Post by tyme on Jun 27, 2006 10:53:52 GMT -5
Just finished it yesterday evening after 2 evenings. I enjoyed it, and thought it was worth the $8 I paid for it at CC when it was on sale. Otherwise I would have probably paid $15 for it and not balked. $20 is a bit steep for the content though...
I didn't think that any particular level was very tedious except for the almost last section, where you had to escort 4 different groups of folks to the train. I think that was a bit extreme. Though there was a different happening every time I thought it was unlikely that I would have run 4 tiny groups as opposed to 2 medium sized squads across. It's probably a technical limitation with the squad code. Then again, it's not like they listened to my squad commands anyway.
The mini strider was amusing. I ended up killing it with mines and grenades and a lot of patience before finding out I was SUPPOSED to kill it with rockets at the far end of the 3d maze composed of box cars.
I disagree with the reviewers who said that the darkness scene lasted too long. I had a reasonable time with it. Moving slowly and using the available exploding canisters to set zombies on fire, which provided plenty of light. Don't know how else you could have really survived it without a bit of planning. Now the ORIGINAL HL2 had certain sections which went on FOREVER, the hover craft levels, and the bland sameness of the inner cittidel come to mind.
Overall I was pretty impressed. Alex never got in the way or got herself killed which is pretty amazing AI as far as I am concerned. The way I play I tend to scout and pick my way through a level exploring EVERY nook and cranny like it were a Thief level. I couldn't control Alex, but she never got me killed and I never had to restart because of her.
The one major complaint is that it took them what, a YEAR to put this 4-7 hour mini episode together? I mean really, they MADE the game, and yet it took them a year to put out a new episode, while there are modders out there who have gone much farter in a shorter amount of time just starting from scratch. I hope Episode 2 comes out before it has to be ported to HL: 3.
Several of the levels reused much of the same maps and textures. I don't know what the heck took them so long.
-Tyme
I didn't think that any particular level was very tedious except for the almost last section, where you had to escort 4 different groups of folks to the train. I think that was a bit extreme. Though there was a different happening every time I thought it was unlikely that I would have run 4 tiny groups as opposed to 2 medium sized squads across. It's probably a technical limitation with the squad code. Then again, it's not like they listened to my squad commands anyway.
The mini strider was amusing. I ended up killing it with mines and grenades and a lot of patience before finding out I was SUPPOSED to kill it with rockets at the far end of the 3d maze composed of box cars.
I disagree with the reviewers who said that the darkness scene lasted too long. I had a reasonable time with it. Moving slowly and using the available exploding canisters to set zombies on fire, which provided plenty of light. Don't know how else you could have really survived it without a bit of planning. Now the ORIGINAL HL2 had certain sections which went on FOREVER, the hover craft levels, and the bland sameness of the inner cittidel come to mind.
Overall I was pretty impressed. Alex never got in the way or got herself killed which is pretty amazing AI as far as I am concerned. The way I play I tend to scout and pick my way through a level exploring EVERY nook and cranny like it were a Thief level. I couldn't control Alex, but she never got me killed and I never had to restart because of her.
The one major complaint is that it took them what, a YEAR to put this 4-7 hour mini episode together? I mean really, they MADE the game, and yet it took them a year to put out a new episode, while there are modders out there who have gone much farter in a shorter amount of time just starting from scratch. I hope Episode 2 comes out before it has to be ported to HL: 3.
Several of the levels reused much of the same maps and textures. I don't know what the heck took them so long. -Tyme
Even with a pretty souped up machine and playing on an LCD screen so there's no flicker, I was STILL getting nauseous. GREAT game though. Ugh.. but I kept having to stop