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It's probably because the games are focused on gameplay and atmosphere. The story is driven through character interaction and not cinematic cutscenes.RyanShazam
Precisely. Valve makes great games that focus 100% on the GAME. And always with an extremely high level of polish and production value. And plenty of content, too. Half Life 2 may be a linear, story based FPS, but it takes well over 20 hours to finish, unless you're doing like a speed run. Most linear shooters don't even approach that much game time these days. And the Portal games are among the most innovative first person games ever.
[QUOTE="Cranler"]
Next to Doom, Half life is the most groundbreaking shooter of all time. Absolutely astounding game when it dropped in 1998. Playing it now wont be impressive of course.
Ly_the_Fairy
Playing it now with the Black Mesa mod. It's an amazing remake!
Black Mesa is fvcking incredible. And it really shows how great Half Life 1 was in the first place. It's 14 years old, but with nothing but modernized graphics, slightly redesigned/streamlined levels, and some AI tweaks, it's easily one of the greatest shooters ever, all over again, even by today's standards. Also, the redone music is AMAZING. One of the best soundtracks in any game, ever.
In terms of the Half-Life games anyway, a lot of their significance has to do with their having been unprecedented when they first came out. Few FPS featured the sort of atmosphere and narrative structure that the original Half-Life did in 1998, and in 2004, arguably no game looked as good or had the degree of physics manipulation that Half-Life 2 did.
They release games and then release an SDK for engine the game was made with, because of this we can thank them for having a massive influence on modern FPS online gaming. Games like Counter Strike, Team Fortress, Day of Defeat (Medal of honour would have been single player only without DoD's success) were all free mods for Half Life.
The sequels to those games, CS Source, TF2 and DoD Source were dirt cheap and TF2 came piled in the orange box with an obscure bonus game called Portal as free filler content because Valve didn't want to release a game without a single player campaign.
All their games to date have different to the norm, liked or hated they have been unconventional and inventive. HL2 is like Marmite but it was one of the first games to introduce gravity and rag-doll physics.
So just like John Carmack (Even after iD's atrocious PC version of Rage). Gabe and Valve can get a free pass now and then. after all without them gaming would be somewhere else entirely today and that's probably not a good thing!
[QUOTE="the_bi99man"][QUOTE="Ly_the_Fairy"]
Playing it now with the Black Mesa mod. It's an amazing remake!
TheGuardian03
Black Mesa is fvcking incredible. And it really shows how great Half Life 1 was in the first place. It's 14 years old, but with nothing but modernized graphics, slightly redesigned/streamlined levels, and some AI tweaks, it's easily one of the greatest shooters ever, all over again, even by today's standards. Also, the redone music is AMAZING. One of the best soundtracks in any game, ever.
Agreed i love this one in Black Mesa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S8fCMHSVhc&feature=channel&list=ULHells yes. Also, the song that plays during the huge shootout in the Lambda labs lobby, shortly before starting Surface Tension.... oh... my... god... sooooooo good.
Valve are very good at brainwashing people, they also pay of review sites and steal over developers ideas, Portal for example, they are worste then EA and Capcom.Fear-Hiring people to work for you is stealing. Only in System Wars.
The original Half-Life was a revolutionary game. Unlike many of the games that came before it, like Doom or Quake, Black Mesa felt like an actual place rather than a bunch of levels stitched together. The world was fully-realized, and there was a real sense of pacing to it, starting you off arriving at the facility, going into work before all hell breaks loose. The story itself was really just a touched-up version of Doom, but the way it integrated the world was groundbreaking. There was also the advanced enemy AI in the HECU soldiers, who would flank you or flush you out with grenades. Also, rather than have guns floating in midair as was the case in Doom or Quake, you'd find weapons in logical places. You'd find guns and grenades in armories, experimental weapons in laboratories, ammunition in soldier stockpiles, etc.
Counter-Strike is still, bar none but Quake, the gold standard of competitive multiplayer. It's the perfect test of skill, combining the tactical gameplay of games like Rainbow Six with the raw twitch-based shooting of games like Quake.
Half-Life 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original, with an even better-realized world with actual characters and animations. There was more thought put into the story so it felt like there was something really going on that you were a part of, rather than just being directed to get to part of the facility, do something, then find out that didn't actually work, etc. It also made innovative use of the Havoc physics engine with the gravity gun, turning the physics into an integral part of the gameplay (also helps that it had really good physics, as opposed to earlier attempts at physics in games like Thief or Deus Ex). The only real steps backward from the original are the AI and the weapon variety, as the original game had a lot more guns than the sequel.
