Expectations about City 17 and more

[Troika]

Because of major hype before the release I was 100% sure that HL2 would, hehe, combine a lot of cool things that good games had to offer... Example: when I first heard that HL2 is gonna happen in some City 17 i assumed that it' gonna be an improvement on GTA or Farcry kind of gameplay. How cool it would be to travel around the city and its surroundings and meet people and collect little bits of storyline piece by piece, in nonlinear fashion, trying to figure out what's going on? Well nothing of the kind happened. No non-linear gameplay and not much of a story either.

I was also absolutely sure that in some point you'll be teleported to Xen-kind hallucinatory universe, with gfx that the engine has to offer it'd be just mind-blowing. And it didn't happen too.

How would you call an expansion pack which is released BEFORE the actual game? That's how I feel about HL2 after I finished it. I mean it was pretty good fun, but 20 hours of gameplay, zero replayability nad very weak multiplayer for 55 bucks? After 6 years in development?

What do you think?

 

[jsc1286]

I think it was worth every penny.

 

[Billtcm]

Don't worry dude with mods and all coming out it will get much better

 

[Feath]

Zero replayability? I'm playing through it again just because I thought it was that good.

Anyway, judge the game on what it is, not what it isn't. Play the game you have before you, don't compare it to the game you expected to play.

 

[Troika]

Wow you guys are agressive. My main question is: did you expect a non-linear gameplay from HL2 and GTA-kind freedom to explore City 17, and even if you didn't, don't you agree that it would make the game MUCH more interesting?

As for the replayability, of course you are welcome to go back and paint walls white with your zero gravity gun like the guy on some thread down below

Max Payne was "revolutionary". GTA too. Far Cry to some degree. HL2 or Doom 3 are not IMHO.

Vague storyline, apt Havoc (third-party software, isn't it?) implementation, cool gfx and lots of shiny surfaces dont make revolutionary game.

 

[Muskrat]

Everyone bitches about what it wasn't was. I'm sorry but it would be a helluva lot of work to make an open ended game and still tell the story valve wants to tell you. There is some problem of time, as how it is urgent to go rescue and visit certian characters. If it was open ended mabey they would have had to incorporate a timer so you'd go, and then you'd bitch about that. Just shut up and take what they gave you.

 

[GiaOmerta]

It's the best First Person Shooter I've played.

:thumbs:

Salud VALVe

 

[Venmoch]

True, but no other game I have ever played has made me feel so involved.

I mean come on the last epic scene plays out like a movie. And with the reactions and everything you feel even more for the characters.

 

[GiaOmerta]

I admit. I felt like Gordon Freeman. The last few chapters were great.

Spoiler

Leading the rebels into combat was truly pleasure. Being a part of their cause...

Once I reached the Citadel, and reaked havok, was like my own personal revenge.

Avenging all those who died, avenging those first civilians I saw executed in Route Kanal.

Good times.

 

[jsc1286]

Not to sound like an arrogant fanboy, Half-Life 2 is indeed revolutionary. Like Venmoch pointed out, the interaction between the characters and the player is remarkable through the use of facial animation. Furthermore, VALVe does use the Havok Physics Engine for Source, but it is heavily modified to the degree where it would do the things that developers needed it to do. However, I in no way was expecting an open-ended game since a sequel to Half-Life 1 or almost any other game would follow the same type of gameplay.

It's a matter of opinion, really. If you were expecting a Grand Theft Auto style Half-Life 2 I'm sorry but that just wasn't what VALVe was aiming for. The Grand Theft Auto franchise is great in its own sense but that's not what VALVe set out to do - to make a true sequel to Half-Life 1 using the same story-telling techniques and revolutionary (that's right, I said it) gameplay/engine.

 

[Troika]

Thanks everybody. I just wanted to start a discussion on some issues that bother me about HL2.

It seems that if HL2 is a religion these forums are where the religious right go.

Thread on my part is closed.

 

[ktimekiller]

troika ur very stupid, walk around, figuring out story, open spaced, what do you think this is? rpg? go **** a nutt

religious? what religious? your just a **** tard. there is NO fps ever to date that had an rpg gta style, you must be like what? 8?

