I've got a confession: I never completed the original Half Life. Back then I was still not into first person shooting games; adding the fact that game was too dark my liking back then, I stopped playing even before I was half way through. Never did I realize I'd have thought Half Life would be such a phenomena, and that it would have an equally impressive sequel 6 years later.
Embarrassingly, I only completed Half Life 2 nearly three years after I purchased the game. It was definitely a magnificent game, but the constant headache that I got whenever I played the game (a symptom which I get for almost every fps games that I've played) stopped me from completing it. It was only this year that I told myself I will complete the game, and I'm glad I did.
Ok, time to move on; this post's about Episode 1, not Half Life 1 or 2. It was my first time playing Episode 1 after I prepurchased The Orange Box; the initial pricing for the standalone version seems a bit too expensive for a game which was about 4-5 hours long. Upon booting the game, the first thing I've realized was: wow, the Source engine is still as beautiful even after 3 years. Playing the game at 1280x960 resolution, everything seems so sharp.
But, graphics aside, I've got to admit I was kind of disappointed with Episode 1 overall. Firstly, the setting is still confined within the Citadel and City 17, meaning that the environment in the game is mainly recycled from Half Life 2. It gets boring seeing the same old stuffs after a while. Another gripe: why is the game soooooo dark? When I say dark, I mean it literally. Adding to the fact that a large part of the game takes place indoors, it really gets claustrophobic at certain points. This is the reason why I was so glad that there was actually some living being person accompanying me throughout the game: Alyx Vance. Alyx is more than just a mere decoration in the game, in fact, her pistol is overpowered -- it's way much better than the submachine gun Gordon was carrying. The player can usually just stand back and watch Alyx take out the zombies by herself, and assist her if she gets outnumbered.
I never realized how short Episode 1 was until I reached the ending unknowingly. It (the ending) was too abrupt, in my opinion. The final boss (if it can even be counted as one) was really weaksauce which could be easily taken down with 3-4 rockets.
Episode 1 is definitely in no way a bad game; it's not even mediocre. It's just that Half Life 2 was so good that it has raised the bar so high up for its sequels. And, it's essential to complete Episode 1 so that you can carry on with Episode 2, which you'll know why it's so good after reading my soon to come review of Episode 2.
Score: 8.0/10 The good: Beautiful looking graphics, realistic physics, the overpowered gravity gun! The bad: Too short, a bit too dark for liking, weaksauce final boss.
Seems LOTR-ish to me...
Alyx looks gorgeous close up.
The weaksauce final boss.
You won't want to be anywhere near the citadel when it blows up.
I seldom get excited over an EA game, but this one really has me at the edge of my seat. So far responses from people who have played the beta are pretty good (the guys at PC Gamer are seldom wrong :p), and I am sure looking forward to the release of the game, which is due in November.
PS: I know I'm still owing a review of Episode 1, but it's really been a busy week for me. I'd probably put it up this weekend, and hopefully together with Episode 2, which should be near completion soon.
Before I start going on and on about how fantastic Portal is, let me just get this minor gripe I have with Portal over as quickly as possible: the game is way too f**king short. Ok, now that I am done with it, let's move on to how freaking cool this game is.
The plot is pretty vague: you wake up the start of the game to find yourself in a glass cubicle, and then you're greeted by a female robotic voice, who referred to you as a test subject, and then released you from the cubicle. A few steps out from the cubicle, you will come across the unique feature of this game, the portal (duh). A brief explanation on how the portal works: A pair of portals are needed for it to work. One functions as an entrance, the other being the exit. Together, the 2 portals act as a gateway, allowing the player to cross over, from the entrance to the exit. Portals are 2-way, meaning after crossing over, the entrance and exit roles are reversed.
Initially in the first few levels the portal sites are fixed -- player has no control over them, and the levels' pretty straight-forward. After a few "training" levels, you would be given partial access to the portal gun, allowing you to place a single portal as you desire. The other portal is still fixed, hence there's still a certain limitation to what you are allowed to do. The fun starts after you get full access to the portal gun, and that's where the creativity and challenge set in. Being able to place the 2 portals as one wishes allows many possibilities and varieties of methods of getting through a level; the "fling" method will turn out to be the most crucial one in the later levels.
How flinging works (Disclaimer: Not done by me)
There are a total of 19 levels in the "campaign" mode, with the last 2 being the more challenging ones. But still it won' take long before one figures how to maneuver through the obstacles; what is more challenging, is trying to minimize the amount of portals being used, and the time taken to complete the level, in which these challenges can be unlocked after completing the game. There are also a few advanced levels with certain objectives and goals, which I have yet to try out (yes yes, I went back to TF2 straightaway after I finished the "campaign" mode).
