Alright... ENOUGH! Don't spam me with hate before you at least hear me out.
First of all, I like Half Life 2... ...no doubt. It's a great FPS, and combines all of the solid elements that we have come to expect from FPS'.
HOWEVER, I was expecting so much more than just a simple graphics upgrade. Yes, I loved the first game... ...I mean, it was the first of it's kind and it paved a path for all of the FPS games that have showed up since. But, HL2 is nothing more than HL, albeit better graphics. Okay, Okay... the gravity gun is kewl. But, aside from that, I'm disappointed.
In all honesty, I was hoping Valve would lean more towards 'Deus Ex' with respect to enhancing the story and character interaction. BTW, DX2 is garbage... ...I'm specifically referring to part I, which in my opinion is the best FPS of all time. I mean, Valve had all these years to work on the story, and yet... ...tell me if I'm wrong... ...THERE WAS NO F-ing story!!! The game itself is completely unidimensional... ...no exploring, and all of the puzzles are pretty simple. Granted, I haven't finished the game yet. I've had it for two nights, and I'm currently just about to meet up with the female character to save her father. I've already completed the buggy and hover-craft sequences, and they were definitely fun... ...but nothing that I haven't already seen (Hello... ...FARCRY!!!). In fact, even though I like HL2 thus far, at this point, I would argue that FarCry is the better game. Graphics-wise, HL2 does stand out, especially if you have a system that can handle it. However, it's not that much of an improvement over FarCry... ...I'd even go as far to say that FarCry had better terrain graphics, where as HL2 really only shines with regard to character design and animation.
Anyway, my fantasy HL2 would have been the following:
1. Follow-up detailed story to the original
2. Deus Ex character interaction and huge intriging story, including multiple ways of approaching each level and multiple methods of interacting with characters (rather than a simple run and gun unidimensional approach).
3. FarCry's open concept design of being able to explore entire levels, without simply being forced to move in a single direction.
All in all, if this was any other game, I would probably be praising it right now. HL2 does do a lot of things right, and it still ten times better than a lot of the other garbage that has been released lately, including the boring unidimensional Doom III.
On the other hand...
...for a 4 million dollar budget, and an eternity in development, I was expecting a much better product. And, to top shit off, even though I haven't completed the game yet, I have been told that it only takes 15 - 20 hours to complete! WHAT??? That sucks. I've been waiting all this time for a 15 hour game??? Deus Ex took me tripple that... ...although I replayed some parts twice just to get different results... ...but still... ...disappointing to say the least.
Over all, I give the game a 7 / 10... ...and that is a deserving mark. Screw PC Gamer and all of these other ass-kissing Websites... ...they're obviously getting paid to review the game with a high GPA, or are simply doing it because of the self-fulfilling prophecy of Half Life 2 being expected to "be the greatest game ever" -- PC Gamer . *rolleyes*
I'll say this, if Half Life 2 is a 98% like PC Gamer claims, then Deus Ex (the original) is 150%, and FarCry is 125%.
And for the record, I'm not saying FarCry is the better game... ...I'm saying HL2 and FarCry are about equal in terms of storyline and gameplay... ...but, FarCry was the first to use the jeeps and shit, and it gets extra points for the handglider and open-concept level design... ...NOT TO MENTION that it was RELEASED 8 MONTHS before Half Life 2.
Hopefully, this post won't generate too many flames.
Soulstice
First of all, I like Half Life 2... ...no doubt. It's a great FPS, and combines all of the solid elements that we have come to expect from FPS'.
HOWEVER, I was expecting so much more than just a simple graphics upgrade. Yes, I loved the first game... ...I mean, it was the first of it's kind and it paved a path for all of the FPS games that have showed up since. But, HL2 is nothing more than HL, albeit better graphics. Okay, Okay... the gravity gun is kewl. But, aside from that, I'm disappointed.
In all honesty, I was hoping Valve would lean more towards 'Deus Ex' with respect to enhancing the story and character interaction. BTW, DX2 is garbage... ...I'm specifically referring to part I, which in my opinion is the best FPS of all time. I mean, Valve had all these years to work on the story, and yet... ...tell me if I'm wrong... ...THERE WAS NO F-ing story!!! The game itself is completely unidimensional... ...no exploring, and all of the puzzles are pretty simple. Granted, I haven't finished the game yet. I've had it for two nights, and I'm currently just about to meet up with the female character to save her father. I've already completed the buggy and hover-craft sequences, and they were definitely fun... ...but nothing that I haven't already seen (Hello... ...FARCRY!!!). In fact, even though I like HL2 thus far, at this point, I would argue that FarCry is the better game. Graphics-wise, HL2 does stand out, especially if you have a system that can handle it. However, it's not that much of an improvement over FarCry... ...I'd even go as far to say that FarCry had better terrain graphics, where as HL2 really only shines with regard to character design and animation.
Anyway, my fantasy HL2 would have been the following:
1. Follow-up detailed story to the original
2. Deus Ex character interaction and huge intriging story, including multiple ways of approaching each level and multiple methods of interacting with characters (rather than a simple run and gun unidimensional approach).
3. FarCry's open concept design of being able to explore entire levels, without simply being forced to move in a single direction.
All in all, if this was any other game, I would probably be praising it right now. HL2 does do a lot of things right, and it still ten times better than a lot of the other garbage that has been released lately, including the boring unidimensional Doom III.
On the other hand...
...for a 4 million dollar budget, and an eternity in development, I was expecting a much better product. And, to top shit off, even though I haven't completed the game yet, I have been told that it only takes 15 - 20 hours to complete! WHAT??? That sucks. I've been waiting all this time for a 15 hour game??? Deus Ex took me tripple that... ...although I replayed some parts twice just to get different results... ...but still... ...disappointing to say the least.
Over all, I give the game a 7 / 10... ...and that is a deserving mark. Screw PC Gamer and all of these other ass-kissing Websites... ...they're obviously getting paid to review the game with a high GPA, or are simply doing it because of the self-fulfilling prophecy of Half Life 2 being expected to "be the greatest game ever" -- PC Gamer . *rolleyes*
I'll say this, if Half Life 2 is a 98% like PC Gamer claims, then Deus Ex (the original) is 150%, and FarCry is 125%.
And for the record, I'm not saying FarCry is the better game... ...I'm saying HL2 and FarCry are about equal in terms of storyline and gameplay... ...but, FarCry was the first to use the jeeps and shit, and it gets extra points for the handglider and open-concept level design... ...NOT TO MENTION that it was RELEASED 8 MONTHS before Half Life 2.
Hopefully, this post won't generate too many flames.
Soulstice