Topic: Half Life

[jacktheripper305]

Portal is one of my favorite games of all time. its genius.

[dweez]

I enjoyed Portal immensely and am eager to see how Valve incorporates the gun (and the character for that matter) into later HL episodes.

[jacktheripper305]

i heard that the idea for Portal came from them wanting to use the portal gun in Half Life 2, but not having a good way of incorporating it. and instead of scrapping it altogether, they made a whole new game out of it. Does anyone know if this is true?

[JackFrost]

i heard that the idea for Portal came from them wanting to use the portal gun in Half Life 2, but not having a good way of incorporating it. and instead of scrapping it altogether, they made a whole new game out of it. Does anyone know if this is true?

I think that's correct...

[dweez]

I can see it being helpful for certain parts of Half-Life but also too convenient at times.  We'll see how it's worked into it.  BTW, anyone heard when the next HL2 ep is due?

BTW, do you think the "episodes" that Steam has started are a better way to go then the typical large $60 games?

[Santafer]

We need a Half Life Thread.

[chekovsulu]

Maybe we do...

i heard that the idea for Portal came from them wanting to use the portal gun in Half Life 2, but not having a good way of incorporating it. and instead of scrapping it altogether, they made a whole new game out of it. Does anyone know if this is true?

I thought Portal came up when Valve decided to hire the people behind Nebacular Drop.  Although, it is possible they initially hired the group to develop the gun for Half-Life.  I don't know about that, I just know Nebacular drop is free and too short.

I can see it being helpful for certain parts of Half-Life but also too convenient at times.

I agree with this.  Personally, I'd rather the user didn't have control of the Portal gun at all in the next game.  It would be nice to see them pull it off though.

The episodes are a bit like Doom.  I don't mind them being released separately, I like playing short games, but the cheapskate in me can't help but feel I'd save money if they were released in one go.  It is better than having to wait so long.  And maybe it helps them make it a better game by releasing it in segments (getting user feedback and stuff).  In conclusion, I mostly like it.

[jacktheripper305]

I can see it being helpful for certain parts of Half-Life but also too convenient at times.  We'll see how it's worked into it.  BTW, anyone heard when the next HL2 ep is due?

BTW, do you think the "episodes" that Steam has started are a better way to go then the typical large $60 games?

indeed. maybe if the enemies also had use of it, that would make it a little more interesting. like, one guy in the opposing squad had the portal gun, and allowed others to run through it... i can see it making the game very dynamic and fun.

[chekovsulu]

Yeah, that'd be cool.  Or maybe getting one of those bouncing balls from Portal to bounce about the room and kill all the enemies.  That'd save ammo.  I want to try that Half-Life/Portal mod now.

[knownassociate]

How is the first Half-Life?

[JackFrost]

How is the first Half-Life?

One of the best First-Person Shooter games I've ever played. It's got really easy controls and a really decent storyline.

Once the experiment you're involved in goes awry, you then have to escape the Black Mesa complex while it's collapsing because of shifts in reality tearing open. You meet trapped scientists on the way and they start talking about the military coming in to save you, but when you finally see those guys, they start trying to kill you.

There's even an expansion that lets you play one of the soldiers infiltrating the facility...

Good stuff... 

[jacktheripper305]

How is the first Half-Life?

I'm going to have to agree with JackF. The original Half-Life is one of my favorite video games of all time. I thought the story was awesome, not just decent. and gameplay was amazing, it was the first shooter game that you couldn't beat just by shooting everything all the time, you actually had to solve some pretty good puzzles. I enjoyed it immensely.

Theres a couple of expansions, the one where you play as a soldier, and another where you're a security guard in the Black Mesa facility.

[dweez]

Half-Life:Opposing Forces you play as one of the military men sent to go get Gordan Freeman.  Half-Life:Blue Shift, you play one of the "Barney's" (aka, one of the Black Mesa security guards, not sure if it's "the" Barney or not) working when the experiment accident occurs.  Then you got Half-Life 2 along with HL2:Ep1 and HL2:Ep2.  Portal is a tangential story line in the HL continuum with so much potential to add to the over all HL story.

[JackFrost]

Half Life: Opposing Forces is genius, the alien weapons alone are cool enough to play it, and then it has some cool parallels with Half Life itself. Excellent game/sequel... 

Half-Life: Blue Shift? Not so much. It really just seemed like they threw it together to appease the people asking for more, and it's really short. No bueno, unless you're desperate to play more. 

Half Life² is a decent game, but I really thought it had some dull moments, especially the boat trips through the waterways - I was begging for the end of that. And those sequel episodes are fun, but whichever of them has that marathon sequence where you have to destroy all those giant walkers - I don't care if I ever see how that game ends, honestly... 

[dweez]

I think the marathon giant walkers is Ep2.  That was a p.i.t.a. for sure.