Episode One is an amazing, fast paced action adventure that is sure to deliver despite its quick playthrough time
Gameplay is highly addictive and becomes part of the problem about playing the game because it keeps you so immersed all the way through and then all of a sudden, its over and leaves you wanting more. The exact desired affect Valve was trying to acheive when they created this.
Still the controls are tight, and action sequences are always there for you to enjoy as you fight your way through the city battling Combine forces, ant lions, zombies and the new famous monster additions to the game, 'zombines'.
Graphics, to say the least are fantastic and with the new High-Dynamic Range Lighting (HDR) with Valve's Source, it really gives a fresh coat of paint to the somewhat dated engine. Places throughout your journey through City 17 will be somewhat familiar to those who played the original Half-Life 2, but amidst all the chaos and action happening all around you, you'll hardly notice that your backtracking through some of the streets of City 17 which is on the brink of a chaotic dark fusion reaction.
Sound affects are good and music sequences give every scene and place you journey through a mood of its own. The only problem is sometimes the music can go on for a bit too long, or end before the real action even begins. Still, this doesnt affect the quality of music and sound affects in Episode One which are close to flawless. The biggest aspect that is one of the main focuses in Episode One is the team co-op where you spend almost the whole game alongside Alyx fighting as well as solving puzzles using your weapons and the environment around you to save yourself from danger. Episode One is very much built around this, so side characters like Alyx develop over the course of the game and give you a sense that they're really indepth characters and have stories of their own. Alyxs development as a character throughout the game makes you very attached to her and by doing this really helps go beyond the normal premises of a first-person shooter. Her jokes and optimistic outlook to certain parts of the game help add a light hearted humour to what could be a dark and depressing situation.
Overall this is a fantastic game, although short, it takes all the best bits of Half-Life 2 and mixes them together with beautiful graphics, superb AI and helps to create a very fun but short experience - A must buy for fans of the series.