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Review of Episodic Content, Half-Life 2 Episode One
Half-Life 2 was worth the wait. Great story, beautiful graphics, and inventive gameplay made the game a worthy successor to Valve's 1998 classic. Last week gamers were finally allowed access to the next part of the story. Half-Life 2: Episode One is a fast-paced and entirely worthwhile continuation of Gordon Freeman's tale. It also raises some really good questions about the very idea of charging for small chunks of content. Read on for my review of this $20 experience, and a few comments on the episodic content debate.
The climactic finale to Half-Life 2 (HL2) left most players with mixed emotions. Elation at the completion of a fantastic shooter, and frustration at the sudden ending to the game's engaging story. Episode One picks up immediately after HL2 leaves off, and quickly reacquaints you with Alyx Vance and her robotic comrade. Within minutes, you're back in the thick of things, hard at work playing liberator to the human race. Episode One's story centers on the escape from City 17, the aftermath of the events of the original game, and the relationships between the resistance movement members. There are a few answers, some disappointing cop-outs, and a lot of new questions raised. The fate of Doctor Mossman, in particular, is a nagging question; her exploits are a briefly mentioned plot thread that is never readdressed or resolved. Like HL2 proper, the end of the episode is a major cliffhanger. If I had as many 'fade to white' moments in my life as Gordon has, I'd be awfully confused. These are hallmarks of Valve's storytelling at this point, though, and I don't begrudge them the need to keep us begging for more.
In fact, in almost every way possible Episode One is a success for Valve. This game is the first in a trilogy planned to end next year, and Valve has done a fantastic job in capturing interest with this initial effort. Unlike SiN Episodes , which amused but failed to engage, Episode One was so gripping I almost immediately restarted the game with 'commentary mode' enabled just to see if I could glean any more from a second go-round.
As entertaining as the story is, this title truly shines in its gameplay. Creating Half-Life 2's gameplay was a long process of trial and error. For the player, a degree of handholding was required to teach the skill required to play. Episode One, in contrast, relies on your knowledge of FPS controls and experience with the original title, packing the relatively short game with eyebrow-popping moments. New uses for the gravity gun, clever physics puzzles, the near-constant presence of Alyx Vance, and some very challenging gunplay all add to the title's brisk pace. Of particular note are the moments where Valve tweaks the player expectations. A quick crawl through the ducts becomes a drawn-out odyssey through heavily trapped rooms; you know you're having fun when death provokes a laugh instead of a sigh of frustration.
While I certainly wouldn't classify HL2 as 'easy' on normal mode, the difficulty of firefights in Episode One takes things up a notch or two from combat in that game. Several action set pieces move beyond the more straightforward boss battles; they pit you and Alyx against waves of different enemies, or put you in close quarters with some vastly unpleasant creatures. The addition of a new zombie (the 'zombine') and smarter combine soldiers contributes to this challenge. The zombine in particular (a headcrab-infested combine soldier) is a tough opponent. It takes quite a few more hits than the normal zombie to dispatch. It also displays limited tactical ability, waiting for a small knot of its kind to form before rushing you, or using a grenade to act as a walking bomb. The smarter human footsoldiers are often a frustrating surprise; they take cover and shoot straighter than their cousins in the original game.
Episode One looks great, of course. Some additional shiny has been added to the title, but for the most part you're going to be seeing the same textures and environments as in HL2 proper. It would have been nice to see some dramatically new areas, but the urban jungle you traverse on your way out of the city is as engaging as it is familiar. Sound effects are also reused, but the musical stings to accompany important moments are new and seemed more carefully composed than some of the previous offerings.
In a nutshell, Episode One is Half-Life 2 all over again. Perhaps because of its short duration (only about five hours or so), it actually manages to be even better than the original title in almost every way. The puzzles are inventive, the combat is more intense, and the story grabs you within minutes of game start; the moment, early on, where Dog and Alyx have a great moment of simple character interaction made the price of entry well worth it (for me). I've played a lot of games since Half-Life 2 came out, but this is still a franchise that impresses; Valve delivers on everything it promises. If you like story with your shooter, play this game.
The fact that Valve has released a great product should come as no surprise. What strikes me most about this title is its place in a larger debate. Episodic content has provoked a number of earnest conversations this year; how much to charge, how much content is enough, and how often content is released all seem to be sticking points in the gaming community. When Bethesda began releasing commercial mods for Oblivion earlier this year, there were a number of people that felt three dollars for horse armor was a tad much. Subsequent releases for that game have been weightier, and their low price (just $1.98 for a pirate ship) seems to have allayed criticism of those offerings.
In comparison, last month's SiN Episodes was 5-6 hours of gaming for twenty bucks. About it, I wrote "If Emergence was $15, this would be a sure thing; at $20 I'm not sure this particular ride is worth the price of admission." Now that I've seen what my $20 can get me, I know it's not worth the price of admission. If we can expect Valve's success is a high-water mark for episodic content there's going to have to be a serious reexamination of pricing and release for future, lesser offerings. I'm willing to wait for Episode Two at this point; as far as I'm concerned Valve already has my money. At the same time, I'm unlikely to purchase the next episode of SiN. The story just didn't grab me, but the amount of time we're going to be waiting is what really frustrates. With no word yet on a release for the next episode in SiN's season, we're looking at a three months wait (or more) for another length of lackluster writing and time-worn gameplay.
Valve has proven they can deliver, and four dollars an hour should be a premium price for their premium product. In contrast, SiN is just not worth it. I want faster, cheaper, or more. Two of those three will make the next developer to try for the episodic market a success. Perhaps a SiN-quality game that lasts eleven hours for $15? Or the same length for $10 every other month? I would even be interested in true micro-installments. Two or three hours of content for five bucks every month would be a good standard to set. At that rate, the television season comparison SiN is reaching for becomes a reality.
What I enjoy most about the concept of episodic content is the potential. Can developer schedules achieve a brisk enough turnaround? Will enough gamers purchase the second episodes of SiN and Half-Life 2 to ensure there will be a third? With the popularity of Xbox Live, will more developers jump on the episodic bandwagon? I, for one, certainly hope so.
- Title: Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Developer/Publisher: Valve
- System: PC
The climactic finale to Half-Life 2 (HL2) left most players with mixed emotions. Elation at the completion of a fantastic shooter, and frustration at the sudden ending to the game's engaging story. Episode One picks up immediately after HL2 leaves off, and quickly reacquaints you with Alyx Vance and her robotic comrade. Within minutes, you're back in the thick of things, hard at work playing liberator to the human race. Episode One's story centers on the escape from City 17, the aftermath of the events of the original game, and the relationships between the resistance movement members. There are a few answers, some disappointing cop-outs, and a lot of new questions raised. The fate of Doctor Mossman, in particular, is a nagging question; her exploits are a briefly mentioned plot thread that is never readdressed or resolved. Like HL2 proper, the end of the episode is a major cliffhanger. If I had as many 'fade to white' moments in my life as Gordon has, I'd be awfully confused. These are hallmarks of Valve's storytelling at this point, though, and I don't begrudge them the need to keep us begging for more.
In fact, in almost every way possible Episode One is a success for Valve. This game is the first in a trilogy planned to end next year, and Valve has done a fantastic job in capturing interest with this initial effort. Unlike SiN Episodes , which amused but failed to engage, Episode One was so gripping I almost immediately restarted the game with 'commentary mode' enabled just to see if I could glean any more from a second go-round.
As entertaining as the story is, this title truly shines in its gameplay. Creating Half-Life 2's gameplay was a long process of trial and error. For the player, a degree of handholding was required to teach the skill required to play. Episode One, in contrast, relies on your knowledge of FPS controls and experience with the original title, packing the relatively short game with eyebrow-popping moments. New uses for the gravity gun, clever physics puzzles, the near-constant presence of Alyx Vance, and some very challenging gunplay all add to the title's brisk pace. Of particular note are the moments where Valve tweaks the player expectations. A quick crawl through the ducts becomes a drawn-out odyssey through heavily trapped rooms; you know you're having fun when death provokes a laugh instead of a sigh of frustration.
