Never played a game since Pacman--is hl2 too diff?

[Chilcotin]

I got a new laptop that can play graphic intensive games and the guy at Best Buy says this is great. I bought it but can return it. Is it very complicated to play? I opened Battle/Middle Earth and am pretty lost. Will this be fun? Or sould I save the $50?
Thanks.
Chilcotin

 

[iLLiCiT]

don't play HL2 if you havn't played the original. you won't understand ALOT of the game.... so play HL first then HL2

 

[rambler]

that's a load of crap. you can play hl2 without playing the origional.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

that's a load of crap. you can play hl2 without playing the origional.

The original is more fun, you can attach a tripmine to a scientist

 

[Drackard]

that's a load of crap. you can play hl2 without playing the origional.

Yeah you can, BUT, it's better if you play the original first to further understand the story.

 

[Rizzo]

Yeah, and it alot of fun too. I finished half life 2 before half life 1, I had played half life 1 alot before but never complted it, but when i did, it was a big "ahaaa" experiance.

 

[hungryduck]

if you haven't played a game since pac man....Half life 1 will blow you away.....then play HL2 and your brain will explode with glee.

 

[ríomhaire]

Since Pac-Man! lol
HL2 is very fun. It doesn't come with a manual, only a small page telling you the controls. Controling the movment with the WASD keys will probably seem strange at first but trust me, it's the best way. Oh, and make sure to check if your computer can play the game. The specs you need should be on the back of the HL2 box (or someone here can quote them I'm sure)

 

[Vegeta897]

I envy you, you are in for one hell of a fun time if this is going to be your first real video game experience. And you absolutely picked the best game to start with. (I recommend playing Half-Life 1 first)

if you haven't played a game since pac man....Half life 1 will blow you away.....then play HL2 and your brain will explode with glee.

That sums it up.

 

[jimmyjam]

coming into hl2 with no fps experience would be awfully strange, we take all the shooter conventions for granted
get doom and quake and work up to hl2

 

[someone402]

make sure that you have a mouse. fps on laptop without a mouse is much harder.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

You should play Half-life 1 first simply because it has a tutorial unlike HL2

 

[ríomhaire]

coming into hl2 with no fps experience would be awfully strange, we take all the shooter conventions for granted
get doom and quake and work up to hl2

HL2 is a conventional shooter for the most part.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Play it now damn you!

 

[jimmyjam]

HL2 is a conventional shooter for the most part.

exactly
I'm saying that shooters in general have so many conventions and strange quirks that we don't think much of them
because we've been playing fps for some time
someone who has never played a shooter, coming in 14 years after Wolfenstein 3d, would be unfamiliar with those conventions and, I imagine, be rather confused

 

[Chilcotin]

Thanks! Take me to gaming grammar school?!!

Thanks everyone for all the input.
I will take 2 back for now and get 1, looks like.
One person said to start with Quake or Doom first. Another said to use a mouse: I have one with a Mac Cube with red light rather than a wheel (no buttons) and old USB connection--will it work on a PC laptop? Or should I get used to the keyboard?
I am very ignorant but not too stupid.
Yes, I'm kind of old to take up gaming, but this notebook is really cool (to me, anywayell XPS; 2 G, 6800 nvidea (whatever that means) graphics card) and I'd like to see what it can do, and also I did love playing Pacman far more than studying in grad school--it was cokeless amping-- I'm willing to go to vid game school. Is the person right about beginning with some easier games? Suggestions? Literally its been two decades. I quit playing about the time the first Star Wars game came to the beer and wine store.

Willin' Pupil.

 

[Beerdude26]

This site will come in handy for you : http://www.onlinegaminghub.net
Anyways, Chilcotin, check your Private Messages in the top right corner of the screen. I'm about to send you one.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Like others said, you should play Half life 1 first. Compared to nowadays, the graphics are a bit outdated, but in your situation it will probably still blow you away. Once you finish, go for HL2. Then there's a world of other games out there you need to try.

Keep Hl2 I wouldn't take it back if I was you, I'm not even sure if you can in some places due to the CDKey verification process. You can grab HL1 on Steam for VERY cheap so just do that. If you haven't got it already, you need to go to www.steampowered.com and download it- that's required to run HL1 and HL2, and you can buy HL1 and MANY other games via it's store.

I HIGHLY reccomend you get this http://storefront.steampowered.com/v2/index.php?area=package&SubId=40&
Total cost for games bought individually would be $39.80.
You save $24.85!

