Any part of Half-Life you don't like?

[Foebane72]

I like most of HL2, but having only played my way once through the entire game, I decided some areas are just too much hassle for me, like Sandtraps with the jumping puzzle, and everything after Entanglement and before Our Benefactors, simply because I had enough of leading an NPC squad after other games and that they were always getting in my way.

As for the Episodes, I steered clear of the similar street battles in Urban Flight, as I think those are the weakest parts of the series.

But the rest of the HL2 series is fine for me. Highlights are, well, just about everything else, for many reasons.

 

[Max Wood]

I didn't really like some parts of Chapter 12: "Follow Freeman", but besides that I loved the game!

 

[Omnomnick]

I personally think the turret defence sequence in Nova Prospket goes on for a little too long. It doesn't really help keep the pace moving, which is something we know is pretty solid throughout.

 

[Max Wood]

I personally think the turret defence sequence in Nova Prospket goes on for a little too long. It doesn't really help keep the pace moving, which is something we know is pretty solid throughout.

I agree.

 

[10n02]

I don't like the part when a combine asks me to put the can in the trash; because I don't have my crowbar to kick his f*****g head!!

 

[Codee212]

I think I'm probably the only one, but for some reason I didn't enjoy the part in the beginning where you had to fight your way to Eli's lab. Don't have any complaints about the rest.

 

[Foebane72]

I don't like the part when a combine asks me to put the can in the trash; because I don't have my crowbar to kick his f*****g head!!

Well, others have reported this and it happened to me as well:

Take the can and toss it at the Combine's head so that it bounces off and lands in the trash anyway! He'll attack you but you will have attacked him first and yet granted his wish, so you win!

 

[Danny_ZQ]

the airboat and the scout car chapters were too long imo

 

[kineaesth]

The final area in Anticitizen One, in the huge room with the diagonally ascending lift, is one of my favourite set pieces in the game - as a result, I always find Anticitizen One too long.

also **** residue processing

 

[Matt]

I liked everything except for some of the jumping puzzles in Sandtraps. I'm pretty sure that they aren't as bad as I remember them, though.

 

[Pikminiman]

Nothing really sticks out to me in particular, but I have found that Episode One as a whole is the game I replay the least, by far. Once I got the "One Free Bullet" achievement, I saw no more incentive to boot that one up.

 

[Danny_ZQ]

oh yeah just remembered sandtraps

i eventually just said "**** it" and decided to run through the map. slowly moving props into position and jumping with precision is a real change of pace from shooting down gunships

 

[Foebane72]

I have to admit, I stayed away from the pivotal Strider battle in "Our Mutual Fiend" for a few years, as previously when I tried to play it, I would get stressed and frustrated very quickly - I once resorted to cheats, but no amount of rockets against the Striders did anything, and I totally ignored the Hunters.

Then, I thought I'd try it again having gotten some tips:

I did manage to win the level on Easy difficulty with no cheats whatsoever, EXCEPT that I used the console to load the map up directly, but that left me at a disadvantage with less weapons than I would've had normally, so whether I "cheated" then is up for debate.

In the past, I just maniacally drove around, trying to chase after every Strider, but a lot of the time I would get lost or stuck, and then I'd be stranded as the Striders strolled right over to White Forest, and I would get frustrated. But this time all I did was to do the driving only in the early stages, and then as things hotted up, I retreated to right outside the base and started stockpiling Magnussons, as the Hunters will not touch them in a pile on the ground until you're holding them with the GG. Then I simply let the Striders come to me - although, for some reason I had to drive around the map at least once just to get their attention.

Then, I just let rip on the Hunters as fast as possible and use careful aim with the Magnussons once they're down - a pistol is all I need. It's also quite satisfying to see them rip apart and then hear the cheers of your fellow fighters - however, as it comes to a head, it can be very, very hectic indeed - utter chaos and the noises are everywhere: rockets going off, the screams of Hunters, the machinegun of the Striders, and my personal favourite sound effect, the proximity klaxon of White Forest continually wailing.

This is probably the most vicious battle in any computer game ever, I've never known such a thing elsewhere!

