It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
General discussionHalf-Life worth finishing? (MILD SPOILERS)(42 posts)(42 posts)
(42 posts)
Pages:
1
2
3
This is my favourite topic
Posted March 02, 2015
Did they ever released that Black Mesa mod/game? It would be a nice alternative to playing the original HL1.

Btw, if you decide to play HL2 then get the episodes, 1 is mediocre but 2 is really good...
Posted March 02, 2015
avatar
Cyraxpt: Did they ever released that Black Mesa mod/game? It would be a nice alternative to playing the original HL1.

Btw, if you decide to play HL2 then get the episodes, 1 is mediocre but 2 is really good...
A big chunk of it came out.
Posted March 02, 2015
If you don't like it, you should better stop now. It even gets worse in the end.
Posted March 02, 2015
avatar
PaterAlf: If you don't like it, you should better stop now. It even gets worse in the end.
Oh well.

avatar
Cyraxpt: Btw, if you decide to play HL2 then get the episodes, 1 is mediocre but 2 is really good...
I think I own them already, I should be in possession of the complete HL & HL2 package, including all add-ons and episodes.

Would you agree with what bansama wrote, that you can play the episodes independently of the other games, even if you haven't finished HL & HL2?
Post edited March 02, 2015 by Leroux
Posted March 02, 2015
avatar
realkman666: A big chunk of it came out.
Didn't know that, i was now checking their website and:

"The first of two releases of Black Mesa is currently available free for download. This release includes over 8 hours and 14 chapters of gameplay. The final release, via steam, is under development.

Please download Black Mesa from our lovely friends below. Having issues installing or running Black Mesa? Read our Installation Manual. "

I'll wait for the second release and give it a go.


avatar
Leroux: Would you agrre with what bansama wrote, that you can play the episodes independently of the other games, even if you haven't finished HL & HL2?
You can skip the first one (or like i said, wait for the black mesa mod to be complete) in terms of story telling (if you know the background of HL, better yet, know what happened to earth and how that will be enough) but i wouldn't advise to skip HL2 and just play the episodes.
Post edited March 02, 2015 by Cyraxpt
Posted March 03, 2015
Half Life 2 is way worse than HL1. It (and Episode 1 and Episode 2) are among the most boring games I've ever forced myself to play through.
Posted March 03, 2015
Back in 1998, I found it a highly immersive game to play, all the way to the end.
If you're playing it now for the first time and aren't overly enjoying it, there's no need to finish the game. It doesn't have a mind-blowing or enlightening ending or anything, so don't expect the game to get better towards the end. Personally, I enjoyed the game throughout, as if it's one long level full of (then) innovative knick-knacks and variety. I never felt bored but I can see why the experience feels more archaic and less exciting to first-time players.

I would say it's a must try game but not a must finish.
Posted March 03, 2015
avatar
awalterj: Back in 1998, I found it a highly immersive game to play, all the way to the end.
If you're playing it now for the first time and aren't overly enjoying it, there's no need to finish the game. It doesn't have a mind-blowing or enlightening ending or anything, so don't expect the game to get better towards the end. Personally, I enjoyed the game throughout, as if it's one long level full of (then) innovative knick-knacks and variety. I never felt bored but I can see why the experience feels more archaic and less exciting to first-time players.

I would say it's a must try game but not a must finish.
I didn't think it was too dated or archaic to enjoy and I actually had some fun with it, I just keep getting stuck and frustrated more and more often in the second half, so progress has become slow and tedious. To me it looks like the reasons for that have more to do with harsh diffculty spikes than the age of the game. I've played through several games that had quite extreme difficulty spikes at some points, but even if they were terribly frustrating, there was always something else to motivate me and give me hope that by overcoming these spots I would be rewarded with gripping story twists or more enjoyable gameplay again. Half-Life doesn't send me these signals and I'm afraid that it mightl just go on like this until it's over. I dislike giving up on games that I've played for over 10 hours and had fun with, but maybe you're right, there's probably no good reason why I should force myself to play through something I more or less stopped enjoying. Thanks for your assessment!
Posted March 03, 2015
I enjoyed it from start to finish!

Of course different people, different tastes. Everyone has a different opinion though.

*throws molotovs around.............walks away*
Posted March 03, 2015
Yeah, Surface Tension is when the game starts to falter. It's probably the worst part of the game, excusing the Xen sections that are so bad I may have mentally disowned them when calling Surface Tension "the worst part of the game."

