What's so special about Valve's games?

For the life of me, I'll never know why people praise Valve's games so much. I've tried Portal 2, I've tried Half Life, I've tried DOTA, I've tried TF2, Counter Strike, etc. and even though some ideas in those games are neat, I don't understand why they are praised so much. They're nothing special! What's so great about Half Life? Everybody calls it the best FPS of all time and praise it to heavens, but I just don't see why.

Valve is a great company, don't get me wrong, and they're really good at keeping positive relations with their customers, but I don't see why they are known as one of the best developers of all time. They are nowhere near as good as Rockstar, I've even enjoyed Naughty Dog's Uncharted games more than I have Valve's games. Valve's games also don't seem nearly as polished as other games, they're just way too plain and similar. If a game is built using the source engine, usually you can tell.

So, what're your thoughts on Valve's games? Are they all they're hyped up to be?

They are over hyped. Only good Valve games are Half Life and Portal, and while those are definitely good, they are not the end all be all of their genres.

All other Valve games are just jokes as far as I'm concerned, Team Fortress is one of the most lackluster games ever made, Left 4 Dead is average at best, it's fun with friends for a while but there is little variety in it's gameplay and it's too short, same chapters over and over again.

Valve did make Steam though, but beyond that I do find them to be very overrated. They are also one of the slowest devs, it took them like 15 freaking years just to make Half Life 2.

The fanboys will try to burn you at the stake, so go find cover!

They are over hyped. Only good Valve games are Half Life and Portal, and while those are definitely good, they are not the end all be all of their genres.

All other Valve games are just jokes as far as I'm concerned, Team Fortress is one of the most lackluster games ever made, Left 4 Dead is average at best, it's fun with friends for a while but there is little variety in it's gameplay and it's too short, same chapters over and over again.

Valve did make Steam though, but beyond that I do find them to be very overrated. They are also one of the slowest devs, it took them like 15 freaking years just to make Half Life 2.

The fanboys will try to burn you at the stake, so go find cover!

ShadowMoses900

They are over hyped. Only good Valve games are Half Life and Portal

ShadowMoses900

l4d says hi.

[QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

They are over hyped. Only good Valve games are Half Life and Portal, and while those are definitely good, they are not the end all be all of their genres.

All other Valve games are just jokes as far as I'm concerned, Team Fortress is one of the most lackluster games ever made, Left 4 Dead is average at best, it's fun with friends for a while but there is little variety in it's gameplay and it's too short, same chapters over and over again.

Valve did make Steam though, but beyond that I do find them to be very overrated. They are also one of the slowest devs, it took them like 15 freaking years just to make Half Life 2.

The fanboys will try to burn you at the stake, so go find cover!

locopatho

Rockstar is on the same level but has been slipping lately, RDR, Max Payne 3 and LA Snore being the biggest offenders and ND really isn't that good, uncharted relies on the michael bay effect to be good and the constant amount of set pieces in Uncharted 3 killed it for me.

[QUOTE="locopatho"][QUOTE="ShadowMoses900"]

They are over hyped. Only good Valve games are Half Life and Portal, and while those are definitely good, they are not the end all be all of their genres.

All other Valve games are just jokes as far as I'm concerned, Team Fortress is one of the most lackluster games ever made, Left 4 Dead is average at best, it's fun with friends for a while but there is little variety in it's gameplay and it's too short, same chapters over and over again.

Valve did make Steam though, but beyond that I do find them to be very overrated. They are also one of the slowest devs, it took them like 15 freaking years just to make Half Life 2.

The fanboys will try to burn you at the stake, so go find cover!

blue_hazy_basic

No other shooter has had me completely immersed in its atmosphere and

sucked in by the story like Half Life and to a much lesser extent Killzone. Half Life has no equal, Valve showed all other devs how to make a good first person shooter, all modern fps games borrow concepts from this 1999 shooter, go figure how ass kicking good it is in reality, despite your own indifference.