While I certainly wouldn't classify HL2 as 'easy' on normal mode, the difficulty of firefights in Episode One takes things up a notch or two from combat in that game. Several action set pieces move beyond the more straightforward boss battles; they pit you and Alyx against waves of different enemies, or put you in close quarters with some vastly unpleasant creatures. The addition of a new zombie (the 'zombine') and smarter combine soldiers contributes to this challenge. The zombine in particular (a headcrab-infested combine soldier) is a tough opponent. It takes quite a few more hits than the normal zombie to dispatch. It also displays limited tactical ability, waiting for a small knot of its kind to form before rushing you, or using a grenade to act as a walking bomb. The smarter human footsoldiers are often a frustrating surprise; they take cover and shoot straighter than their cousins in the original game.
Episode One looks great, of course. Some additional shiny has been added to the title, but for the most part you're going to be seeing the same textures and environments as in HL2 proper. It would have been nice to see some dramatically new areas, but the urban jungle you traverse on your way out of the city is as engaging as it is familiar. Sound effects are also reused, but the musical stings to accompany important moments are new and seemed more carefully composed than some of the previous offerings.
In a nutshell, Episode One is Half-Life 2 all over again. Perhaps because of its short duration (only about five hours or so), it actually manages to be even better than the original title in almost every way. The puzzles are inventive, the combat is more intense, and the story grabs you within minutes of game start; the moment, early on, where Dog and Alyx have a great moment of simple character interaction made the price of entry well worth it (for me). I've played a lot of games since Half-Life 2 came out, but this is still a franchise that impresses; Valve delivers on everything it promises. If you like story with your shooter, play this game.
The fact that Valve has released a great product should come as no surprise. What strikes me most about this title is its place in a larger debate. Episodic content has provoked a number of earnest conversations this year; how much to charge, how much content is enough, and how often content is released all seem to be sticking points in the gaming community. When Bethesda began releasing commercial mods for Oblivion earlier this year, there were a number of people that felt three dollars for horse armor was a tad much. Subsequent releases for that game have been weightier, and their low price (just $1.98 for a pirate ship) seems to have allayed criticism of those offerings.
In comparison, last month's SiN Episodes was 5-6 hours of gaming for twenty bucks. About it, I wrote "If Emergence was $15, this would be a sure thing; at $20 I'm not sure this particular ride is worth the price of admission." Now that I've seen what my $20 can get me, I know it's not worth the price of admission. If we can expect Valve's success is a high-water mark for episodic content there's going to have to be a serious reexamination of pricing and release for future, lesser offerings. I'm willing to wait for Episode Two at this point; as far as I'm concerned Valve already has my money. At the same time, I'm unlikely to purchase the next episode of SiN. The story just didn't grab me, but the amount of time we're going to be waiting is what really frustrates. With no word yet on a release for the next episode in SiN's season, we're looking at a three months wait (or more) for another length of lackluster writing and time-worn gameplay.
Valve has proven they can deliver, and four dollars an hour should be a premium price for their premium product. In contrast, SiN is just not worth it. I want faster, cheaper, or more. Two of those three will make the next developer to try for the episodic market a success. Perhaps a SiN-quality game that lasts eleven hours for $15? Or the same length for $10 every other month? I would even be interested in true micro-installments. Two or three hours of content for five bucks every month would be a good standard to set. At that rate, the television season comparison SiN is reaching for becomes a reality.
What I enjoy most about the concept of episodic content is the potential. Can developer schedules achieve a brisk enough turnaround? Will enough gamers purchase the second episodes of SiN and Half-Life 2 to ensure there will be a third? With the popularity of Xbox Live, will more developers jump on the episodic bandwagon? I, for one, certainly hope so.
Anyone have the .torrent?
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In a nutshell, Episode One is Half-Life 2 all over again. Perhaps because of its short duration (only about five hours or so)
Five hours of gaming for $20... I must admit my reaction has been tempered now I think that $20 is like £14... but that is still a lot for 5 hours. If I buy a game for that much I would want a lot more than 5 hours of play; maybe I'm just tight. I've bought games in the past for less than this (infact I actually got a copy of Metriod Prime 2 free from nintendo) and they have given me easily over 20 hours and counting.
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
Hope nobody minds, but here's a link to my own MINERVA - more single-player Half-Life 2, but entirely unofficial and apocryphal. And with more than a passing nod to a certain Marathon...
Valve likes it, anyhow. And yes, I'm a complete fanboy!
Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
But upon the release of the PS3, my new PC is going in the garbage.
Does anyone else have download problems? I purchased it, and it started 58%, but when it gets to 81 or 82%, it stops downloading. After I restart Steam, the download is back at 58% again... :-( I haven't got a response from Valve yet, but it is really annoying to spend money on a game that you can't use directly. It's like Civ IV all over again.
I'm just going to wait until they release all three episodes in a nice little package.
Granted, it is short (but if you consider it 33% of a game, its about right), but, unlike even halflife 2, itself, its the most immersive game I've played. Because they concentrated on such a (relatively) small amount of game, they were able to completely and utterly finish it. Alyx reacts to most major situations, jokes during 'down time', and everything. Once all three are finished (assuming the other two are just as good as the first), and you play them in order, you'll agree that it's the best game, yet, that valve has released, and you have to play an additional $10 to get them in pieces instead of waiting over a year to get it all...
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
If you read through the original (linked from this article) review of Half Life, and then look at what is to be in "Episode 1", it seems that HL2 paints a rather dramatic and almostly cinematically interactive picture. While I'm sure that a good start with episode one will promote the HL2 franchise, with all the other VG movies in the works, I do wonder if Valve would be considering something of a movie-proper related to the Half Life storyline. Certainly, if followed, the plotline could probably be drummed into something decent... especially with the expected content to be added through the continuing episode.
Has anyone heard any rumours/press in regards to this? Maybe I'm just hopeful (and overly optimistic that if it happened, it wouldn't be a massacre), but a movie involving post-war apocalypse, a savior scientist, the comedic relief (Barnie), a hot sidekick, a nuttie scientist, cruel otherworldly footsoldiers, government conspiracy, and aliens that attach to one's head for happy zombification sound like a good combination to me. Hell, headcrabs and headcrab-zombies are probably in itself one of the cooler things... like an upgrade to the freakiness of chest-bursting nasties from the Alien movie series.
Can someone publish the recorded, noninteractive machinima of a thrilling victory in the game? Maybe a 3-part series, about 90 minutes each, pausing at meaningful points in the plot? Get a champion player as the "actor", record the stream of game events, play them back in the engine. Is that technically possible with Half-Life2, or any video RPG? Maybe an open source engine...
--
make install -not war
You've got to admit that even 5 hours is more entertainment value than that other thing called "episode one" offered.
Progress?
buy it in the box and save your self 7 bucks, I am willing to actually buy this at 12.99, this was seen at Fry's electronics (if you have one near you).
What all of you suckers who buy into episodic gaming can expect in the future is increased prices, more frequent releases of episodes with less and less content, and purchasing the initial version of the game that has had features that SHOULD have been included scraped to provide "must-buy" content for the inevitable episodes. Unfortunately that last one affects EVERYBODY who might buy a game, not just the idiots who buy the episodes as we all saw with Oblivion's horse mod.
All episodic gaming is is an attempt at prepping consumers to be nickle and dimed for every game element the companies can think of. Think ringtones, wallpapers and games on cellphones, only more expensive.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
Has Valve solved the issue that some users (including me and my brother on a different computer) were having with motion sicknes when playing Half-Life 2? I've played a lot of computer and video games my whole life and I'd never gotten motion sickness until I played HL2. On my old laptop I could play for a while without any trouble but after updating to a newer one - and nothing state-of-the-art - I couldn't play at all without feeling sick. I know there were some possible work arounds but I couldn't make it work.
Anybody else have these problems? Or know if it's better in episode 1?
basicaly, if you liked hl2 buy it. now. also, the guy failed to mension the sin episodes comes with the original sin game. and the "zombines" are the coolest enemies ever. shoot, switch to grav gun, grab nade, throw nade, lotsa dead zombies.
-schwal "Hanging is too good for punners, they should be drawn and quoted"
Am I the only one who thought that Half-Life 2's story was very bad?
Would you kindly mod me +1 insightful?
Anyone going into this game just looking to kill time with 'yet another shooter' is going to be disappointed. That is because they will be expecting something this game is not. It is an installment of a great, interactive story. If all you want is mindless shooting, save your money and get some been-there-done-that FPS. If you're interested in immersive, interactive entertainment, get this game. This is the beginning of a whole new level of entertainment folks. Would you spend $20 for an interactive movie that was 5 hours long?
