Dan Geeks Out: Video Game Review #402: Half-Life

Half-Life

PlayStation 2

Nostalgia Factor:

I have a long, strange history with Half-Life, despite the fact that until this week I had never played the game for more than a total of one hour. Back in 2003, I rented this game from Blockbuster Video along with Grand Theft Auto III. I really liked what I saw of Half-Life, but my time with it was cut short after one night of playing.

My girlfriend at the time was sent to the emergency room during a routine checkup, because her platelet levels were at a life-threateningly low level. I remember rushing to the ER to be by her side, completely forgetting about the games I had rented back at home. She ended up staying at the hospital for several days before being discharged, and I slept in the room with her every night. When we came home, I had to return Half-Life and GTA III to Blockbuster despite barely having had the chance to play them.

I'd end up buying a used copy of Half-Life for the PS2 a few years later for the bargain price of 11 dollars. Never actually got around to playing it though, until now. I'd say this game has been in my possession for at least 15 or 16 years.

I've heard all about Half-Life and how it has gotten such rave reviews over the years. Many people consider this to be one of the greatest first person shooters, if not one of the greatest games of all time. I've always wanted to dive into Half-Life, and honestly I don't know what kept me from doing so. I'm someone who enjoys delayed gratification, so maybe I was just waiting for the right, most perfect time to check this out.

That time has come. It's 2022 - 21 years after Half-Life's initial release for the PlayStation 2. How would it hold up after all that time? Mop Up Duty rolls on through 2001.

Story:

You play as Gordon Freeman, a scientist at the Black Mesa Research Facility. The game begins on the eve of a big experiment. You walk around the facility - talking to people, checking things out, and preparing yourself for your big day.

The experiment goes terribly wrong, and a rift to an otherworldly realm full of terrifying monsters rips open in the middle of Black Mesa. Gordon grabs a gun and begins his journey to escape the overrun facility. But wait! The US government swoops in, sending soldiers not to rescue you, but to kill all survivors in an attempt to cover up the incident.

Gordon is now fighting to stay alive against both human and alien invaders. After fighting through the facility, Gordon enters the other realm and kills the massive creature in charge, saving the world from being overrun by these monsters. It is then that Gordon is confronted by the G-Man, a mysterious figure he had seen wandering the halls of Black Mesa.

The G-Man says that thanks to Gordon, the other world (Xen) can now be conquered by humanity. Just from the way this guy talks, you can tell he's up to no good. And if human history has taught me anything it is that humanity is only going to exploit and misuse whatever they find on Xen. The G-Man gives you the option of joining him or declining his offer. The game ends with either you stepping into a portal to join the G-Man, or you being dropped weaponless into an alien battlefield, surrounded by enemies with no way to defend yourself.

The credits roll.

This isn't a horribly deep game as far as story goes. It reminds me a lot of Doom - where a dimensional rift brings creatures from Hell onto a space station, and the main character crosses through the rift to destroy the creatures at their source. It's basically the exact same thing here. What interests me the most is the G-Man and what happens from here. I also have Half-Life 2 in my collection, so I can't wait to check that out soon. From what I have heard it is supposed to be even better than this game - and I liked this game a LOT. It must be quite good.

Gameplay:

This is one of the most polished first person shooters I have ever played. Walking, running, jumping, climbing, strafing, looking up and down: all of this is very smooth and extremely easy to do. The only things I didn't like were climbing up and down ladders (I ended up accidentally falling to my death a small handful of times) and the fact that you have to cycle through all your weapons to find the one you want. There's no radial menu as far as I know, and pausing the game does not bring up any kind of weapon select option. These are relatively small gripes, however, as otherwise this game is a complete blast to play.

I'd highly suggest checking out the tutorial before actually diving into the game, as all the controls are broken down quite extensively. There are no in-game instructions once you actually start playing, so it is important to be as well-informed as you can before fully committing.

Half-Life's introduction is quite iconic. Even though I only played this game for an hour or so back in 2003, I still remembered the train sequence. It does a great job introducing you to the game environment and really giving you an idea of the scope of your adventure and how cinematic it will be.

Once you get off the train, you wander around the lab, talking to people, taking in the sites, and getting in your armored suit in preparation for the big experiment. Just being able to walk around, check things out, and explore what felt like a fully lived-in and occupied environment like this was a huge deal for me back in 2003, although it might not seem like much by today's standards. Still, I bring this up to give you an idea of how big of a trendsetter this was when it first came out.