It's probably because the games are focused on gameplay and atmosphere. The story is driven through character interaction and not cinematic cutscenes.RyanShazam

Yes, but that's just it. The gameplay is just nothing special to me. I'll admit that they do a really good job with the atmosphere, but other than that I just can't see why people like their games so much.

As a Valve fan, I can see what you are getting at, but you must appreciate how innovative the games were at release. Half-Life was a gamechanger, especially in how it blended a coherent narrative (as sparse as it was) into the gameplay. During that era, most FPS games were brainless shoot-em-ups without any stories.

Portal and Portal 2 featured some of the wittiest writing I have ever witnessed in a video game.

Left 4 Dead was that sort of dynamic co-op game that never got old, unlike some other co-op games.

Furthermore, Valve has done a very good job at supporting their games, which, in turn, generates immense goodwill from the gamers who play them. Even if a game they release is fundamentally underwhelming (CSGO was merely a reskin of CS), we all give Valve a pass because they are so good at giving what the gamer wants in terms of support.

they have two top 5 fps games as franchises....counter strike and half life (so people say. i never actually played hl...and briefly played hl2 which i got bored of)

portal is actually quite good

left 4 dead is the best zombie shooter out there fuk nazi zombies)

if only these guys released more games....

[QUOTE="blue_hazy_basic"]

[QUOTE="locopatho"] Valve was founded in 1996, released Half Life in 1998, and released Half Life 2 in 2004. DId the voices in your head give you the figure of 15 years?TopTierHustler

Every hardcore PS3 fanboy says that :P.

The amount of polish they put in their games goes through the roof. Everything is also superb.

Valve, as far as I am concerned, is more about Steam than the actual games it develops. Well, that, and Portal. Portal is brilliant. You mentioned Rockstar though, and that I take issue with. They have not developed a single great game this gen. GTA4, Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, Max Payne 3... all good games, but that's all they are, good. Nothing special, nothing great. Naughty Dog? One incredible game this gen, one that was great, and one that is widely held to be a disappointment overall.charizard1605

I disagree about Red Dead Redemption. The game was great, phenomenal actually. If you had me name the top games of this gen it would be the first game I would bring up, every time.

As for Valve, the only game they've made that I've found good was Portal 2. And that was mostly because of the completely unique mechanic of portals, as well as having some clever writing for the game's script. Valve's other games have been average at best.

At this point I'd actually be surprised if they release Half-Life 3. If the game is actually in development it has taken so long that there is no way the game will be able to live up to the hype.

I like Steam, but Valve's games are generally lackluster.

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-

Valve, as far as I am concerned, is more about Steam than the actual games it develops. Well, that, and Portal. Portal is brilliant. You mentioned Rockstar though, and that I take issue with. They have not developed a single great game this gen. GTA4, Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire, Max Payne 3... all good games, but that's all they are, good. Nothing special, nothing great. Naughty Dog? One incredible game this gen, one that was great, and one that is widely held to be a disappointment overall.charizard1605

All of Rockstar's games have been above AAA status, none of them were disappointing, and GTA 4 even got AAAA scores all across the board. I actually think Red Dead Redemption is a very special game. The gameplay is great, the world is enormous, the atmosphere is perfect, the story is good, and the game is beautiful. Rockstar has never made a game that I didn't like, from GTA 4 to RDR to Max Payne to Bully, I've loved em all and they all felt unique. The same cannot be said for every developer out there, so for that reason I believe Rockstar is one of the best.

I also didn't say that Naughty Dog was a better developer than Valve, I said that I enjoyed their Uncharted games more than Valve's games. Even Portal. I enjoy portal and I love how it's a puzzle game that requires some level of thinking, and the writingwas good, but there was nothing keeping me going. The whole thing was just level after level after level, and the occasional narrative level here and there. Uncharted was just more enjoyable to me overall, I enjoyed the experience.

Simple fun. Nothing more.

