentation here.

It's a pretty crappy part even if you haven't played Resistance. But the rest of it makes up for it. And the Ant Lion attack defense part was pretty fun
 
I think they do the final sequence a bit too long. I was getting really on edge when like three of them were encroaching a bit too closely at once.

BUT crank the volume with headphones on and it's like a warzone. So awesome.
 
BigDug13 said:
That's the main reason I'm getting the 360 version for now. I hate the random times I have to connect to the internet to play a single player game with Steam. I'm in the Navy and that isn't always possible.

But on the downside for the 360 version, I just read the review and for HL2 they just ported the Xbox version instead of creating a better looking version. That goes against what I read before in that they were supposed to improve the visual quality of HL2 to Episode 2 levels...apparently they changed their minds.

FYI you can play any Half Life game on Steam in OFFLINE mode. ;P
 
Not to revive a dead horse, but the IGN reviewer must have mistaken an MS Paint drawing for the graphics in HL2. I've just started the beginning of the "trilogy" (seems another might be coming, yeah?) contained on the disk and it looks good. Not GoW great, but certainly stands proud in this generation's lineup.

If it's true it gets better, well than...thumbs-up.

Of course, TF2 may just have the best graphic-style ever conceived by man.

Gameplay: still trying everything out. Thanks to all of you that championed this game. As a mac user (yeah, I've seen Gabe's purported request), I never got a chance to try these out.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
I think I've identified one of my issues with Ep2, and it's all Resistance's fault. That game did the chasing bugs in tunnel thing so well that it's hard to find much interest in the bare bones presentation here.
So Resistance > HL2ep2? Now I've heard everything.
 
Gary Whitta said:
So Resistance > HL2ep2? Now I've heard everything.

So far, sure as hell. Ep2 has up until this point done nothing new, nor has it done anything terribly well. I hope that will change, but so far there sure as hell is nothing here worth even the slightest bit of praise.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
So far, sure as hell. Ep2 has up until this point done nothing new, nor has it done anything terribly well. I hope that will change, but so far there sure as hell is nothing here worth even the slightest bit of praise.

:lol

nice.
 
AltogetherAndrews said:
See now Portal, that is worth some praise.

Every part of this package is worth lots of praise.

Except maybe Episode 1, which is just worth some praise.
 
I'd praise Episode One if it wouldn't keep crashing on me :lol

Seriously, it's really good so far, this is the first time I've played through it. I was just about to buy it when the Orange Box was announced. Glad I waited.
 
I finished Episode Two last night. All I can say is WOW. The Orange Box takes you for one hell of a ride.

Man, that ending really showed me how attached I had become to the characters because I felt pretty sad after I finished it. The voice acting was amazingly done.
 
Gary Whitta said:
So Resistance > HL2ep2? Now I've heard everything.

Oh geezus...next thread to start on GAF "Now that you've played HL2: Esisode 2, what do you think of Resistance?" Hell, I'm starting to feel sellers remorse for trading in my copy of Resistance to go toward my COD4 purchase
actually, no I'm not
.

On another note, I'm jealous I can't play my copy of Orange Box yet. Sunday can't come fast enough.
 
Fallout-NL said:
Don't know about that. Weapons feel great, AI is pretty decent = good gunplay?

Most of them certainly do not feel "great". Only the magnum, shotty, crossbow/rocket launcher are good but you get very little ammo for those save for the shotgun but even ammo for it runs scarce at times. The Overwatch rifle is okay but you also don't get much ammo for it. Much of the time you're using what is likely the most dreadful SMG ever in an FPS or the pea-shooter of a pistol. Valve has gone on record to say that the quality of the gunplay isn't a priority to them, they'd much rather encourage the use of the Gravity Gun and it shows in Episode 2 (Hunters being easier to kill by just hurling objects are them)

I'll say that the combat in general has improved in Episode 2 thanks to the new particle system which provides much better visual feedback than before, as well as the introduction of the Hunters which are by far the most exciting enemies in the HL2 world. Also the fact there are much fewer encounters with Combine troops (which usually demonstrate the worst AI) helps matters.
 
chespace said:
I have to agree. I started going through the original HL2 last night, thinking it might be cute if I went through all 3 HL2 games over the course of a week or so. HL2 is still the impeccable series of set pieces that it's always been, and I love the cutscenes where you're being talked to and stuff and you can make eye contact with the characters... but the gunplay... it still feels just as unsatisfactory as it did when I played it on the PC 3 years ago.

The gun porn is weak (animation and audio), while the AI relies too heavily on pre-scripting and instant shot precision. Also, when shot, enemies don't go into any sort of a damage animation transition so they just keep going about their business while the only way you know they're getting hit is blood splatters in the air. It's like these guys don't feel any pain until you've reached the threshold and then suddenly they flop to the ground like you've shattered every bone in their body.

But worse of all, the AI is just really unresponsive and uncreative. I'm not sure if it has to do with the fact that the level designs just don't cater well to tactical firefights, but I've never been once surprised or taken off-guard by the AI in a non-scripted "gotcha!" situation. None of the Marines suppression, flank, and grenade tactics that terrorized me so bad in the original HL.

Oh well, HL2 is what it is. I'll go through it, then finally finish Ep.1 which bored me down to my soul... and am looking forward to Ep.2.

Haven't tried Portal yet, but I'm also looking forward to that. TF2 is fun times when things aren't laggy.

Oh yeah, and this time I've decided to go through the game on HARD.

Oh Fuck.

You killed most of my interest in the game :(.

