Half-Life 2 (Xbox, 2005)

XBox 360 Half-Life 2 -

Half-Life 2 for XBox 360 is one of the most highly anticipated games arriving for the new Xbox 360 system!

Developer: Valve
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Action
Release Date: 11/15/2005
Console: Xbox 360
Retail: $49.99


Blending suspense, intense action, and the most responsive game environment ever created, Half-Life® 2 opens the door to a world where your presence affects everything around you.

In 1998 Valve Software released Half-Life, a groundbreaking experience that combined heart-pounding action with continuous, immersive storytelling. Valve's debut title won more than 50 game-of-the-year awards on its way to being named “Best PC Game Ever” by PC Gamer.

In this eagerly anticipated sequel, once again pick up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman and rescue the world from the wrong you unleashed back at Black Mesa!


* Digital Actors: Interact with the most sophisticated in-game characters ever witnessed.
* Advanced A.I.: See friends and foes alike assess threats and fashion weapons from what is at hand.
* Stunning Graphics: Experience incredibly realistic environments and jaw-dropping special effects.
* Physical Gameplay: Interact with objects that obey the laws of gravity, friction, and buoyancy.

The first person shooter genre hasn't thrilled me since the original Quake. Each "new" version was a slightly slicker substitute for the original Doom. That is, until Half-Life came along.

Half-Life was the most fun I had playing a computer game since the early days of DOS games migrating to Windows. It had such a unique premise, and rarely seemed repetitive or cumbersome, or overly frustrating, like virtually every other shooter on the market. After wiping the sweat off my brow and taking several minutes to calm down after my victory over the original Half-Life, I began a search for something else, something new, something equally as enthralling and invigorating as what I had just experienced.

Little came along to fill the capacious void until I spied Half-Life 2 on the shelf of one of the local mega marts.

(Fast forward a week or so while I bought the game on eBay and anxiously waited for the thing to arrive!)

Not since Wing Commander IV (Luke freaking Skywalker versus the Kilrathi!) or Tetris during my college years has a game gotten under my skin so deeply or so completely. I spent more time in front of the TV with a controller in my hand the next week or so than I have at any time in the previous fifteen years. I dreamed Half-Life 2. I positively JONESED for Half-Life 2.

The pro's are numerous. It is NOT repetitive. You get to do many different things besides the cliche "run and shoot". Nor is it necessary to spend frustrating hours sneaking around in the shadows, holding the control stick at the most acute angle possible to get past the bad guys. The weapons are fun. What you can do with one particular weapon is exceptionally fun. (Who doesn't dream about bisecting a room full of zombie critters with a single shot?)The game is challenging, but not daunting. It is clever, scary, immensely interesting, and just darn fun!

The only negative I can come up with is that the final quarter of the game is it's weakest. It starts strong, grows to be one of the best times I've had playing a game, but then just falls off at the end. The end of the game is not at all bad, it just pales in comparison to the rest of the game.

Half-Life 2 comes in at number 3 of my all time favorite non-Zelda non-Mario games. If you're into first-person shooters at all, or have ever consider trying one, I vehemently urge you to RUN not walk and find a copy today!

I have always been a fan of first person shooters, but every one i have played has had something missing. Whether the game was too short, had poor gameplay, or just had nothing new or interesting, there has always been something lacking. However, Half Life 2 offers everything i could possibly want in a game.
The graphics are absolutely stunning, the gameplay is smooth and intuitive, and it's not a game you can beat in 3 hours. My first run-thru of the game took me nearly 900 minutes.
Also, this game is not your run-of-the-mill shooter. Instead of simply walking down a hallway and shooting wave after wave of enemies, Half Life 2 requires quite a bit of tacticle skill and problem solving ability.
I have been playing FPS since i was first able to play video games. We all remember the thrill of iD's famous "Doom" series that put FPS games on the map. However, it seems that the formula presented by "Doom" has not been improved upon much in the years following it's release. Most games still offer little more than a linear experience through drab environments. Half Life 2 breaks that precedent by allowing the player to achieve their goals using highly interactive environments, and wildly inventive weapons. All while making your way through a gorgeously rendered world.
Half Life 2 is the perfect game for someone looking for a more mature gaming experience. If you are tired of Halo or any of the other millions of generic, boring, sci-fi kid games, give this one a try.

Episode 1 is another highly polished and well produced Valve game that has the feel of a full length game at a fraction of the cost. Lasting only 5 to 6 hours it gives you more of the best action found in Half-Life 2 with a few more interesting dynamics. If you follow the story of the Half-Life series, Episode 1 is a must have. According to Valve and some wild speculation found on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/​Half-Life_2) , Episodes 1, 2 and 3 will finish off the current story arc started in HL2, while another episode (currently named Episode 4) will start another story arc. Valve’s switch to episodic content means that we probably won’t be seeing a full Half-Life game for some time (if at all) with each iteration of the story being presented in episodic chunks. Episode 1 follows the storytelling methods found in the Half-Life series with very subtle references and information found throughout the game.

Graphically, Episode 1 greatly improves on HL2 with increased facial texturing and HDR lighting (which looks awesome). I have a X1900XT, and with everything on full the game really takes things to a new level.

Forgetting the graphics, though, the action is more than enough to make this episode shine. The short length of Episode 1 doesn’t stop it from containing some of the best battles found in the series to date. Alyx is with the player throughout the entirety of the game, and although most games that attempt this fail miserably, Episode 1 pulls it off extremely well. Other characters from HL2 also feature, such as Barney and Dog. No new weapons are presented, and most of those found in HL2 make a return.

Episode 1 continues the complex story of the Half-Life series and gives 5 to 6 hours of awesome gameplay. I give it a 9.6 with the only downside being that I want more.

If you like first-person shooters, this is for you. The settings and graphics are fun, and the action has nice pacing -- a little adrenaline and then a chance to catch your breath before the next encounter. Also, it does a nice job of varying the action, so you are not always grabbing the same weapon and just firing away. Each weapon is ideally suited to particular enemies or situations, which you are often clued to by the abundance of ammunition you have just stumbled upon. Brains are valued almost as much as brawn in this game -- an unusual and nice balance. The story line takes a little time to understand, but eventually you are caught up in the insurgents struggle. All in all, having played makes me wish I had tried the original. Vive la revolution.