Team Fortress 2 is simply one of the best multiplayer games this generation. It's easy to get into, difficult to master, has tons of variety, has frequent updates that add more and more content, and it's free. I can't think of more I could ask from it.
Portal is also fairly innovative, taking the physics-based gameplay of Half-Life 2 and putting it into a new context, and the Portals add a surprising variety of dimension to the game. Also, like Half-Life, it takes place in a very well-realized world, which we gradually get to see more and more of as we progress through the game and its sequel. It also helps that both games have really good writing, with the second game being one of the funniest games out there right now.
The original Half-Life was a revolutionary game. Unlike many of the games that came before it, like Doom or Quake, Black Mesa felt like an actual place rather than a bunch of levels stitched together. The world was fully-realized, and there was a real sense of pacing to it, starting you off arriving at the facility, going into work before all hell breaks loose. The story itself was really just a touched-up version of Doom, but the way it integrated the world was groundbreaking. There was also the advanced enemy AI in the HECU soldiers, who would flank you or flush you out with grenades. Also, rather than have guns floating in midair as was the case in Doom or Quake, you'd find weapons in logical places. You'd find guns and grenades in armories, experimental weapons in laboratories, ammunition in soldier stockpiles, etc.
Counter-Strike is still, bar none but Quake, the gold standard of competitive multiplayer. It's the perfect test of skill, combining the tactical gameplay of games like Rainbow Six with the raw twitch-based shooting of games like Quake.
Half-Life 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original, with an even better-realized world with actual characters and animations. There was more thought put into the story so it felt like there was something really going on that you were a part of, rather than just being directed to get to part of the facility, do something, then find out that didn't actually work, etc. It also made innovative use of the Havoc physics engine with the gravity gun, turning the physics into an integral part of the gameplay (also helps that it had really good physics, as opposed to earlier attempts at physics in games like Thief or Deus Ex). The only real steps backward from the original are the AI and the weapon variety, as the original game had a lot more guns than the sequel.
Team Fortress 2 is simply one of the best multiplayer games this generation. It's easy to get into, difficult to master, has tons of variety, has frequent updates that add more and more content, and it's free. I can't think of more I could ask from it.
Portal is also fairly innovative, taking the physics-based gameplay of Half-Life 2 and putting it into a new context, and the Portals add a surprising variety of dimension to the game. Also, like Half-Life, it takes place in a very well-realized world, which we gradually get to see more and more of as we progress through the game and its sequel. It also helps that both games have really good writing, with the second game being one of the funniest games out there right now.
PannicAtack
A great post, I fully agree! :)
Valve games are high quality, and did a lot for the gaming industry!
[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]
The original Half-Life was a revolutionary game. Unlike many of the games that came before it, like Doom or Quake, Black Mesa felt like an actual place rather than a bunch of levels stitched together. The world was fully-realized, and there was a real sense of pacing to it, starting you off arriving at the facility, going into work before all hell breaks loose. The story itself was really just a touched-up version of Doom, but the way it integrated the world was groundbreaking. There was also the advanced enemy AI in the HECU soldiers, who would flank you or flush you out with grenades. Also, rather than have guns floating in midair as was the case in Doom or Quake, you'd find weapons in logical places. You'd find guns and grenades in armories, experimental weapons in laboratories, ammunition in soldier stockpiles, etc.
Counter-Strike is still, bar none but Quake, the gold standard of competitive multiplayer. It's the perfect test of skill, combining the tactical gameplay of games like Rainbow Six with the raw twitch-based shooting of games like Quake.
Half-Life 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original, with an even better-realized world with actual characters and animations. There was more thought put into the story so it felt like there was something really going on that you were a part of, rather than just being directed to get to part of the facility, do something, then find out that didn't actually work, etc. It also made innovative use of the Havoc physics engine with the gravity gun, turning the physics into an integral part of the gameplay (also helps that it had really good physics, as opposed to earlier attempts at physics in games like Thief or Deus Ex). The only real steps backward from the original are the AI and the weapon variety, as the original game had a lot more guns than the sequel.
Team Fortress 2 is simply one of the best multiplayer games this generation. It's easy to get into, difficult to master, has tons of variety, has frequent updates that add more and more content, and it's free. I can't think of more I could ask from it.
