Half-Life 2 First Impressions
Ok, I haven't posted here in a little while, but with good reason. Things have been busy leading up to the holidays, and, since the holidays, I've been busy playing my new games. I got Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and Half-Life 2 for Christmas. (Technically I also got Rome: Total War too, but I got that weeks before Christmas so I've already written about it). Here are my initial impressions of Half-Life 2, as I've been playing that one the majority of the time so far.
First off, I have to say, the graphics are stellar. I was afraid that after being delayed by a year, the graphics might look a bit dated, but they don't. They are by far the best visuals I have seen in a game thus far. The water effects in this game look so realistic, it's scary. This game is aesthetically beautiful.
As for the gameplay, playing on the Normal difficulty setting, I found the game to be challenging at points mainly due to the lack of ammo, however I've easily progressed through most of the levels without a problem. The "We don't go to Ravenholm" level was the one I found the most challenging. There's not a lot of ammo at all and I kept running out. But other than that, it hasn't been too tricky.
I'm about half way through the game, maybe a bit more. I'm on the Sandtraps level now, almost at the end of it I think. I'm breezing right through the buggy levels.
Maybe I'm not a very observant gamer, but I have no clue what the backstory is to the game. I have some basic understanding, which I guess is the way it is supposed to be, since you are playing as Gordon Freeman, who really doesn't know what's happened at all since the Black Mesa incident. (That reminds me, I don't remember much of that game, so maybe I should replay it to the end - I never beat the game - and I'll know more of the story)
For those who want to learn more about the Half-life story, check out this link: Half-life story explained. I'll be sure to post more information after I complete the game.
First off, I have to say, the graphics are stellar. I was afraid that after being delayed by a year, the graphics might look a bit dated, but they don't. They are by far the best visuals I have seen in a game thus far. The water effects in this game look so realistic, it's scary. This game is aesthetically beautiful.
As for the gameplay, playing on the Normal difficulty setting, I found the game to be challenging at points mainly due to the lack of ammo, however I've easily progressed through most of the levels without a problem. The "We don't go to Ravenholm" level was the one I found the most challenging. There's not a lot of ammo at all and I kept running out. But other than that, it hasn't been too tricky.
I'm about half way through the game, maybe a bit more. I'm on the Sandtraps level now, almost at the end of it I think. I'm breezing right through the buggy levels.
Maybe I'm not a very observant gamer, but I have no clue what the backstory is to the game. I have some basic understanding, which I guess is the way it is supposed to be, since you are playing as Gordon Freeman, who really doesn't know what's happened at all since the Black Mesa incident. (That reminds me, I don't remember much of that game, so maybe I should replay it to the end - I never beat the game - and I'll know more of the story)
For those who want to learn more about the Half-life story, check out this link: Half-life story explained. I'll be sure to post more information after I complete the game.