 

[Aizawa]

for me I really dont know which part has problems, the thing is I completed Half-Life 2 like 20 times (I swear I dont exxagerate) and I think I just adapted to those parts you guys think had problems. For example in Sandtraps I am now very fast, because I found the best route for me, or Nova Prospekt, the part with the turrets, I found the best strategy, so I dont die and repeat often (I actually liked that part a lot because it was so hard).
Also with Half-Life 1 in the chapter Residue Processing. When I first played that, I had problems, but now its just very short part for me which doesnt bother me much. Or "On a Rail" where the first time I just was confused a little, because it was not THAT obvious where to go.
I hope you understand what I mean, my english is not the best

The thing is, all those things maybe had little problems for you, but I´m happy that the game has parts like that where it doesnt hold your hand and you have to find your own best solution. Also In my opinion Half-Life 2 Episode 2 has no problems, really. Everything was perfect (yeah that word is overused), maybe because its shorter.

edit: Danny_ZQ your avatar still drives me crazy.

 

[Dotard]

The worst part of HL2 is closer towards the end I believe, the Strider ambush, it's just too hard. Another weird part is also somewhere there, with a single Strider on the road and the only place to hide is the building, so one has to rush there before he gets killed in order to beat it... then those flying robots with blinding light keep coming lol.
Episode One is almost perfect (I don't get the hate), the worst part is easily the end, because I don't like escorts much and the Combine ambush was just too basic and predictable. save the rocket vehicle which was surprising and challenging.
Episode Two is just perfection.

 

[Matt]

The worst part of HL2 is closer towards the end I believe, the Strider ambush, it's just too hard. Another weird part is also somewhere there, with a single Strider on the road and the only place to hide is the building, so one has to rush there before he gets killed in order to beat it... then those flying robots with blinding light keep coming lol.
Episode One is almost perfect (I don't get the hate), the worst part is easily the end, because I don't like escorts much and the Combine ambush was just too basic and predictable. save the rocket vehicle which was surprising and challenging.
Episode Two is just perfection.

I personally love the Strider battle because of how challenging it is, it makes you feel godlier when you beat it. I agree with the Episode Two comment, it's SO good!

 

[ríomhaire]

I think the street war goes on a little too long. It's not that I really dislike any particular part of it but another change of pace chapter between Follow Freeman and Anticitizen One might have been cool.

If we're talking the Episodes as well I think the train station escort in Exit 17 was pretty tedious TBH.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

The gunplay really felt flat and boring. One of the worst parts of the game.

 

[Omnomnick]

I've just changed the thread title to talk about HL in general, since people seem to also want to bring up HL1, the expansions, and the episodes.

I'll admit I dislike a lot more sequences from HL1 than HL2, and I believe HL1's pacing wavers so much more than HL2.

 

[Dotard]

The gunplay really felt flat and boring. One of the worst parts of the game.

Yeah, the way the weapons look, sound, act, shoot and feel has always been mediocre in HL. It just lacks this real feeling to it, this "push" but it's not bad either, just not great.

 

[Aizawa]

Yeah, the way the weapons look, sound, act, shoot and feel has always been mediocre in HL. It just lacks this real feeling to it, this "push" but it's not bad either, just not great.

wait you guys are serious or are that jokes? Not sure haha
In my opinion HL games are a perfect example of great gunplay.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

I'm not joking, the guns felt like they have no weight and the guns sounded like nerf toys. The AI didn't help matters either.

For example FEAR had way better gunplay.

 

[Omnomnick]

wait you guys are serious or are that jokes? Not sure haha
In my opinion HL games are a perfect example of great gunplay.

So many people seem to have lost an understanding of what great gunplay is in a first-person shooter title, I'm honestly not sure what people are expecting.