And I don't think I'm alone in that: if you watch video reviews and such for the game, people act like there's no part of HL1 that doesn't take place inside a building. In fact here's a specific trend I've seen too often for it to be a coincidence: reviews and retrospectives I've seen just sort of scrub out everything between getting the crossbow and getting the new gun in Lamda Complex (one source did mention the bombing segment just before lamda complex, which is when the game picks up a little).

Normally I'd encourage someone to push past a game's faltering mid-point, but Xen remains, and it's hard to say "Keep going, it eventually gets worse!"

I picked up these games late, like something like 8 years after the fact, and I loved them enough to replay them multiple times, but that's... been a while, I don't know what changed.
Post edited March 03, 2015 by Blackdrazon
Posted March 03, 2015
avatar
bansama: I don't think HL 1 aged well myself. Then again, I don't think 2 did either. And I've played both many times. That said, you don't really need to play 1 in order to play 2. You also don't really need to play 2 to play any of the Episodes. Valve are not very consistent story tellers which means there's little direct connection between any of the games asides from sharing the same characters and enemies.
avatar
Leroux: Good to know, thanks.
I don't think that's very true, Episode One takes place directly after HL2 and Episode 2 takes place directly after Episode One.

The sequel and episodes have small nods and references to the first but overall is not needed to play to understand the sequels.

HL 1 aged a little worse than some other classic FPS. Its AI is atrocious sometimes and a few spots feel clunky or odd, like the combat or some of the platforming. However its atmosphere holds it up still and I feel like it's still worth checking out at least once for anyone that enjoys FPS.

The expansions on the other hand are garbage.

HL2 aged very well and is very much superior to the first and is designed very well.
Post edited March 03, 2015 by JKHSawyer
Posted March 03, 2015
Well the end is not satisfying at all....
Posted March 04, 2015
I myself like half life 1 & 2... But are they worth finishing? Sure... once. I am not sure why but I have trouble replaying either of the games a second time. It might be because they are very linear in the beginning. I guess I prefer games that get going right away rather than putting you on a directed path for several minutes.

(Spoiler Alert) I honestly thought the platforming at the end of HL1 helped make you feel weak and vulnerable in an unfamiliar world. In fact, I would say that's how the whole game felt; brutal and unforgiving. (although I played on hard :P)

HL2 is well worth playing though (once) because it is great as an experience and you get to do some cool stuff along the way. In fact, I would say I like both games as story-driven fps experiences rather than repayable fps games.

I tried playing HL2: Ep: 1 but I got so bored that I stopped playing and never got around to finishing it. I heard Ep: 2 is better but honestly, I'd rather play Serious Sam TFE for the forth time than more Half Life.

If you end up not liking Half Life 1 I would recommend checking out Red Faction. Overall, I think it's more fun to play and more replayable than Half Life. One thing I like about it is how quickly it gets going compared to HL. Just be careful, there are a couple of poorly implemented stealth sections you might dislike.
Posted March 04, 2015
I am thinking about buying this game someday.
Posted March 04, 2015
avatar
Gengar78: I myself like half life 1 & 2... But are they worth finishing? Sure... once. I am not sure why but I have trouble replaying either of the games a second time. It might be because they are very linear in the beginning. I guess I prefer games that get going right away rather than putting you on a directed path for several minutes.

(Spoiler Alert) I honestly thought the platforming at the end of HL1 helped make you feel weak and vulnerable in an unfamiliar world. In fact, I would say that's how the whole game felt; brutal and unforgiving. (although I played on hard :P)

HL2 is well worth playing though (once) because it is great as an experience and you get to do some cool stuff along the way. In fact, I would say I like both games as story-driven fps experiences rather than repayable fps games.

I tried playing HL2: Ep: 1 but I got so bored that I stopped playing and never got around to finishing it. I heard Ep: 2 is better but honestly, I'd rather play Serious Sam TFE for the forth time than more Half Life.

If you end up not liking Half Life 1 I would recommend checking out Red Faction. Overall, I think it's more fun to play and more replayable than Half Life. One thing I like about it is how quickly it gets going compared to HL. Just be careful, there are a couple of poorly implemented stealth sections you might dislike.
Half-Life: Episode 2 was much more interesting than Episode 1 but you might end up with more questions than answers by the end if it... in fact, where's that Half--Life 3 Valve? They are good games to be played once but it feels like there's a lot of "filler" gameplay in between the story progression segments.
Pages:
1
2
3
This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionHalf-Life worth finishing? (MILD SPOILERS)(42 posts)(42 posts)
(42 posts)