Half-Life...what's the big deal?

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Swordalizer I thought that with my Unreal analogy, and comments on both of the games I made it perfectly clear why I hate HL and games like it specifically when I said this

Evidently not.

The things I have heard about HL unanimously agree that it is an arcade style set up with the movement and health models etc. That alone is reason enough for me the hate it, and then consider the fact that I have a friend who's husband died fighting in the Veitnam war, so to me something like HL or Unreal strikes a very personaly cord for me, since I look upon them as trivializing towards any soldier or innocent that has been caught up in wars and died or suffered permanent psycological damage from it.

I can accept things like Rouge Spear, Ghost Recon and other games like them because they are far more realistic and dont have a tendancy to glorify violence and fighting.

I can accept things like BGII and any other unrealistic type sports games or whatever because they are nothing like HL or Unreal, and like I said I hate almost anything that mixes fantasy with guns.

This opinion might seem strange to some of you, but it really doesnt matter to me, its the way I feel from past expiriences and nothing except myself can change that.

So Swordalizer you see, it could have all the atmosphere, pace and variation in the world and it wouldent change my opinion in the slightest, the only thing that might change my mind is time, but today is not that day and until then...

 

That makes your opinion much clearer to me, although you should have rather stated that you don't like the genre in general and HL is just one of these games you don't like (hate). Nothing more, nothing less.

 

Anyone who rubbishes Half Life are only proving what little they know about gaming.

You might say "Everyone has their own opinion" yadda yadda yadda, but thats bs tbh. You might not like FPS's but I don't particularly like sim games etc. but games like Civilisation are just quality, even if I don't like them.

Half Life has no faults. It's completely engrossing, atmospheric and a masterpiece of a game.

Every 'level' is different and a change. It's the most intensively choreographed game ever. The set pieces are just immense. It's a game that requires brain power, reactions and good tactics.

Probably one of the most utterly inspirational games to grace our monitors

 

It's the mods, multiplayer and the compatibility that make HL great. I know a few people at my school who have never played the single player game but spend hours on CS every week. When you buy HL you have access to thousands of other games for free via the modding community, ranging from the baisic HL/Quake style shooters with different levels to car racing games, cartoon style graphics, or War sims.

The online playability is great and easily accessable as the game can be played very easily on a 56k'er and there are thousands of people playing at any moment. The graphics may be considered sub-standard today but I still enjoy it and it certainly does not hamper the playability, gameplay etc.

 

Half Life is/was great, especially when it was released. Wasn't that 1998? I would compare it to System Shock 2, but with better action and less role playing elements. Anyway, its also very scary at points.

 

*Eaglearrow

I see your point about the spin-offs but plot twist in the game become apparent in the game, after a while your expecting something else to happen or to be ambushed, which I thought was boring.

 

*Morsmordre
I dissagree that people who dont like HL know nothing about gaming. You see if you strip the mods, add-ons, CS and yes, even the storyline you should find the GAMEPLAY, which is in my view the most important part, quite standard. I, personally didn't find the story or atmosphere amazing, so in terms of single player mode ONLY I found my experience of the game, standard, not awe inspiring, like lethis said, activating doorways or lifts was boring. Of course the mods and the CS multiplayer was revolutionary but in terms of FPS gameplay it was on par with similar titles of the period.

 

I admit I used to knock Half Life as being "just another FPS" before even playing it. Then I did, and I can see why it gained the award of "Best game of all time" from PC Gamer. Rather than being "just another FPS," it has an excellent plot, with interesting weapons, and moments that are memorable, unlike many of the genre. Its numerous online aspects, official and otherwise, mean that, even after the main game is finished, the action doesn't stop. I myself have recently become obsessed with Natural Selection, and the last remnants of any life I once had are scattered to the winds. The expansion packs are good, with the exception of Blue Shift, which is dull. Opposing Forces is hard as nails.

I normally type more coherantly than that, adding paragraphs and such. However, this game is on my mind, and my adrenaline is up, having just completed the game. Fantastic. Sorry if that made very little sense.

 

I personally couldn't get into half life that much. It was O.k for a bit, but all the aliens kinda bored me after a while. By the time I got to the alien planet I'd really lost interest completely. I will admit that I've never been a huge FPS fan, but I still couldn't see why it was rated so highly. For me deus ex really formed the bridge between FPS and a bit more of a thinking game, so I enjoyed it immensely.
I think the only times I was enjoying Half-life was the intense battles against all the marines. That was pretty cool.

 

God, I remember fighting the marines. I learned to dread hearing the word...Incoming!!!! And guess what they did if you threw grenades at them in open view? They ran from them....They would sneak around corners to attack you while you thought you had them safely pinned down. The AI was absolutly fantastic for its time and still stands heads and shoulders above most FPS today. I loved Dues Ex and System Shock but none of them had enemies that fought as good as you. Not because the computer never missed shots but because it ran when it should run and would ambush you and sneak around corriders to hit you from behind. Unfort, alot of the aliens were not as intelligent as the soldiers which had the best AI I have ever seen in a game.

 

I really loved how the marines used tactics.

They would flank you. Have a gunner supress you with fire while others get in tactical positions.

If you threw a grenade at them round a corner, or over a box, they would run away and call for immediate back up (which they got).

The AI was absolutely incredible and if you play it through from start to finish it leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment that I have only felt when completing BG for the first time.

It's the game with the most memorable moments of gaming. Who remembers running into a room and seeing a giant snake type monster smash through a window, grab a scientist and drag him back through, for a meal? Who remembers trying to crawl through a vent but being heard by marines who actually shoot through the vent to try and flush you out? Who remembers the giant alien creatures with fire-spray weapons on each arm? Who remembers the great fights between the aliens and the marines? I mean, I could go on for a long time...

Don't dismiss a game without playing it, even if it isn't in 'your genre'. Especially not one that has achieved the ultimate accolade of 'Best Game of All Time' from so many different quarters.

Confining yourself to certain genres is foolishness in the extreme. And if you don't buy this game and run it through, then you are missing out on one of the best gaming experiences you will ever have.

 

Just a small point the fact that its still being talked about today about 4-5 years after being released say something about it? Before you say its because of Natural Selection and Counter-Strike, why did the teams that devolped those mods choose the Half-life engine for their mods? When they had the choice of Quake 3 and other FPS engines available at the time?