Portal is also fairly innovative, taking the physics-based gameplay of Half-Life 2 and putting it into a new context, and the Portals add a surprising variety of dimension to the game. Also, like Half-Life, it takes place in a very well-realized world, which we gradually get to see more and more of as we progress through the game and its sequel. It also helps that both games have really good writing, with the second game being one of the funniest games out there right now.
Rocker6
A great post, I fully agree! :)
Valve games are high quality, and did a lot for the gaming industry!
With the exception of CSGO, which is still kinda bugged up and probably will be for a while, their games have a high amount of polish and play-testing. Not to mentino that they make an effort to be in good graces with the community by encouraging fan-made content (hence the wide range of mods ranging from Counter-Strike to Day of Defeat) and the continuing support of existing games like Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress 2.Half life games set the bar to FPS genre. what FPS are better? COD? lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODbHVySFWM lot of games copy them.SNIPER4321
Valve are more than just Half life
[QUOTE="Rocker6"]
[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]
The original Half-Life was a revolutionary game. Unlike many of the games that came before it, like Doom or Quake, Black Mesa felt like an actual place rather than a bunch of levels stitched together. The world was fully-realized, and there was a real sense of pacing to it, starting you off arriving at the facility, going into work before all hell breaks loose. The story itself was really just a touched-up version of Doom, but the way it integrated the world was groundbreaking. There was also the advanced enemy AI in the HECU soldiers, who would flank you or flush you out with grenades. Also, rather than have guns floating in midair as was the case in Doom or Quake, you'd find weapons in logical places. You'd find guns and grenades in armories, experimental weapons in laboratories, ammunition in soldier stockpiles, etc.
Counter-Strike is still, bar none but Quake, the gold standard of competitive multiplayer. It's the perfect test of skill, combining the tactical gameplay of games like Rainbow Six with the raw twitch-based shooting of games like Quake.
Half-Life 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original, with an even better-realized world with actual characters and animations. There was more thought put into the story so it felt like there was something really going on that you were a part of, rather than just being directed to get to part of the facility, do something, then find out that didn't actually work, etc. It also made innovative use of the Havoc physics engine with the gravity gun, turning the physics into an integral part of the gameplay (also helps that it had really good physics, as opposed to earlier attempts at physics in games like Thief or Deus Ex). The only real steps backward from the original are the AI and the weapon variety, as the original game had a lot more guns than the sequel.
Team Fortress 2 is simply one of the best multiplayer games this generation. It's easy to get into, difficult to master, has tons of variety, has frequent updates that add more and more content, and it's free. I can't think of more I could ask from it.
Portal is also fairly innovative, taking the physics-based gameplay of Half-Life 2 and putting it into a new context, and the Portals add a surprising variety of dimension to the game. Also, like Half-Life, it takes place in a very well-realized world, which we gradually get to see more and more of as we progress through the game and its sequel. It also helps that both games have really good writing, with the second game being one of the funniest games out there right now.
PannicAtack
A great post, I fully agree! :)
Valve games are high quality, and did a lot for the gaming industry!
With the exception of CSGO, which is still kinda bugged up and probably will be for a while, their games have a high amount of polish and play-testing. Not to mentino that they make an effort to be in good graces with the community by encouraging fan-made content (hence the wide range of mods ranging from Counter-Strike to Day of Defeat) and the continuing support of existing games like Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress 2.Yeah, Valve games have some of the longest life cycles I ever saw, they sure know how to build a strong community...
Hell, even in 2012, we're still going crazy about a remake of HL 1, a more than a decade old game. That really says it all about their impact on the gaming industry!
They're good games but imo quite overrated (I hate this word but it certainly applies here). Like, how a repetitive game with bland environments, easy puzzle design (thats even more severe in a puzzle game) and simplistic gameplay such as Portal 2 has a 95 on meta is beyond me. Really, the only think It has for it is its quirky humour. It was fun to play but such high scores that are given to Valve games makes me believe some are bias towards anything Valve makes.
L4D was another repetitive bland game that got high scores everywhere. Its at 89 on meta, a game I consider its no more then a 7... seriously
This is all my opinion
I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2, but you would be hard pressed to find a FPS more varied and better paced than Half Life 2. It's not exactly a great action game, because all of its variety is tied to combat mechanics/systems that aren't really that satisfying. But it's a damn good game considering everything else in the make up of that game. Their story telling in gaming is honestly 2nd to none amongst all the action game devs, and the rest of their games are clever and unique experiences that really don't have a counterpart.
