Slightly dissapointed with it

[elrasho]

Well after 6 hours gameplay I have completed HL2 EP1. It feels like valve are doin a "Matrix" type thing with these episodes, just hope they explain the story better. The graphics have imroved ALOT, i havent been that excited since HL1 on my Voodoo 3 2000.

Overall its a nice package, but not worth £20. I feel kinda let down, I mean it took them 2 years to make this!!? I was expecting a little more that the "use the gravity gun....." puzzles and some of the map layout is a bit linear. The citadel reminds of Jedi Night 2 for some reason :O

The quality of this game is top notch, i got the feelin of how much effort they put into this. Stuff like the bit where Alyx snipers them zombies for u through a window, proper Hollywood style!! And the scripted sequences are very well coreographed. On medium it was still too easy, i didnt have to think much when in a fire fight coz alyx is invincible so I let her do the gung ho and then I follow behined lol Also the HL games are the only 1st person shooters where u can use every knoock and cranny in the level rather than using sandbags or crates. For examle in the train bit with the strider I could actually pull one of the big metal crates and use it for cover using the gravity gun!! How cool is that!! GENIUS!!

I feel let down coz I was expecting alot more from this game. More diversity in the maps, new monsters (ok a Zoombine aint exactly new is it) and maybe a few new guns. Feels like they just got the ingridients from HL2 and added a pinch of sugar i.e. HDR. Hopefully EP2 will have vehicles like HL2 did and new monsters to fight!!

 

[Cpl_Facehugger]

Episode 2 will definitely have new monsters to fight. Specifically, the 'ministrider' seen in the trailer, and when one comes to abduct and tentacle-rape Mossman. We don't know if there will be more enemies yet, but my guess is 'Yes.'

Also, Alyx is not invincible. She is simply very tough. Too many Zombine grenades will taker her down, if you aren't careful. As will letting her get ganged up on by six sweaty Combine soldiers with shotguns and pulse rifles.

 

[kupocake]

Episode 1 was always going to be more of the same, because you're in the same locale. It would have been weird for too many new enemies to suddenly appear when they weren't there yesterday (in story terms). What we got was a polished game about escaping the place we'd already invested a lot of time in the original game. I like what Valve have done, giving us the escape sequence of Half-Life 2 as a full-blown episode. I fail to come up with a single other game titles that has devoted any more than a level to getting out of the mess you got yourself into.

I would love to see all the things you would love to see, but I feel that we shall have more of a right to complain if those wishes aren't fufilled in Episode 2, rather than in Episode 1.
edit:

and when one comes to abduct and tentacle-rape Mossman.

Japanese version only.

The Japanese version will also see Gordon's HEV suit upgraded into a 20 metre tall orange robot called the HEV Hyaku Shiki, though the resistance shall come to know it as the "Freeman Gundam". Alyx has naturally pink hair, Eli turns into a juggernaut-sized man with a gun-arm and Doctor Breen returns wearing a mask and a permanently solemn expression. This special Japanese exclusive episode sees Breen pull bike-gang leader Gordon Frohman from another dimension in order to pilot his latest combine synth creation: The Aura Battler Combine! Mio shall provide the sound-track to this anime-styled classic, and it shall go thusly:

OORA BATORAA CONBAIN!
OORA SHUUTO CONBAIN!
ATAKKU ATAKKU ATAKKU ore wa senshi!

 

[Greatgat]

Episode 2 will definitely have new monsters to fight. Specifically, the 'ministrider' seen in the trailer, and when one comes to abduct and tentacle-rape Mossman. We don't know if there will be more enemies yet, but my guess is 'Yes.'

Also, Alyx is not invincible. She is simply very tough. Too many Zombine grenades will taker her down, if you aren't careful. As will letting her get ganged up on by six sweaty Combine soldiers with shotguns and pulse rifles.

HAWT.

But yes, there are new enemies in HL2 Ep:2. You see at least one in the trailer. And she died on me a few times, most notably in that ****ing car park with all the ass-raping ant-lions.

Ahem.

 

[elrasho]

One other thing that bugged me was the AI of the combine. Theey were not clever at all on Meduim difficulty. All they did was run at me Serious Sam style! I was never ambushed or lead into a trap. What made HL1 was the AI, the AI in EP1 wasnt so clever. In FEAR the soldiers hid behined things and popped out to shoot u, none of that here.

 

[99.vikram]

I certainly saw a lot of taking cover and using grenades. Not mindblowing, but good enough.

 

[elrasho]

yes they did toss grenades over but thats about it, no coving fire for other combine as they ran at me OR trying to ambush me. If i stay in one place long enough toud expect them to try and come round the back, but they never did. I want that feeling of "have I got enough health to carry on!!?" emotion when playing HL but in EP1 there were soooo many medpaks lying about i hardly ever went into the red

 

[Kingreaper]

Ep1 is significantly too easy. Which is why you should definitely not have been playing on medium, play it on hard.

It's also why I think they should add another difficulty level for those who want to play episodes and have it last even on the first run-through called "OMG HEADCRABS DO 50 DAMAGE?!!!!"

 

[Monkwarrior]

value-for-money

Glad to see that free speech is still alowed on this site.
I agree to your point-of-view Elrasho: the value for money just wasn't there for Episode 1. I didn't buy it, but judging by all comments it's still not worth the money IMO. I'm convinced the quality of Episode 1 is good, but that's not the main issue. The main issue is that game companies in general, in this case Valve, are selling us products which offer less playing hours for the same or higher price. Judging by all comments many players don't care; I do.

Greetingz, Monk.

 

[Revenge]

People are looking at this from the wrong angle...

First off, it didn't take them 2 years to make Episode 1. It took them 2 years to make DoD:Source, HL1 DM: Source, several extra maps for CS and the above, and do a total rewrite of their rendering code to cope with HDR and then make Lost Coast to show it off... Then they got started on episodes 1 and 2 at the same time.

Now, the price is a little steep, but it's not as extreme as some people make it out to be. 3 episodes will cost you $54. HL2 probably cost you around $50. Took me just over 20 hours to finish HL2, and around 5 hours to finish Episode 1. I then spent another 2 and a half hours redoing Episode 1 in commentary mode. So I got 7.5 hours of enjoyment out of 1 episode. If the next 2 episodes follow the same pattern, my $54 will get me 22.5 hours of enjoyment. Is that really so bad?

 

[elrasho]

whats commentary mode??

 

[ríomhaire]

And Black was E1's lenght with no mulitplayer at the price of a full game!

 

[Hypnosos]

Ep1 is significantly too easy. Which is why you should definitely not have been playing on medium, play it on hard.

It's also why I think they should add another difficulty level for those who want to play episodes and have it last even on the first run-through called "OMG HEADCRABS DO 50 DAMAGE?!!!!"

Haha yeah, that would be interesting.

 

[Asknoone]

And Black was E1's lenght with no mulitplayer at the price of a full game!

QFMFT