Introduction:This is probably my first review in some time, and it will be a series of reviews belonging to the same pack. I recently purchased Valve's Orange Box gamepack, which contains 6 games for the price of one. Those games are:
- Half-Life 2
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Half-Life 2: The Lost Coast
- Portal
- Team Fortress 2
Now, this review is going to be focused on Half-Life 2, probably the longest game of the pack and after what I just played, I've gotta say it was well worth the money.
The Plot:Half-Life 2 is the sequel to Half-Life, in which you play as Gordon Freeman, a physicist who was involved in the Black Mesa incident (See Half-Life for more details). After being awoken by your employer, codenamed "G-Man", you are on a mission that takes place in the world of the aftermath of Black Mesa. The earth has been under control of the Combine, and the guy you used to work for at Black Mesa, Dr. Wallis Breen, is now a servant or "representative" of the unkown force that now controls Earth, known as "The Benifactors".
Imagine waking up, and finding yourself in a fight you know nothing about, and you improvise every step of the way. That is what this is.
You travel by foot, by airboat, by buggy, across the area of "City 17" and fight the forces of the Combine (From what I gathered, they're the Benefactors militia/army/police that govern their rules) along with the various aliens, zombies, and alien/vehlicles.
Review:I am absolutely in love with this game. The story is so much better than Ha;f-Life (I am usually an "Original are always better" person, but THIS really is better than its original). The graphics are absolutely sweet, and runs ever so smoothly on my 9500GT, The vocalwork is excellent, and the physics are absolutely fun. Everything in the enviroment is YOURS to utilize as you see fit. If you want evidence of this,
click here. There is easily 30+ hours of game play and story here.
The Annoyances:The only real things that annoyed me were the animations of the talking to other characters. Too often they would be talking to you and be walking backwards etc.
Also, I hate the venom headcrabs - so damn annoying..
This game, is truly a prime definition of the phrase "Bang for ya buck". I really encourage you to get this game if you already haven't. Yeah, it is 4 years old, but its still a great game.
Graphics: ***** (5 Stars)
Story: ***** (5 Stars)
Playability: ***** (5 Stars)
Value for Money: ***** (5 Stars)
Note: I hope they make a movie on Half-Life 2, as it'd be totally sweet.
