[Apathy]

Well I think its awsome, episodic content is definetly going to be the future of computer games. I also love the acting on episode 1 that was really missing on Half Life 2, and the putting back of puzzels like in Half Life 1. Only downer is its short and no new weapons. What do you guys think?

Review: http://1337speak.wordpress.com/2006/06/03/half-life-2-episode-1/

[Fury]

I just finished the Episode 1 earlier today, overall I am quite pleased with it. IMO the content was definitely better thought out and executed than in HL2. I think it was quite refreshing to play an FPS where you have a companion traveling with you from the beginning to the very end, and especially because normally such companions are pain in the arse, but Alyx did very well for a non-playable character and wasn't an annoyance. For a episodic content, it wasn't too short either and ended again in a sort of cliffhanger.

There were a few moments which I found to be a bit annoying, but these were short and very few. However, I wondered what were these that looked like dynamite cartridges, I couldn't pick them up because HUD displayed I already had a full stack of them but yet weren't selectable weapons.

Episode 1 was good enough experience that I am definitely going to buy Episode 2 as well. That and the Episode 2 teaser was interesting.

[aldo_14]

I'm just going to read the wikipedia story summaries, myself.  I might consider picking it up if all 3 eps are bundled together at budget, but £20 for 4-5 hours?  **** off - I got 8 hours last weekend from a game that cost a tenth of that.

[Fury]

Closer to 8-12 hours I think, not 4-5 hours or otherwise I would have finished the game yesterday and not today. Still, I think the price isn't too high though, especially because Ep1 is quality stuff IMO.

[Deepblue]

Okay, if you're good at first person shooters it takes 3-5 hours. If you've mastered everything half-life, it only takes 2 hours.

Should have been priced at $15.

However, the quality of the gameplay is MUCH better than in Half-Life 2, though inexplicably, the combine AI doesn't seem to work as a team despite the fact it was already done in half-life.

[aldo_14]

If you mean the first HL ala the AI, it's worth bearing in mind that was IIRC pretty heavily scripted/based on conditional branching; they couldn't actually move and fire at the same time, for example.

[CP5670]

I'm not too keen on trying out an addon for what was the most dull and boring game I've played in the last few years. Is it really a lot better than HL2?

[Fury]

If you did not like HL2 at all, don't bother with HL2 Episodes.

[Dough with Fish]

There were a few moments which I found to be a bit annoying, but these were short and very few. However, I wondered what were these that looked like dynamite cartridges, I couldn't pick them up because HUD displayed I already had a full stack of them but yet weren't selectable weapons.

Those, I believe, are actually flares. You can use them to light the zombies on fire, which in turn, creates another light source. Not going to really give anything away here, but that little feature comes in EXTREMLY handy in the second chapter.

I for one loved this. I like HL2 a lot to begin with, yes it had its flaws, but it was an extremly tight and well done game. These episodes look to be putting in a lot of content that was originally planned to be in HL2 (like Krakken Base, the synths, the vorts playing a larger roll, zombines) that for one reason or another didn't make the final cut. I am currently re-playing it with the commentery on, and man did they put a lot of work into this.

[Apathy]

Closer to 8-12 hours I think, not 4-5 hours or otherwise I would have finished the game yesterday and not today. Still, I think the price isn't too high though, especially because Ep1 is quality stuff IMO.

nah I beat it in 4 and a bit hours. 2 hours at night, then woke up next morning and played another 2, but I am a rusher really.

[aldo_14]

. Not going to really give anything away here, but that little feature comes in EXTREMLY handy in the second chapter.

How, exactly, do you know this?  *raises eyebrow Roger Moore style*

[Deepblue]

What?

Spoiler:

Having lights (burning zombines for example) helps Alyx shoot in the dark

[WMCoolmon]

Hmm, I don't think the spoiler tags are working as they used to....

[Grug]

Interesting. I might pick it up when I've got time and money to play it.

[neoterran]

one has to ask the question why this game is so much faster (on older hardware) than a game like oblivion when the graphics are actually better in Half Life 2 than they are in oblivion. 

[Flipside]

Gotta strongly disagree with you there, I don't consider HL2's graphics to be better than Oblivion by a long shot. Just the buildings alone are 100x more detailed in Oblivion.

[Descenterace]

Then we have the buggy shadow rendering in HL2, which is less to do with the implementation and more to do with the algorithm. Maybe Quake 4 has spoiled me...
On the other hand, if HL2 were to use the same shadow rendering system as the Doom 3 engine, we'd be seeing about a quarter of the framerate.

[Ace]

one has to ask the question why this game is so much faster (on older hardware) than a game like oblivion when the graphics are actually better in Half Life 2 than they are in oblivion. 

Well 1) Bethesda can't code. (no polygon culling, etc.)

2) Oblivion's focus is on 'organic environments' you won't see swamps and forests in the HL2 engine ever look that good.

[vyper]

I thought Ep1 was fantastic, just the way HL2 should have been. The flares, yes are good for setting zombies (and zombines) aflame, but they're also useful for stopping Alyx freaking out when your flashlight goes out.

[Fury]

There were a few moments which I found to be a bit annoying, but these were short and very few. However, I wondered what were these that looked like dynamite cartridges, I couldn't pick them up because HUD displayed I already had a full stack of them but yet weren't selectable weapons.

Those, I believe, are actually flares. You can use them to light the zombies on fire, which in turn, creates another light source. Not going to really give anything away here, but that little feature comes in EXTREMLY handy in the second chapter.

Nah, these weren't flares. These were three tubes stuck together like dynamite cartridges usually are. Also, flares do not activate your HUD inventory icons but these did.