Re-started HL2, having played it only at release

And it's amazing what a quality game it is.

Most games I've played since then can't touch it...

Anyone agree?

Depends. Metro 2033 was solid. Great story , technology, graphics etc... I agree that half life 2 was/is epic. 

Depends. Metro 2033 was solid. Great story , technology, graphics etc... I agree that half life 2 was/is epic. 

warriorlax1234

haven't touched it for years. a few years ago i decided i was going to wait until the hl3 release and play it and the episodes the week before. not the best decision in hindsight. will probably be somewhere around 2018 when i get to play it next at this rate, if at all.

but yeah, landmark game. amazingly it seems to get a fair bit of hate on this board these days

Yeah, the HL series really is near timeless, not long ago I playied through HL11 and then Black Mesa, and funnily enough Im playing through HL2 again aswell right now ^^ At the watter boat thingie in the sewers right now.

As for games that can manage to capture me as well, must be STALKER mainly, I really enjoyied playing through that again recently. But most games does not touch it remotelt, I agree. I am sure there are some but apart from old RPGs and adventure games (Im talking about FPS here mostly, given the way to compare), there are very few games that keeps the same kind of near magic.

Yes, Half-Life 2 is one of my best gaming memories.

Play it with the Cinematic Mod now.... looks great.FelipeInside

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"]Play it with the Cinematic Mod now.... looks great.biggest_loser

And it's amazing what a quality game it is.

 

Most games I've played since then can't touch it...

 

Anyone agree?

Kloney

HL is real art, something that most devs/publishers don't really care about. There are very few games that come close in terms of having such coherent artistic expression, I can only think of Max Payne 1 and 2, perhaps NOLF 2, Fallout 3 and... Well I guess that's it.

edit: yes, also there's Portal 2.

I also had a similar experience.  I played it in 2004 and then again in 2007 with The Orange Box.  But having just recently replayed it this year it holds up very well.  It's a spectacular game!

[QUOTE="Kloney"]

And it's amazing what a quality game it is.

 

Most games I've played since then can't touch it...

 

Anyone agree?

PfizersaurusRex

HL is real art, something that most devs/publishers don't really care about. There are very few games that come close in terms of having such coherent artistic expression, I can only think of Max Payne 1 and 2, perhaps NOLF 2, Fallout 3 and... Well I guess that's it.

edit: yes, also there's Portal 2.

The Last Of Us does

HL2 is a timeless masterpiece. I replay it at least once a year, along with the Episodes. Even the graphics, even without mods, have held up surprisingly well. Which is at least partly because they've actually been officially upgraded by valve a couple times along the way, but still. Really can't wait to see Source 2 games.

Yeah, the HL series really is near timeless, not long ago I playied through HL11 and then Black Mesa, and funnily enough Im playing through HL2 again aswell right now ^^ At the watter boat thingie in the sewers right now.

 

As for games that can manage to capture me as well, must be STALKER mainly, I really enjoyied playing through that again recently. But most games does not touch it remotelt, I agree. I am sure there are some but apart from old RPGs and adventure games (Im talking about FPS here mostly, given the way to compare), there are very few games that keeps the same kind of near magic.

Maddie_Larkin

I'm past Ravenholm and driving on "road 17" or whatever it's called, just past the part where you get the crossbow.

The story is epic, every character is believable and the voice acting as well as the AI animations is top notch. It's the small things, like one AI reacting to another one when you are in a group of 3 talking, smiling towards you, or shaking the head and looking in doubt, and so much more...

I'm amazed of the graphics being so good yet very playable on old computers. I'm playing on a 6 y.o. laptop and can almost max it out, and it looks great. Love it.

[QUOTE="biggest_loser"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"]Play it with the Cinematic Mod now.... looks great.FelipeInside

If you're gonna use the Cinematic Mod, definitely disable the HD character models. They're high quality models, on a technical level, but the actual visual design is laughably bad. Just look at them, and you'll see what I mean. Also, I would advise against using the mod's music. It's just super generic action movie orchestral score stuff (I'm actually pretty sure it's stolen from some movie, but I can't quite put my finger on which one). The original music is amazing, unique, and part of what makes the HL atmosphere. 

