Half Life 2 Episode 1

Half Life 2 is one of the biggest games on the PC ever, and there is a good reason. Currently the most technologically advanced PC game on the market (at least graphically and engine wise), Half Life 2 stands alone among other PC games that fall short in many aspects- or at least in comparison. The game has sold copy after copy to virtually every single PC gamer on the globe, and stands to be one of the biggest shooter games on the market right now, slightly under it's predecessor Half Life.

One of the biggest features of the Half Life 2 system is the STEAM platform- a game base system that allows you to play Half Life 2, Half Life, and the hundreds of modifications for it, all in a nice little package. Now finally opening to other games such as SiN Emergence and Red Orchestra: Ostfront, the STEAM platform has become one of the biggest names in the shooter industry- and the forefront of what is known as the Episodic Content battle. Episodic Content, the ability to release small “parts” of a game slowly, is something new to the market- but STEAM is at the forefront, and it makes sense for the forerunner of the STEAM platform to carry on the Episodic legacy with a single game- Half Life 2: Episode 1.

Now, first off, let me quickly explain what's going on here. Half Life 2, the original mega-hit game, was about a 10+ hour game, depending on how much time and effort you put into getting through the levels. Everything was new to the game, and nothing- not even a pixel- was taken from the previous version, but rather re-molded into a real beauty, both graphically and gameplay wise. The game originally released standalone on both the STEAM platform and on CD/DVDs, along with modifications such as Counter Strike Source, Day of Defeat: Source, Half Life 2 Deathmatch, and a popular third party mod, “Garry's Mod”.



But, one question still remained- what about Half Life 2? Ending on somewhat of a delayed cliffhanger that left many questions unanswered, the pseudo-Orwellian story had a lot that needed to be expounded upon- and thus the creation of a mini-sequel, Half Life 2: Episode 1, one of a few “Episodes” to be released on Steam and on CD/DVD that continues the story into more realms.

Let me sum up this review quite simply, and then explain why I say this: Half Life 2: Episode 1 is something that feels more like the “Extended ending” of Half Life 2 rather than a full game, and it really ends up suffering due to it.

The first reason for this is the whole ambiance. While I obviously expected some use of the old game parts and NPCs, I had no idea how many cheap tricks developer VALVe would use to make a game with minimal effort. The majority of Half Life 2: Episode 1 was made with the exact same models, textures, and sounds of Half Life 2, which means that many gamers (such as myself) will feel this is more like a very intricate user modification, rather than a full out mini-sequel. Sharp eyes will notice where VALVe changed some parts of the game around- but to be completely honest and forthcoming, not much has truly changed.

The story itself is intriguing, but unfortunately I still feel a bit drawn back from the characters. I have always felt difficulty in empathizing with characters in a shooter game, and this is no different- I still never really wanted to give a care about Alyx or her robot “Dog”, and this game has changed absolutely nothing. Alyx stands this time as an assistant of sorts, following you through the miscellaneous areas of the broken down City 17 as you fight back Combine- but in all reality, she is basically a wooden NPC, much like the mindless drones you fight. With a graphics and physics engine this powerful, along with the phenomenal techno-beat soundtrack, I somewhat wished VALVe would have made better characters (See: SiN Emergence), but nothing can be done at this point.



But, let me return to the game itself. One of the biggest problems with Half Life 2: Episode 1 seems to fall smack dab in the realm of the gameplay itself- or lack thereof. 80% of the game seems to be devoted to the use of the Gravity Gun- originally a very cool device, but now overused in the sake of gameplay. While Half Life 2: Episode 1 has a lot more use of puzzles than the original game (Which I consider a big plus), some of the implementation of the Gravity Gun seems pasted in and rather like an unannounced tutorial. While it never explicitly TELLS you to use the Gravity Gun, it is quite obvious that the game still contains a slight learning curve for those who haven't gotten it YET- which can be good or bad, depending on your perspective.

Admittedly though the graphics are the exact same as the previous title, Half Life 2: Episode 1's presentation could be no better. This distinguishes it from all the Joe Smith mods for Half Life 2- the pure effort put into the environments, be they old or not. Everything looks like it was meant to be there, everything looks unique- and some of the new uses for old NPCs (Such as the clever ability to rip out control panels and whatnot) shows that VALVe did some thinking outside the cardboard box (or crate, in Half Life's case). With the amazing Half Life 2 lighting engine complete with the HDR system, no gamer could honestly say that they did NOT like the graphical capability of this title- though, like it's predecessor, the full graphical capability comes with a hefty system price.



My major gripe- if there is one- goes back to gameplay. The environments might be beautiful, but there seems to be an abundant lack of them- rather, an abundant lack of basically everything. Half Life 2: Episode 1 only lasts 2-4 hours, depending on your speed- which, considering the $20 price tag, can be somewhat of a let down. Much akin to SiN Episodes: Emergence (Another Episodic title on the STEAM platform), Half Life 2: Episode 1's price tag in comparison to the amount of games that will come with it seems daunting- as many of us do not want to pay $100+ in $20 increments just to see the end of a sequel to a series. Episodic content can bite you on the rear like that- which is one of the main reasons that, on the STEAM platform and otherwise, these ideas don't generally work.

But, in the long run, it all boils down to fandom. Half Life 2: Episode 1 is not REQUIRED for Half Life 2 fans, nor is it really something I would say that needs to be experienced- rather, it is more like a very close-to-the-original modification, a chapter in a book that has not been completed, and that needs to be completed to be really worth the read. I can say that personally, had I not otherwise, I would not advocate the purchase of this game except in the situation that one is in dire need of Half Life 2 gaming- and I would much rather wait for a big collection pack or something to come out to make the purchase a lot more worthwhile. The Gravity Gun may be fun to play with, but not for $10 an hour.

4 star(s) out of 5

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