The game itself is fun, however, it would not have been as funif not for the female robotic voice that accompanies you throughout the 19 levels. Rather than a guide to hint you if you are stuck in between the levels, the voice served more of a comic relief with its constant sarcastic and discouraging comments. The song after the final "boss" fight is especially hilarious, enough to justify saving a slot after the fight just so that one can go back and listen to it once in a while.
All in all, Portal is solid game in terms of gameplay, and though the game is painfully short, it does have a high replayability, as players can try out new methods and set personal challenges (time limits etc.) when playing through the levels again. The achievement feature is also a welcome, as players will have more reasons to go back to the game after completing it.
Score: 9.5/10 The good: One of the most innovative and original gameplay (and weapon, since the Gravity gun) in the recent gaming history. And a hilarious female robotic voice doesn't hurt too. The bad: It's short. Really, that's all I can complain about this game. And hence the 0.5 deduction.
A never-ending fall
Wait a minute, is that me on the other side?!
The cake is a lie (you'll get the joke if you play the game)
What (gaming related stuffs) have I been doing this week, you may ask, after nearly a week of inactivity at this blog. Well, I have just completed Episode 1 this morning (my god it really is damn short!) and the rest of my gaming times have been dedicated to TF2. I just won't get sick of the Demoman and ctf_2fort. Gary Whitta has hit the bullseye when he mentioned (on the PC Gamer podcast, which I strongly recommend for all PC gamers) The Orange Box is an all round package; it has such a variety of games in it that people are sure to find one they like. There is the classic but epic fps series (Half Life 2, episode 1 & 2), the mind boggling and hilarious Portal, and finally the fast-paced and addictive Team Fortress 2. For such a fantastic package, US$49.95 is really a bargain (I got it for $44.95, $5 discount during the preorder :D). To fps lovers who have yet to get and experience The Orange Box: what are you waiting for!? Go get it now!
I'd probably put up my review for Portal and Episode 1 this weekend, together with a brief recap/review of the original Half Life 2. I know I know, I am still owing the Bioshock screenshots, I'd probably put them up by this weekend too.
In case you haven't notice, Valve has released a series of short clips of the various classes in Team Fortress 2, the latest one being "Meet the Demoman", which can viewed in one of my previous posts. I'd recommend you to check it out to understand the basic idea of being the Demoman class in the game.
The Demoman has overtaken the Spy as my favorite class of TF2 as I start to try out the various classes in the game. Initially, I felt that the class is pretty vulnerable, as he has only grenade and sticky bomb launchers as his range weapons apart from the standard melee attack, thus making him extremely fragile when enemies are close up. However, I was soon convinced otherwise, as I finally start to realize the Demoman's true potential, and his importance in support and defensive roles.
The grenade launcher, what can I say.. It packs a heavy punch when it explodes, and even harder when the grenade comes into contact the enemy before making its first bounce, hence making it a staple means of clearing the road in front for the rest of your teammates to proceed on. Pop a few of them in the midst of chaos, and you are guaranteed a kill or two, or least an assist. When the enemy is close up, hit one straight in his face, and he most likely won't survive the encounter, though you may sustain some damage from the explosion too.
However, it is the sticky bombs that has caught my attention initially when trying out the class. Put a few in place, and you can take out even the toughest enemy (aka the Heavy) with much ease. The best thing about it is that you are able to detonate the bombs no matter where you are in the map (they will only disappear if you get killed). Adding the fact that you can have 8 of them out at a time, sticky bombs are one of the best way to defend the intel in ctf_2fort or the control points in the rest of the maps.
The Demoman's armory works best at areas where space is constrained: narrow corridors and walkways, rooms with single exits etc. Placing a few stickies at slightly less noticeable corners and spamming the nades once in a while is the way to go. However, that's not all the Demoman can do. He can actually support the frontlines with his powerful ammunitions too. There are times when spies in your team aren't able to get rid of those pesky sentry guns (nowadays you'll find more engineers staying beside their sentries and dispensers, shooting anyone who runs by for spy-check), and that's where the sticky bombs and grenades come to use, especially the former. With an exceptionally long range (hold on the fire button for longer distance), the bombs can be deployed at a safe distance from the sentries and then detonate it when you are done. If you are lucky you'd be able to take out the engineer too.
I am having tremendous fun with the Demoman class lately, mostly in ctf_2fort, where there are a lot of narrow walkways and corners in which the Demoman can fully shine. Learn to place your sticky bombs at strategic locations, and you can easily earn yourself a top position in the kill chart.
Who will be the unlucky guy to run past my sticky bombs?