Left 4 Dead(well I guess Killing FLoor, but they do things differently enough) and Portal don't exactly have a host of immitators that have done what they do better.
The original Half-Life was a revolutionary game. Unlike many of the games that came before it, like Doom or Quake, Black Mesa felt like an actual place rather than a bunch of levels stitched together. The world was fully-realized, and there was a real sense of pacing to it, starting you off arriving at the facility, going into work before all hell breaks loose. The story itself was really just a touched-up version of Doom, but the way it integrated the world was groundbreaking. There was also the advanced enemy AI in the HECU soldiers, who would flank you or flush you out with grenades. Also, rather than have guns floating in midair as was the case in Doom or Quake, you'd find weapons in logical places. You'd find guns and grenades in armories, experimental weapons in laboratories, ammunition in soldier stockpiles, etc.
Counter-Strike is still, bar none but Quake, the gold standard of competitive multiplayer. It's the perfect test of skill, combining the tactical gameplay of games like Rainbow Six with the raw twitch-based shooting of games like Quake.
Half-Life 2 was a fantastic follow-up to the original, with an even better-realized world with actual characters and animations. There was more thought put into the story so it felt like there was something really going on that you were a part of, rather than just being directed to get to part of the facility, do something, then find out that didn't actually work, etc. It also made innovative use of the Havoc physics engine with the gravity gun, turning the physics into an integral part of the gameplay (also helps that it had really good physics, as opposed to earlier attempts at physics in games like Thief or Deus Ex). The only real steps backward from the original are the AI and the weapon variety, as the original game had a lot more guns than the sequel.
Team Fortress 2 is simply one of the best multiplayer games this generation. It's easy to get into, difficult to master, has tons of variety, has frequent updates that add more and more content, and it's free. I can't think of more I could ask from it.
Portal is also fairly innovative, taking the physics-based gameplay of Half-Life 2 and putting it into a new context, and the Portals add a surprising variety of dimension to the game. Also, like Half-Life, it takes place in a very well-realized world, which we gradually get to see more and more of as we progress through the game and its sequel. It also helps that both games have really good writing, with the second game being one of the funniest games out there right now.
PannicAtack
Well said :)
- Presentation
- Atmosphere
- Craftsmenship
I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2, but you would be hard pressed to find a FPS more varied and better paced than Half Life 2. It's not exactly a great action game, because all of its variety is tied to combat mechanics/systems that aren't really that satisfying. But it's a damn good game considering everything else in the make up of that game. Their story telling in gaming is honestly 2nd to none amongst all the action game devs, and the rest of their games are clever and unique experiences that really don't have a counterpart.
Left 4 Dead(well I guess Killing FLoor, but they do things differently enough) and Portal don't exactly have a host of immitators that have done what they do better.jg4xchamp
Killing Floor was originally a mod from 2004 or something, so the idea was actually out before Valve's zombie shooter.
But KF's influence is more on the CoD zombies I'd say then L4D.
Half life games set the bar to FPS genre. what FPS are better? COD? lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EODbHVySFWM lot of games copy them.SNIPER4321
Oh look, sniper is still trying plug that stupid ass video claiming that every game with a semi-interactive cinematic intro is a half life ripoff.
Because their games are the top of each genre?
Counter Strike is one of the best FPS' out there
Portal is an amazing puzzle game
TF2 has endless amounts of content and still being supported
And then theres DOTA 2
- Presentation
- Atmosphere
- Craftsmenship
I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2, but you would be hard pressed to find a FPS more varied and better paced than Half Life 2. It's not exactly a great action game, because all of its variety is tied to combat mechanics/systems that aren't really that satisfying. But it's a damn good game considering everything else in the make up of that game. Their story telling in gaming is honestly 2nd to none amongst all the action game devs, and the rest of their games are clever and unique experiences that really don't have a counterpart.
Left 4 Dead(well I guess Killing FLoor, but they do things differently enough) and Portal don't exactly have a host of immitators that have done what they do better.jg4xchamp
Yeah even if you're not a fan of the games. It's hard to deny that they're really well made
[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]
- Presentation
- Atmosphere
- Craftsmenship
I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2, but you would be hard pressed to find a FPS more varied and better paced than Half Life 2. It's not exactly a great action game, because all of its variety is tied to combat mechanics/systems that aren't really that satisfying. But it's a damn good game considering everything else in the make up of that game. Their story telling in gaming is honestly 2nd to none amongst all the action game devs, and the rest of their games are clever and unique experiences that really don't have a counterpart.
