The much-awaited successor to Half-Life, I woke up the day it was released feeling like it was Christmas, and I haven't been disappointed. The character and facial animation systems are far better than the first, and the graphics are truly astounding. There is an amazing depth to gameplay, helped by a new physics engine. The characters too, have been made more detailed, and this makes the experience all the more real.
Unlike many of its' rivals, e.g.: Doom 3, it can run on normal people's hardware, and you wont be needed to spend excessive amounts of cash on boosting your system to play the game. The engine has been designed to be scalable all the way down to DirectX 7.0 hardware, so even on that computer you've had for years, you'll still be able to run Half-Life 2 comfortably - minus some of the nicer features like bump mapping and shader effects. There is this amazing level of detail, which you don't find in other computer games of HL2's status. Half-Life 2 is like the new face of extreme gaming.
The voices too, are unexpectedly advanced. You expect tinny or synthesised voices, but instead we are rewarded with advanced voice acting, and many of the talented voices (?) from the first one. New is Robert Guillaume as Eli Vance who has starred in such roles as the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King.
For once, the music actually suits situations in the game. It doesn't continue all through gameplay, but when it does play, it is very appropriate. The music is written by Kelly Bailey (Valve). The game is a lot more fun than its predecessor; with much more varied gameplay and more realistic effects. This is thanks to the physics engine. The two new engines make the game so much more intense, so you find yourself fumbling over the keyboard to try and change weapons in a very sticky situation.
I don't want to give too much away in this review due to the fact that first of all, a lot of people will already know what happens and second of all this game is best played when you know nothing of the story and what's going to happen. But when you do play this amazing game, you will find it even more addictive and just as impressive as the first one. Half-Life lasted us 6 years, this one will last us another 6. J
PROS |
CONS |
| ·Deeper storyline and better/more varied gameplay | ·NPCs can sometimes get in your way |
| ·A physics engine that makes you feel like you're in there | ·Too few enemies |
| ·Hardly ANY new enemies | |
| ·Best graphics this year in a game | ·The ending is a bit rushed |
| ·Even more detailed characters and great voice acting | ·The plot is a bit thin |