Thoughts on Half-Life 2 Episodes

Well, that's it then.  I've played all the main Half-Life games, and now I, just like millions of other
people, get to wait for a game that may never even come.  I really hope that we do get a Half-Life 3, just to complete the story, because there's nothing worse than an unresolved plot, and Episode 2  concludes with a big plot twist.

I enjoyed the Episodes, but I did not like them as much as the full game.  I wanted to consider Episode 1 and 2 as a full, standalone game, but I couldn't do that.  That's too bad, because it would have helped the immersion factor immensely.  You progress through Episode 1 so fast it never has a chance to really suck you into the world.  I got through it in less than four hours, which is about the same amount of time I took to play the original Portal game.  That still managed to be immersive though, because it was very minimalistic, where as Episode 1 is not.  Just as you start to get invested in the game, it's over.

Episode 2 is a bit better, because it's longer.  At just under 6 hours, it is more of a very condensed
game than the first episode.  It has a definite beginning, middle, and end.  Unfortunately, the ending of Episode 2 is basically, "Insert sequel here," as a major character dies and the situation goes from bad to "Oh crap."  Episode 2 was released in 2007.  It is no 2014, and as far as we know, we are no closer to that sequel now then we were seven years ago.  I feel sorry for the people who played Episode 2 back when it was released and have been waiting all this time.  It wouldn't be so bad if the Half-Life games weren't some of the most critically acclaimed video games ever.  But they are, and now, I have to wait for Half-Life 3, just like everyone else.

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Half-Life Thoughts

Yes, you're reading that title correctly.  Half-Life may have been released in the 90's, but I've only just finished it.  Not ten minutes ago, I was taking on the final boss, and dying many, many times.  Gamers back then must have either been really good or really masochistic, cause I thought the game was very difficult.  That's probably what I'll take away from the experience, the sheer frustration and difficulty of the game.

I know Half-Life doesn't even compare to some of the more infamous hard games, but I thought it was very difficult.  It's not very forgiving, there are a bunch of difficult puzzles, the movement is inconsistent, and I couldn't figure out how to turn mouse acceleration off, which meant that every time I tried to swing my crosshair at something behind me, I always went way too far.  It made precise aiming very difficult as well.  I guess that's part of the fun of an old-school game, they're often unforgiving, but I could only enjoy it for so long.  I mean, I started this game last summer, it took me eight months to finish.  I would play for a few hours, get incredibly frustrated, then put the game down for a couple months.

Now, I don't think it was a bad game.  The enemies were difficult, and you have to think your way through them.  I just think that Half-Life is a game which really shows its age.  I think it's still worth playing, because it does set up Half-Life 2, arguably the best game ever made.  Again, I haven't played it, and when I do, I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about that too.  Hopefully it doesn't take the better part of a year.

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