Half-Life 2
Holy ****, how I love this franchise, I'm afraid I can't deliver a review without sounding like a slobbering fangirl.
It's difficult to rate Episode 1 and 2 by themselves since direct immediate extensions to the story line as opposed to different points of view as the expansions of HL1, so I'm gonna lump them right with HL2, so, whatever I say about HL2, it extends to EP1 and 2, I think that's more appropriate.
I'd say this franchise is the MGS of First Person Shooters, but that'd be underselling it far too much, for starters, it's been crafted much more carefully than MGS, yet it's slicker in its storytelling, much more slick and stylish. This, without ever taking control away from the player, much like in HL1.
No, this is the Watchmen, the Akira, the 2001 of gaming, not only the FPS genre, but gaming in general, and I'm talking about the franchise as a whole, not only HL2, this is a masterpiece of the Sci-Fi genre that I think transcends just the standards of gaming, I think the story is phenomenal on its own.
The themes this franchise touches upon; higher dimensions, alien conquest, human submission, teleportation, transhumanism, etc etc... Yet with human characters and interactions that are small and intimate... Hnnnngh.
As a fan of sci-fi works of infinitely big scope, I can't praise the story enough, my imagination is going to be twitching and sparking for weeks like the first time I played through these games years ago.
Now on to the game itself, there's nothing this game doesn't do right, technically or artistically speaking, the genius design of HL1 was only more profoundly cemented by source engine's physics, in all areas; platforming, puzzles, action, etc etc, blending everything together, along with storytelling, seamlessly.
Graphics are still gorgeous due to a mix of tasteful lighting, fantastic character and world design, and eye popping effects.
Sound design is orgasmic, every explosion, every cry of a synth, every shot, background battlefield noise, everything has a very distinct, satisfying and reverberating pop.
The musical score is still pretty avant garde even for today's standards and it merges perfectly with each situation in the game, cues and triggers are so timely and the music so good, that it doesn't only enhance your immersion, you also notice the music itself.
Character design and world design have got to be some of the most original for a work of Sci-Fi ever, let alone videogames, none of that overdesigned, tacky nonsense that so usual in videogames, everything is slick, simple, and tasteful, yet complex and original upon closer inspection, from the uniforms of civil protection, to the designs of the synths (which I adore), not only the aesthetic of the Combine is alien, it looks extradimensional as well, the shapes of their buildings, tools, vehicles and weapons, it really drives home the fact that the Combine is an interdimensional empire.
Controls are perfect, there's nothing to say here, there's a reason millions still play CS to this day.
Feels like I'm rambling, and I'm not even going into detail, the only regret I have is having played EP1 and 2 again, now I'm gonna be impatient about HL3 again for months. Anyway, I could go on and on describing why these games are so great in every minuscule detail but it'd be stealing from your experience if you haven't played it, I think this gets my point across.
TL;DR: Ehh, It's ok, I guess.
Well, this is where I get off...
FFS Gaben, make it happen...