 

[Baal]

I have never really thought about it like that before..There isn't really any freedom at all...

But Far Cry was all based on one island. How hard is it to map out one relatively small island? HL2 is just based in too many different surroundings for there to be any freedom at all. Maybe if it was only based in City 17 it would be different, but it's not like I ever expected that anyways.

As for it's replay value, I believe it has tons..I've already a few hours replaying parts of the game. I played the ending again first, then the starting, as well as the strider battles quite a few times. It's so fun!

And Troika, I'd like to apologize for some of the people who may have jumped down your throat for saying the game has faults, they don't realize that a game can have a few faults, but still be a great game. They defend it as if it were a person, and a perfect person at that.

Besides, it's not like you said it was a bad game, it just wasn't what you thought it was. Unfortunately you were mis-informed to many aspects of the game.

Too bad you didn't join this community a few months ago, things were a lot better, believe me

Well, welcome.

 

[Baal]

troika ur very stupid, walk around, figuring out story, open spaced, what do you think this is? rpg? go **** a nutt

religious? what religious? your just a **** tard. there is NO fps ever to date that had an rpg gta style, you must be like what? 8?

Wow! Relax!

I do not believe he refers to as a full fledged RPG, just more freedom than the game had. For example Far Cry had quite a bit of freedom to it, but..well, refer to my previous post.

 

[ktimekiller]

he was comparing a third person game with a first person game, thats just being stupid, and going along and figuring out story? this aint rpg u know

 

[Calm_Blue_Ocean]

Well I wasn't expecting a non-linear GTA style game, nor was I hoping for one. It's far more difficult to have a storyline if you give the player total freedom. What valve does is give a pretty good illusion of an open city (i.e. the barricades are in reasonable places etc., not like some games where you hit an invisable wall. The best part is, this engine is so incredibly versatile. You haven't bought just one game, you've bought dozens (after all the mods come out). I myself am anxious to get my hands on the full SDK and run amok in my own source universe.

This game has excellent replay value in my opinion. Look around, you'll contantly find new things. I'm currently going through the game again and killing enemies in new ways. I'm actually trying to use the phys gun only....it's quite challenging. The fact that you can sneak across a roof and quietly take out a combine soldier by dropping a cinder block on his head is amazing. It's this freedom, and the freedom to make any kind of game you want with the engine, that makes HL2 revolutionary. The fact that everything behaves as you would predict is amazing. The fact that is runs beautifully on my mid-range computer with most on the details turned up is truly incredible. There isn't one particular thing that stands out as being truly unique, it's how it's all put together to make a believable world that makes HL2 work so well.

 

[Spugmaster]

Wow you guys are agressive. My main question is: did you expect a non-linear gameplay from HL2 and GTA-kind freedom to explore City 17, and even if you didn't, don't you agree that it would make the game MUCH more interesting?

As for the replayability, of course you are welcome to go back and paint walls white with your zero gravity gun like the guy on some thread down below

Max Payne was "revolutionary". GTA too. Far Cry to some degree. HL2 or Doom 3 are not IMHO.

Vague storyline, apt Havoc (third-party software, isn't it?) implementation, cool gfx and lots of shiny surfaces dont make revolutionary game.

I loved this game and am now on my second time through. I am also really looking forward to Stalker for the reason you mentioned. I have read that it will offer a 30km squared area to explore at your leisure, so perhaps you might like to take a look at that. Graphically - it looks very similar to HL2. Have no idea how it plays obviously. It could be shite.

It should be out around May 2005, but who knows...

 

[PedroTheLion]

My main question is: did you expect a non-linear gameplay from HL2 and GTA-kind freedom to explore City 17, and even if you didn't, don't you agree that it would make the game MUCH more interesting?

No, and no. Valve never said it was going to be like the GTA games, and thus I never expected it. And no, I don't think it would have worked in HL2 at all. The GTA games aren't driven by any real plot, whereas HL2 is continually pushing the player foward through the story. If the action completely stopped to let you play at your own pace, it kinda kills the momentum that the game has. If HL2 had been like GTA, it wouldn't feel like Half-Life. It would feel like GTA with headcrabs.