 

[Aizawa]

wow. Just wow. Half-Life 2´s gunplay is amazing. The gunsounds, especially the Shotgun´s and the Magnum´ are PERFECT! The explosion sound of the grenade and rocket launcher sounds also so satisfying like in no other game. Also every gun sounds very unique! Then the hit-feedback is also really great, because there comes a lot of blood, and the enemys dont have too much health + the ragdoll physics.
Also you move fast, can sprint in every direction and dont just pop out and in cover again, feels really sandboxy for me, especially in episode 2 (with gravity gun even more). Onto that you have some destructible enviroment like fences, windows and wooden stuff.
And whats even more important is the big number of enemy types. I dont know why I am even explaining this you all played Half-Life 2, thats why we are here, I just dont understand how someone can dislike HL2´s gunplay.
For such an old game Half-Life 2 and also even Half-Life 1 have still my favorite gunplay.

 

[Danny_ZQ]

Where's the disagree rating?

no but seriously, most of the guns in hl2 felt pretty generic and weak. we didn't get an array of crazy sci-fi weapons like: the tau cannon, the gluon gun, the hive-hand, the snark nest, tripmines, or satchels in hl2.

 

[Sadist]

I'm not joking, the guns felt like they have no weight and the guns sounded like nerf toys. The AI didn't help matters either.

For example FEAR had way better gunplay.

I thought the sounds were a little mediocre, but with a good soundcard and headphones the bass is wonderful and the guns sound and feel right. The thing I don't like about HL2 is the way that valve have not kept it up to date. Maybe they could post a new update with some new High Definition official maps and models as stock and maybe it would generate a new fanbase who play more modern games like crysis 2 and battlefield 4.

 

[Aizawa]

I thought the sounds were a little mediocre, but with a good soundcard and headphones the bass is wonderful and the guns sound and feel right. The thing I don't like about HL2 is the way that valve have not kept it up to date. Maybe they could post a new update with some new High Definition official maps and models as stock and maybe it would generate a new fanbase who play more modern games like crysis 2 and battlefield 4.

which developers does that? And they updated HL2 several times, for example with the new Lighting from episode 2. It came out 2004 and you compare the game to games from 2007 and so on, in my opinion it is still even better than those games though by far in every aspect

 

[ríomhaire]

I've just changed the thread title to talk about HL in general, since people seem to also want to bring up HL1, the expansions, and the episodes.

I'll admit I dislike a lot more sequences from HL1 than HL2, and I believe HL1's pacing wavers so much more than HL2.

Agreed. HL1 is a lot more inconsistent than HL2. That said I actually love the often hated On A Rail, Xen and Interloper chapters.

Where's the disagree rating?

It was decided that the negative ratings did nothing but facilitate a hostile environment.

 

[Sadist]

which developers does that? And they updated HL2 several times, for example with the new Lighting from episode 2. It came out 2004 and you compare the game to games from 2007 and so on, in my opinion it is still even better than those games though by far in every aspect

Agreed, nobody does do that and it's still better than other games. But Left4Dead 2 got updated with the original l4d1 maps, and another new campaign. HL3 is nowhere to be seen and the HL2dm scene is still crying out for a major update.

 

[Dotard]

People even playing HL2: DM ? ._. What about Deathmatch: Source?

 

[tabernumse]

I know it's a fan favorite but I really do not like Ravenholm. I feel like it's trying waaay to hard to be scary, and for that reason it failed. Father Gregory was awesome but the chapter was just way too boring, and the church is nearly impossible to find.

I enjoyed Lowlife in EP1 much more.

 

[Aizawa]

I know it's a fan favorite but I really do not like Ravenholm. I feel like it's trying waaay to hard to be scary, and for that reason it failed. Father Gregory was awesome but the chapter was just way too boring, and the church is nearly impossible to find.

I enjoyed Lowlife in EP1 much more.

but I dont think its trying to be scary, more like its trying to be like a classic trashy horror movie.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

It was decided that the negative ratings did nothing but facilitate a hostile environment.

Considering hl2.net during its heyday used be a hostile environment at times, that's actually kind of ironic.

imo ratings are kind of pointless if were going to be yes-men to every posters opinions, should be how like it was originally when vt.net just started out.

which developers does that? And they updated HL2 several times, for example with the new Lighting from episode 2. It came out 2004 and you compare the game to games from 2007 and so on, in my opinion it is still even better than those games though by far in every aspect

Another graphical update is exactly what HL1, HL2 and episodes need (not). I would just leave it be in its legacy form, but that's Valve for ya.

