Game over man, Game over! (Half-Life 2)

[Guy Fawkes]

I bought Half-Life 2 yesterday at 4:00pm. After a quick (for 5 disk) installation, I had to register with STEAM and download updates. I finaly got down to the killin' around 6:30pm.

And now its over, I beat the game.

I'm going to bed.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. Wait! Did it live up to the hype? After Doom3 crapfest, restore my

faith in computer games... please...

[progdonkey]

5. I'm still in the middle of it, but here's my take so far...

BEEEYUUUUTIFULL graphics. I have an Alienware Area-51m 3.4GHz with a Radeon 9700 Pro card. I have everything maxed but with no AA or anisotropic filtering. Still, I get excellent performance with intermittent pauses here and there (hey, it's a laptop!); the engine is extremely efficient. The world textures could leave something to be desired, but that's probably due to having AA and Aniso turned off. The character models, however, are simply stunning. The box cover is just the face of the G-Man, and you can see every pore in his skin--that's how it actually is in the game.

The gameplay itself is great, although there is a lengthy section at the very beginning where you're on a hoverboat which is largely a waste: I was able to just speed past every enemy, and it frankly started getting boring. The Ravenholm section is awesome! There are these new Fast Zombies which scream and leap from roof to roof.

I haven't gotten far enough to really judge the story, but nothing story-wise of note has really occured, which is disappointing.

Gamespot gave this a 9.6 IIRC. Get this game.

[Khephra]

2. 6:30 pm to 3AM???

That's all the time it took you to finish it?

Sometimes I think FPS last too long, but that's a bit too short in my book.

[progdonkey]

6. you want length? Check out Far Cry. n/t

[flvegan]

11. Agreed. My fave game thus far. n/t

[Guy Fawkes]

12. I had to break for school... Gameplay was only about...

12 hours. You want a LONG game? Play Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA). 50 hours min.

[Chovexani]

3. I lost my taste for FPSes

I don't know if it's the fact that they are all basically either aliens or WW2. Or maybe it's all the 12 year old asshole kids online.

I've just totally lost interest in that genre. And I've TRIED to get back into it, I just can't. People tell me "whoa, chica, you just haven't played THIS game yet", and then I try it and I'm like "meh". :shrug:

[Khephra]

7. I'm that way with RPGS right now

I'm sick to death of fantasy rpgs, no matter how good they are.

I'm actually excited about the Vampire game coming up. It's supposed to be a mix of RPG and FPS which was what made System Shock 2 a classic. And of course I'm going to play the Cthulhu game...whenever they finally finish it.

But I think my days of elves and spells maybe be over...at least until the next game paradigm shift. The last one was with the first Balder's Gate, so it's about time for another genre shaking RPG to come around. (crosses fingers)

About the only thing I play these days are FPS. I just recently started PAINKILLER which is pretty good for an old-fashioned Doom-like gore/monster fest. Sometimes you don't want plot; sometimes you just want to shoot something.

[Chovexani]

8. There is a Cthulhu game

It's just on the Gamecube and it's called Eternal Darkness. Well it technically isn't a Cthulhu game, but is extremely Lovecraftian in spirit.

Seriously, it's one of the best games I've ever played. You go crazy and start seeing shit, it's great. :D

Games in general are just too predictable nowadays. Or maybe I've just gotten jaded. It's funny, RPGs are pretty much the only thing I play nowadays (well besides The Sims, but that's sort of an RPG in its own way). The day I get bored with elves is the day I have nothing left to live for, hehe. :P

[Khephra]

16. I've heard that ED was a great game

Too bad I don't have a Gamecube. Heck, I don't have any console nowadays.

[NewHampshireDem]

9. Did you play Morrowind?

Great RPG from a first-person perspective. I was totally addicted to it for literally months ... it was the only game that I ever bought the expansion packs for on the day they came out.

[Khephra]

15. I tried to play it

but it kept on crashing, even after the patches, so I gave up on it.

[bloodyjack]

10. I want a FPS that combines aliens AND World War II

I guess Return to Castle Wolfenstein comes close, but the developers seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that a maverick American CIA (excuse me, OFFICE OF SECRET ACTS) agent gunning for Nazi zombies was an inherently silly plot.

That game could have been a funny-fest. Instead, it was a waste of $20.

[UL_Approved]

4. It took you only a few hours to beat it?

What a waste of money!

[Guy Fawkes]

13. It would be worth it no matter how long the game is!

You'd need to have played Half-Life to understand...

"Your hour has come again, Mr. Freeman...."

[eataTREE]

14. Hoping it will show up at our house around Xmas time...

...ah, who am I kidding, I don't have time to play video games anymore. :cry: