'Wake up Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes.'
It's been six long years since Dr. Gordon Freeman's first adventure chronicled in the first "Half-Life." Now finally - in the wake of hacker attacks, stolen source code and litigation with the publisher - the sequel has arrived.
That "Half-Life 2" is a quality game is unquestionable; its technological wonders and storytelling competence combine to create a wonderful and compelling tale of revolution and revenge. But while "Half-Life 2" can be considered one of the best games of the year, it may not reach the stratospheric heights its predecessor did.
The original "Half-Life" introduced us to Gordon Freeman, a decidedly different action hero. He was no stoic soldier or wisecracking muscle-head; he was a M.I.T. graduate whose passion was theoretical physics, not explosive firearms. But once angry aliens invaded the Black Mesa Research Facility, he was the only one who could try to escape on his own, thanks to his cunning and his hazardous environment suit. Freeman fought aliens time and time again, but the highlight of the game was his battles against the U.S. military, which sent soldiers, tanks and helicopters to storm Black Mesa and kill everyone involved in the accident. Finally, Freeman teleported to Xen, the aliens' homeworld, and killed their overlord. Problem solved ... but the conclusion, in which Freeman came face-to-face with the enigmatic G-Man, pitched everything that Freeman had fought for upside down.
It turned out that Freeman's escape from and defeat of the Xen aliens and the U.S. military was merely an employment test for some sinister intergalactic organization. Freeman passed and thus was "hired" by the G-Man. (Freeman's choice was either accept employment or die.) And in "Half-Life 2," Freeman gets quite an assignment: Free the last remnants of humanity from its oppressive alien overlords, the Combine.
'There really is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!'
The most apparent aspect of "Half-Life 2" (other than Steam, which will be discussed later) is its technology. First, the game is gorgeous; look at any set of screenshots on any gaming Web site and you'll be stunned. But if you're like most people, your computer's video card is horrendously outdated. Luckily, the game's ability to look decent on older hardware is equally impressive. The environments, from idyllic coastal regions to the ruined City 17 to Combine strongholds, are entirely convincing and believable, as are the characters with whom the player will interact.
Pretty textures and sharp graphics aren't much without the animation and effects to enliven them, though, and "Half-Life 2" features them in spades. Animations, including speech, are as fluid and lifelike as you'd expect in a modern game, and they, along with extensive behavior scripting, help create interesting, memorable characters, friend and foe. "Half-Life 2" also features outstanding depictions of faces; you'll see just how outstanding when the game begins with a leering close-up of the G-Man himself.
Surely there are many students who have sat through a physics class at some point, wondering, "How could any of this be interesting to anyone? How could this possibly be exciting?" The answer, of course, is "Half-Life 2." The game features a fully robust physics system, and the results are dynamic, astounding and, above all, totally awesome. At the very least, you can pick up boxes and bottles and chuck them at people. At the most, you can see bodies flying after an explosion, a slain enemy toppling over a cliff and plunging 50 feet to the ground, and a Combine Strider recoiling organically after being slammed by a rocket.
The most apparent application of the game's physics, however, is the gravity gun. This toy essentially allows the player to grab onto objects and fire them somewhere. And the uses are infinite. You can grab items that are normally out of reach. You can grab barrels and fling them at enemies. You can shoot at obstacles in your way to clear your path. And yes, everything that happens when you do any of these things is totally realistic. The bottom line is this: The fully implemented physics system, along with the stunning graphics, animations and behavior scripting, help create a fantastic representation of a living world.
'Attention: Failure will result in permanent off-world assignment.'
OK, enough about technology; how about the game itself? In "Half-Life 2," Freeman is dumped into City 17, essentially a mass holding pen for the last few humans left on Earth. You see, ever since Freeman accepted his new job and was shuttled off to parts unknown, a lot has changed on his planet. The Combine, the typical mysterious alien race, invaded Earth and took over. Humanity was about to be wiped out, until Wallace Breen, Freeman's former administrator at Black Mesa, convinced the Combine to spare the best and brightest people. So now humans eke out a miserable existence in City 17 while Breen enjoys a pleasant life as the Combine's human liason/puppet.
There is a resistance, however, headed by several of Freeman's pals from the first game. Freeman's re-emergence helps restore hope to the freedom cause, and his offensive against the Combine spurs the revolution to overthrow the Combine and take back the planet. But don't forget about the G-Man...
