|
 |
|
| | Title:
Half-Life 2
..............................................
System:
Xbox
..............................................
Genre:
First Person Shooter
..............................................
Publisher:
Electronic Arts
..............................................
Developer:
Valve, LLC
..............................................
Release:
11/15/2005
..............................................
Online:
No
..............................................
ESRB:
Mature (M)
..............................................
 |
Half-Life 2 was to the PC what Halo 2 was to the Xbox. A game so heavily hyped, so highly anticipated, it reached a legendary status all games aspire for but few achieve. Half-Life 2’s release on the PC was an incredible success (for the PC market) and the title has gone on to win numerous awards including several for Game Of the Year. Now Xbox owners can celebrate because, unlike their PC friends, they will be able to play Half-Life 2 on the Xbox. Yes, the Xbox not the Xbox 360.
This is the entire Half-Life 2 game experience (minus Counter-Strike Source) coming to the Xbox. None of the levels are rebuilt, shortened, or removed (like Doom 3). Everything the PC gamers experienced, Xbox gamers are going to experience. This includes the gripping story, menacing enemies, amazing physics engine; the list can go on and on.
Half-Life 2’s story begins years after the ending of Half-Life with Gordon Freeman being awakened by the G-Man (think cancer man from X-Files). The setting is Earth, specifically a city called City 17. It seems Earth’s in a bit of trouble and only Gordon Freeman can sort it out. The story of Half-Life 2 is top-notch, even eclipsing Halo 2’s grand epic. To give away anymore of the narrative would be a sin; all players have to know is the aliens are back and they’ve conquered Earth. Gordon Freeman is humanity’s final hope.
Many familiar characters are going to be returning in Half-Life 2. Barry the security guard of Black Mesa as well as the single black scientist are two examples. Some old enemies will be recurring as well. The famed and irritating Headcrab as well as his bigger brother are both making a deserving comeback. But Half-Life 2 also includes a healthy list of new enemies Gordan is going to have to blast through. There are the intimidating Ant Lions, the pesky robot drones who spin razor blades, and the Combine soldiers just to name a few. But the opponent that is going to steal to the show is the giant Strider alien. As tall as the buildings and held up with long legs, this alien brings destruction wherever it goes. Rest assured that encountering Striders will be memorable and tense at the same time.
The physics in Half-Life 2 are probably the most talked about feature in the game. Half-Life 2 is said to have the most realistic physics engine to date and in demonstrations it shows. A perfect but very minuscule example is when Gordon bumps into a desk, knocking a computer monitor off the table. It may not sound like much but just the way the monitor rocks back and forth, how it falls. It looks perfect. Imagine how the physics will act in combat. Half-Life 2 also has the inclusion of physics puzzles. Players are going to have to understand how the physics work in the game to progress through some levels. Complimenting these puzzles is a unique firearm called the Gravity Gun. This Gravity Gun can either move objects with a beam or hold and shoot them across the screen. Any object can become a weapon: tables, saw blades, even cars. The Gravity Gun looks to add a new element to FPS gameplay.
But how will Half-Life 2 look on the Xbox? The base specs for a computer to run Half-Life 2 is 512 MB of ram where the Xbox only has 64 MB. The truth is Half-Life 2 is not going to look as amazing as it did on the PC. Much like Doom 3, the graphics are going to be amazing for an Xbox game. Surprisingly, Valve has said they are actually going to be able to provide better lighting in the Xbox version of Half-Life 2 thanks to having better control of the Xbox CPU. So don’t worry Xbox owners, Half-Life 2 will still kick ass on the system.
The A.I. of Half-Life 2 is going to be incredible. These were the guys who created the first truly smart A.I. back with Half-Life; who knows what amazing experiences they are going to be able to craft with this generation of technology. There are going to be some squad-based moments in Half-Life 2 when Gordon is accompanied by up to four allies. Also in conjunction with the physics the A.I. of Half-Life 2 is said to be aware of the environments around them. In other words, when the world is used against them, the enemy A.I. will react accordingly.
This preview could probably be written much longer but to give away so much of what Half-Life 2 is would be an offense. What is seen above is only scratching the surface of what this amazing game is going to offer. Don’t mull over it, don’t debate it; buy this game when it comes out for Xbox, it’s an essential part to your Xbox collection.
|
More Reviews for this game: (displayed by authors name)
Cloud890
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
