Half-Life 2

26.10.2007

One hand washes the other. The movie and television industry have found a purpose in the world of PC games, and certain features from the film industry have been carried over into the video game industry. The result: Doom, Resident Evil and the likes flicker across movie screens, and computer games are released in seasons. True fans of these games are not thrilled by this development. The film versions are for the most part poorly done, and most consider it a rip-off that the industry releases games in bits and pieces. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 almost confirmed this opinion. The first Episode in the blockbuster Half-Life series was disappointingly short.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2 turned the tables. It leaves many full-priced games in the dust. Not only because the “Orange Box” contains Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, Portal and Team Fortress 2, but because Episode 2 is simply fantastic. It provides players with six hours of game time. The story is captivating, even if you do have to be familiar with the previous game in order to understand it. The same game-play was maintained, and the characters you know and love are all back: Alyx, Dr. Kleinert, Barney, Elijah, Dog. They have all found their place in Episode 2, and have not changed a bit, for the better or for the worse. Thus, when Dr. Magnussen gets carried away with his self-praise, you may, out of sheer desperation, search for the “kiss my ass” button. Unfortunately this would not do you any good because Gordon is as mute as a fish.

Episode 2 follows a chronological path, and begins where Episode 1 left off. When we last left them, Alyx and Gordon were fleeing the exploding Citadel by train. Of course to make things a bit more exciting, this train had to derail. It goes without saying that our two heroes survive the accident, and make their way on foot to the outer post of “White Forest”. This path takes them from the slimy, dim caves of the Antlions to idyllic landscapes of valleys and mountains, to deserted Combine strongholds. Naturally, mindless shooting does not play a huge role in this game. The program relies heavily on physics-based puzzles (just as Episode 1 did), which for the most part can be solved using the “Gravitron”. You do not have to abandon all hope of a good old- fashioned shoot-out however, because the villains you know and love are all back: Zombine, Combine, Antlions, Strider, Hunter or Headcrab. They have all found a place in Episode 2. Wait a minute, Hunter? That is a new opponent. This is a sort of “kiddy” Strider that is easily defeated with a few spirited shotgun blasts.

Valve once again uses its own, slightly enhanced, Source Engine for the graphics. The developers definitely created some outstanding facial animation: pain, fear! This aspect is worthy of praise! You can tell by Alyx’s facial expression right away what kind of situation she and her beloved scientist are in. The atmospheric sound effects are the icing on the cake. The dubbing and the magnificent sound track leave nothing to be desired. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 has more in common with a movie than a game. Whether it is hard-core action or emotional situations, this game has everything. And as if this was not enough, the application software runs as smooth as silk on older computers, while managing to maintain the wonderful optical effects.