Hiya folks. Rulke here. I'll be the Internode Games Network's new Editor, so make me feel welcome.

Since everyone's monumentally excited over this bit of news, I'll carry on with my assignment. The title I'm reviewing has been the most hotly anticipated release on the PC for a few years now. Between numerous bogus release dates, over-eager fans (hackers) releasing early code, bloodied on-going battles between the company and it's distributor, it's a title, when uttered, certainly conjures up a mixed response. Impatience, joy, bewilderment and excitement all rolled neatly in a package with the words "ahh c'mon, let me play it pleeeease!!" written all over it.

No, not Duke Nukem Forever. It's Half Life 2.

It's finally arrived, so onto the review.


smelling the ashes....
The game starts off in a very similar fashion to Half Life; inside a train. Unlike the first, this train trip is short and once it stops, so begins the story. No messing about and straight to the point.

The first thing that really impressed me from the onset was each characters facial animations. Amazing mouth sync, haunted eyes that follow your every move and skin that looks like it hasn't been close to a tube of moisturizer for years. They looked so damn real. You see them express different emotions, varying from happiness to abject terror. Just one look is enough to cut out lines of script normally needed. It's that good.

Initial impressions are important for me in any game I play (yes, I'm the kind that goes by the cover of the book, so sue me). Be that a spectacular visual romp that Blizzard intro's take you on, to the incredibly smooth transition of the intro credits to the action in Half-Life 2, it's fairly obvious I know I'm going to be suitably impressed, and let me tell you folks, I was.

Who needs 007

As soon as you step off the train, you're confronted with a large screen filled with the face of one Dr Wallace Breet, who does a rather poor job trying to convince you on the merits of City 17 (at this point I'm imagining a gun aimed at his head off camera and being told to act happy). This pretty much sets the mood for the whole game.


oh my eyes....
In all my years of playing computer games (since '79 or '80 I think..yes, I'm old), never have I been more impressed with the look of a game. Words simply cannot describe the sheer scale and depth of detail the Source engine has up its sleeve. From water effects that beats the pants off Morrowind (one mean feat let me tell you), blue-tinged reflections off metal surfaces that make you grin just looking at them, motes of dust caught in veil's of light shining through boarded-up window's (no, I don't like nor read romance novels), the previously mentioned facial animations, the sumptuous use of color mixed in with incredible terrain and buildings so varied and incredible, varying from tired and old Eastern Europe style city's to the most amazingly designed

how you doin?

citadel. I literally spent about an hour just glancing at its beauty. It had elements of Metropolis mixed in with imposing Nazi era style concrete monstrosity's. Outstanding. Even my computer game hating wife (bless her cotton-socks) was suitably impressed. Every single aspect of the graphics in Half-Life 2 is quite simply jaw-dropping stuff. You so feel like you want to stick your head through the screen and be a part of it all.


shoot that pylon...
This of course leads me onto the physics. Once again, I have never seen such an amazing level of interaction possible in any game I've ever played. You can throw, push or lift almost everything in the world. From knocking out support pylons, to dropping large containers onto the enemy from a crane (always wanted to do that..), the scope at what you can possibly do is quite impressive.

death by posturepedic

Tied into this level of physical interaction is of course the ever-present first-person shooter puzzle. Whilst not of the Myst order of complexity (thank god), each puzzle is fairly simple to figure out and maintains this throughout the game. From puzzles that rely on the buoyancy of certain objects, to making gravity work for you, I'm certain you'll enjoy them to the extent I did.


sounds like...
Most people don't rate sound effects and music tracks in games on par with graphics. I do and I'm quite happy to state that Valve have done a supreme effort. Sound effects were just mind-boggling. No matter which environment you found yourself in, you had the required amount of gorgeous ambient sounds. Gun sounds were standard fare, with just the right amount of oomph to produce an evil smirk. Radio chatter between enemies was very nicely done. It certainly added to the desperate and outnumbered atmosphere Freeman regularly found himself in, hearing chatter around the corner or down some dark corridor.

Also if you appreciate a totally sexy and meaty sound of an engine, the sound coming from the buggy in Half-Life 2 is just that. It would make Tim the tool man Taylor howl with glee, it was that good. Vocal acting from the characters had a nice emphasis to it. On a more personal level, I'm glad to announce I have finally found a title worthy of taking the Sound Effects award away from System Shock 2. Yes, it's a big call but valid nevertheless.. It's such a delight after playing untold amounts of first-person shooters with average sound effects, to find a developer such as Valve devoting a great deal of effort to it. And no folks, please don't mention Doom 3's sound. Compared to this effort, that was slim.

Music was sparse in-game and on the whole, rather disappointing. You knew when the music started, it indicated tense times ahead. The beats were bland and boring, they don't last long. It just seemed like the music was an after-thought and not a well thought one at that.

So, no matter if you have the latest 7.1 surround setup or just your average headphones in use, turn it up and enjoy the aural delights on offer.

paintball half-life2 style

let's fight...
Combat was a let down in Half Life 2. Although I played the game on normal level, I was expecting more of a challenge. Of all the enemies, I only considered two of them worthy opponents. The Striders, which could have jumped straight out of the War of the Worlds, and the brutishly large Ant Lions. Enemy AI was disappointing. Most of them seemed like they just came back from a long session at the pub. An occasional lobbed grenade or object large enough to make you want to avoid being smothered by, there weren't many instances of any real opposing force waiting to feed you to the grinder. Given some quick thinking, enemies were easily defeated.

know how ya feel mate...

I'm not too sure of this (seeing as I haven't played it in years), but I could have sworn Half Life was so much more of a daunting experience. Also thrown into the mix was teaming up with fellow resistance fighters in the closing chapters of the game. A forgettable experience, they tended to get in the way, weren't that effective in dealing with the enemy, and on the whole, just an element that attempts to add spice to a meager plot line.


the end..and a beginning
The line I've heard bandied about recently is that Half Life 2 is the greatest First Person Shooter of all time. Well, to that statement, I'd say yes and no. While the incredible graphics within certainly had me dribbling with ecstasy, and the sound effects made my ears melt with pleasure, there were just one too many aspects of the game that detracted from what could possibly have been the greatest game ever. That being said, it was a damn fine trip with many incredible moments. Moments I hope you will experience yourselves.

Thus ends my first foray into the world of game reviewing.

Hopefully I didn't bore you that much (if your still here reading this, obviously not), so I look forward to the next review soon by yours truly.

Cheers,

Rulke