Left 4 Dead(well I guess Killing FLoor, but they do things differently enough) and Portal don't exactly have a host of immitators that have done what they do better.seanmcloughlin
Yeah even if you're not a fan of the games. It's hard to deny that they're really well made
Unless you're DarkLink77, the biggest anti-Valve fanboy out.
[QUOTE="seanmcloughlin"]
[QUOTE="jg4xchamp"]
- Presentation
- Atmosphere
- Craftsmenship
I'm not the biggest fan of Half Life 2, but you would be hard pressed to find a FPS more varied and better paced than Half Life 2. It's not exactly a great action game, because all of its variety is tied to combat mechanics/systems that aren't really that satisfying. But it's a damn good game considering everything else in the make up of that game. Their story telling in gaming is honestly 2nd to none amongst all the action game devs, and the rest of their games are clever and unique experiences that really don't have a counterpart.
Left 4 Dead(well I guess Killing FLoor, but they do things differently enough) and Portal don't exactly have a host of immitators that have done what they do better.OB-47
Yeah even if you're not a fan of the games. It's hard to deny that they're really well made
Unless you're DarkLink77, the biggest anti-Valve fanboy out.
Aka poor man's Champ.DOTA 2 and l4d2 are the best multiplayer games this gen.
That is all.
parkurtommo
I actuallt prefer League of Legends a lot more. But that's probably because just came into MOBAs early last year. The design of LoL is so much more accessible but still leaves room for considerable depth. I also think Riot champions are a lot more creative. Kha'zix is bloody awesome
[QUOTE="parkurtommo"]
DOTA 2 and l4d2 are the best multiplayer games this gen.
That is all.
OB-47
I actuallt prefer League of Legends a lot more. But that's probably because just came into MOBAs early last year. The design of LoL is so much more accessible but still leaves room for considerable depth. I also think Riot champions are a lot more creative. Kha'zix is bloody awesome
I'll give you LoL's accessibility (Though the game is too casual when compared to dota for my liking) but champions being more creative?How many champions have a gap closer? An auto-attack buff? A spell from Dota?
[QUOTE="OB-47"]
[QUOTE="parkurtommo"]
DOTA 2 and l4d2 are the best multiplayer games this gen.
That is all.
tagyhag
I actuallt prefer League of Legends a lot more. But that's probably because just came into MOBAs early last year. The design of LoL is so much more accessible but still leaves room for considerable depth. I also think Riot champions are a lot more creative. Kha'zix is bloody awesome
I'll give you LoL's accessibility (Though the game is too casual when compared to dota for my liking) but champions being more creative?How many champions have a gap closer? An auto-attack buff? A spell from Dota?
I was comparing to Dota 2. Of course it's not as creative as the original, which has set the standard for MOBA's, which literally haven't changed the much (atleast until Sins of Dark Age)
Even when compared to DOTA 2, there's a whole bunch of champions who pretty much all have a gap closer and an auto-attack buff. Now if you meant non-skill wise then yeah that's subjective. But I think they're gonna run out of steam soon considering they HAVE to bring a champion every 2 weeks. (The whole Darius/Draven/Jayce debacle was such an event) I do have to give them props for actually coming out with something every 2 weeks.I was comparing to Dota 2. Of course it's not as creative as the original, which has set the standard for MOBA's, which literally haven't changed the much (atleast until Sins of Dark Age)
OB-47
valve only target on certain generic costumer....... hippiesanta
Wanna try forming a complete sentence? And decide if you want to say "customer" or "consumer". Both in one just doesn't work.
The PC elitists will just ignore actual, legitimate arguments with substance behind them and instead flock to the "LOL, console gamer" defense. No, listing a bunch of adjectives is NOT a valid argument. I'm talking about actual reasoning with claims to back it up. Funny how most of them are atheists and usually hide behind this defense, yet it doesn't apply to anything else for them. But yeah, Half-Life 2's atmosphere is really adjective, making you really verb the adjective noun.Drasonak
So... you want people to describe nouns without using adjectives? Are you aware of how language works?
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