 

[Higlac]

Giant alien nutsack.

 

[Danny_ZQ]

• Why does the destruction of the City 17 Citadel cause all of the other Citadels and Suppression Fields on the entire planet to shut down? That's like if the Death Star powered all of the Star Destroyers or TIE Fighters in the entire Galaxy, it doesn't make sense.

• Why did Breen choose City 17 as his base of operations? What was so special about it? Why did he advertise where he was all across City 17? It only took a theoretical physicist and a robot dog to muck up everything.

• Why didn't the Resistance just make a bunch of D0Gs to fight the Combine?

• Can robots get tired? If they can't then why didn't D0G just hold up that barrier in front of the Citadel forever so that they could let an army of Rebels all storm the Citadel at once instead of letting Gordon go by himself? If the Gravity Gun didn't malfunction and turn into the blue insta-death version he would've been ****ed.

 

[Max Wood]

I'm not joking, the guns felt like they have no weight and the guns sounded like nerf toys. The AI didn't help matters either.

For example FEAR had way better gunplay.

FEAR gunplay sucked compared to HL2's gunplay.

 

[Max Wood]

• Why does the destruction of the City 17 Citadel cause all of the other Citadels and Suppression Fields on the entire planet to shut down? That's like if the Death Star powered all of the Star Destroyers or TIE Fighters in the entire Galaxy, it doesn't make sense.

• Why did Breen choose City 17 as his base of operations? What was so special about it? Why did he advertise where he was all across City 17? It only took a theoretical physicist and a robot dog to muck up everything.

• Why didn't the Resistance just make a bunch of D0Gs to fight the Combine?

• Can robots get tired? If they can't then why didn't D0G just hold up that barrier in front of the Citadel forever so that they could let an army of Rebels all storm the Citadel at once instead of letting Gordon go by himself? If the Gravity Gun didn't malfunction and turn into the blue insta-death version he would've been ****ed.

Why do you need to make questions no one can answer and ruin the game for everyone.

 

[Danny_ZQ]

Why do you need to make questions no one can answer and ruin the game for everyone.

"Questioning things in the story ruins the game for every person who ever played Half-Life 2."

oh

 

[10n02]

• Why does the destruction of the City 17 Citadel cause all of the other Citadels and Suppression Fields on the entire planet to shut down? That's like if the Death Star powered all of the Star Destroyers or TIE Fighters in the entire Galaxy, it doesn't make sense.

Maybe the combines have centralized all their IT department into the City 17 Citadel

• Why did Breen choose City 17 as his base of operations? What was so special about it? Why did he advertise where he was all across City 17? It only took a theoretical physicist and a robot dog to muck up everything.

It's not a simple theoretical physicist. It's the Freeman. Moreover, The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.

• Why didn't the Resistance just make a bunch of D0Gs to fight the Combine?

It's like asking, in our world, why an occupied country doesn't just make a bunch of tanks to fight the invader?
It's not possible because all tank factories of the country are highly guarded.

• Can robots get tired? If they can't then why didn't D0G just hold up that barrier in front of the Citadel forever so that they could let an army of Rebels all storm the Citadel at once instead of letting Gordon go by himself? If the Gravity Gun didn't malfunction and turn into the blue insta-death version he would've been ****ed.

"Can robots get tired?" Yes: Empty battery
"so that they could let an army of Rebels all storm the Citadel at once"-> 50% would die in the ravine between C17 and the citadel.
And the other 50% would be easily detected by the army of the Citadel.

 

[Aizawa]

dont forget the Gman, he chose the Freeman. Its a smart thing from Valve to make someone like the Gman, because of him it doesnt feel so random why you save everyone and not someone else. In my opinion that is also the reason why there is the Gman in the first place and my Gman theory is that he is just something like a symbol for the developers himself, who determine what happens and what does not happen in the world of Half-Life.