The nature of episodic content has somewhat hurt Episode 1. The physics and the amazing facial software are still there and nothing has yet to come close to it them in other games. Some of the edges in the source engine are starting to show up but for most part the game has aged pretty well. The inclusion of High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting effect, which first appeared in the Lost Coast tech demo, makes it look better than the original Half-Life 2. It does come with some new fancy enhancements. Valve’s source engine is still used for Episode 1. There also aren’t any new weapons and only one new enemy, the Zombine (Watch out for Alyx’s joke about them when you first see them.) which is a Combine covered with Head Crabs that do suicide runs at you with a grenade in its hand. Maybe this is because you don’t see any new settings, you see new buildings and such but the settings are all the same, you’ve experienced them throughout Half-Life 2. Valve has decided to make Episode 1 the first in three “Episodic Content” for Half-Life 2, Valve have even gone on to say that it’s more than just a add on for the game, but with the first episode you don’t really get that sense. The story for Episode 1 is all about escaping City 17 and that is all you will get to see. The dialogue is well written and even other Half-Life characters join in on the fun. She’ll comment on a vast amount of things, make jokes, it really builds up the friendship between the player and Alyx as a character. Another great thing about having Alyx around is the amusing comical dialogue she will sprout out. that you usually encounter with A.I partners in games. I never once throughout the game had a single problem with Alyx getting stuck behind things, acting wrongly etc. This makes Episode 1 (as it will be known through the review) have a change of feeling to how it plays, it still has the same Half-Life 2 gameplay that we all know, but having Alyx around the player takes away that lone wolf feeling you always felt.
The adventure is continued still in the boots of Gordon Freeman, but this time you have Alyx by your side for most of the game. Half-Life 2: Episode 1 picks up straight after the events of Half-Life 2. So when Valve announced they were planning on continuing the story that they left at such a cliff-hanger, I was extremely pleased. Half-Life 2 was an amazing game that won so many people over that it managed to pick up 35 Game of the Year awards. Just over 18 months ago I was playing one of the most technically advanced games at that time, in terms of physics, graphics and facial expression technology.
0 kommentar(er)
