I've read some people criticizing Steam on places like Amazon - and giving the game poor reviews simply because of that - and in fact Steam hindered my enjoyment of the first game because it took so long to install and slowed down my computer...but if you can look past Steam and judge these games for what they are, they're amazing! Originally planned to be an expansion pack called "Aftermath" (I actually preferred that title), the video game makers at Valve decided to pull a George Lucas and release continual expansion-pack-like standalone games (that is, you don't need Half-Life 2 to install this add-on - it's an add-on in story only).
The Valve engine is upgraded a bit with better texturing, lighting and so on. The graphics in Half-Life 2 were amazing, but now it's even better - Dog's motion in the beginning is eerily realistic, as are the facial expressions of characters in the game (one of the downsides of the realism of HL2 was its poor facial expressions for characters; this game is fully textured and, for example, when Alyx smiles you can actually see her gradually move her lips - it's almost creepy!).
The game takes place right after the events of the last game and has Gordon and Alyx trying to escape the city before the core explodes.
The first few levels are a nice twist because you have to complete them in pitch dark with a flashlight and a gravity gun. One thing I enjoyed about this game however was that Alyx stays by you most of the time unlike in the second game when she would suddenly disappear for silly reasons. It's more like a partnership and as such there is actually a good amount of character development in this game - making it a truly surreal experience for any video game; I felt like the characters were real people, and even the dialogue isn't that bad most of the time (although Barney is somewhat cheesy).
The beginning is great, and the only mistake is that they start you off with the blue-powered ultra gravity gun and then downsize you to the regular gravity gun afterwards. It feels anti-climactic. I understand why they did this, but I would have preferred they just left it out at the beginning because once you are running around zapping people into the air, to suddenly be stuck with nothing is a bit sudden and disappointing.
The middle goes on a bit too long and the level in the hospital gets old pretty fast. Other than that the rest of the game is basically superb and just as good as the last game, only shorter. There are a lot of "cut-scenes" where not much is happening - but I actually found them entertaining and made me feel more submersed into the game itself.
The ending is fantastic and leaves you really wanting more.
I can't wait for the next installment and I'm really, really glad Valve decided to release these in segments rather than having to wait, as they said, twelve years for Half-Life 3.
If you enjoyed HL2, you'll love this - just be forewarned it only takes about five hours to complete...but what would you expect for $15? I think the price is worth the first level alone.
The Valve engine is upgraded a bit with better texturing, lighting and so on. The graphics in Half-Life 2 were amazing, but now it's even better - Dog's motion in the beginning is eerily realistic, as are the facial expressions of characters in the game (one of the downsides of the realism of HL2 was its poor facial expressions for characters; this game is fully textured and, for example, when Alyx smiles you can actually see her gradually move her lips - it's almost creepy!).
The game takes place right after the events of the last game and has Gordon and Alyx trying to escape the city before the core explodes.
The first few levels are a nice twist because you have to complete them in pitch dark with a flashlight and a gravity gun. One thing I enjoyed about this game however was that Alyx stays by you most of the time unlike in the second game when she would suddenly disappear for silly reasons. It's more like a partnership and as such there is actually a good amount of character development in this game - making it a truly surreal experience for any video game; I felt like the characters were real people, and even the dialogue isn't that bad most of the time (although Barney is somewhat cheesy).
The beginning is great, and the only mistake is that they start you off with the blue-powered ultra gravity gun and then downsize you to the regular gravity gun afterwards. It feels anti-climactic. I understand why they did this, but I would have preferred they just left it out at the beginning because once you are running around zapping people into the air, to suddenly be stuck with nothing is a bit sudden and disappointing.
The middle goes on a bit too long and the level in the hospital gets old pretty fast. Other than that the rest of the game is basically superb and just as good as the last game, only shorter. There are a lot of "cut-scenes" where not much is happening - but I actually found them entertaining and made me feel more submersed into the game itself.
The ending is fantastic and leaves you really wanting more.
I can't wait for the next installment and I'm really, really glad Valve decided to release these in segments rather than having to wait, as they said, twelve years for Half-Life 3.
If you enjoyed HL2, you'll love this - just be forewarned it only takes about five hours to complete...but what would you expect for $15? I think the price is worth the first level alone.