HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE 1
Although hailed by critics and fans as the best PC game of 2004, Half-Life 2 had an ending that left many people scratching their heads. It wasn’t so much an ending but a lead up to Episode 1, the first of three expansion packs to be developed and released by Valve. In short it is a remarkable production that completely lives up to hype and establishes itself as the epitome of what gaming should be: a mixture of pulse raising action and continuously exciting game play, along with exquisite technology that allows strong storytelling and impressive environments.
The game begins with the players again in control of hero Gordon Freeman. Along with Alyx Vance, you have been mysteriously rescued from the dangerously unstable citadel, with the help of the Vortegauns. It soon becomes apparent that the destruction of the building will destroy all of City 17. It is a race against time to leave the city and evacuate the once repressed citizens, who have continued their revolutionary stance in taking back Earth from the oppressive Combine alien force.
Arguably Episode 1 delivers the most stellar Half-Life game play to date. It sticks closely to the formula of the previous games with a mixture of scripted action sequences and light puzzle solving. Although players will be unsurprised by what they receive towards game play with this package, they will be constantly astonished by the amount of effort that has been placed in somehow making this feel as fresh and exciting as ever.
Much has been made of the co-operative style of game play that the presence of Alyx Vance brings to Episode 1. Although there were only key occasions in Half-Life 2 where she accompanied you, she remains thoroughly prominent throughout this entire expansion pack. In the first portion of the game, which revolves around revisiting the Citadel, you are only armed with the Gravity Gun and as such there is great reliance on Alyx to provide covering fire. Later on during an underground blackout you’ll have to shine your flashlight on targets for her to open fire. This reliance on each other serves to build the players relationship with Alyx, which will surely be continued throughout the next two chapters.
Not only can she seamlessly navigate around the environment as easily as the player, but she also remains an asset with her crack shot and strong wit. The latter is courteous of some terrific voice acting, while lifelike facial animations also add to her lovely persona. Finally, a game with a key character that remains informative, tough and charming, as well as beautiful.
There are critical moments in the game where she expresses emotion rarely seen in a video game, like saying goodbye to her father via a computer screen, gently pressing her fingers against the glass surface, or curling up in a corner after being absolutely terrified after a train accident. It just adds that extra level of realism and humanity into the character.
The Source engine powering the game has been tweaked to deliver improved lighting effects and stronger visuals. The available audio commentary with the game details the lengths that went into delivering on the technical front. But really you don’t have to listen to that to notice the effort put in. All of the environments have again been meticulously designed and tailored to deliver an entirely believable world. The buildings of City 17 still have that remarkable European architecture about them, while propaganda and graffiti sprouts across the sides of buildings. The Citadel, looking evermore like the Dark Tower from Lord of the Rings, remains terrifying, as it looms above the clouds, dangerously unstable and unpredictable. The visuals, in crafting a believable universe, add wholly to the player’s belief in the game’s fiction.
The amount of variety placed on the environments ensures that the frantic shoot ‘em game play never goes stale. You’ll fight your way through the streets of City 17, aiding gun totting revolutionaries along the way, travel back inside the Citadel to disrupt the core, blast through a hospital infested with Combine soldiers and zombies and be tipped upside down by a devastating train ride.
Cynics may argue that the developers have attempted to cram absolutely everything into the game, but really I found it to be so intense, beautifully paced and exciting that this would seem ludicrous. There are quiet moments in the game that allow you to relax for a moment or two to catch your breath. Valve seems to love the element of surprise.
Many of the standout set pieces spring from nowhere and genuinely add a degree of suspense to the game. A standout set piece being a scripted battle with a giant Antlion as it crushes everything in its path. Though when you do reach the surface midway through the game, there is an unsettling image of destruction, as a Strider marches back and forth over the rubble of a fallen city, like something from the Warsaw Ghetto, which also remains a standout. Finally, the closing frames of the game remain one of the most visually arresting scenes this hard-boiled gamer has ever witnessed, as the player sits back exhausted, watching total demolition.
Many people have been quick to attack Episode 1 for its length. It has been stated that game lasts for little more than 4-6 hours. I find this criticism to be in a word: irrelevant. At approximately $35, you wont find a game of higher quality. And surely it’s better to have a game that is relatively brief but exciting, as opposed to one which is overlong and downright boring. Perhaps it does tease players with its unanswered questions, but for a price like that, who cares?
Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is a game of such remarkable quality that it cannot be justified in writing. Everything outstanding from its predecessor has not only been included but also improved on in some way. The visuals seem sharper, the pacing is close to perfect and the set pieces are more exciting and intense. This is game that everyone should treat themselves to. And surely it is the Game of the Year.
For:
+ Remarkable production
+ Exciting and often unpredictable.
+ Alyx Vance.
+ Improved engine.
Against:
Another cliff-hanger ending.
Verdict:
Don’t miss out on the most polished and sensational gaming experience in years.
