Before I reached the halfway point, I said…

(Note, this is the first FPS I’ve ever played. I’ve played a third-person shooter (Shadows of the Empire) and a first-person runner (Mirror’s Edge…the first level at least), but never a first-person shooter. Here, you see the views on HL2 from a FPS newbie.)

3 hours of Half-Life 2. I was a little past the part with the lab filled with the oil drums, on the really long ladder, trying to figure out where to go when I decided to call it a day.

So I haven’t finished it yet obviously, but so far…I like it. ;o; For the most part, it’s challenging, but not so hard that you end up getting frustrated.

For those who think shooters are all about well…shooting things, and that’s pretty much it, there is a lot of problem solving involved. Ex. there’s this one area with about 4 headcrab barnacles (if you get caught in their tongues, they pull you up and try to eat you…and they take away more health than a combine shooting you). So you want to try to take them out before you walk into the headcrab barnacle D:< jungle. But you also don’t want to use up your bullets shooting them, since they could take about 4 or 5 shots before dying. What would you do? :O

And there are other fairly obvious things (figuring out where to go in this big labyrinth-like structure or how to get from point A to point B but there’s a big obstacle blocking your way and overcoming said obstacle is the only way to point B). And sometimes, it’s a good idea to use your crowbar over a gun, since in some situations, a crowbar gets the job done better than a gun would. :3

Now that I beat the game…

My opinion hasn’t changed much. Later on in the game, it gets harder to where you think “there’s no way out of this! D:”, but as you explore around and observe with your surroundings, and you’ll find some little hint that will lead you on to the next area (in some situations, it’s a little more obvious than others).

Sometimes, in some areas, you have limited ammo or you won’t have access to most of your weapons (and the one you’re left with makes you wonder “what would I do with THIS?”), forcing you to be a little creative. This is the very first game I’ve ever beat where I didn’t need a guide or any outside help. It’s like a puzzle, see? The clues are there. You just need to look for them. :3

Plot-wise…ummm…I never played the first game, so….funkymonk told me what happens, so I wouldn’t be confused. A lot of it ties in with the first one (mainly the character relationships and why Gordon Freeman is in the situation he’s in). The ending wasn’t big or anything, but it made me a little contemplative for some reason (especially since it just stops, stuff happens and the credits roll). ^^; And with his connection with the G-man, I kinda get the feeling that Gordon Freeman will never be able to live a normal life as a scientist).

(Apparently, it also has some connections with Valve’s other game, Portal. ÔÔ)

Modified: October 01st, 2009