Design-wise, the game is great. Much of the game involves Freeman running from resistance shelter to resistance shelter and providing support against Combine skirmishes. Freeman also takes on Combine strongholds, such as an oppressive prison. Through it all, the combat is constant and thoroughly entertaining, whether you're fighting Combine soldiers or the endless head-crabbed zombies, although the dichotomy of fighting two completely different enemies from the first game isn't as apparent here. While the story isn't exactly revolutionary, its delivery is well-done, featuring people with real emotions and traits.
No game is perfect, though, and "Half-Life 2" is no exception. The most apparent issue is Steam, which is a different thing to different people. To Valve, the developers of Steam and "Half-Life 2," it's a convenient, automated content-delivery system that provides a way to find servers, chat with friends, update software, and buy and play Valve games online. To many players, though, Steam is an obtrusive outside program they are forced to register with and run in order to play "Half-Life 2," even if they don't need its services.
My experience with it has been largely positive, although waiting five minutes for Steam to "validate" my game files almost every time I want to play is grating. Your mileage may vary, but to my knowledge, "Half-Life 2" is the only offline game that requires the player to register with and run an outside application in order to play. One other significant problem is recurring motion sickness, especially in the two extended vehicle chapters. In these parts, the player drives a vehicle, and many gamers have reported becoming sick from playing them.
'In the meantime ... this is where I get off.'
"Half-Life 2" is a fantastic game, no doubt about that, but it doesn't have the same resonance as its predecessor simply because players have seen its features in other games. Other games have physics systems, next-generation graphics, lively animation and a grand scope, after all. But I criticize "Half-Life 2" simply because it must be judged by a higher standard. The bottom line is, if you're at all interested in first-person shooters and have a competent computer, "Half-Life 2" is an experience you cannot miss.
PC: The Other White Meat Rest assured, there are plenty of other fine PC-only games out there that ought to appeal to a wide variety of gamers (as long as you're male, sadly). Here's a sample of games released this year that are guaranteed to make console junkies green with envy. (Percentages represent average scores on the games rating, taken from www.gamerankings.com.):
MMORPGs: The PC is where it's at for massively multiplayer online role-playing games, and 2004 featured the release of some heavyweights. "World of Warcraft" (92.7 percent) and "Everquest II" (84.5 percent), two of the most anticipated massively multiplayer online games ever, were released just last month. Another notable MMO game out this year is "City of Heroes" (85.2 percent), for all those who cringe at the notion of dwarves and heavy flails. Add-ons for older MMO games like "Dark Age of Camelot" (86.9 percent) and "Star Wars Galaxies" (75.2 percent) were also released this year.
Strategy: Strategy games, whether real-time or turn-based, will always reign on the PC, and this year saw the release of the likes of "Rome: Total War" (92 percent), "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War" (86 percent), "The Sims 2" (91 percent) and "Ground Control II" (81.2 percent).
Role-playing: Aside from MMORPGs, it was a mediocre year for computer RPGs, aside from obscure European fare like "Sacred" (76 percent) and "Beyond Divinity" (73 percent). At least they weren't made in Japan! One big exception may be "Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines" (82 percent), an RPG based on the popular bloodsucking tabletop game that's also powered by the Source engine - the one used in "Half-Life 2." Otherwise, check back next year, when "Dragon Age," "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," "Dungeon Siege 2" and "Neverwinter Nights 2" come out.
Action: It was a banner year for PC games featuring big guns and big egos, especially in the multiplayer realm. For online action, take your pick from "Unreal Tournament 2004" (93.2 percent), "Battlefield Vietnam" (83 percent) and "Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising" (82 percent). Those who like to play with themselves have their fill too, with "Doom 3" (88 percent), "Far Cry" (89.3 percent), "Painkiller" (83 percent) and Gordon Freeman's latest romp (96.4 percent).
Adventure: People may say that adventure games are dead, but the truth is that new ones keep getting released every month. Whether they're actually good is another story, but this year saw some that are worth your time: "Myst IV: Revelation" (81 percent) and "Missing: Since January" (77 percent). Honorable mentions go to "Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon" (84.7 percent) and "Syberia II" (79.8 percent), but they can't really be included here because versions of these games are available on consoles. Pick 'em up anyway!
