Half-Life 2 [part one]
By Eric Chon
Monday. Jan 10, 12:24 AM
The balls, you hear me? THE BALLS!

Half-Life 2 has been heralded as the next big savior of computer games. It’s hard to imagine more hype for a game that’s been six years in the making, much less living up to it. I, myself, am responsible for heaping all sorts of fucked-up expectations onto Valve’s latest creation. After all, the tech-demos that were released over a year ago had basically given me a permanent woody. And having the release date constantly be pushed farther and farther back… well, you can image how bad a case of blue-balls for over a year feels. I suspect I am not alone in feeling a tad betrayed and frustrated (all you other nerds can wave your pocket-protectors with me in solidarity here).

So perhaps we’ve all unfairly predetermined our feelings for the game – either it’s going to polish our knob while delivering sweet, sweet real-time rendered alien-jacking action or just blow – no middle-ground here! But either one of these reactions would do ourselves and the game disservice. Unsurprisingly to those non-fanboys here, it’s somewhere in between the two.

HL2’s first major attraction is its graphics, which are stunning without doubt. We’ve all seen rendered outdoor environments before (Unreal was the first to really bring it to our attention if I recall), but I’ve never seen it such great detail. Valve has cleverly limited our movement through its gorgeous locales (blocked off by dead-end streets, high walls, etc.) without ruining our suspension of disbelief, allowing them to crank up the little aspects and create a truly believable environment. The cityscapes are especially stunning, with trash and detritus strewn about without seeming placed by careful art directors. It’s all been done before, but never to such a degree.

In addition, models are complex and animation vivid. Of special note are the cut-scenes (all rendered in-engine). What sets them apart are the facial animations: it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a computer-game extra display believable emotion. The movements are subtle and gentle and the lips actually synch to the dialogue. You have to see it to believe it.

Of course, one of the other major selling points is the amazing physics engine, allowing you react and interact with the world like never before. You can pick up cans and other objects and use them as weapons or shields, blow up wooden support beams and send boxes and weights crashing down on your enemies. You can use floating barrels to prop-up collapsing bridges and cement blocks to weigh-down scales and lifts. But I can’t help but feel that Valve is giving us the ol’ “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” when it sets up completely arbitrary physics puzzles to show off the engine. They come off as artificial and yank me right out of its engrossing narrative. Maybe try a bit of subtlety next time?

However, these quibbles are small compared to overarching kick-ass that HL2 delivers. Playing again as the most badass scientist in the universe, Gordon Freeman, is still a thrill, and the oppressive alien-controlled world Valve gives us is rich with texture and detail. Certainly some sequences overstay their welcome (swamp boats anyone?), but the set pieces that are good are spectacular. Trying to cover all the aspects that make this game worth getting (nail-biting action sequences, drivable vehicles, and horrific settings for a few) would extend the length of this review at least three or four times.

Half-Life 2 is not the end-all, be-all of computer games. But it delivers the complete package of story, atmosphere, graphics, and action. Without reservation, it is the balls.
www.sierra.com

Eric Chon

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