As a Valve fan, I can see what you are getting at, but you must appreciate how innovative the games were at release. Half-Life was a gamechanger, especially in how it blended a coherent narrative (as sparse as it was) into the gameplay. During that era, most FPS games were brainless shoot-em-ups without any stories.

Portal and Portal 2 featured some of the wittiest writing I have ever witnessed in a video game.

Left 4 Dead was that sort of dynamic co-op game that never got old, unlike some other co-op games.

Furthermore, Valve has done a very good job at supporting their games, which, in turn, generates immense goodwill from the gamers who play them. Even if a game they release is fundamentally underwhelming (CSGO was merely a reskin of CS), we all give Valve a pass because they are so good at giving what the gamer wants in terms of support.

The_Capitalist

Yeah I apprecite their creativity and I really respect the fact that they release free content regularly. I like Valve, a lot actually, I just don't particularly enjoy their games :P. Other than Portal 2, but even then it was just mildly good to me.

Co-op is amazing, storytelling is very weak.

Valve punishes you for being a fan.

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

I disagree about Red Dead Redemption. The game was great, phenomenal actually. If you had me name the top games of this gen it would be the first game I would bring up, every time.

As for Valve, the only game they've made that I've found good was Portal 2. And that was mostly because of the completely unique mechanic of portals, as well as having some clever writing for the game's script. Valve's other games have been average at best.

At this point I'd actually be surprised if they release Half-Life 3. If the game is actually in development it has taken so long that there is no way the game will be able to live up to the hype.

I like Steam, but Valve's games are generally lackluster.

Vari3ty

I agree with you on Valve. I generally find their games fun enough, except for Portal, which I think is pure genius. Like you, I too believe they're more about Steam at this point than anything else. And like you, I too believe that Half Life 3, if/when it is ever released, will be a massive disappointment.

All of Rockstar's games have been above AAA status, none of them were disappointing, and GTA 4 even got AAAA scores all across the board. I actually think Red Dead Redemption is a very special game. The gameplay is great, the world is enormous, the atmosphere is perfect, the story is good, and the game is beautiful. Rockstar has never made a game that I didn't like, from GTA 4 to RDR to Max Payne to Bully, I've loved em all and they all felt unique. The same cannot be said for every developer out there, so for that reason I believe Rockstar is one of the best.

I also didn't say that Naughty Dog was a better developer than Valve, I said that I enjoyed their Uncharted games more than Valve's games. Even Portal. I enjoy portal and I love how it's a puzzle game that requires some level of thinking, and the writingwas good, but there was nothing keeping me going. The whole thing was just level after level after level, and the occasional narrative level here and there. Uncharted was just more enjoyable to me overall, I enjoyed the experience.

XVision84

Red Dead Redemption is a game that I seem to disagree with everyone on. Yes, it was a great game, but I was never bowled over by it like everyone else so obviously was. I have no idea why people find it so good. It's baffling.

As for the scores Rockstar games have gotten, that's not what I was commenting on. They might all be consistently above 9, that doesn't mean the games were any good. LA Noire, for example, was just awful once the gimmick wore off. In general, Rockstar hasn't been as good this generation as they were last gen. Although they did at the very least expand beyond just GTA.

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

LegatoSkyheart

If I hadn't played it, I wouldn't be here judging it ;).

Because they are made with a lot of care and attention and are usually very well rounded experiences with very few faults. Only things you can fault them on are personal tastes. They do exactly what they set out to do.

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

XVision84

If I hadn't played it, I wouldn't be here judging it ;).

You don't like Portal ? :?

Opinions opinions.

Some people can appreciate great level design, great atmosphere, and complex multiplayer which involves personal and team strategy, map control, and overall skill.

Others appreciate shallow gameplay design, and action set pieces.

[QUOTE="Vari3ty"]

I disagree about Red Dead Redemption. The game was great, phenomenal actually. If you had me name the top games of this gen it would be the first game I would bring up, every time.

As for Valve, the only game they've made that I've found good was Portal 2. And that was mostly because of the completely unique mechanic of portals, as well as having some clever writing for the game's script. Valve's other games have been average at best.

