This is very much an improvement over the original Half-Life, to which I thought was good. Not incredible or anything, just good. This game however, improves on mostly every aspect the original game did. I think I'd still prefer the lonely, claustrophobic feel of the original, but that's just me.
Firstly, gameplay has seen a vast upgrade in every department. There is so much nuance to the combat that it would be difficult to explain well in my limited review, but just know that every fight feels unique and satisfying with much more awesome weapons at your disposal. The movement feels so much better than Half-Life one. The game also throws in some different vehicles to spice up the gameplay. And while I think these sections go on for far longer than they have any right to, they can still remain somewhat fun. Puzzles are also very satisfying and exploring the world is also a treat.
Speaking of the world, the world and story might be my favorite thing about Half-Life 2. Without going into spoilers, Half-Life 2's story is very satisfying to see play out, even if it doesn't try anything new on the surface at least. Half-Life 2 shows its characters, story, and world all through visual storytelling. Sure, there are those sections where stuff is explained to you but those pale in comparison to how the game truly lets its tale play out, Half-Life 2 is a huge fan of show don't tell (most of the time), and I love it. The combine are never stated to you to be actually awful aliens, but you can tell how fucking repulsive they are just by looking around. I heard the devs wanted you to experience the story without ever taking control away from you, and that approach worked 100%. The gameplay is constantly in your control allowing you to experience rich gameplay with incredible visual storytelling. It amazes me that the game is able to do this without ever having a single cutscene.
Half-Life 2 is a landmark title in gaming. It's not without its faults (mainly the sometimes wonky pacing), but these faults are easily overshadowed by a game that feels so perfectly crafted. You owe it to yourself to play this.
Firstly, gameplay has seen a vast upgrade in every department. There is so much nuance to the combat that it would be difficult to explain well in my limited review, but just know that every fight feels unique and satisfying with much more awesome weapons at your disposal. The movement feels so much better than Half-Life one. The game also throws in some different vehicles to spice up the gameplay. And while I think these sections go on for far longer than they have any right to, they can still remain somewhat fun. Puzzles are also very satisfying and exploring the world is also a treat.
Speaking of the world, the world and story might be my favorite thing about Half-Life 2. Without going into spoilers, Half-Life 2's story is very satisfying to see play out, even if it doesn't try anything new on the surface at least. Half-Life 2 shows its characters, story, and world all through visual storytelling. Sure, there are those sections where stuff is explained to you but those pale in comparison to how the game truly lets its tale play out, Half-Life 2 is a huge fan of show don't tell (most of the time), and I love it. The combine are never stated to you to be actually awful aliens, but you can tell how fucking repulsive they are just by looking around. I heard the devs wanted you to experience the story without ever taking control away from you, and that approach worked 100%. The gameplay is constantly in your control allowing you to experience rich gameplay with incredible visual storytelling. It amazes me that the game is able to do this without ever having a single cutscene.
Half-Life 2 is a landmark title in gaming. It's not without its faults (mainly the sometimes wonky pacing), but these faults are easily overshadowed by a game that feels so perfectly crafted. You owe it to yourself to play this.