One of the best single player experiences of 2007
This game is just awesome. The environments are varied, the scenes scripted so well that you feel really into the action of the game. One of my favorite parts of the game is the antlion invasion, because although its extremely linear, the antlions swarm at you so fast that its a really hectic and fun scene. I just love downing antlions, and it doesn't feel as tedious and anoying as it did in Half Life 2.
In all respects, Episode Two is what Half Life 2 nearly was - an all-around perfect single player game. Half Life 2 was long, very repetitive, and sometimes slow, whereas this game finishes fast and doesn't keep you in one place long enough for you to get bored of it. As an FPS player with a short attention span, I like games like this, which are short but sweet.
I have to give the best single player game of 2007 award to Call of Duty 4, because of gameplay that just "feels right", but this game comes in second because of many interesting graphical improvements and scripting that really immerses the player in the game. I was never really a big fan of Half Life 2, and I stopped playing it during Ravenholm (eventually finishing the game later on). I thought there were parts of HL2 that just ruined the positives of the game, yet for Episode Two I can't think of a single part that I didn't enjoy. The addition of hunters truly makes this game a really deep yet somewhat challenging game. The end sequence was somewhat frustrating, especially if you were going for the acheivement, and if I had to criticize any part, it would be the concluding strider battle. Magnusson's character also adds to the drama, as he seems like the "Snape" of the Half Life world, a person who you can't really trust and acts somewhat hostile towards you.
The story adds some very interesting twists and turns, and although it answers very few questions, it hooks in the player for the duration of the game and makes them wish Epsiode Three is released tomorrow. If you're one of those players like me that can't stand a really long game because they get bored quickly, this game is for you. It's only six hours long, but every hour of that is fun, and it is culmination of the Half Life series, easily the best game in this series.
