PC Gamer Reviews Half-Life 2

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Posted by Zonk on Wednesday October 6, 2004 @04:00AM from the please-avoid-taunting-the-head-crabs dept.

SnprBoB86 writes "Planet HalfLife reports that latest issue of the UK PC Gamer been release with a review of Half-Life 2. The game scored a 96% (the same score as the original Half-Life and 6 points higher than Doom 3). This is just after Valve announced the Steam packages that will be available for purchase and that people who buy Half-Life 2 over Steam will be the first to play the final release of the new Counter-Strike: Source."

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Review Scans... by Pine+UK · 2004-10-06 04:05 · Score: 5, Informative

Scans can be found here
1. Re:Review Scans... by mrpuffypants · 2004-10-06 05:29 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Also here: http://www.tomservo.net/etc/hl2.rar
Never mind the score, feel the quality by __aamkky7574 · 2004-10-06 04:41 · Score: 4, Insightful

Not only is the final score higher than Doom 3 but, more importantly, the text of the review is far more positive. The Doom 3 review, while ending in a high score, was full of caveats (fully justified by what is, in the end, a rather dull trudge through corridors); the Half-Life 2 review is basically 8 pages of "man, this is beautiful".

P.
1. Re:Never mind the score, feel the quality by gl4ss · 2004-10-06 05:07 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  it's an exclusive advertisement.
  
  or didn't you notice how it says "YOU GOTTA BUY THIS" and "DON'T MISS THIS! GET IT!" over and over again?
  
  (and as for how the tone is made, here's one example: he says that the npc's react realistically to everything he does, but then it's said that it's a good thing that some guy doesn't care if you trash his place up totally with the gravity gun)
  
  and really.. rechargeable energy thing that's shared with running for the flashlight? that could have used a bit more stingy complaining.
  
  ***the Half-Life 2 review is basically 8 pages of "man, this is beautiful".*** which is exactly which makes it pretty much WORTHLESS as a review. how about touching _actual_ issues like telling what kind of a powerhouse you need to run it?
  
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  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
2. Re:Never mind the score, feel the quality by gl4ss · 2004-10-06 06:49 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  if a review is _totally_ without any critique at all yelling "buy buy buy".. then 99% of the time it is inaccurate in more places than one. calculate in the fact that it's an exclusive (valve sponsored/approved) it can't be critical. wouldn't be the first title to receive over the top ratings while merely being a good game.
  
  and cs:source is not the same thing as the full HL2 will be, not in device requirements or otherwise.
  (in aspects like polys pushed through or ai needing to be calculated)
  .
  
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  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
3. Re:Never mind the score, feel the quality by relyter · 2004-10-06 09:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Reminds me of the Div3r reviews that came out a while back (there was even a slashdot story about it http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/06/28/ 1745250&tid=127&tid=98&tid=10) is which exclusive reviews for the game were given under the condition that the game be given AT LEAST a 90% (or comparable) score. This completely defeats the purpose of having game reviews, as the people reviewing are REQUIRED to be impartial...
  
  Rant not withstanding, I personally have been looking forward to this game for several years and have already upgraded my box in anticipation... HL was great and I have no reason to expect anything but the very best from valve.
Re:Play it, enjoy it, savour it. Games may never g by richie2000 · 2004-10-06 04:47 · Score: 3, Funny

what game is there to look forward to?
Duke Nukem Forever. And you will still be looking forward to it when you're sitting on the porch of the Shady Pines Retirement Home, complaining about how everything was much better back in the old days.

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Money for nothing, pix for free
PC Zone review by clamatius · 2004-10-06 05:37 · Score: 4, Informative

The U.K. magazine PC Zone also reviewed HL2 in their latest issue.

They gave it a score of 97%, which is the best score they've ever given a game.
Re:Play it, enjoy it, savour it. Games may never g by gl4ss · 2004-10-06 05:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

having played pc games for 15+ years(from a kid, basically)..

they will get "this good" again and again.

magazines are just now _AGAIN_ at the point where they need to re-adjust totally. but since the mags are dead as a good source for information anyways..

in the '90s there were couple of games that scored 99% in nearly everywhere.

and yes, games have been playable since. and don't forget that even then MOST GAMES WERE CRAP. they still are.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Be Careful with Review "Exclusives" by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-06 07:29 · Score: 3, Informative

I work in the videogame mag industry, and you should be weary of any early review exclusives like this. I am not suggesting that Half Life 2 is a 50% instead of a 96%, but anytime a magazine snags a review copy of a game far earlier than everyone else, you can bet there's a price.

Heads up is all I'm saying.