Introduction
Combines... Black Mesa... Crowbar... Hazard Suit...Does these ring a bell? Of course, welcome to the world of Gordon Freeman in the latest installment of Half life which is a sequel to the Half Life 2 released in 2004.
Half Life 2 Episode One is the first episode of a series of expansions for Half Life 2 which is a stand alone game and launches a journey beyond City 17.
The game picks up from the where it ended in Half Life 2 i.e. the explosion at the citadel and the time stoppage. Vortigaunts drop in and teleport Alyx Vance out of the explosion which threatened to kill her. The G-Man comes around as usual to see you but seems to be blocked by a group of Vortigaunts so you dont get a speech from him as in other installments. Next moment you are picked up from under the rubble by 'Dog' and Alyx who are ecstatic to see you. A quick conference with Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner reveals that the citadel core is about to explode which would destroy City 17 and the only possible way to survive was to reenter the citadel and slow the core's deterioration. From then on its show time! Let the game begin!!
Graphics
The main difference as you load up the game is the graphical difference or the presence of HDR (High Dynamic Range) rendering that gives a glowing and warm effect to everything that light touches. Graphics is gorgeous and you are left wondering even though the source engine is now more then a year old, it is still one fantastic graphics engine that you are experiencing. Moreover the icing on the cake is with the improvements, the requirements seem to have been optimized and run smoother then ever on the same hardware that Half Life 2 ran on. No more are those sound stutters or those frame rate drops when rounding corners. Seems like somebody's been learning from their mistakes...
.
Another improvement is the new version of the facial animation/expression technology that gives characters much better realistic expressions. If that was good in Half Life 2, this has just improved it to excellence!
Alyx now looks more beautiful then ever with HDR lighting giving a glowing effect to her when she is in front of a light source. Bright surfaces reflecting light take a time to see properly as HDR kicks into play. All in all, the graphics is excellent beyond doubt.
Gameplay
Graphics don't fully make a game complete and if anything does it's got to be gameplay. The Half Life 2 Episode One sticks to the usual formula present in the previous ones that includes: running, shooting, hiding, some puzzles involving the gravity gun and physics and some amazingly scripted action sequences. The major difference here is the constant presence of your side kick the beautiful Alyx Vance. Unlike its predecessor where most of the game, you play as a loner and fight your way like a lone Rambo, here you got to take care and protect Alyx. About the taking care part, its just a notion as even though she screams your name as she gets swarmed by baddies she seems to be doing just fine as she doesn't seem to die or run out of ammo.. Talk about whose taking care of whom...
Anyway, the presence of Alyx by your side is a welcome addition as she keeps the game lively with her various humorous or sarcastic comments and even praises your shooting when you score a head shot at a combine. You may feel at times that she is a real person as combined with her very realistic human expressions as well as poses like when she leans against a wall while she thinks on what's the next step to do. This is the highlight of the game and I suppose the developers are providing a way here to show a deeper relationship evolving between Freeman and Alyx. But it's a pity that through all the flirtation or humorous comments, Freeman doesn't speak a word and remains a dumb spectator. Maybe we can toy around with the notion that Freeman is love struck and speechless here...
Coming to the puzzles, they are much more fun then before and mostly involving the gravity gun and a little bit of thinking. There are less of outdoor scenes this time and most of the game takes place within the citadel. Moreover, no vehicle scenes like driving a buggy or such too in this one. Some parts of the game you may find yourself holding a light to Alyx in a dark underground tunnel as zombies attack you. This is repeated again in a number of scenes which may make it a little repetitive.
The enemies are same except for a suicidal zombie that charges you equipped with a grenade. You battle with all the old enemies from the old installments from the antlions to a space ship to a strider and more... The game even though short, puts all these elements such that it's an edge of the seat whirl wind ride that is much fast paced then its predecessors.
The scripted events as usual are fantastic and keep the game closer to a cinema style. The dog, Alyx's faithful robot seems a much smaller role here but still excels in his short but lively scripted scene. Barney too makes an appearance but again it's a small cameo role that makes you feel like it's a guest appearance. But I got to say that as you play the game and meet the individuals that make it, you feel a sense of delight as you meet people you used to know in the previous half life's and sharing a history with them you could feel like they are almost real life..
Sound
First, a large relief here as there were no stutters (which plagued half life 2) which turned quickly into delight as sounds were superb on a 5.1 setup and a very lively music track that kicks up as the enemies swarm you. From the sound of a hazard suit recharging to that of a shotgun firing, it's all the same as in the previous installments except for a new music track that suits the atmosphere and game when it plays. It's the sound that gives you a feeling of nostalgia as you pump up that suit on recharge mode.
Multiplayer
No Multiplayer for the game.
Downers
The only major downer I find... The game is too short. It got over in around 3-4 hours for me. Again you are left hanging at the end as you wait for the next episode. There are no new enemies except for a couple of suicidal zombies wielding grenades but I expected more new enemies. Another downer here is apart from the story there is nothing new here in terms of weapons or the puzzles or even characters...
Conclusion
Half Life 2 Episode 1 has fulfilled all expectations of a sequel without taking much into consideration of the length of the game. Its fun, fast paced and full of action, the perfect ingredients for a good FPS game. The presence of Alyx by your side during most of the game combined with a story that keeps you in its grip and reveals only glimpses into the whole tale, the game is a fantastic effort by Valve in my opinion.
If you played previous half life versions, this is a game you shouldn't miss. Waiting in anticipation for the next episode for a continuation of a saga that is becoming epic like in proportions.
Screenshots
Reviewed Machine Specs
AthlonXP 2600+, 1GB RAM, 6600GT, Creative Live! 5.1, Creative Inspire 5.1.
Graphics settings : 1024x768, Max graphics, 2xAA, 4xAF.
