HL2 Episode 1

[coolmiester]

Just wondering if anyone else has had a chance to play this yet??

I downloaded it the other night but only got a chance to play some of it today waiting for paint drying.

First thoughts were it was very similar to HL2 which i enjoyed but i can't help thinking its missing something.

The whole HL2 thing is leaps and bounds ahead of the original HL in terms of graphics but i'm not getting the same kick out of playing it the way i did back then and its annoying as i can't quite put my finger on why.

Better graphics, mega surround sound, big TFT, more weapons etc etc and they even give you a kind of cute girl to walk you through the whole thing and tell you your great so why am i getting this empty feeling when i play it??

What gives :S

[f.sardis]

i get this same feel with all the latest fps games.
gameplay is lacking if you ask me.

[Teebor]

The levels don't seem so complex or difficult/confusing/puzzling as the original, you tend to always be being pushed in the right direction.

I keep eyeing Episode 1 but I'm not sure if I want to spend the money that I dont have :D especially with X3 being out there, X2 was an incredible game and they have improved it (how???? is my only question it was near perfect imho) but there is also the Sin expansion as well out there, and sin was great at the time.

[DaveMac]

Preloaded and unlocked the evening it came out, gave it half an hour or so and haven't touched it since.

HL2 was better for me because I played through HL again just before it was released. This coming 18 months later didn't have the same impact, just more of the same.

Sin Emergence is quite enjoyable, not quite up to HL2 standards but it also comes with the original Sin and deathmatch which I neglected first time around for HL

[TREE]

hmm, id say Half Life 2 was a great game but its impact on me was some what empty as well. However gameplay is not lacking in most respects, i think it seems to be depth. When playing HL2 there was no emotional twists or any such playing with the gamers emotions. It just seems like a story being told to you and your looking through a glass block as it moves onwards, kind of making it seem overly distant and detached from the gamer.

However, if you have played FEAR with all the effects up and with surround sound, thats a different story. Not only does the game play with your emotions and sense's it confuses's you all the way through, hinting at what the story is... and slowly the gamer feels involved with the game itself as your progress tells more of whats happening.

Anyone else feel the same or am i just nuts?

[f.sardis]

Yes. thats right tree. However i did find the gameplay in FEAR a bit shallow. Sure it keeps you on edge but there is not much you can do. no exploring or anything. there is only one way to go and you keep going down the path. it doesnt have a variety of environments. you are always trapped in narrow spaces inside buildings.
the type of gameplay most gamers want is the one unreal created in 98. open environments as well as narrow spaces in buildings. lots of exploring and freedom of movement.
FEAR was also a big let down for me in terms of finale. i didnt like the ending one bit.

[Teebor]

one day fps's will dream of having the freedom which I have never seen in any other game other than Fallout

[f.sardis]

thats an rpg though isnt it? totaly different type of game. i suppose you can say the same for the likes of neverwinter nights, bladurs gate etc etc. rpg rely on freedom or choices apart from the linear ones like final fantasy where you have to talk to this guy then to the other guy and then go to some place and fight.

[sunnyg]

i havn'tplayed hl2 yet but thats my first plan once these bloody exams are finished...

[Teebor]

yeah but you missed the point sards Fallout is unique in its flexibility and replayability which is something that all modern games totally lack, even modern day rpg's don't seem to scratch the surface of fallout

X2 is the only one that comes close but even that is hugely limited in comparison.

[f.sardis]

an fps cannot be as flexible as an RPG can be.

there is a game coming out or maybe it is out already that attempts to merge fps and rpg gameplay. Its called Tabula Rasa.

[Teebor]

x2 is technically and fps (although in space ships) and that does come close in some aspects.

A lot of RPG's now use an fps view so you need to be more specific.

There is no reason that an FPS cannot be as complex as an RPG or have much more depth then they do, companies just choose to not want to take the time to produce a game like that.

Lets take Deus Ex for example. Now that is an FPS or is it an RPG??

Each level usually has around four or five different ways to play it, there are three different endings and your actions do change the game world. That just needs to be expanded on greatly.