It gives you HL1 and every expansion for only 15 dollars. Buying HL1 alone is 10 dollars, so that's a great bargain and gives you ALL of the storyline along with TONS of fun, especially Team Fortress Classic (A multiplayer game, old compared to today's games but still AWESOME)

 

[Toprem]

 

[Vegeta897]

I am racking my brain, and I cannot understand what is going on in that GIF, nor what it has to do with the thread. :O

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

I am racking my brain, and I cannot understand what is going on in that GIF, nor what it has to do with the thread. :O

My interpretation: The smilies walking into a room, all happy whistling his ass off, and he realizes its full of people who begin staring at him, causing him to go to the unhappy face, and sllooooowwwwllllly backs out of the room like nothing happened.

 

[subtlesnake]

You'll need to learn how to aim and move before you can have fun, I think.

FPS are quite different to conventional, arcade-like games. A mouse is more or less a requirement - it's what you'll be using to aim all the weapons. That means a mouse with buttons, so you may have to go out and buy one. At the same time you need to be able to move left and right, and forwards and backwards, using the keyboard.

I've no idea what this will be like for you, as a first time FPS player, but I expect it will be quite hard at first. Persevere and you'll find that a whole new experience will open up to you - there really is nothing like being inside a world, with complete control of your character's body.

But until that point, where you're you're comfortable with the controls, I wouldn't start a single player FPS, especially not one as accomplished as Half-Life or Half-Life 2. Instead I'd start up a multiplayer game, in this case HL2DM or HL1DM, and just get a feel for the controls and the weapons. Learn to strafe left and right while encircling a target, learn to backpedal and track enemies. The aim is to be able to move and shoot independently. Once you've got this you'll be much more ready for the single player experience.

Now I'm not sure I'd automatically recommended Half-Life 2 over Half-Life 1. Half-Life 2 has been designed for people like you - the level design is less complex and making your way through the environments is a lot easier. I would buy both games and give both a try. If you find Half-Life too challenging you can always fall back to Half-Life 2.

 

[JellyWorld]

I don't think FPSes are that hard to get into, Halo was the first game I played since Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Secret of Monkey Island, and I didn't have any trouble with it (once I realised movement was with WASD and not arrow keys ).

 

[$kelet0r]

oh and play halflife on easy
if this is your first FPS you'll need to learn the hard way and start at the beginners level
keyboard and mouse is mandatory - a beginners mistake is to use the arrow keys rather than learn the more complex wasd layout
be prepared for 30+ hours of gaming so several days of sitting in a darkened room - if you are not used to it start by going an hour at a time in the evening
plenty of fluids is a must, avoid too much junk food and get up once in a while!

I will take 2 back for now and get 1, looks like.
One person said to start with Quake or Doom first. Another said to use a mouse: I have one with a Mac Cube with red light rather than a wheel (no buttons) and old USB connection--will it work on a PC laptop? Or should I get used to the keyboard?
I am very ignorant but not too stupid.
Yes, I'm kind of old to take up gaming, but this notebook is really cool (to me, anywayell XPS; 2 G, 6800 nvidea (whatever that means) graphics card) and I'd like to see what it can do, and also I did love playing Pacman far more than studying in grad school--it was cokeless amping-- I'm willing to go to vid game school. Is the person right about beginning with some easier games? Suggestions? Literally its been two decades. I quit playing about the time the first Star Wars game came to the beer and wine store.

right do not take hl2 back to the store - they probably wont take it back anyway and it is the greatest game of its genre ever made arguably
and Quake and Doom are not really good games to learn with, halflife is because it is a complete experience - someone who grew up on First person shooters would have played Doom, Quake, Unreal, Halflife in that order so they would be more inclined to tell you to do the same - ignore this advice (doom, quake and unreal are like the ford model t - revolutionary in their day but you wouldnt buy one today)


Oh and when we finally convince you to play Halflife and Halflife 2 remember we are here to help - any queries (no matter how stupid) we will answer

 

[nutcrackr]

I don't think you should bother with older games.

Older games maybe a tad simpler but they look quite ordinary compared to something like HL2. And you want to see what your new machine can do don't you?

First Person Shooters are perhaps one of the most simplistic genres in gaming, possibly racing games are simpler I guess.

You are using a mouse now right? Well you qualify for HL2, it's just point and click. HL2 introduces the world slowly so you aren't fighting straight away anyway, you can just look around a bit, get used to the graphics and controls or what have you.

Play it on easy, I think once you get the hang of it you will really enjoy it. Good luck

 

[Pauly]

Warning Chilicotin... at first pc games are going to be very awkward to play using a mouse to shoot and a keyboard to run around with. Make sure you use a mouse. It will take a while to get used to and halflife1 is a great game to learn on. If you liked it and get good then you can step up for hl2, which is probably the funnest game you will ever play.

 

[Remus]

The original is more fun, you can attach a tripmine to a scientist

Ha ha ha:E That's one of my favourite things, that and throwing snarks at them, lol.