Then there's the gun models, which actually change the way the guns handle, besides just the looks. I really like most of them, but beware: the cinematic mod SMG is extremely accurate, unlike the original. It's nice for the player, but the Combine also have it. And they are deadly with it. Using the cinematic mod guns significantly increases the difficulty of the game, just because the weapons are so much more accurate. When I played through with cinematic mod, that part in Nova Prospekt, when you're stuck in that double hallway with all the jail cells, and you have to just survive waves of enemies for a while, was crazy hard. After hours of being stuck on it, even after dropping game difficulty as low as it could go, I just said fvck it and activated god mode to get through it and move on with the game.

[QUOTE="FelipeInside"][QUOTE="biggest_loser"] What sort of stuff does that add?? I haven't used it before. the_bi99man

If you're gonna use the Cinematic Mod, definitely disable the HD character models. They're high quality models, on a technical level, but the actual visual design is laughably bad. Just look at them, and you'll see what I mean. Also, I would advise against using the mod's music. It's just super generic action movie orchestral score stuff (I'm actually pretty sure it's stolen from some movie, but I can't quite put my finger on which one). The original music is amazing, unique, and part of what makes the HL atmosphere. 

Then there's the gun models, which actually change the way the guns handle, besides just the looks. I really like most of them, but beware: the cinematic mod SMG is extremely accurate, unlike the original. It's nice for the player, but the Combine also have it. And they are deadly with it. Using the cinematic mod guns significantly increases the difficulty of the game, just because the weapons are so much more accurate. When I played through with cinematic mod, that part in Nova Prospekt, when you're stuck in that double hallway with all the jail cells, and you have to just survive waves of enemies for a while, was crazy hard. After hours of being stuck on it, even after dropping game difficulty as low as it could go, I just said fvck it and activated god mode to get through it and move on with the game.

Will the cinematic mod be heavier on the system? I don't think my computer can handle much more than HL2 to be honest...

Oh, and I'm buying EP1+2 although having played them already, just because I want to try out this mod :P

[QUOTE="PfizersaurusRex"]

[QUOTE="Kloney"]

And it's amazing what a quality game it is.

 

Most games I've played since then can't touch it...

 

Anyone agree?

gillri

HL is real art, something that most devs/publishers don't really care about. There are very few games that come close in terms of having such coherent artistic expression, I can only think of Max Payne 1 and 2, perhaps NOLF 2, Fallout 3 and... Well I guess that's it.

edit: yes, also there's Portal 2.

The Last Of Us does

TLOU feels more a triumh of interative cinematic gameplay and storytelling than being artful.

You guys just made me want to play the game although I am probably just going to play the last episode since that is the one that I played the least times.Silicel1

[QUOTE="gillri"]

[QUOTE="PfizersaurusRex"]

HL is real art, something that most devs/publishers don't really care about. There are very few games that come close in terms of having such coherent artistic expression, I can only think of Max Payne 1 and 2, perhaps NOLF 2, Fallout 3 and... Well I guess that's it.

edit: yes, also there's Portal 2.

longtonguecat

The Last Of Us does

TLOU feels more a triumh of interative cinematic gameplay and storytelling than being artful.

Witcher 2?  If they fell short of some precedent set by HL2 it was purely on accident (as opposed to rushing out the game for revenue or other shortcut/profit ploy.)  Witcher 2 is not necessarily in my personal top 5 or even 6 (little too much melee, and I prefer sci-fi to fantasy) but, man, playing that game I really felt like they poured every fiber of their beings into that game.

Yes, I completely agree.  I played it in 2005, and then again a couple of years ago.  HL2 and it's episodes have aged extremely well.  Still the best shooter, aside from the original Half-life Black Mesa Source remake, IMO.  

hl2 aged pretty bad
the shooting mechanics are really bad

cinematic mod makes the game worse with its character models

Still an amazing experience, just recently started it with friends but they gave up before we finished it all.

1. Half-Life 
2. HL2: Ep Two
3. Opposing Force
4. Half-Life 2
5. HL2: Ep One
6. Blue Shift

Just play it without mods. The game is timeless. I have replayed hl2 countless times. no joke

Is it worth re-buying EP1+2 for the cinematic mod?Kloney

Is it worth re-buying EP1+2 for the cinematic mod?Kloney

Why would you need to re-buy them?

Also, to answer your last question, yes, cinematic mod is MUCH heavier on the system than the vanilla game. More difficult to run than anything else ever made with Source.