[coolmiester]

Got to admit i absolutely loved Deus Ex (hence my av) but it was soooo long ago and thought the different paths you could take were the way games would go but none of them seemed to come close since.

Might give it another go see how its standing the test of time.

[sunnyg]

an fps cannot be as flexible as an RPG can be.

there is a game coming out or maybe it is out already that attempts to merge fps and rpg gameplay. Its called Tabula Rasa.


Are you sure that isn't a moroccan dish?

[sunnyg]

Sorry got double posted so i'll change this bit.

Just out of curiosity, did or does anyone still play halo 2 online?

[jeeves555]

I play halo (1) online :D

[f.sardis]

tabula rasa means clean slate. its latin and its a very old phycological theory originating from Aristotel. it basically means that every person is born in this world as a clean slate and he forms a personality according to his experiences in this world.
the game looks rather good and i think the idea is original.

[coolmiester]

Man sardis you certainly know your stuff :cool:

[wakster]

Man sardis you certainly know your stuff :cool:
Not just his, everyone elses stuff aswell, ever thought of mastermind?:eek:

[f.sardis]

:blush: i try to learn as much as possible. im very curious.

[coolmiester]

LOL it don't make you a bad person............i just wish i could retain information like that ;)

I struggle with what day it half the time :D

[Teebor]

I started playing Deus Ex fairly recently again. Some of the graphics do not stand up to close scrutiny but the gameplay is certainly there.

Did you save Paul's brother when you played it err Paul?? hehe :D What was his name? JC or something iirc?

[coolmiester]

Hahaa JC Denton, a nano augmented special operative for UNATCO (United Nations Anti Terrorist Coalition)

Typically i spent an hour picking hair styles and jackets to look as cool as possible :D

I remember being amazed at the reflections on the marble floors and the sniper rifle was pretty good as well if my memory serves me correct.

I don't think i did kill my brother - he appeared later on with another dodgy bloke (can't remember his name) that got it though :D

Its getting re-installed

[Teebor]

ahh what a great game. The desk monkey who talks to you from UNATCO used to irritate me at times.

Upgrading the weapons was great, sniper rifle was awesome with all the right parts (tbh I can't remember the upgrades although they did reduce wobble a lot)

The nano upgrades you could do to yourself were awesome, I always took the one that made me invisible to cameras and bots, it was so much better imho.

Those big ED-209 bots really used to hurt LOL

[TREE]

Hahaa JC Denton, a nano augmented special operative for UNATCO (United Nations Anti Terrorist Coalition)

Typically i spent an hour picking hair styles and jackets to look as cool as possible :D

I remember being amazed at the reflections on the marble floors and the sniper rifle was pretty good as well if my memory serves me correct.

I don't think i did kill my brother - he appeared later on with another dodgy block (can't remember his name) that got it though :D

Its getting re-installed

i could sense the rebuild of determination to take the journey all over again there :lol: certainly cant blame ya

[ghost]

I think Stalker will contain the freedom to roam that most FPS are lacking at the moment it looks incredible and has been a long time coming i just hope the wait is worth it. :D

[DaveMac]

I've had Stalker on pre-order for 15 months so far..............not too long to wait now I hope!


Crysis is shaping up very nicely:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3502375929069803475&q=crysis

[f.sardis]

looks like farcry but done right.

[FusionXN1]

Got it completed in 1hr 33 minutes on normal (told that was amazing :p) VERY GOOD GAME. Cannot wait for ep 2 at the end of the year - love it and with HDR this game looks amazing. :) Loved it 9.7/10

(BTW this is TeleFragX under a new username :))

[RichGuk]

Took me about 2 hours very good game, I'm a HL fan boy as it is, but this game although short topped HL2 had all nice looking HDR and what's even more interesting is going though with commentary tracks (very good feature). So for the £10 or whatever I paid for the game I'm very impressed :).

Anyone seen the teaser for Episode 2? Looks really kewl, makes me want want want now :(.

[FusionXN1]

Teaser? EP 2? Show!

[sunnyg]

That crysis game looks amazing. what i get annoyed about is they stick in aliens everwhere. why can't all the enemy just be human?