If you play and you do not feel you got your money's worth, complain. Call billing support and ask for a refund.
If that fails, charge the fuckers back.
These guys set their prices based on your willingness to pay. Talk with your wallet.
Think about this: most people won't bat an eye when they are asked to pay 20 bucks to buy a new book. That's five hours of content, considerably cheaper to produce than a video game
Ive played HL2 EP1 - and I agree with the majority of the review comments. However I do not believe that this episode was worth $20.
"Once youve brought all three youll have a complete game and you wont have to wait an extra year for it"
No, no I wont have a comeplete game. The reason being is that these episodes are reusing textures, prefabs, characters, sounds, AI and the graphics engine from HL2.When I spend $60 on a new game I want it to be just that "A new game!". I dont want to spend $60 on a game that has basically been modded from a previous game ive already played. Not only that, but it also does not come with multiplayer, I cant return it if I hate it and I have to wait an additional year from when I first start the gameto when I am actually allowed to complete it.
Seriously, where is the value in that? - sure you can suger coat it with "But they have updated the graphics engine!", "They have new character dialog", "its soo rich and immersive" - at the end of the day though you are just paying for a remake of a game you already own, with the added bonus of paying an additional $60 and having to wait a year to complete the game.
I have now tried episodic gaming, I realise now more than ever that I hate it, and I will never again all into this trap. I urge the rest of you to boycott this type of sales behaviour before we see games chopped up, released slowly and costing more before its too late.
Excellent Phoenix AZ Office Space - Thistle Landing
For me, what made the game worth the $20 was the commentary mode alone. I would have paid for the game regardless, but this mode is akin to the extra features you get on DVD releases today. The extra information given reeeaaalllyy helped fill in some gaps and gave a preview of Episode Two if a few spots. With the commentary it adds in another 4-5 hours of gameplay alone.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=20+dollars+in+pou nds
The pound is just getting stronger and stronger...
what are you talking about?
I guess I missed something in this expansion. The first 15 minutes of the game are watching a purely scripted environment. You have absolutely no control over the outcome nor can you make any decisions (other than to jump off of a cliff). This game is *way* to scripted to be enjoyable and combined with the inability to shoot friendlies to me has less flair than the original.
Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
First of all, I was disappointed that for the first day I tried to buy/download episode 1, I kept getting "server is too busy, try again in a few hours" errors.
When I was finally able to purchase the game, I downloaded at about 400KB/s, which is pretty respectable for my connection (though it can do ~1MB/s to the right server).
The production value of the game is very good. The character interactions are very good and the constant interaction with Alyx is very good. She does neat little things like covering her face when there's an explosion hear her.
The story is "ok". I'm pretty picky about plot in general, so "ok" from me probably means "pretty good" for most other people.
My beef with the game has to be Alyx's health/ammo levels. She has infinite ammo, so there's bits where in order to conserve ammo, you have to pretty much just wait around for her to kill baddies (and point them out with the flashlight.. which while being cool at first gets old). The second bit is that she can die, but there's absolutely no indication of how much health she has. There's no number anywhere and it's not depicted on her character, either. She's fine, she's fine, she's dead. If she starts saying "Oww!" a lot, then you probably need to get her away.
Anyways, they've got my $20 for episode 2.
***SPOILER warning***!!!!
/SPOILER
The idea that Episode One makes use of experience with the previous game is not 100% true. There is at least one instance I can recall right off, where my expectations from the previous game caused me to do the wrong thing for a while; the level where you must escort groups of fighters from Barney's hideout to the train.
SPOILER!
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In the original, the *only* way to take out snipers was with grenades. No other weapon would work, even ones that ought to -- the rocket launcher in particular. This design "strait-jacketing" was a bit too much, I thought, and was one of my gripes with HL2. In the "escort" level, when I found the case of rockets, I thought for certain it was a gunship level, the pattern of the original was so tight. Well guess what? No gunship. And guess what suddenly works to take out the sniper now?
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HL2 was often a bit narrower than it needed to be, and tweaking expectations born of that is just frustrating the gamer, not good design.
IMO $20 is too high for something that ends so soon, we actually got *less* of Dog than in the original, this episode wasn't nearly as engaging IMO, and the "tweaks" were often simply frustrating. But overall, sufficiently decent to keep me in for Episode 2.
... when Gordon Freeman finally gets his tea? Hasn't he been wandering around with "no tea" for long enough?
I pity the foo that isn't metasyntactic
I was originally turned off when the episode ended shortly after taking down the stalker. I got a few hours of play (i think about 5) and was a little disheartened compared with the many, many more hours i put into HL2.
I replayed the new episode on hard setting, got killed almost instantly, and tried again. I think that if people, instead of just playing it on Normal or Easy were to try it on every skill level, they would find that it fills the time between releases better and make you a better player (after, of course, you realize that a shotgun blast to the face doesnt stop an enemy as easiliy).
Also, charging for their comparitivley small episode i think is just fine (now, i should say). I dont mind the $20 (or 14) for the playing time, but I would have been more keen on it if it was say $15 or so. Not a huge loss to Valve, and also that would have been a more comparative price to the full HL2 game.
The episodic expansion included five hours of new game play, no new weapons, no new vehicles and one new monster. The environments are all the same stuff we've already seen. How long did that take them and how much did we have to pay? Sure, they have other stuff going on, but after HL2 I feel a little let down. Enough so that I don't think I'll be downloading the SIN episodes.
Still, I'll keep buying just so I can find out what happens, but I thought Minerva: Metastasis was more interesting and engaging and free. Valve should have given the cash to Adam Foster.
Why does my coffee mug smell like trout?
I found Episode 1 has more entertainment value per square inch than the original Half-Life 2, which more than makes up for it being shorter. It most certantly makes the $20 price seem low now that I've played it.
There were new "gimmicks" introduced (new enemies, new puzzle components) and variants thereof used very well. They were fairly easy to figure out but that didn't make it any less satisfying when the way forward would open to more cool stuff. You seriously can't go more than a few meters without something cool happening.
The commentary is a bonus. I was disappointed that there were only a couple that took control of you or tweaked the rendering engine temporarily to show you something, more of that sort of thing would have been real neat. But the commentary itself was still very good, you learn a bit about the behind the scenes stuff (sort of like a mini "Making Of" while in the game. However, sometimes it's hard to hear commentary if in-game characters are talking at the same time. Fortunately you can always move away to more easily listen to the commentary.
The only qualms I have is that I had a weird hanging problem (maybe something with my drivers, who knows) but on a second play through it disappeared.
Also, I missed vehicles. The episode 2 teaser reveals large outdoor areas, hopefully you'll get a vehicle for part of the episode.
In short: I am quite looking forward to episodes 2 and 3 and will preorder as soon as the option becomes available on Steam.
A MMO will run you $20-$50 for the base package and $15 a month, and will provide you with an unlimited number of hours of entertainment. It amortizes much nicer. I'll admit I don't purchase many games - but my brother does, and most of his games last him more than 20-40 hours, and at a top sticker price of what, $30-$50, that is a lot cheaper. ($2.50 down to less than $1 an hour, if even, depending on the price breakdown). Myself I am a MMO fan, you can't beat the price... I've been playing the same MMO for 4 years and my gaming budget is exactly $100 a year ... the yearly subscription fee to Everquest. I play roughly 2 hours a night... 13 cents an hour.
Compare apples to apples. I mean, we could try and compare this to a hooker, the game would come out a lot cheaper, but come on... which would you pick? (assuming it is a morally valid choice, etc, YMMV)
I got bored of HL2 like a year ago, so I have little interest in buying/playing another chapter. If Valve can't release episodic content fast enough, then their consumer base will dry up as more interesting and exciting titles come along. I can only focus so much time on a game, I am not 12 years old anymore and don't have 8 hours of downtime after school or work every day to have 10 games on the go at a time. Once I have finished a game, I uninstall it and move on, and I am sure many HL2 players have moved on.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
I wonder how long it'll be before I can play it in cedega :(
Really, you found the physics in the game to be good!!? Perhaps by the standards of Warcraft, may be..