At this point I'd actually be surprised if they release Half-Life 3. If the game is actually in development it has taken so long that there is no way the game will be able to live up to the hype.

I like Steam, but Valve's games are generally lackluster.

charizard1605

I agree with you on Valve. I generally find their games fun enough, except for Portal, which I think is pure genius. Like you, I too believe they're more about Steam at this point than anything else. And like you, I too believe that Half Life 3, if/when it is ever released, will be a massive disappointment.

All of Rockstar's games have been above AAA status, none of them were disappointing, and GTA 4 even got AAAA scores all across the board. I actually think Red Dead Redemption is a very special game. The gameplay is great, the world is enormous, the atmosphere is perfect, the story is good, and the game is beautiful. Rockstar has never made a game that I didn't like, from GTA 4 to RDR to Max Payne to Bully, I've loved em all and they all felt unique. The same cannot be said for every developer out there, so for that reason I believe Rockstar is one of the best.

I also didn't say that Naughty Dog was a better developer than Valve, I said that I enjoyed their Uncharted games more than Valve's games. Even Portal. I enjoy portal and I love how it's a puzzle game that requires some level of thinking, and the writingwas good, but there was nothing keeping me going. The whole thing was just level after level after level, and the occasional narrative level here and there. Uncharted was just more enjoyable to me overall, I enjoyed the experience.

XVision84

Red Dead Redemption is a game that I seem to disagree with everyone on. Yes, it was a great game, but I was never bowled over by it like everyone else so obviously was. I have no idea why people find it so good. It's baffling.

As for the scores Rockstar games have gotten, that's not what I was commenting on. They might all be consistently above 9, that doesn't mean the games were any good. LA Noire, for example, was just awful once the gimmick wore off. In general, Rockstar hasn't been as good this generation as they were last gen. Although they did at the very least expand beyond just GTA.

Yeah, that's understandable. It's just that from the way people praised Valve, I thought there was a lot more to it than that. But I'll take people's word for it when they say Half Life was a game changer at the time. No game is for everybody, you feel the same way about RDR as I do about Valve's games.

[QUOTE="XVision84"]

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

seanmcloughlin

If I hadn't played it, I wouldn't be here judging it ;).

You don't like Portal ? :?

I personally don't, I think it's one of the worst games they have made.

theyre original and not like every other COD game thats out there

[QUOTE="XVision84"]

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

seanmcloughlin

If I hadn't played it, I wouldn't be here judging it ;).

You don't like Portal ? :?

No no, I DO like Portal.

I just don't see why it's so special.

The idea is really cool, but you're really just doing the same thing level after level after level. After some time the idea stops being cool and I just don't have any insentive to continue. Solving the puzzles is fun for a bit, but after that it just gets old.

Opinions opinions.

Some people can appreciate great level design, great atmosphere, and complex multiplayer which involves personal and team strategy, map control, and overall skill.

Others appreciate shallow gameplay design, and action set pieces.

Ly_the_Fairy

Oh yeah, this isn't biased at all :P.

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

LegatoSkyheart

Well when you can't figure out how to get through all the test chambers it's pretty hard to enjoy the last half of the game, which of course is the best part.

You would be surprised how many people I've heard complain about Portal, but then when you talk to them you find out they couldn't figure out the puzzles.

[QUOTE="LegatoSkyheart"]

If you found nothing special about Portal then you've never really played Portal.

coasterguy65

Well when you can't figure out how to get through all the test chambers it's pretty hard to enjoy the last half of the game, which of course is the best part.

You would be surprised how many people I've heard complain about Portal, but then when you talk to them you find out they couldn't figure out the puzzles.

Nah, the puzzles were easy. It's just soooooooooooooooooooo repetitive.

I stopped playing when:

[spoiler] Wheatley took control and tossed GLaDOS away [/spoiler] .

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.

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.

Cranler

Playing it now with the Black Mesa mod. It's an amazing remake!