The gun porn can't be that weak. I can't belive it. The enemies don't have "stagger" animations? What about when you shoot the limbs? Do they limp or..or do anything?
I mean, fucking Medal Of Honor for PS1 had that!

Please don't tell me they don't even break the continous fire when you shoot them...


:(



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I agree, btw, that the gunplay is not that special in the HL series. At least everything excepting the gravity gun.

But the setpieces...

Maybe that's why portal is so unbelievably amazing...no gunplay really.
 
Y2Kev said:
I agree, btw, that the gunplay is not that special in the HL series. At least everything excepting the gravity gun.

But the setpieces...

Maybe that's why portal is so unbelievably amazing...no gunplay really.

Yep. I can give Half-Life a free pass for the relatively weak gunplay because the scenario design and overall consistency of the gameworld is so good.
 
Vyse The Legend said:
He's a Resistance fanboy. lol, Resistance. Even saying the word makes me giggle.

Weak. You'd be surprised over exactly how much of a HL2 fanboy I've been. The Combine Wall piece hangs on the main wall in the living room, and Raising the Bar has been the coffee table book of choice (along with 1000 Suns) since it came out. That doesn't mean shit in regards to Ep2 though, or specifically Ep2 up until this point (Mines).
 
Weird, I always thought the gunplay in the HL2 games was great. All the weapons feel suitably solid with some great SFX and plenty of splatter. The only game I played where I felt like the weapons packed more punch was FEAR.
 
Y2Kev said:
I agree, btw, that the gunplay is not that special in the HL series. At least everything excepting the gravity gun.

The gravity gun isn't the novelty it once was, and I'm getting tired of using it for everything. If they could have just included some way for me to interact with the world in other ways, like kicking barred doors open, or moving things in a way that gives the illusion of having a physical presence in the world, that'd be better. Leave the gravity gun for things where it makes sense, and it'd be a lot more fun to use.
 
BigDug13 said:
I'm going by the IGN review for "ported xbox game" comment. I'm going to buy the game anyway, but I still remember reading an old preview where it was stated that they would be beefing up the HL2 graphics to match more closely with episode 2, and it sounds like it didn't happen.
They most certainly DID NOT port the XBOX version to the 360. The 360 version of Half-Life 2 looks *BETTER* than the original PC release which was already far beyond the awful looking XBOX port. Nothing was downgraded yet they've added HDR lighting, subtle motion blur, realtime projected shadows from light sources (same as EP2), quick loadtimes and a rock solid framerate. It looks great.
 
Half Life 2's weapon selection kind of bothers me actually. When you're going up against the
Hunters
, there is no weapon I immediately think of for, "Okay, this is what I need for more firepower." You have the pulse rifle, where it takes like three rare clips to take them out, or the shotgun, which takes a lot, or the magnum, which takes a lot of hits, or the crossbow, where the firing rate is so slow and the bolts so rare that you really can run out of ammo entirely too quickly. I don't know. I was looking for some kind of equalizer.
 
Y2Kev said:
Half Life 2's weapon selection kind of bothers me actually. When you're going up against the
Hunters
, there is no weapon I immediately think of for, "Okay, this is what I need for more firepower." You have the pulse rifle, where it takes like three rare clips to take them out, or the shotgun, which takes a lot, or the magnum, which takes a lot of hits, or the crossbow, where the firing rate is so slow and the bolts so rare that you really can run out of ammo entirely too quickly. I don't know. I was looking for some kind of equalizer.

That was the idea with the hunters. The gravity gun is the equaliser! At least that is the impression that was given in the preview videos and developer walk-throughs.
 
Red Blaster said:
Don't see how one can like HL2 and dislike Episode 2, they both have the same amount of highs and lows percentage wise. I can however see how people dislike Episode 1.
The hospital shootout
was the only truly great part of it, the rest felt like a boring version of Anticitizen One from HL2.
I actually loved chapter 1 of Episode 1. The rest I pretty much entirely hated. I am very much noticing that I'm liking the parts of Half-Life 2 where you don't actually shoot stuff.

Y2Kev said:
I agree, btw, that the gunplay is not that special in the HL series. At least everything excepting the gravity gun.

But the setpieces...

Maybe that's why portal is so unbelievably amazing...no gunplay really.
Indeed.
 
Yeah, the regular pistol. Yuck. The popping noise it makes sounds like popcorn in the microwave, not a firearm. Compare it to the sound (nevermind function) of Halo's pistol.
 
dark10x said:
They most certainly DID NOT port the XBOX version to the 360. The 360 version of Half-Life 2 looks *BETTER* than the original PC release which was already far beyond the awful looking XBOX port. Nothing was downgraded yet they've added HDR lighting, subtle motion blur, realtime projected shadows from light sources (same as EP2), quick loadtimes and a rock solid framerate. It looks great.

Exactly.

People just are remembering HL2 from three years ago with rose colored glasses.
 
Y2Kev said:
Yeah, the regular pistol. Yuck. The popping noise it makes sounds like popcorn in the microwave, not a firearm. Compare it to the sound (nevermind function) of Halo's pistol.

Actually, I liked that. It sounds like guns do on The Wire. It sounds like what a gun would sound like in the real world, in a wide open, concrete space.
 
BenjaminBirdie said:
Actually, I liked that. It sounds like guns do on The Wire. It sounds like what a gun would sound like in the real world, in a wide open, concrete space.

I know what a gun sounds like in real life, and it doesn't sound like the HL2 pistol. Sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree.
 
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