One note that I didn't see mentioned is that because, at least at Valve, each episode is being designed by a different team, every single episode will have much more consistant awesome quality than a single 10-15+ hour game. They need this in order to keep people buying the episodes, but at the same time it's because they don't need to worry about pacing nearly as much. Half-Life 2 Episode One was incredible, and the commentary added a huge amount of insight to their development philosophies. Not to mention they talked about a lot of redesigns that areas went through for sake of keeping that quality gameplay in tact. Alyx could have been an extremely annoying companion, but because the "cabal" was focused on only 4-6 hours of gameplay, they could do everything that they needed to make her addition enjoyable instead of a burden. As for reusing textures - they created a whole new material and texture set for this game, which was noted in the commentary. They painstakenly detailed every part of the city, and oher areas, to make it recognizable, but different because of its tremendous destruction. And finally, with episodic content they can keep on top of technology much better thanks to a 6-12 month development cycle instead of 4-6 year. The episode 2 trailer at the end looks incredible, keep it up Valve!
Its sad how valve built this amazing story universe and refuses to cash in on it even a little bit. HL1 built the world and gave it meaning. Most of HL2 was 'get from point A to point B', and ALL of EP 1 is 'get from point A to point B'. Nothing is revealed, there are no story points, just get from here to there and - OH SNAP! - another obstacle just popped up so you'll have to take the more dangerous route, Dr. Freeman!
They're so afraid to reveal anything that they reveal nothing. They're so afraid to tie up a plotline that they have no plot. Sound to anyone like an ABC drama that slowly drove off a cliff?
If not for the polish and gameplay (linear as it is) I'd have given up on HL a long time ago.
Your review didn't touch on what I'm more interested in - Multiplayer. SiN Emergence : Episode 1 let me down considerably by not having a multiplayer option at release date, despite touting multiplayer throughout its developement. If HL2 : EP1 has multiplayer options included at launch date, this certainly makes the $19 price tag more attractive. On their web site they state "two multiplayer games." Anyone who purchased Ep1 have any info on what's been added?
That is one glowing review. Myself, although I enjoyed Episode 1 a lot, didn't think it was *that* great.
For one, it was relatively easy. I played it through on Normal skill, and died very few times. None of the puzzles were difficult enough to delay me more than a minute, and I found that the new zombine enemies just blew themselves up.
I found the music annoying, to say the least. I considered turning the music off, but quickly realized that the start of dramatic music always foreshadowed an unexpected twist.
I was disappointed that there were no "Wow" moments as far as graphics were concerned. During the original HL2 there were times (like at the bridge) when I just had to stop and admire the scenery. Most of Episode 1 happens indoors.
Also, is Alyx invincable? While I was playing she occassionally got overrun by baddies, but alway came through without a scratch.
In summary, I was disappointed. I enjoyed playing the game but was not wowed by it. I will probably get Episode 2, but I will hardly be waiting with bated breath for it.
Life is like a web application. Sometime you need cookies just to get by.
it seems like a 1/2 hour of that was waiting for Alyx to get her ass in gear and open up locked doors while she was droning on about cupcakes and lollipops or something.
Deleting clientregistry.blob will force Steam to rediscover it's directory tree. Basically if you move it around you need to delete the clientregistry.blob or it will use the old directories.
Elation at the completion of a fantastic shooter, and frustration at the sudden ending to the game's engaging story.
I often wonder if people are playing the same game I am... Seriously, the story for Half-Life 2 can be accurately summed up as: "You're in a dystopian future, and the dictator in charge cooperates with aliens. Get to him, blowing up everything on the way!"
For that matter, the original half-life didn't fare much better, as it had a plot that was basically equivalent to the plot of DOOM: "Science made teleporters, but now aliens are coming through them! Someone must go through and blow them all up!"
What made both of these games good (Besides solid level design and gameplay) was the PRESENTATION of their stories. But at no point in either game did I ever keep playing because I wanted to "Find out how it ended" or "what happens next". I kept playing because I wanted to see what new and original game scenario the designers had crafted. But the stories were, quite frankly, poo.
Now, if they hooked up that kind of presentation to an actual STORY, they'd have an absurdly amazing game. But at least at present, spare me the "HalfLife[1/2] had such a great story!", because it really didn't. It had the bare minimum story required to give you an excuse to run around with a big gun and move from scenario to clever scenario.
Okay... Your a troll, but I'll bite. Here's your synopsis of a synopsis for ya:
Its HL2.1. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. And for half the cost (ha-ha. half-life at half-cost.) of the original game, its hard to pass up. No waiting in stores, just click the button and in about 15mn your ready to go.
Also, there is a new update in Cedega that allows the game (and all Steam games) to work better in it. So, not only is it cheap but it's also 'cross platform' to boot. Use the cash you saved on buying Windows and play the game. Cedega is worth the 15 bucks, I feel.
P.s. I beat HL2 in just under 6 hours and I'm a die-hard gamer. I beat the HL1 with every weapon*, then just the crowbar*. Then with individual weapons*.
* Where applicable. Some things required a grenade, etc. to pass. The hardest one was the grenades, with the rocket launcher following, surprisingly. The crowbar was almost the easiest, because you could just bump into the enemy and wack 'em a few times... But I digress...
For most other games, what you are purchasing is a complete story. While many of the games may leave the door open for a continuation of the story for a sequel if the demand for the first title warrants it, the primary story line has a conclusion. In episodic entertainment, this is not true. Both SIN episodes and HL2 Episode One are designed to provide more questions than answers. In SIN episodes, the most recent bad guy may be dead, but the root cause of the problem (Alexis Sinclair) still exists. You have been injected, but with what you do not know - and now, Jessica Cannon has been infected as well. Your primary suspect is dead. The City is under siege. How much longer are you in control of yourself?
Similar plot points exist with Half-Life 2: Episode One. What was contained in the message the Combine sent out? What were in those pods, and how do you defend yourself against a psy-attack? What project is Judith going after, and why is it important enough to involve one of the major characters? And why does the Combine have a recording of that message?
Unlike a monolithic game which includes a complete story line, the developers of episodic content are hoping that your curiosity and your desire to see a conclusion to the questions raised is enough to drive you to purchase more parts to the story. The marketing efforts for the later episodes will be much less, only to inform customers that the new episodes are available, and allow customer curiosity to drive sales.
In 2003 I purchased and played Ubisoft's XIII, which ended on a "...to be continued." It is now two and a half years later, and I have no desire whatsoever to see the conclusion. It wasn't always this way, and I had a desire to continue when I had completed the game, but after waiting for so long without any word of continuing the story, my personal curiosity has abated. Similarly, episodic games cannot wait long between releases. At most, I would think that 6 months would be the limit before my interest between episodes would begin to fade. A finely tuned project would have great success at one month release intervals. More frequently, and individuals will still be focused on previous episodes while new content is being released. Less frequently, and there is a risk that players will find a new title to interest them - delaying or foregoing a purchase on the next episode. To really make episodic content work, content creators must lose the "It'll be done when its done" attitude and adopt a strict development schedule. It worked for Gnome, and it is what is needed to ensure the success of episodic games.
I haven't lost my mind!
It is backed up on disk...somewhere...
I had Episodic Content as a big part of my business plan 3-4 years ago when i was seeking Venture funding for a game company.
I was after a base engine design the was easily modified and expanded on. THe main game would be a bigger chunk and a single story. The Later content could be added ontop of the main story and add to, expand or even take it to a new direction.
The main goal was for a small Indie game shop to make games incrementally so you could get them to shelf sooner and start making return on investment sooner. As the compant grows more content can be added. This sounded like a great Idea but no Ventures bit. They sort of laughed at the idea because they were thinking Grand projects. Incremental releases would have built a grand game, over time.
My concept was a blend of the NWN style as well as Episodic content. Too bad it never "took" hold when i thought of it so many years ago.
I think there would/should be a complete HL2 + Episode package, or Episodes alone later on (like HL platinum pack, or maybe not), but that would be a long time, whos gonna wait for that??
You're thinking of Arthur Dent
I kind of was expecting something other than space-zombies from outer-space, and "Time, Mr. Anderson" at the end to give a kind of a teaser. Only to say that they couldn't figure out anything. Had a lot of nothing to say. Just like potheads.
To all these people moaning that it's expensive compared to a 'normal' length game,
Been to the movies lately? Around here it's 6.60 pounds (~12.3US$) for, what, 90 minutes? Sounds about the same to me, and I don't see people complaining about the cost of movies with every new release (cost of popcorn and drinks, perhaps, but they ARE optional). Or do people actually consider 1 minute of game as worth less than one minute of movie? They're pretty similar to me...
just a thought.
