A short, action-packed, story-driven, expansion.
- Alyx
- Alyx's dialogs
- Alyx's high kicks
- Alyx's fac... shall I go on?
- Great atmosphere
- Great lighting (ambient and flashlight)
- Great story driven game
- Solid first person shooter
- Intense combat
- Original comic relief
- Great physics
- Superb NPC AI (Alyx)
- Superb animations
- Superb facial expressions and lip sync
- Superb voice over, sound track and sound effects
What you may not like:
- Linear
- Not very challenging
- Short ending
- Max resolution 1280x1024?
- Some escorting
- Very short game (4-6 hours)
- Not enough destructive elements
Story - It's all about Alyx.
One great improvement over the original HL2, is the addition of very rich story elements and character development.
The story picks up right after the explosion at the end of HL2 and your goal will be to escape the Citadel and its perimeter before everything blows up (again?).
In order to do so, Alyx will accompany you during the whole episode.
Let's get one thing straight: Alyx is not your typical "escort npc" like you may have found in other games. Simply put, She.Kicks.Ass. You don't need to baby-sit her and she never gets in your way. She can handle herself pretty well, actually, probably even better than you can. Just look at her when she gets in close combat: high kicks, knee kicks, pushes them around, etc.
Her presence also makes the experience believable and addictive. She is constantly engaging in one-way conversation (so I guess it's not a conversation then eh?). Of course, your actions will pretty much do all the talking for you.
Without revealing anything about how the story unfolds, we could compare this Episode as the 'Alyx's Rollercoaster'. Brace yourself; you're on for a ride.
Game - Can you spell A-C-T-I-O-N?
Well, I guess I just made it trivial now.
If you think HL2 had some great action, Episode 1 is even more intense with plenty of adrenaline rushed segments.
There are no uneventful stretches. That goes to say that there is no vehicles, which isn't something that you will miss.
There are considerably more dark areas where you need to turn on your flashlight this time around. Because of it, you are often stressed to find your enemies as quickly as possible…
1) …before they can reach you and kill you
2) …so that Alyx can know where to shoot / who to kill
Yes, you control her aiming with your flashlight in pitch-dark rooms. Otherwise she is pretty much self-sufficient.
Conclusion - A step in the right direction, though way too short
If you weren't feeling engaged in Half-Life 2's story or its characters, Episode 1 successfully puts you back on track.
Alyx's character development goes beyond any expectations and you will get attached to her before the end.
Still, like its title suggests, Episode 1 is merely a chapter in the overall HL2 grand scheme of things. It doesn't try to answer any of the bigger plot questions, but does, on the other hand, provide you with key elements that will trigger your curiosity for the things to come.
Considering Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is part of the Orange Box (+), but is quite short (--), I give it an 8.4/10.