A completely average Half-Life episode that shines when trusting the player with quick combat ramping, but falls short by clogging the end of the experience with escort segments, fetch quests, and otherwise menial actions.
There's interesting critique in the way that Barney Calhoun is treated as both a janitor and a nuisance by his peers, but those themes are better addressed in games with less avoidant labor politics (see Dead Space). It's a fine way to spend 2-3 hours, but it was the weakest of the Half-Life 1 entries in my book.
There's interesting critique in the way that Barney Calhoun is treated as both a janitor and a nuisance by his peers, but those themes are better addressed in games with less avoidant labor politics (see Dead Space). It's a fine way to spend 2-3 hours, but it was the weakest of the Half-Life 1 entries in my book.