I think one thing people are missing is the risk in future episodic games. Future games built from the ground up to be episodic run the same development costs for the initial episode. Game engine, art, voice acting, etc. When a game has problems and you choose not to buy follow up episodes, however, the publisher only gets 20 bucks out of you instead of the full 50. I think this format could be great for great games. I'm more than willing to pay 1.6x for 1.5x length game if the game is great. However, I think this format will kill games that could have earned more money had they been released as single, standalone games. The one good benefit to episodic games I think is that developers are forced to more evenly distribute the fun portions of a game, rather than a lot of games this day which fill you with busywork for a good portion of a game's length.
ARGH!!
:)
It's "you're".
Can't see any comments on any stories......
No unauthorized use. Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
So we have the story of Doom: aliens are invading (through portals). Let's go back to a really old sci-fi story: aliens are invading. Now let's go back to a really, really, old story: Grog's clan is invading.
Point: not many stories are original.
Better than the free mods and add ons for the game? Is it worth the price?
Derive Politics
Yes, because those other things you list are also really poor value for money.
Cinema is a rip off compared to buying a DVD, which is a rip off compared to using a VCR or TV card to record a film off the TV.
Hardback books are pure rip off - I know from people who've written books that they cost almost the same to produce as a paperback (very little), but they charge twice as much.
Arcades are rip offs compared to buying the game yourself, unless you only game very rarely.
There are lots of $50 games out there that you'll enjoy for 50 hours plus. You don't even have to pay $50 if you wait for a discounted or second hand copy. That's good value for money. $20 for 5 hours is not.
I was hoping that they would have added a config options for it by now, but apparently not. The fix is the same as before:
1. In the game list, right click on Half-Life 2: Episode One, and select "Properties".
2. Click on "Set Launch Options..."
3. Add "+sv_cheats 1 +fov 90 +default_fov 90".
4. Click OK, Close, and launch the game.
5. Headache-b-gone!
If HL2 gives you headaches, while other FPS games do not, this fix is for you. It sets the field of view to 90 degrees, instead of HL2's default 75.
READY.
#
He's talking about tortured sentences like While I certainly wouldn't classify HL2 as 'easy' on normal mode, the difficulty of firefights in Episode One takes things up a notch or two from combat in that game.
Not as much a strong pound, as a weakening US dollar. The pound, compared to for instance the danish crown, is pretty unchanged, whereas the US dollar has just plunged in recent years.
So... Where's the topless Alyx Mod then? But seriously, 20USD for 5 hours of play. How does that compare with say 'Oblivion' which gives hundreds of hours (especially if you play as badly as I do!) and endless replay, modification opportunities?
The GP's point is that more complex and interesting stories do exist. Have you ever read a book - or seen a movie? (Excluding works completely devoid of artistic ambition.) I won't give any examples of what I consider to be good, unique stories, because that is undoubtedly a subjective judgement; but they do exist, whatever your preferred genre. Don't pretend that stories have to be as crude as "<insert excuse for conflict here>".
Sadly, the genre of video games does not seem to have matured enough as a medium to give rise to truly novel stories. (This could even possibly be inherent to the genre: when the player has any degree of free will, the "author" is in some senses building a world, instead of telling a story. Furthermore, many video games are based on physical conflict, which tends to introduce pointless tedium story-wise.)
I enjoy video games. But let's not pretend that they are equal or superior in artistic worth in all senses to all previous forms of art.
Did anyone else catch the two soldiers (In Barney's hideout) with the comment about Dr.Breen's telecasts and the jugglers? Sounds like someone's been reading http://www.hlcomic.com/ ...
I'm sorry but I just finished Episode one this last weekend and I felt robbed. When the end came, I was shocked. I couldn't believe "that was it". I wait how long for this? That took me how little time to complete? That was all the story you're going to give me?
*sigh*
I was really pissed to be honest.. I wanted some answers and all I got was more questions. The story was so lacking.
> Half-Life 2 was worth the wait. Great story, beautiful graphics,
> and inventive gameplay made the game a worthy successor to
> Valve's 1998 classic.
You are bloody kidding me.
HL2 was to HL what Episode 1 was to Star Wars.
Valve made an unbeliveably basic mistake; having a non-speaking Gordon only works if there are no burning questions he would absolutely have asked - and he would have asked where the hell he's been and what and how do the resistance know about it.
HL2 was really good - graphics, gameplay, etc. But it's not a *great* because Valve fundamentally broke the plot.
"franchise"
A lot of people are complaining that HL2 EP1 wasn't "new enough", but I'm not quite sure what they expected from a game that continues from the last point they played. What, in the 15 minutes between part 0 and part 1, brand new tech is invented?
HL2 EP1 contains the same scenery and same graphics because it takes place in the exact same timeframe in the story. They are still at City 17, they are still at the citadel, and they are still fighting the combine, who are still using the same technology they did 15 minutes ago.
And this is what you should expect from episodic content. They are chapters in a story, not seperate different stories.
Is $20 too much? Depends on the game.
I wouldn't pay $20 for salmon, but if its wrapped up in wine soaked rice and seaweed with cucumber and avacado, thats a different story.
I'm god, but it's a bit of a drag really...
I think I paid $50 for HL2. HL2's single-player game was good - it was long, the gameplay varied (some running in buildings, some driving a buggy, some boat stuff, etc.) It was interesting from beginning to end.
Episode 1 was $20. I was expecting maybe half of the length of HL2's game, since it's just about half the price. Well, it's very short. Extremely short. The size of the game is about 1/8th of HL2. It was definately fun, and they really do put a lot of work into Alex's facial expressions and small talk. There's a lot of neat things about the game, such as how Alex can't shoot monsters in the dark unless you shine the flashlight on them. It works.
While it was fun and I am glad I played it, it was not worth $20. Considering that Valve is releasing three episodes at presumably $20 each, it's a lot to swallow. Perhaps Episode 2 will have a lot more content, but I'm not buying it until I read more reviews this time.
Valve makes good games but I don't feel comfortable forking over $20 for a couple hours of game play. Heck, it's *cheaper* to go to the movies, and at least I get the full story in one shot there =)
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
It didn't take me close to five hours to finish Episode one. More like three. I'm not bragging, but if you actually played HL2 from start to end you'll find Episode 1 very easy.
ps, I don't buy hardcovers =)
- It's not the Macs I hate. It's Digg users. -
If we start comparing videogames to films, its worth it.
But videogames are not films. And we expect them to be more.
If we start equating the two, we can look forward to significantly
shorter gametimes, and that's a development we'd all hate to see.
In addition to "Graphics", "Gameplay", "Difficulty" and "Fun Factor"
I think we're going to start seeing "Bang for Your Buck" as an
additional metric by which to evaluate games.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
True, however it's not the originality of the story that is the problem, it is the complete and utter lack of substance. No one praises Doom for it's great writing, mostly because most people agree that it didn't have any. My point is that people who praise Half-life for great writing are confusing the story with the delivery mechanism. The delivery in half-life utterly rocks. The story is as bland as it is simplistic. There really aren't any sub-plots, character development, or other redeeming characteristics. They basically told you the entire story in the first 20 minutes of the game, and the rest of the game was just getting through it.
Contrast this to something like System Shock II, where there was actually development of major characters, unforseen twists, and generally better writing. SS2 could also be characterized as "aliens are invading our spaceship", but the point is that, unlike halflife, they actually managed to DO something interesting with the story. My beef with the half-life stories is that the one line summary "aliens are invading" (or in the case of the 2nd one, "there's an evil dictator in charge") pretty much sums up the whole game, and doesn't really ommit much. There really isn't much else there.
Story lacking? Surely getting more questions means the story has progressed?
I do agree with you on how short it was. The closest thing a nerd can come to a one night stand.
Gordon DOES speak. In my game Gordon says things like "Get the fuck out of the way you stupid bitch, I can't get in the doorway." or "Oh gee some more zombies, now that's a surprise!" or "Hey look a physics puzzle!"
Sometimes my arms bend back.
One of the cool features that were added was the ability to play through with the commentary engaged. After I finished the Episode, I played through with the commentary which answered a lot of the 'concerns' I had as to why things were a certain way. Had some of the pessimists actually participated in the commentary they wouldn't be so quick to oust Valve on some of the decisions they made regarding Episode One.
