Question about Half-Life 2 ...

[Rath Darkblade]

G'day. I've recently realised that, when I bought the "Team Fortress 2" game, it also came with a copy of a game called "Half-Life 2" (plus most, if not all, of its expansions).

I looked up HL2 on wikipedia and found it is a first-person shooter. I've never played HL2 because, as a rule, I'm not all that keen on FPSs; my experience with them (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom 1, TF2) made me feel nauseous because of the constant spinning, trying to see enemies, etc. I prefer to take it nice and slow, draw a bead on an enemy (e.g. with a bow - hence my preference for archers in games like "Oblivion", "Skyrim" etc.) and fire. However, I also found that HL2 "combines shooting, puzzles, and storytelling" - which doesn't tell me much.

So, my question is this: what kind of game is HL2? Is it a pure FPS, or ...? *shrug*

Thanks!

[notbobsmith]

I've played Half-Life 2, but unfortunately not the other FPSs you've mentioned. I've played Bioshock and Halo on the PC though. I think it's not as frenetic as some of the other FPSs out there so it might fit in your play style. It does have a good story and is well paced. You aren't constantly running and gunning like some other games. There are some puzzle elements. HL2 was one of the earlier games to make use of a physics engine and the puzzles tend to involve that: propping up a ramp in the water with an empty drum because it can float, creating a ramp with heavy objects, etc. The gravity gun is loads of fun. Grab objects and hurl them at enemies. Cardboard boxes do nothing because they have little mass. Cinder blocks on the other hand...

HL2 is a great game that I would recommend to anyone. As to whether you would have a problem with it, I can't really say.

[DeadPoolX]

So, my question is this: what kind of game is HL2? Is it a pure FPS, or ...? *shrug*

As far as I know, Half-Life 2 was the first game on Steam back in 2003.

HL2 was an adventure/FPS. By "adventure" I don't mean the Sierra/LucasArts kind, but just that it involved more than purely run-and-gun tactics. In fact, charging into battle in HL2 usually would get you killed.

HL2, like HL1, was a great game for its time. The gameplay, characters, and story were all memorable for the FPS genre in the early 2000s. Today it's sorely lacking, even with nostalgia involved (which you wouldn't have).

I'd advise against playing HL2 unless you're really desperate for a first-person shooter simply because it'll seem so antiquated by 2020 standards, and I've found that FPS titles tend to age worse than games in most other genres. That said, if the last FPS you played was something as old as Wolfenstein 3D or the original DOOM, perhaps HL2 wouldn't seem too bad.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm, the last FPS I played was Team Fortress 2. (Mediiiiiiic...) The first FPSs I played were Wolfenstein 3D and the original DOOM, but I didn't like them because the pace was so frenetic - I was constantly being attacked from all sides and couldn't see all the enemies, even on the easiest settings. So it always made me panic.

What do you mean by "antiquated", DPX? I know the graphics will look old, and I don't have too much of a problem with that. Heck, I still remember playing Space Invaders on the old Atari, with a joystick and everything. Compared to that, HL2's graphics will probably look fresh and realistic!

Heck, I don't mind old-looking graphics if the story and the characters are interesting. From time to time, I play DA:O and Heroine's Quest, and I wouldn't call the graphics there amazing by 2020 standards. Recently I played SQ6 for the first time and beat it, and the graphics there are hardly astounding.

So how is HL2 different? I'm just curious ...

[DeadPoolX]

What do you mean by "antiquated", DPX?

[...]

So how is HL2 different? I'm just curious ...

Well, besides the graphics, I mean the general game design, interface and options would all seem very outdated. That might not mean much to you since your experience with FPS is limited to older titles (the most recent being TF2, a game originally released in 2007) so maybe it wouldn't be a problem.

The one good point about HL2 being an older game is that it was released before "consolization" and because of that, it has manual saves and quicksaves (in addition to autosaves). A lot of newer games — regardless of the genre — only have checkpoint saves and autosaves or save points.

Somehow many gamers have been brainwashed into thinking that being able to save when and where you want is "cheating" and call the practice "save scumming." Obviously, these people are idiots. What someone else does in a single player game has absolutely no effect on anyone else, so why does it matter if someone else saves every two minutes or two hours? Unsurprisingly, I'm still waiting for a legitimate answer to that question.

[Datadog]

I've never played HL2 because, as a rule, I'm not all that keen on FPSs; my experience with them (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom 1, TF2) made me feel nauseous because of the constant spinning, trying to see enemies, etc.

The game won't cut you any slack if you aren't accustomed to FPS mechanics. Half-Life 2 still has a lot of spinning around and surprise attacks.

[Rath Darkblade]

Somehow many gamers have been brainwashed into thinking that being able to save when and where you want is "cheating" and call the practice "save scumming." Obviously, these people are idiots. What someone else does in a single player game has absolutely no effect on anyone else, so why does it matter if someone else saves every two minutes or two hours? Unsurprisingly, I'm still waiting for a legitimate answer to that question.

Good question. What people do in a single player game is their own business! I don't understand how it's cheating to save where and when you want, rather than when the game allows you to.

Besides, what if you have to put the game away because of any number of real-life issues that call you away from your computer/console? If your only two options are saving quickly and quitting the game, or losing all your progress and having to start over, which would you choose?

The game won't cut you any slack if you aren't accustomed to FPS mechanics. Half-Life 2 still has a lot of spinning around and surprise attacks.

It sounds like a game I wouldn't enjoy, then. Er ... in RPGs like Oblivion and Skyrim, etc., you still get ambushed by unseen enemies, but this gets less frequent as your sneaking skill improves. Is there a "sneaking" skill in HL2 that you can improve to avoid ambushes and surprise attacks? I'm asking because, IIRC FPSes like Wolf 3D and DOOM etc., I could be sneaking around the dungeon and suddenly - BAM! Someone ambushed/critted you, you're dead, nyah nyah nyah! This always struck me as unfair and not very fun.

Is HL2 like that, too?

Also, why does Valve only make FPSes (e.g. TF2, HL2 etc.)? *shrug*

[DeadPoolX]

It sounds like a game I wouldn't enjoy, then. [...] Is there a "sneaking" skill in HL2 that you can improve to avoid ambushes and surprise attacks? I'm asking because, IIRC FPSes like Wolf 3D and DOOM etc., I could be sneaking around the dungeon and suddenly - BAM! Someone ambushed/critted you, you're dead, nyah nyah nyah! This always struck me as unfair and not very fun.

Is HL2 like that, too?

Like most pure FPS games, there are no skills to unlock or upgrade in HL2, so no, sneaking isn't really a thing. You can do it if you're REALLY, REALLY careful, but the game wasn't designed with that in mind.

What you'd probably like are FPS/RPG titles, like Dishonored 1 and 2, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution and its sequel, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Those games actually encourage a more stealth-oriented gameplay style. There are also lots of missions/quests, skills to acquire and upgrade, and important story-related or moral decisions to make. You can also save at your discretion, assuming you're not currently engaged in active combat.

I think I have a copy of Dishonored in my Steam inventory, so if you're interested, I could send it to you.

Also, why does Valve only make FPSes (e.g. TF2, HL2 etc.)? *shrug*

Not sure, but some companies just like certain genres and stick with them. DOTA 2 is also by Valve, but it's a MOBA, so that's different.