Half Life 2 - PC Zone verdict

[Villan]

Damn, I haven't finished Doom3 yet, not played SP United Offensive and now this.

Got home to find my copy of latest PC Zone magazine - it has a 12 page review of HL2. Haven't read it yet, went straight to the verdict, but...

Min spec - PIII 1.2, 256 MB RAM, DX7 graphics card
Rec specs - PIII 2.4, 512 MB RAM, DX9 graphics card

Sample quotes:
Max Payne 2's shootouts? - Matched.
Call of Duty's epic street battles? - Beaten.
Doom3? - Out-spooked.

Verdict:
:D Beautifully realised world
:D Great storyline, script & characters
:D Wonderful use of physics
:D Excellent, powerful weapons
:D Fantastic sense of pacing with huge variety of action
:( No new multiplayer (yet)
:( AI occasionally fails to impress

97 - Quite possibly the best action game ever made

[Maggot]

Not to be a downer but what did they say about Doom3?

I bet they gave it over 90%.....for what I understand to be a very pretty, excessively repetetive, rather predictable horror.

I like PCZone, the pictures are good, the writing kind of lippy, but they've a tendency to high mark pretty graphics.

[Villan]

They gave Doom3 90% - "back to basics" I think was the quote, in terms of gameplay anyway, not the graphics!

The storyline for Half Life was always much better than Doom's, so i'll give it go.

[r1ncewind]

has no one seen the dvd demo of this yet?
it looks absolutely groundbreaking stuff and the storyline sounds good.
i cant wait as i have finished me other games and need something to kill. :twisted:

[Wags]

HL2 looks good. :D

I agree with maggot though, that the tremendous hype and long delays in final release that Halflife 2 and Doom3 have had can leave you with that slightly disappointed feeling when you finally get hold of the game.

Personally, I have a hunch that Halflife 2 will have more interesting gameplay than Doom3 (which won't be difficult to achieve), but we'll have to wait and see. The experts seem to be suggesting though, that the Doom3 engine will dominate future game releases.....

I must finish Doom3 first, I guess, if I can enthuse myself to do so....

[willofgod]

I bet they gave it over 90%.....for what I understand to be a very pretty, excessively repetetive, rather predictable horror.



Agreed. I didn't finish Doom3, and never will. I thought it was as dull as dish water, and wont be reinstalling it on my nice clean formatted PC.

HL2 on the other hand will be purchased and played to death on this ere PC!

[Villan]

PC Format verdict:

"Revel, savour and bask in the brilliance; this is a game no PC gamer can afford to ignore. It's here at last, and it's a masterpiece."

96%

[russellg81]

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

just some scans of the UK gamer review 8)

[BuLLiTT]

The original 1/2 life was THE 1st PC game to draw me inexorably to its bloody hard end with that huge alien thingy ma jig-it took me ages to sus.I have not had a game since (apart from n4s porche!)that i could NOT put down, so i am maybe expecting too much-its the game play not the graphics--remember Rome AD on the amiga? 8)

[r1ncewind]

remember Rome AD on the amiga?



erm......no. 8O

[trust]

remember Rome AD on the amiga?



erm......no. 8O




errmmm.............whats an Amiga :? :wink:

[Maggot]

Wimp that I am I really enjoyed Half Life but had to abandon it cause whilst Unreal Tournament and more recently CoD gave me no problems, HL gave me motion sickness. Twenty minutes with Gordon left me queasy, with a thumping headache. Not sure why that happens with some games and not others. Quake 3 had the same effect.

Am really hoping that if HL2 is as good as we're all wishing it's not another Heave Ho game for me.

:roll:

[russellg81]

not long now

should be great loved the first one

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[willofgod]

Got it! Installed it! Tried to play it... :evil:

Got to fecking Register it... Servers to busy... Me sitting here like a lemon for 20 minutes watching the fooker do nothing...

Do I retry and risk waiting longer... or do I wait and hope for the best?

Bastard thing... well pissed off!

[russellg81]

got it this morning F*&king great game


[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Villan]

What a game :D 8) :lol:

But what a pain Steam is :evil:

Anyway, I'm on the Route Kanal level, trying to find the bloody speed boat thing, f***ing headcrabs.

[Envoy]

Brilliant..love the game..willo was however slighlty puzzled as to why it had took me so long to progress through the game.

Well this was because.....just after meeting Barney I entered a large room where there was a queue of about three people at a machine which appeared to be handing out stuff I thought I had to get....well I stood in this queue for what seemed like ages...eventually got to the front and waited some more..it dawned on me that I might be making a mistake waiting so I had a look round as I did so a bloody woman pushed in front of me!!!!

I tried talking to her but she said 'wait your turn this is a queue you know'!!!!arrrgggghhhhh

So after attempting to kill her ...this without apparently having any hands...i moved on ...i am just so english...i must just love queueing :oops: :oops: :oops:

[Maggot]

:lol:

Envoy, you're a gem. I think that's a food dispenser from the chatter of some of the queue.

I'm also toodling around in the Canal area.

I love the atmosphere and the look and feel of the game (was playing till 2am this morning :roll: ). But so far it's a terribly linear scripted affair. I've not found a single objective with more than one route to it. Can someone just confirm for me that this changes later on - I'd hate to progress further in only to find myself playing a very pretty interactive 'toon.

[willofgod]

These games are always going to be linear to a point, theres just no other way of doing it. At least until someone writes a sentient AI which could make up a game as you played it.