Once the experiment goes haywire, the real game begins. You wander around a crumbling lab environment as alien enemies start to come after you. At first your only weapon is a crowbar, and I have to say that this is one of the better melee weapons I've ever encountered in an FPS. I don't even bother fighting with my fists in Goldeneye or Doom, but in this game the crowbar feels like a potent and viable option for whacking some aliens in the head.

As the game progresses you pick up typical FPS weapons. A handgun, a shotgun, grenades, an automatic rifle - that kind of thing. You can also start using the alien tech against them, which I found to be quite awesome. And of course you are exploring a lab, so expect to find some high-tech weaponry to use that had previously been under lock and key.

Unlike most first person shooters of the time, there are no "levels" to be found here, at least in the traditional sense. The whole game flows seamlessly from one area of Black Mesa to the next. It's a pretty linear game, but it never quite feels that way. The illusion of freedom you are given is a thing of beauty.

Along the way you'll encounter security guards and scientists who can help you out. Scientists will give you a health boost, or maybe open a door for you that you couldn't open otherwise. Security guards will fight aliens side by side with you, although they are mainly fodder and don't live very long. The help is always appreciated though!

Half-Life is on a completely different level from every other first person shooter I've played. I don't know if I have been able to properly put it into words how fun this game is. It's cinematic, the action is smooth and fast-paced, it's not broken up into cliched levels like you see in Doom or Wolfenstein. Everything flows together wonderfully. It is just... perfect. And something that you have to actually play to truly appreciate.

Graphics:

This isn't a flawless looking game, but I still think it looks quite good. I love the cinematic feel of the game. I could easily see this being turned into a movie or TV series. The atmosphere of the game is incredible. It's easy to believe this lab really exists, and that it is populated by scientists and doctors. Just walking around the main office and the locker room and the break room when I was younger filled me with a sense of "holy crap!" unlike any other game before it.

The environments range from well-designed to bland looking at times. I guess it is hard to make corridors and tram areas look too detailed, considering how many of them there are in the game. My biggest complaint with the graphics is in the NPC design, particularly the scientists. The same three or four character models are used over and over again. It was a bit jarring for me at the beginning of the game when I was walking around and seeing the same scientist over and over again in different areas of the lab. One of the scientists even morphed from an old white man with glasses and a receding hair line to a black man with greying temples right in front of my eyes.

Some of the later areas where you travel to Xen provide a much-needed visual break from seeing the same thing over and over again. I love the alien vistas and how breathtaking the background scenery can be. The monsters look like something straight out of a Lovecraft story or an Alien movie, and I am 100% there for it.

Sound:

I'll get my complaining out of the way immediately: the scientists' voices! They are so nasally and whiny. They all sound like they have a stick up their butt, and they all have exactly the same voice. Thank god most of them get wiped out at the beginning of the game because having to listen to them for an extended period of time would have been torture.

Other than that, I don't have any complaints. The atmospheric effect of the sound as you wander around this broken laboratory is terrific. All the ambient sound effects are perfect and really make the game's environment feel quite real.

I like the way your enemies sound as well, whether you are hearing the radio chatter of the troops sent in to kill you or the telltale noises of the aliens in your vicinity. With a few exceptions, you always know when someone is near you that you need to be on the lookout for.

There isn't much music in the game, but when there is it is usually because some big event is happening or is about to happen to you. It really makes the intensity level go up when the music starts to play. Oh crap, what's about to happen!

Overall:

This is a GREAT game. The best I have played in a long time. Why on Earth did I wait nearly 20 years to truly give this game a shot? The hype is 100% correct. You need to play Half-Life. If you've never played it, put down what you are doing and pick it up now!

This may be my favorite first person shooter of all time. I was trying to think about what could be better than this one. Wolfenstein? No, too simple. Goldeneye? No, too flawed. Doom? Iconic and classic, but not as fun as this. Far Cry? No. Halo? No. BioShock? No. Turok? Hell no. I think the only game that really comes close is the original Quake. I love that game. Even then, I can pretty easily say that Half-Life is better.

So yes, this is my favorite first person shooter of all time. And no, I am not saying that because "everybody loves Half-Life". Everybody loves it for a reason. It's a damn good game. And you know what excites me? Its sequel is supposed to be even better. I can't wait. Bring it on!

THE GRADE:

A+

40th Birthday Mop Up Duty Celebration Tour:

1982 reviews:

1983:

1984: