I’m not young. But 25 years after the hype, I am finally getting around to playing half life (1)! Stupidly missed the free action, but paid a few eurocents for it. They’re totally worth it! Awesome game, holds up very very well after two and a half decades!
I got half life (2?) in a bundle with Portal and didn’t understand at all what the fuss was about. After the introduction, it’s running and gunning through a building, then running and gunning through sewers, then running and gunning through more buildings, then running and gunning through a street, then running and gunning in a swamp, then driving a hovercraft, then running and gunning some more, and that’s where I stopped playing.
You played Half Life 2; and part of the appreciation for it comes from how well it tells the story via showing without telling. There’s no intro monologue which outright says “humanity is under the boot of alien invaders and Gordon Freeman is the only hope for humankind,” instead you hear Dr. Breen welcoming you to City 17 over large screens, see everyone wearing plain blue jumpsuit, watch them get their food from a dispensary, see a massive creature accompany troops down the street.
The second reason that game is beloved is the source engine physics puzzles, which were revolutionary at the time.
Thanks for the reply.
And I liked that! It looked like a Sci-Fi dystopia and I wanted to learn more about it. But then there was no follow-up. Just fighting endless hordes of enemies. That was very disappointing.
Maybe it’s not your thing? IDK, I had a blast playing though those games (HalfLife 2 Episodes 1 & 2 as well,) they’re actually still installed on my PC because I revisit them once a year or so. It’s recommend giving it another spin if you can, there’s a decent story in there.
I also bailed somewhere around halfway through, though Black Mesa had me captivated the whole time (and I’m sure HL1 would’ve as well). I got to the point where you get a new ability (intentionally vague to not spoil anything), and you use that ability to get through enemy turrets.
I don’t dislike it, but it definitely lost whatever I really liked about the first game, which I think is a sense of urgency or something for me. In the first game, I felt like I was constantly on the run, whereas the second has a lot of breaks in the action without a clear idea of the plan. I’m guessing it’ll pick up soon, I just got a bit bored.
I’m guessing it has a solid story, but do far it’s not quite as good as the first.
Also, if you bailed after driving the hovercraft, maybe you didn’t get to Black Mesa East, or Ravenholm? IMHO that’s where things really ramp up: story-wise (you meet more allies), and you get a better glimpse at the endgame. You get a neat tool to use (which also was mind-blowing in 2004, less so almost twenty years later), too.
If you don’t dig it though, I wouldn’t force it. I’m a fan of science fiction more than fantasy, so I’ve never finished a Dishonored game, but I love Prey. Just doesn’t hook me the way I know it could…just not my particular vibe I guess, which I think is OK.