But that said there must be other ways of playing HL2 because I dont recall seeing this queue of people at all.

And now that I'm actually playing the game, WOW! Very good... so very very good. This so blows away Doom 3. The detail is amazing. Even simple things like having to move things like barrels out of your path add to the game, amazing!

I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't able to throw an old noodle container which someone had carelessly left on the floor into the bin at the train station at the start though. How could the developers miss this? If I want to tidy up, I should be allowed to!

And just out of interest, does anyone prefer the pistol to the machine gun? I do, it seems more accurate! And I is a GunSlinger! Say thankee sai!

[Envoy]

And I is a GunSlinger! Say thankee sai!


Always thought of you as more of a billy-bumbler :wink:

[Maggot]

But that said there must be other ways of playing HL2 because I dont recall seeing this queue of people at all.

This may just be because you were sweeping up the station and otherwise mother-henning.

The queue is in the station just before you exit through the double doors. You reallly can't miss it (though it's only about 4 people long at most).

[r1ncewind]

:cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry: :( :cry:
unfortunately i wont be able to play HL2 till christmas as my mum decided to get it as a present for me.
unfortunatular still i cant open it early. :evil:

so i wont be reading this forum anymore because i will get jealous and kill everyone.

"YOUR SO UNFAIR MUM, I HATE YOU!!!"


P.S. i love her really. :oops:

[Envoy]

Willo just hates queues and avoids them at all costs....he has even been known ..shock...horror to push in the friggin lunch queue

[Villan]

to push in the friggin lunch queue

I don't think that's fair or true.

He IS the lunch queue.

[willofgod]

Actually my best ever queue jump was at the barbers! I went to get my hair cut one day and didn't bother making an appointment (never do). And when I got there, both rows of seating were taken up, people were standing around the shop, and were even standing on the stairs leading to the shop, there must have been 15-20 people. I thought "shit this is going to take ages".

So I took my coat off pegged it up and prepared myself for a long wait. Anyway as it happens Phil one of the barbers had just finished sorting someone and said "whose next?". There was obviously some confusion as to who it was because everyone in front of me started looking at each other trying to work our who is was! There really were an awful lot of people there.
So he repeated "Whose next? Anyone?". Noone said anything and I was in a jolly mood, so I said piped up "Me!". He replied "ok, come on then". And that was it, I squeezed through all the queueing people and made my way over to the barbers chair and sat down! It was brilliant! I dont remember if I was smirking, but inside I was having a really good chuckle to myself. And I didn't feel the least bit guilty. Brilliant!

If you dont ask you dont get!

[Rogue_Trooper]

I went to get my hair cut one day



Do your barbers do a dust and polish then :?: :wink: :P

[BuLLiTT]

whats an amiga--dont try and tell me your too young to remember the commodors trust,i had the amazing 600 with an almighty 20MEG hard drive AND stereo sound :?

[r1ncewind]

i bet the people in the q were thinking
"IM NOT AVVINNN THAAATT!!"

[shifty]

Well Rince it looks like you and me are in the same boat,my son has bought it as a prezzy for chrimbo :oops: :oops: ,so I too will have to wait. :cry:
I wish they would stop releasing great games at Chrimbo,they always do it ,and what happens one of your nearest and dearest go out and buy them for yea before you have a chance to say ,"HOLD EVERYTHING" I want it NOW. 8O

As far as Doom 3 is concerned I had to send my copy back as the ruddy thing had a media error on it ,or whats known as a bad pressing :oops: :cry: .
Now the bastards have just mailed me to say they are out of stock at the moment,and I`ll have to wait........."WHY IS THE WORLD SO FULL OF CRAP" :twisted: .

Now we have MOH Pacific Assualt ,as well hitting the stores soon,mind you it does look better than there previous efforts.
Just watched Gamer review it on TV loads of action.
Wonder if I`ll ever get to play these great games :?: :?: :?:

[Anonymous]

Just found out my son has not bought it for me for chrimbo ,so I went out and bought it :D

[Rogue_Trooper]

Just found out my son has not bought it for me for chrimbo ,so I went out and bought it :D


That must be Shifty doing "a Benny" :lol:

[shifty]

DOH ................ :oops:

[Silver]

I dont know what u might think pass for a 5 star game, but HL2 i very close to it ....in my opinon..
I raced through it in a week and all i can say is that it rules ( pwns ) all existing games ..
I used to play CS 1.6 before i was turned by , Ech0 , to play COD and found that it was a much better game.. BUT all of u that own a ( Retail copy) of HL2, i suggest, u go out and check CS:Source out...its really a nice game now.. ( Not that it can be compared with COD :-) )

/Silver

[Anonymous]

I do agree silver with regards as CS is concerned.I have never played it before until I bought HL2,I love the fast action to the game ,plus the graphics are really great,lots of blood too.
Would be nice to get TR to play it one day,but I dont think they will,just as a change of course :D .

[shifty]

I do agree silver with regards as CS is concerned.I have never played it before until I bought HL2,I love the fast action to the game ,plus the graphics are really great,lots of blood too.
Would be nice to get TR to play it one day,but I dont think they will,just as a change of course :D .


.................OOOOOps forgot to sign in 8O

[Rogue_Trooper]

.................OOOOOps forgot to sign in 8O


shifty have you raided bennys pill cabinet by any chance :?: 8O :lol:

[shifty]

Its working a 6 & 7 night shift that does it Rogue,the brain cells start working in reverse :( ,a sure sign of burn up,and old age...........well thats my excuse anyway :D .