Now, I'm not saying Episode One is a perfect game. All I'm saying is that a lot of the griping about the content is not necessary.
Here are some things (my short list) I found good about the episode:
New content - Stalkers, Combine Zombies, and helpful roller mines to name a few.
Puzzles - While many of the puzzles weren't overly difficult I thought they offered a fresh change from 'same old, same old' puzzles set. Plus, the core puzzle took be back to the good old Half-Life 1 days with some of the puzzles encountered there.
Good Intro - Some of individuals didn't like scripted scene at the beginning. I thought it a very well introduction for veteran and new players alike. Now if you didn't like it because you just prefer run and gun, it's your purgative, but say that next time. I thought it did a good job of setting up the story of the episode and what your 'goal' was for the content.
Different from HL2 - While I thought they did a good job of extending the story line, I thought it was cool that they didn't follow the same example 100%. The game play all though similar had a different feel to it, to me it seemed there was more sense of urgency and I thought they did a good job of conveying that to the player. You can actually trap yourself! :P
Intriguing, Good Story line - Now, I started playing Episode one not really expecting any questions to be answered. The thing I have really enjoyed about the Half-Life series is how entwined you become in the story line and want to know more. It makes you think; guess some people don't like that!
And the bad(short list) things:
Linear - The one thing that I have never really liked about the half-life series is how linear the levels are throughout the game. Of course this is not why you play Half-Life but it's always in the back of my mind.
Drawn out - Some of the sections/ideas were a little too drawn out in my opinion for the content. For example, the ball sockets got a little old after a while. Also, I thought there were too many areas that were pitch black
Dexterity required or bugs? - Some areas I thought required a little too much finger dexterity, such as were you had to knock the falling debris out of the way with the gravity gun, for some reason I had a hard time with my timing, it seemed sometimes the Ggun wouldn't even shoot sometimes, but I couldn't tell if it was me or what.
Unfair insertion - Also I didn't really like the fact that I was pushed into fighting the Antlion Guard without knowing it was there.
Well, with that, I thought the Episode was good in general and I can't wait for the next!
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. ~Albert Einstein
Crap! NOW you tell me! I got shredded about a dozen times waiting for that friggin' elevator! :-)
On a somewhat unrelated note, did anyone else notice a plot inconsistency? After you make it to the surface and briefly meet up with a guy with a rocket launcher, you go into a building that has several resistance fighters sitting around watching Dr. Kleiner on TV. One of the male guerillas asks Alyx if she's Dr. Kleiner's daughter, to which she replies that Odessa Cubbage is her father. WTF?
I went back to that spot a few times to verify who was speaking, and it's definitely Alyx. Any idea why she'd deny her father? The fact that Dr. Vance is her dad is hardly a trivial detail. I'm not quite finished with Ep. 1 so maybe it's explained later, but I suspect that it's a script error.
Boundless Expansion, Self-Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, Spontaneous Order- BEST DO IT SO!
Exactly. Easy to complain about something... but, how can you make it better if you don't cite an example or even better, a fix?
The author praises this episode of half life while denigrating Sin. My experience can't have been more opposite. The random floating forcefield puzzles and ridiculous "roller coaster ride" from which you emerge unscathed that begin this episode pulled me right out of the story. I'm not a fan of monstrous buildings with arbitrarily unsafe places just to give you a reason to jump around like a jedi knight to turn the 'story' into a 'game'. Seriously, I hate jump or die levels. Further, I should probably not use the term 'story' to refer to half life anymore. Instead, it's more like a maze. You keep moving forward to find the cheese and solve the puzzle you are presented with at any given moment. Not much else really matters like WHY you are doing anything. You can't ask Alex, for example, WHY you are doing anything. You simply plod forward killing 'bad guys' and moving forward... Mostly because the game doesn't let you do anything else... not because you firmly believe in the cause of one side or the other. Potentially interesting moral dilemna's are hinted at, like is working with the combine the only way to save some of us? But they're never really explored and you have no choice in any case.
I don't want to say everything about the game is bad. I really did enjoy it and the negative tone here is to balance the article. The game is beautiful and in many respects fun if more mindless than it could be, though frankly I really find the situations where you are alone far more interesting than standing with Alex as she yammers about pretty much nothing before getting around to pushing whatever button obviously needs to be pushed but can't be pushed by you. She simply becomes a 'pacer' half the time that keeps you from moving forward more quickly. Sometimes this is fine because the game does look amazing as I said before, but others it's just... ok... I know you need to push that button/drop that forcefield... now do it already!
Sin on the other hand at least gave me a short term goal. I was injected with something that is altering me by someone I know to be untrustworthy. While it's not all that unique (far cry) it is at least motivational, something seriously lacking in Half Life. The story goes on to have you working with someone far more interesting (admittedly in my opinion) than Alex who does nothing more than provide something to stare at until she eventually decides to unlock whatever door or elevator you happen to be near so that you can proceed through the maze that makes up the game.
No Steam spyware on my machine, thank you. I don't need a service (esp. written by a game company) connecting to the Internet in the background and downloading software.
Also I don't think I should need an Internet connection to play a single-player game. It may seem like a worthwhile trade off for now - it is convenient, the game is not bad and most of all do have Internet connections after all. However we are giving up our freedoms one by one and I won't be surprised when the next version of Steam charges 25c each time you start the game.
So yes, I would gladly pay full price for a hacked version of the game - one that doesn't require a Steam account, social security number, zip code and good credit rating.
The idea of an HL movie kept running through my head as I was playing HL2. The story is certainly interesting and deep enough to make a very good movie, but there are some aspects that might not translate well to a movie:
;-) Just the idea of seeing a trailer for the movie, with the Valve opening on the big screen, gives me goosebumps. I wonder if they could get Michelle Forbes, Robert Guillaume and Lou Gossett Jr. to reprise their roles on the big screen? I could see Guillaume playing Eli with no problems at all, and while Forbes doesn't look much like Dr. Mossman she does convey a similar serious attitude in the new Battlestar Galactica. If you've seen Enemy Mine then you know that Louis Gossett can play aliens quite well, though the Vortigaunt physiology might be a stretch.
* HL1 is a little too straightforward to be a movie in its own right, but the events in that game are critical backstory to explain WTF is happening in HL2. Movies that open with a long expository narration can cover a lot of ground quickly, but typically make for horrible movies. Opening the movie with "BTW, Earth got invaded 20 years ago and this guy who just woke up on a train had something to do with it" would be hard to hammer into a watchable flick.
* The striders kick much, much ass, but the comparisons with War of the Worlds would be, really, not too far off. Unfortunately, the recent WotW movie pretty much blew, which combined with the "it's yet another video game movie like that crappy Doom flick" factor would hang like a cloud over it.
* You couldn't have a movie without Gordon speaking, which would piss off a subset of fans of the games. Not insurmountable, but a factor to consider.
That said, if they made a Half-Life movie I'd see it on opening day no matter how bad the reviews were, and I'd find a way to bring my trusty crowbar with me.
Wow. I'm a geek.
Boundless Expansion, Self-Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, Spontaneous Order- BEST DO IT SO!
Half-Life 2 may well have exceeded the original but I have yet to find out as I've never been near it, not even a hacked copy. Why? Because of Steam.
If Google want to offer me a free Search Bar that gives me the option of running in a basic mode or advanced mode where my surfing habits are tracked, that's fine - they've given me something for nothing and the choice to be tracked or not. If another software company wants to offer me some free software on condition I look at some advertisements, that's fine also - I won't install the software but they've been good enough to warn me first, which I appreciate.
Steam, in my experience, is different. Maybe it's changed now but when I tried it a few years ago against Half-Life (1) and Counterstrike as (what I then thought was) a piece of software for getting easy updates to both games, I found it far too intrusive - plus I heard lots of stories about what that piece of software was sending back about my machine to Valve. In the end, I got rid of it and stuck with manual updates.
Sorry, I don't care how good a game is - if I don't trust what that game producer is doing "behind my back", I won't buy it, it's that simple; in just the same way as I won't buy any DRMed CD by even my favourite music artists and I won't rent movies that "self destruct" after a single play.
Unfortunately, it all gets back to the "mindless cattle" consumers amongst us who get totally lost in the hype and marketing around products that make it bad for the rest of us - it's those same people who hand over their rights, and mine, to companies who want nothing more than to crowbar more money from us while treating us all as criminals.
