Half Life |
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Monday, November 30 1998
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Half Life |
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Monday, November 30 1998
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The new standard for First Person Shooters! |
| The most
anticipated first person shooter of the year, Half Life,
finally hits the shelves. Now the question everyone might
be asking now is, "Will it live up to its
hype?". The answer is.... ehhhh, I'm not gonna spoil
it, just keep reading. :) Half Life was announced shortly after the release of Quake 2. Developed by Valve, a newcomer to the gaming community, and distributed by Sierra, turned Sierra Studios. From the beginning, Half Life was planned to be a 'B' game, just something to be shipped so that Valve could say they published a game and move on. But after several major set backs and delays that where thought to be disasters, they actually gave them more time to turn out a quality product. Though they where still under extreme pressure.. An unexpected rush of hype from just about everyone caused an extreme amount of pressure on the team to turn out a revolutionary new game..... and fast. So after two solid years of 'growing pains' of a new company, set backs, problems, and delays, Half Life finally hits the shelves. After receiving my copy, I anxiously waited while it gobbled up 400MB of my hard drive. Starting up the game, I noticed immediately that Valve kept there word, and only used id's graphics engine as a starting point. Everything was completely different. The menu is mouse driven, and the graphics don't even look similar. Though there is one thing that connects it with the engine it was spawned from..... The console.. But even that can only be accessed via a special command line after the executable. Other than that its all different, and for the better. Starting up a single player game I was introduced to the game via an ingenious movie like scene. Though this isn't like those other introduction movies. Its interactive, and not just when it pauses and asks for input. You actually control your character throughout the introduction. The introduction starts on a long train ride into the Black Mesa Research Facility, where your introduced to the main character, you, your position, as well as some info about the Black Mesa Research Facility. You, are Gordon Freeman, a 27 year old MIT graduate, who was offered a job as Level 3 Research Associate, assigned to the Anomalous Materials Laboratory in the Black Mesa Research Facility, a top secret underground government facility located somewhere in a Nevada desert. So your on your way to your first day of work at your new position... and your late.. After getting inside, you find out that your wanted in the Test Chamber for an experiment, and to get on your HEV (Hostile Environment Suit). And, well... That's about as much as I can say without spoiling it for you.. Lets just say that something goes wrong with the experiment and you wake up only to find the lab destroyed, and bloodthirsty aliens everywhere. Experiencing it for the first time is scarier than any horror movie you could ever watch. It really sucks you in, and makes you FEEL there. The game is built around a storyline, and not the other way around. The storyline isn't very clear at first. The plot is very gradual, which only increases the level of immersion. Even the at ending, your not sure of what exactly happened. Only that there was an accident, and that you survived (that is... if you make it that far :).The storyline moves along as seamlessly as the best of box-office movies.The transition of levels is also seamless, with small parts of maps being loaded quickly while in areas of inactivity, such as a hallway.
That's right, land mines... watch your step! |
 Death from above, though itself harmless, watch for troop drops, and sometimes even Apache escorts. This idea is ingenious, and from my experience works great. Load times are minimized, while not cutting anything from the game. Speaking of cutting, Valve definatly didn't cut any corners when it comes to the graphics. I couldn't, and still cant, tell that they used the Quake 2 engine to make this game. So many things have been changed...in fact, everything has been changed, as stated before. The graphics aren't just drab colors either, though they're still in there. The scenes include everything from outdoor arenas, sewer systems, and flooded buildings, to mine fields, bombed buildings (quite impressive), and scared battlegrounds. This variety of scenes makes you feel as though each place is truly a new place, rather than just another dark and gloomy level. To add to these ultra-realistic settings, are realistic weapons. While some of the biological weapons, and laser weapons might not seem very realistic, you have to consider... if they DID exist, what would they be like? You'll find the answers to be quite similar to what you'll find in Half Life. Your three main weapons will include a Glock 17, Franchi-Spas 12 gauge shotgun, and a MP-5 with grenade launcher, which looks more like a HK G3A4. While not claiming these names in the actual game (probably to avoid copyright issues with the firearm manufacturers) they look and act very similarly if not identically. Weapons include everything from a crowbar, to a gauss cannon. Each weapon is specialized to fit a certain purpose, so you'll find yourself switching weapons to fit different situations quite often. Choosing your weapons wisely is an essential part of surviving in Half Life's dangerous, and hostile world. Filled full of Government 'Clean up', Commandos, Alien Grunts, deadly Female Assassins, and small yet dangerous Head Crabs. One of Half Life's most impressive areas is Single Player. This is not only due to the realistic and weapons... But also the revolutionary new AI, and addition of NPC's (Non-Person Characters) such as friendly scientists and security guards known as Barney's. Each class of character has their own AI programming. For example... Marines will communicate, and fight very aggressively, and in are surprisingly well coordinated. While Hound Eye's are pack hunters, and will flee if they're caught alone and injured. The enemy AI might just be the most frighteningly realistic part of playing Half Life. The only disappointing part of Half Life has got to be its multiplayer. I was really hoping to take on those commandos with some buddies, but it looks like we'll all have to wait until Team Fortress 2 or a co-op patch is released. As it is now, multiplayer is standard deathmatch. Hopefully a patch will address multiplayer problems so we can at least practice our Half Life skills in preparation of TF2. Half Life is the new standard of first person shooters. If you don't have a computer, then BUY ONE just so you can play this game.. It really has to be experienced to be believed. Congratulations to Valve, who is most liking relaxing on a Mexico beach right about now. Good job guys! I can't wait to see what else you have waiting to be developed. So to answer the question above: YES, Half Life does live up to its hype, though not all of the promised features are included.. We'll just have to eagerly wait for Half Life 2. |
Company: Category: First Person Shooter NOTES: Interest: 95% TOTAL : 95% Requirements: Operating System: Memory: Sound Card:
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