Combines... Black Mesa... Crowbar... Hazard Suit...Does these ring a bell? Of course, welcome to the world of Gordon Freeman in the latest installment of Half life which is a sequel to the Half Life 2 released in 2004.
Half Life 2 Episode One is the first episode of a series of expansions for Half Life 2 which is a stand alone game and launches a journey beyond City 17.
The game picks up from the where it ended in Half Life 2 i.e. the explosion at the citadel and the time stoppage. Vortigaunts drop in and teleport Alyx Vance out of the explosion which threatened to kill her. The G-Man comes around as usual to see you but seems to be blocked by a group of Vortigaunts so you dont get a speech from him as in other installments. Next moment you are picked up from under the rubble by 'Dog' and Alyx who are ecstatic to see you. A quick conference with Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner reveals that the citadel core is about to explode which would destroy City 17 and the only possible way to survive was to reenter the citadel and slow the core's deterioration. From then on its show time! Let the game begin!!
Graphics
The main difference as you load up the game is the graphical difference or the presence of HDR (High Dynamic Range) rendering that gives a glowing and warm effect to everything that light touches. Graphics is gorgeous and you are left wondering even though the source engine is now more then a year old, it is still one fantastic graphics engine that you are experiencing. Moreover the icing on the cake is with the improvements, the requirements seem to have been optimized and run smoother then ever on the same hardware that Half Life 2 ran on. No more are those sound stutters or those frame rate drops when rounding corners. Seems like somebody's been learning from their mistakes...
. Another improvement is the new version of the facial animation/expression technology that gives characters much better realistic expressions. If that was good in Half Life 2, this has just improved it to excellence!
Alyx now looks more beautiful then ever with HDR lighting giving a glowing effect to her when she is in front of a light source. Bright surfaces reflecting light take a time to see properly as HDR kicks into play. All in all, the graphics is excellent beyond doubt.
Gameplay
Graphics don't fully make a game complete and if anything does it's got to be gameplay. The Half Life 2 Episode One sticks to the usual formula present in the previous ones that includes: running, shooting, hiding, some puzzles involving the gravity gun and physics and some amazingly scripted action sequences. The major difference here is the constant presence of your side kick the beautiful Alyx Vance. Unlike its predecessor where most of the game, you play as a loner and fight your way like a lone Rambo, here you got to take care and protect Alyx. About the taking care part, its just a notion as even though she screams your name as she gets swarmed by baddies she seems to be doing just fine as she doesn't seem to die or run out of ammo.. Talk about whose taking care of whom...
Anyway, the presence of Alyx by your side is a welcome addition as she keeps the game lively with her various humorous or sarcastic comments and even praises your shooting when you score a head shot at a combine. You may feel at times that she is a real person as combined with her very realistic human expressions as well as poses like when she leans against a wall while she thinks on what's the next step to do. This is the highlight of the game and I suppose the developers are providing a way here to show a deeper relationship evolving between Freeman and Alyx. But it's a pity that through all the flirtation or humorous comments, Freeman doesn't speak a word and remains a dumb spectator. Maybe we can toy around with the notion that Freeman is love struck and speechless here...
Coming to the puzzles, they are much more fun then before and mostly involving the gravity gun and a little bit of thinking. There are less of outdoor scenes this time and most of the game takes place within the citadel. Moreover, no vehicle scenes like driving a buggy or such too in this one. Some parts of the game you may find yourself holding a light to Alyx in a dark underground tunnel as zombies attack you. This is repeated again in a number of scenes which may make it a little repetitive.
The enemies are same except for a suicidal zombie that charges you equipped with a grenade. You battle with all the old enemies from the old installments from the antlions to a space ship to a strider and more... The game even though short, puts all these elements such that it's an edge of the seat whirl wind ride that is much fast paced then its predecessors.
The scripted events as usual are fantastic and keep the game closer to a cinema style. The dog, Alyx's faithful robot seems a much smaller role here but still excels in his short but lively scripted scene. Barney too makes an appearance but again it's a small cameo role that makes you feel like it's a guest appearance. But I got to say that as you play the game and meet the individuals that make it, you feel a sense of delight as you meet people you used to know in the previous half life's and sharing a history with them you could feel like they are almost real life..
Sound
First, a large relief here as there were no stutters (which plagued half life 2) which turned quickly into delight as sounds were superb on a 5.1 setup and a very lively music track that kicks up as the enemies swarm you. From the sound of a hazard suit recharging to that of a shotgun firing, it's all the same as in the previous installments except for a new music track that suits the atmosphere and game when it plays. It's the sound that gives you a feeling of nostalgia as you pump up that suit on recharge mode.
Multiplayer
No Multiplayer for the game.
Downers
The only major downer I find... The game is too short. It got over in around 3-4 hours for me. Again you are left hanging at the end as you wait for the next episode. There are no new enemies except for a couple of suicidal zombies wielding grenades but I expected more new enemies. Another downer here is apart from the story there is nothing new here in terms of weapons or the puzzles or even characters...
Conclusion
Half Life 2 Episode 1 has fulfilled all expectations of a sequel without taking much into consideration of the length of the game. Its fun, fast paced and full of action, the perfect ingredients for a good FPS game. The presence of Alyx by your side during most of the game combined with a story that keeps you in its grip and reveals only glimpses into the whole tale, the game is a fantastic effort by Valve in my opinion.
If you played previous half life versions, this is a game you shouldn't miss. Waiting in anticipation for the next episode for a continuation of a saga that is becoming epic like in proportions.
Screenshots
Reviewed Machine Specs
AthlonXP 2600+, 1GB RAM, 6600GT, Creative Live! 5.1, Creative Inspire 5.1.
Graphics settings : 1024x768, Max graphics, 2xAA, 4xAF.
