DS12
11-28-2004, 09:40 AM
I realize that none of you were actually waiting for my review, but as many of you may remember, KU and I have been preaching about how good this game would be for near several months. So here is my short review, not as short as Tejo's and not near as long as vpc's.
As soon as I entered the game I was immediatly enthralled by the story, gameplay and eye candy. The graphics were simply amazing. Valve pushed the boundries of what a PC could do and created a PC game unmatched by any other. The weapons were unique and fun to use, each offering a new and intresting way to fight your enemies. The AI was also very well done. My squad of humans and ant lions often got me into a room so I couldn't get out and that made for some sticky and claustraphobic moments, but it didn't detract from the gameplay to much. The undead AI were also very fun to play with. It offered a welcome break from firefights with the ignorant combine and it was fun to light them on fire, blow them up, push them over ledges and chop them in half with razors. Valve also put in a nice mix of fighting and puszles you had to solve. Unlike alot of shooters, you would have to bypass some sort of security deveice or disable a bomb to get through and area. This got you thinking, which was good, since I spent so long on this my brain nearly turned to mush. The vehicles were also fun to drive, and I could find no bugs worth noteing in this field. All in all, the thing that disapointed me most was the ending. Granted it was fun to play, but it was no were near a good way to end such a great game. Unless there is a sequal, I will remain dissasitisified with the ending, though they left themselves open for another HL game at least. My other main complaint has to do with the loading times. They were horrendus, and this often prevented me from playing the game due to it took upwards of five minutes just to get to the main menu. However, with such a large game, that was not unexpected. Lastly, this game was far to short. Valve said that it would take from 30-36 hours to complete a while ago, then it went down to 20,then to 12. It was just to short and easy in some spots. They should either make it harder, or a lot longer. All in all, I would give this game a 9.7 out of 10, or a 97 percent. It was a great game, perhaps the best I have ever played, and I would recomend it to any avid PC user, or just one looking for a good time and willing to spend 55$. It was worth it. In fact, I'm off to play now.
As soon as I entered the game I was immediatly enthralled by the story, gameplay and eye candy. The graphics were simply amazing. Valve pushed the boundries of what a PC could do and created a PC game unmatched by any other. The weapons were unique and fun to use, each offering a new and intresting way to fight your enemies. The AI was also very well done. My squad of humans and ant lions often got me into a room so I couldn't get out and that made for some sticky and claustraphobic moments, but it didn't detract from the gameplay to much. The undead AI were also very fun to play with. It offered a welcome break from firefights with the ignorant combine and it was fun to light them on fire, blow them up, push them over ledges and chop them in half with razors. Valve also put in a nice mix of fighting and puszles you had to solve. Unlike alot of shooters, you would have to bypass some sort of security deveice or disable a bomb to get through and area. This got you thinking, which was good, since I spent so long on this my brain nearly turned to mush. The vehicles were also fun to drive, and I could find no bugs worth noteing in this field. All in all, the thing that disapointed me most was the ending. Granted it was fun to play, but it was no were near a good way to end such a great game. Unless there is a sequal, I will remain dissasitisified with the ending, though they left themselves open for another HL game at least. My other main complaint has to do with the loading times. They were horrendus, and this often prevented me from playing the game due to it took upwards of five minutes just to get to the main menu. However, with such a large game, that was not unexpected. Lastly, this game was far to short. Valve said that it would take from 30-36 hours to complete a while ago, then it went down to 20,then to 12. It was just to short and easy in some spots. They should either make it harder, or a lot longer. All in all, I would give this game a 9.7 out of 10, or a 97 percent. It was a great game, perhaps the best I have ever played, and I would recomend it to any avid PC user, or just one looking for a good time and willing to spend 55$. It was worth it. In fact, I'm off to play now.