An Unmissiable Episode
Half Life 2: Episode 2 is the follow up to last year's Episode 1, and the third successive Half-Life 2 game. Complete with a slew of new enemies, environments, and game mechanics, Episode 2 is a more-than-worthy addition to the Half-Life saga, and likely the greatest of all.
Originally released as part of The Orange Box, and now available as a stand-alone game, Episode 2 chronicles the continuing story arc of Half-Life. The game begins not long after Episode 1 ended; Gordon and Alyx escape on a train out of City 17, moments before the Citadel erupts in some sort of cosmic firestorm, engulfing the surrounding area and sending a distress beacon in to space. In the interest of a learning curve, you start the game with only your gravity gun. It also serves a less obvious, secondary purpose; you are less likely to leave Alyx behind and miss anything she says. Incidentally, you'll find she is quite integral in the rest of the episode, as well.
If you've missed out on playing any of the recent Half-Life games, you'll get a good feel for the pacing and reoccurring themes of 'high-action followed by short, environmental puzzles, proceeded by more action'. Segments that have long since become old favorites – surviving against an onslaught of enemies as an elevator slowly descends or romping through abandoned roadways make a triumphant return. Fortunately, the driving sequences are spruced up in the form of a new vehicle; a muscle car that seems to have been brought to life with scrap metal. Like Episode 1, you'll spend the majority of the game accompanying Alyx, but her presence is handled so well in that she never detracts from your sense of being the story's hero. She provides clever insight and comments along the way, and provides cover during firefights, but never gets in the way or is occlusive.
Episode 2 also takes great strides in developing the characters and their relationship with Gordon. It's impossible to not like Alyx; she is such a gem in a genre that otherwise obscures over any semblance of character development. Alyx's faults are very endearing, and her relationship with her father, Eli, seamlessly weaves a second dimension into her character. The last hour of Episode 2 has a larger focus on the plot than the other segments of the game, but is handled in such a delicate manner that you cannot help but enjoy it. It is never heavy-handed or detracting from the experience, and always has a sense of humor about it. The lead up to the end pays off well; the stage is set for Episode 3, and the game finishes with a powerful climax.
Soon after starting the game, you are introduced to the new scientist character, Dr. Magnusson, as well as the returning characters, Eli and Dr. Kleiner. Your goal is also quite clearly explained at this time – get yourself, and Alyx, to the new Resistance headquarters in White Forest. There are a number of obstacles and events that sidetrack you from the main quest, but it all serves the story well and makes sense within the game. That is to say, I never felt like I was taking part in an arbitrarily lengthened game.
That being said, the end result of a game with no padding is a very short one; I finished Episode 2 in my first sitting with the game, which was no longer than four hours. It is hard to fault the game for this, however, as the quality is extremely high for those four hours. It is also worth noting that once I finished the game, I immediately wanted to play through it again. This is in part due to the fact that, whichever platform you buy the game for, – PC, Xbox360, or PS3, the game comes with achievements; one being a 'carry a garden gnome with you until the end of the game', which warrants its own play through simply for bragging rights.
It's coming up on four years since the original Half-Life 2 was released, and the source engine is perhaps showing signs of wear. Fortunately, the developers of Episode 2 reused almost no environments from the original, which was one of the major complaints about Episode 1. The game takes place in two major scene pieces – a dark, underground cave system, and a large North American-esque forest. Some perhaps 'dated' textures are always overshadowed by top-notch voice actors and an excellent original music score.
Episode 2 is another landmark game by Valve. For a bargain price of $15 on Steam, it is an unmissable game. Combine it with the other four full games in the Orange Box, you have an unbeatable game and no excuses to miss any of it.