Also is there really much point in being able to shoot down trees? I'm sure when the game comes out someone is going to try and complete the game but only shooting down trees.

[FusionXN1]

I have seen the Episode 2 Teaser.. And here it is:

http://www.fileplanet.com/164280/160000/fileinfo/Half-Life-2:-Episode-Two---Teaser-Trailer

[Sc0rian]

i cant wait for this game....

i seriously reckon its the best pc game ever.

[RichGuk]

You can also get the teaser though steam..

[Teebor]

on the subject of in depth fps games I just stumbled across this today www.stolen-game.com

It is a combination of different views and sounds like hitman but more centered on thievery and stealth. It looks very interesting, I cant wait to find time to play it this weekend.

[DaveMac]

on the subject of in depth fps games I just stumbled across this today www.stolen-game.com

It is a combination of different views and sounds like hitman but more centered on thievery and stealth. It looks very interesting, I cant wait to find time to play it this weekend.
Tried the demo and it was appalling, uninstalled it after about 5 minutes.

If you have already bought it, hope you got it cheap: http://www.game.co.uk/ViewProduct.aspx?cat=10349&mid=325418

[mcq_01]

Also is there really much point in being able to shoot down trees? I'm sure when the game comes out someone is going to try and complete the game but only shooting down trees.

I dont think its about being able to shoot down trees just for fun its about making it as realistic as possible. In too many games they only do a half job some objects obey the laws of physics and others are godlike! Which is really annoying when you take your new 20 ton tank out for a spin and get done over by a crappy barrel (bf2)!

It also doesnt just apply to trees grass breaksas well, as do buildings apparently.

[Teebor]

Tried the demo and it was appalling, uninstalled it after about 5 minutes.

If you have already bought it, hope you got it cheap: http://www.game.co.uk/ViewProduct.aspx?cat=10349&mid=325418


OMG I paid £20 for that!!!!

Only kidding it cost £1.99 and I thought if its really that bad I got a new coaster with a nice design on it and a DVD case to put something in :D :D

TBH the intro sequence and everything plays ok, but as soon as you get into the game the speed of it just hits the floor, and the animation is terrible. Its unbelievable that a game like that could be running so badly, I even dropped the res to 1024*768 and its was still awful.

The games mechanics are interesting though, being able to do lara croft style clingy to walls, jumping from bars and swinging on stuff.nd then the extra bits in first person view and all the sneaky stuff. Shame it runs so poorly

[The CHOPPER]

Is it true you don't need half life 2 the original game to play this.

[AMD Man]

I have quite recently bought this game and i'm really annoyed at the fact that the only gun i have is a gravity gun! The woman who is with me is picking off soldiers with her handgun and it takes me about 5 seconds to pull a guy towards me and then fire him backwards! Soooooooo annoying! At what point in the game do you actually get a gun?

[wakster]

pfft gravity gun is most fun, i love ravenholm in hl2, picking up rusty circular saw blades and firing them at zombies!:D

[RichardB]

Yeah but when you have 20 odd soldiers firing at you it can get a bit annoying!

[RHYSMODDER]

is it worth me getting HL2 Episode 1 or just getting HL2?
Rhys

[Teebor]

Half Life 2.

Then get Half Life 2 Episode 2 when it is released as it will have "PORTAL" included, I cannot wait for that !!!

[RichardB]

I haven't played half life 2, i've only played HL2 episode 1 but other than taking a long time to get a proper gun its a good game, the graphics are good and so far it seems to have a good plot... Also you don't need HL2 to play episode 1.

[Rig]

I've only played HL2, good game but those alien noises do get rather repetitive :D

Not sure i would get the other ones though

[|Slackster|]

Still havent finished HL2 yet, lol.

[Alex Slane]

i have'nt either mean to keep getting round to it , but never get there , there are alot of good games out there at the moment , getting bf2142 on sat cant wait.

[RichardB]

Sorry if off topic but thinking of getting a new pc game...probably 1st person shooter any suggestions? My pc specs are in my signature.
Thanks