Having finished Bioshock means that I have more time for the Orange Box now. In fact, I have already finished Portal, which is a very, very short game, and been spending the rest of my weekend fragging in Team Fortress 2. Stay tuned for the review of Portal, and also the special coverage of Demoman class! In the meantime, check out this cool clip, Meet the Demoman, by Valve.
Alas, got to finish Bioshock today, 1 week after I started playing it. It took me kinda long to finish it, but I was busy with school work, so yea.
*Spoilers Alert!* Bioshock is considered to be a spiritual successor of the System Shock series, one which I had not played before. But if they were anywhere similar to Bioshock in terms of the gameplay and atmosphere it creates, I would be really keen to try them out.
Bioshock takes place in the 1960s, and the player (as Jack) starts off on the dark vast ocean, after surviving a plane crash which left everyone, save for the player, dead. Jack's forced to take cover at a what looks like to be a light house, only to discover a bathysphere within, which eventually leads him to Rapture, an underwater utopia built by Andrew Ryan. Or should I say, Andrew Ryan had hoped that Rapture would be an utopia, which turned out to be the total opposite by the time Jack discovered its existence.
As soon as he stepped out of the bathysphere, Jack's greeted by a guy named Atlas through an intercom, after witnessing a brutal murder by a splicer (I'll get to the meaning of that term later). As the game proceeds, Atlas starts to fill in details on how Rapture became what it was, and how people started to mutate after injecting themselves with enhancement plasmids, turning them into splicers in the end. The goal of Jack was to locate Atlas' family and rescue them, and at the same time get rid of now insane Andrew Ryan and get out of Rapture for good. Things start to complicate as the player plays further into the game, which I will not divulge.
Bioshock is a mixture of first person shooting and some role-playing elements. At the start the player will start to come across some plasmids which will enhance Jack's power, at the expense of consuming EVE (think mana). Throughout the game, plasmids can be found lying around or purchased through vending machines. Weapons are upgradable, and ammunitions can be invented using raw materials found from loots, using the Invent machines. The wide variety of plasmids and weapons allows more varieties when it comes to killing the enemies. Do you want to lure the splicers into the pool of water before electrocuting them? Do you want to incinerate them and watch they burst into flames and gradually die? Or do you want to use the good ol' way and blast them off to bits with your grenade launcher? You decide. I must admit it was fun to have to so many ways to defeat the enemies, which gradually gets tougher as the game proceeds. That's where ammunition comes in, where anti-armor bullets work well against armored splicers and turrets, and anti-personnel bullets work well against the less protected enemies.
It will not be long after the start before the player encounters their first fight with the toughest enemy in Bioshock; the Big Daddy. This enemy packs a lot of punch and a single hit by them is enough to reduce Jack's health to critical condition at the start of the game. But killing them is a necessity, if you want to harvest or rescue the Little Sisters they are escorting for ADAM (ADAM is needed to purchase new plasmids and their respective slots, and also to upgrade one's health and EVE). Luckily, with the wide variety of weapons at hand, these Big Daddies are not impossible to kill; in fact, you'll get the hang after killing a few of them.
The graphics and atmosphere in Bioshock is absolutely amazing. The game worked smoothly on my new rig, and the effects were pretty excellent. The atmosphere genuinely gives one a sense of helpless and loneliness in a world where everything has gone wrong, and horrors lurk in every dark corners. That, together with the occasional music coming out from the jukeboxes, really creates the setting for a horror sci-fi story in the 60s.
My only real gripe with Bioshock, is that the ending is way too short and anti-climatic for a game with such an epic plot. I was expecting something more when I finally killed the last boss; before I knew it, I was already brought back to the starting screen. But that should not deter anyone from trying out the game, as it is easily one of the better games that is out in the over-saturated first person shooting market. The last first person shooting game that leaves me with such deep impression would be Half Life 2. Being able to be compared with Half Life 2 is no small feat, and that's how good Bioshock is.
Score: 9.0/10 The good: the atmosphere, gameplay, plot The bad: come on man.. the ending's waaaayyyy tooo short to do justice to such an epic game.
Feel the wrath of the Little Sisters
Guess who stuck that hockey stick into that guy's head?
Mannequins? Think again.
Apparently you can buy ammunitions from vending machines in Rapture.
That's right folks, 1 more day to the long awaited release of the The Orange Box! Somehow, I can foresee the Steam servers crashing as millions of Steam users try to download Portal and Episode 2 from it. Well I am not in a rush to play it anyway, still got a few hours left in Bioshock.
*Spoiler alert!* I'm already up to chasing Frank Fontaine, and probably will finish the game before this weekend, and possibly put up a review by this week too. Team Fortress 2 coverage will have to be put on hold until after I complete this eerie epic game by 2K (yes, it's that good).