I don't mind going into a shop and paying for a game - whether it's on the day of it's release or on a budget label later on.
I'd prefer NOT to have to insert that CD into my PC every time I play that game but then I can probably find a "No CD" crack on the Internet and keep that CD nice, shiny and unscratched in a dark case somewhere so I put up with that.
I'll endure having to have a registration code for a game because if that game's producers have spent some additional money on hosting some game servers for me to play on, that seems a reasonable way of giving the true customers value for money away from those who decided to copy the game.
But I definitely WILL NOT allow any piece of spyware like Steam to do it's dirty little job of ratting it's way through the contents of my PC & pay for the privelige.
As far as I am concerned, Valve can produce the most stunningly inventive game ever invented and offer to pay me to play it - but if it's got Steam as a back-end, I still won't touch it.
If Microsoft are the OS mafia & Sony are the music thugs, then in third place are the Valve triads....
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
god! thank you
I actually keep track out of how much time I spend playing these games, I found this interesting, and I think you will too.
Half-Life 2
half-Life 2: Episode 1
Doom 3
Doom 3: Ressurrection of Evil
$7.07 is a lot to play per hour, even compared to the rather expensive Doom 3 expansion. Also, the overall quality of the game wasn't as good as Half-Life 2. I'm not even talking about wow value or new stuff, I found the pacing to just not be as good. Anyone else feel that the power ball puzzles got a little old in the first chapter? How about the escort after escort at the train station?
This is the same reason why the whole idea of micropayments and the Xbox Live Marketplace made me sick. I knew what they were up to. Valve and Ritual seems to have the same idea. "For just three easy payments of $19.99 you can get 9 hours worth of Half-Life 2 expansions!" I wouldn't mind if they made the games worth that much.
The GP's point is that more complex and interesting stories do exist.
No, the GP's point is that you can take any story, no matter what it is, and make it sound awful and shallow if you're just enough of a prat about it.
For example: Boy meets girl, girl kills self, boy kills self. See? Romeo and Juliet has no plot! It's just a generic third-person weeper!
2001: Monkeys fight. Later, a guy flies to jupiter, fights a computer, and meets aliens.
Homer's the Iliad and Odyssey: Some guys fight over a girl, then one gets lost on the way home.
This is a dumb simplification trick that any junior-high-schooler can pull off. It's closely related to the "Y'know, there are only [number] plots in existence" line that certain nitwits drag out to make themselves look clever at parties. That one, though, requires both oversimplification and ignoring any sources that might be troublesome.
How's your power supply? I have a wierd hanging problem with HL2 if I have my graphics card plugged into the wrong plug. Switchign plugs mostly fixed it. My power supply is pretty marginal, so if oyurs is as well might want to consider a power supply upgrade.
paintball
For a non-hardcore-FPS-gamer it's closer to 6-7 hours of gameplay, especially if you haven't played previous HL games. Besides, there's an enjoyable commentary mode - add another 5 hours. The game is, by the way, very replayable. And, there is Lost Coast (ok, it's just 30 min or so, but it's fun anyway), and two outstanding multiplayer games: good old Half-Life: Deathmatch (Source'd up a bit) and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. I think this is a helluva package for just $20 (or $18 if you pre-ordered). My only complain is the soundcache-related bug that sometimes causes 1-3 second lags in the game.
09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0
I bought HL2:ep1 today but whenever I try to install it on my windows box I get this error http://www.boomspeed.com/akito/Ep1errors.jpg . Anyone know how I can get round it to play (I'm on dial up, so I can't DL it before its suggested)?
I like muppets.
I went out drinking with the guys a few nights ago. It was a good 8 hours or so of partying. I think we easily spent a few hundred bucks each. There's no replay value in that. We go out again next week and it'll be a few hundred more bucks.
Now for 20 bucks you get a game that takes 5 hours. You can play it again and again and it won't cost you 20 bucks each time you replay it. Now that's a deal.
It is not my job to write other people's articles for them. I do not get paid by Slashdot to do this, unlike Zonk.
However, I will give this piece advice for free: Take an English writing class.
Obviously, the setting for this somehow has to first mention the way in which Steam (Valve?...) is dealing with content protection and distribution, a fact that many will possibly find intrusive; not sure how much I care, after all it is gaming we are talking about, and in order to protect their IP and assets, the company obviously has to take measures that foil the ever-expanding consequences of today's creative 'online-sharing', torrents and the likes, which should really saved be another debate. Suffice to say that in my personal case, I do not have any issues with this and happily paid $19.95 for the pre-load a week before the game came out.
Everyone obviously has likes and dislikes in the gaming world as much as in everything else, and while I simply do not have much interest in most of the other games this company or most others have to offer, (save for a couple of Counterstrike matches on a LAN) I do not remember ever being drawn into one as much as I did when I belatedly got into Half-Life 2 a year and a half ago. An avid Sci-Fi buff and Cyberpunk enthusiast, the original premise of the game struck a deeply resonating chord in me, one that no other game so far has managed to, as I have found most of them to be far too awkwardly simplistic, or just hard to get into.
The keyword here is immersive and what really got me was just how easy the game's developers had made it to fit yourself into Gordon Freeman's character. Again, not being a gaming maven who spends at least 6 hours a day in front of a console, it was a bit of a shock how HL2 got me hooked, like no other game ever did before. The attention paid to atmosphere and details makes for a very eerie experience, the 'Physics Engine' they use is really darn good, and without trying to start a flame war, I would in some levels tend to feel the same way about this particular franchise as I felt about George Lucas and Star Wars in the late 70's, which is to say pretty darn excited.
The gaming experience on this Episode One is nothing short of breathtaking. As others have mentioned, there are plenty of cute puzzles and new tricks to keep one guessing, the introduction of some new and welcome characters like those lovely grenade-wiedling Zombines, and after spending a leisurely two sessions playing through this in 'Normal' setting, must report that I feel just as elated as before with HL2, as I reached the climactic ending. Obviously, I cannot give the game a newcomer's look as HL's key-commands are tatooed in my synapses, but the flow was very natural, and it definitely felt like we all picked up where it left off the last time around....
There were no bugs that came to halt the otherwise smooth experience. Wish I had the necessary resources to experience the HDR effects, but it would appear that my laptop's graphic card is not capable of rendering it. Oh, well...
On the down side, I did find some of Alyx's scripted answers and come-ons a bit irritating after a while, as they tended to detract from an otherwise solid storyline, bt that's something I am willing to live with. The commentary is a pretty fine way to acquaint yourself with the finer points of game design if you so desire, and very unobtrusive.
But as in good wine, what matters most to me in the end is the aftertaste, and I must report that I - for one - cannot wait for the upcoming release of Episode Two later this year. I find that the episodic format suits this game pretty well, and as long as we know what to expect, do not find it offensive or bothersome.
So there you have it. A solid 8.5 at least, with a big grin on my face and plenty of other-worldly and futuristic inspiration. Fantastic game, well worth my or anyone's time.
Z.
Disclaimer: No, I do not work for Valve or any associated companies... after a game like this, I almost wish I did!! (LOL!)
It really does sound great. And you've tempted me to try it out.
However my opinion of valve is pretty low right now. The source engine is buggy, stuttering and crashing like crazy on my computers. I still loved HL2, but it was a frustrating experience at times.
The quality of their code isn't a Carmack, that's for sure.
the events in that game are critical backstory to explain WTF is happening in HL2
I never really played HL1 (well, I played about 5 mins, and got distracted). So I wasn't really up on the plotline when I played HL2, but the game and plotline still made a lot of sense to me. In a way, it made things a bit more mysterious and interesting.
One way to do it would be to do the old trick of having an HL2 movie... and if it turned out well, add to the plot of HL1 a bit and do it later as a prequel. It's a possibility anyhow.
Latest Blockbuster movie: Pirate Bay; $0
Latest FPS with all mods: Pirate Bay; $0
Latest Book by your favorite author: Alt.bin.ebooks; $0
Half an hour with the corner CrackWhore: $20 and Priceless!
TAANSTAFFL only works if you want what they're selling.
My gut feeling after finishing Ep1 was that it was too short for $20. You can argue for/against this all you want, but I'm sure many customers felt exactly the same way.
...until the price drops or a combo pack comes out. I hope Valve prices it more reasonably nonetheless because I did like Ep1, but not enough to pay the $20.
I think Ep1 is worth ~$15-12 and no more. $3/hour of gameplay is high enough for a single player game. Now...if Valve created a multiplayer game that was more interesting than deathmatch then I would feel better about spending the $$. At least with multiplayer games, there's a lot more replayability and you can seriously get hours and hours out of it before it becomes stale.
Ultimately, it comes down to how many people buy Ep2. If it's the same length and the same price, I think I'll just wait to buy it
Favorite
I played through Episode 1. It took me longer than most I think. I got around 7 hours of gameplay out of it. Y'know what? That 7 hours was some of the best gameplay I've ever had. I never play through single player games more than once, and I've been going back and replaying chapters of this.
What you are arguing is the fallacy of the slippery slope. You are arguing that because this appears to be less content for more money that in the future we will see even less content for more money. Similarly, a stock I own went down last week. Therefore clearly I should sell it now and nip this downward trend in the bud. . .
There are advantages to the episodic model on both sides. Personally, as a young professional, I'm getting to a point in my life where I spend less time gaming and prefer to buy games in smaller chunks. 5-15 hours of gameplay feels right to me.
Furthermore, there are advantages to the developers beyond just the more regular revenue. The commentary in episode 1 talks a lot about this. With episodic content you can incorporate improvements in graphics hardware technology at the time scales that they become available rather than guessing about stuff that's 3 years away when you start development and hoping you guess right. Taking the gameplay in smaller chunks also seems to improve the product in other ways. With a shorter time span its easier to tailor the technology specifically to the gameplay you are creating because there is less of it to target. In episode 1 for instance, they dramatically improved the ways in which NPCs can interact programatically with their environment in order to make Alyx a more engaging companion, because having her as a companion was decided to be an essential part of the gameplay for this episode. The developers also get feedback faster. They know if they are going in the right direction after 8 months of investment rather than 3 years.
All in all, I think its a great change. It fits the aging demographic of gamers better, it fits download distribution better, and it makes games manageable investments for game companies again.
People have been bemoaning the lack of innovation in games, and much of that is because of the huge investments that full retail games require. I'm willing to bet that if episodes become the norm, we'll be seeing a lot more interesting games because publishers will know that if it doesn't work out they can can the project after the first one is released.
If you haven't checked out his stuff yet you owe it to yourself. Professional quality with a sense of immediacy and humor not found often in other games. Hella fun too.
I think episodic content sounds very interesting. It for sure is not a new idea, but one that deserves more and more attention due to the dawn of the casual gamer masses.
:)), but once you lack the ability of investing significant time in your games, you miss out on the whole gratification thing that comes with kicking the endgame bosses in the $!@#$! and saving the hottest chick around the kingdom (where have those gone by the way?).
;)
I remember sitting in on a presentation held by Seamus Blackley at the Game Developers Conference 2003 (that is one of the three fathers of the initial xbox project who convinced Bill Gates in getting into the whole console/gaming business and generally a slick dude) where he addressed some of the harder financial issues surrounding game development.
Even though I am absolutely not a proponent of the EA model, where you orient your whole business towards short-lived trends in the casual gamer market and obviously neither succeed in innovating nor in motivating your employees to put any love and spirit in the games (remember the ea_spouse article http://ea-spouse.livejournal.com/274.html), I agree with the fact that the current path of games development is not catering to the current incarnation of gamer's needs.
Games taking some 40+ hours to complete were great when I was in high-school and stripped of any responsibilities that come as early as in college life (yeah, who would have thought
Then again grabbing a game to be completed in a little over 5 hours does not justify some 40 bucks plus spending.
So episodic content feels just right and was actually one of the things not only mentioned by Seamus in his talk. Game studios should cut back on up-front development time for content, instead releasing their games earlier and cheaper. This could also prove to be a great model for studios lacking the experience to produce good games, as they probably won't kill themselves with their first flopping game and get another chance at improving before facing a life of paying back debt
And here comes my actually-not-so-revolutionary proposal: Adopt shareware for games again! If your game's good, people will pay for your content, if they are for the trash bin, you won't have screwed over people! I vividly remember getting my hands on the original first eight levels (was it eight or seven?) of Doom as shareware and then shelling out my allowances for the rest. This concept did work. Why did it disappear? Anyone?
I almost bought it over Steam. Since I live in Poland, that would be $20 + 22% tax. Comes out to $24,20.
Funny(?) thing is, it's available for about $19.50 as a physical DVD package in the game section of the offline shops. Something is not right here... I mean, online distribution was supposed to be cheaper, right?
Anyway, the concept of episodic releases isn't bad. The pricing is. Whole HL2 was IIRC about $50 here. This episode doesn't have comparable amount of fun that would really justify the price.
Sin "ep1" was worth the price since it did contain refereshed Sin1 game as a bonus. That old stuff made it up for the deficiences in the "ep1".
The moon is not fully subjugated. I demand a second assault wave preceded by a massive nuclear bombardment.
Very happily married, 1 son, masters degree ... I MMO to relax after my son is in bed and my wife is satisfied (She does too, we have fun playing together). Thanks for the advice but it seems I've progressed beyond you, son.
because i know how annoying it will be to me, that I haven't finished and i'm unable to continue. With my mindframe it'll be much better to wait untill the last installment, and then maybe a bit more untill they lower the price.
Games, music, video most are way too expensive considering the price of their distribution and the size of the potential customerbase.
what interests me is to see how long it takes for the new distribution technologies to take their effect on prices. On a side note The time it takes also shows a great deal about the competition in the entertainment market. Since if there really was competition, at least some of the playeres would be using these technologies to gain a market advantage.
Valve are the first to do this with great success due to steam, but once other companies start competing, i hope for prices to drop.
Blah blah sig blah blah blah irony blah blah
This review reads like an advert with attempts to try and justify the shortness of the game.
IMHO its not worth the money for the amount of gameplay. COH $50 a year and has tons of content, I got Guildwars for $30 and there are at least months in that game from what I have seen.
It feels like an expensive playable demo.
As far as a game studio keeping up with the breakneck pace of television production, I have just one thing to say... Agile development and Scrum. These new development paradigms (where you have a finished product at the end of every month) could go a long way in helping secure that you have a deliverable product when the time comes to ship that next episode.
Mike D. Smith http://www.elecorn.com
Alko known as "movies". Can be distributed on Steam. Or an a Web page. Two fifths of Episode One lenght, two fifths of the price.
;-)
Or how about something in between? A movie where you can interact a little here and there, but you don't have to, if you are lazy. Or there can be a plot that is fixed or has a limited set of variations, and action is done by AI NPCs with random variation on each playtime, where a random result of some action scene chooses a plot variation.
You know, me and my 3 year old son love to watch the Monaco Grand Prix in TV mode in GP4. We usually do that when he goes to bed so that he falls a asleep though, so it is not SO exiting. But it is as good as the real one, except that you can control the camera IF you want
Anssi Porttikivi / app@iki.fi
Hear! Hear!
Actually, myself, every single MMO that I've subscribed to, I play a bit for the first week or so then usually hit a spot where you literally have to group to make any sort of effective gains within the game. Usually the people I play with either lose interest(quit) or go nuts playing the game(level fast leaving my char far behind) so I end up having to wander around most of the time looking for decent people to group with(not easy).
So, after a few months, I usually end up unsubscribing. The only one that didn't follow this pattern was UO, which I quit when my low level character was PKed(one shot by a xbow by an invisible char) and robbed of everything that he had spent weeks working for at which point I prompty clicked cancel account. Now I either still play TFC or Minion of Mirth(prairiegames.com) which has no monthly subscription fee, then again it's no EQ2 or WoW(this EQ1ish).
Pricing: $20 for 5h of content is utterly ridiculous, especially for a digital download. I just paid $20 for a copy of Gothic 2 Gold not all that long ago, and $20 for NWN Diamond both with SIGNIFICANTLY more contect that this one. (HL2 episodes are worth about $10 tops, $5 would be more realistic.)
Analogy to movie pricing: Movies cost $6 here, but I usually only see maybe onemovie a year as the vast majority of them have no interest to me. Books: buy very few any longer and never hardcovers as I think that paperback are already outrageously inflated in price(c. $8) unless they're a 2000 page tome.
Oblivion: nickle and diming, most of the mods so far are worth about $.01 - $.05 in terms of content.
$7.99 -- seen in its weekly ad that end on the 17th. I pricematched with another store that had in stocks and near by.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).