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In-Depth Analysis of Half-Life 2: Episode Two

October 28, 2007 — Mythos

THIS POST CONTAINS EXPLICIT SPOILERS OF HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE TWO

I just finished the game, and I have some difficulty knowing how should I start this analysis…
I guess I’ll start by analyzing its atmosphere, one of the things that initially struck me, then talk about its graphics, followed by the gameplay, and finishing up with the story. What I can say already, is that it’s probably the best game I ever played.

Various members of the Valve staff have stated that the Half-Life 2 Episodes are meant to be Half-Life 3 – and while Episode One felt more like a typical expansion, I must admit that with Episode Two I did feel I was playing the rightful sequel to the second installment.
The original Half-Life’s atmosphere, which I still believe was the best in the series and one of the best in videogame history, was one of claustrophobia and mystery – while Gordon Freeman did work at Black Mesa, you eventually unveil many mysteries related to the research being conducted. Its expansions delved deep into that, and it ended up creating a rich setting which felt real and complex (just check out Wikipédia’s article and you’ll know what I mean). Half-Life 2, on the other hand, moved away from what was established and created a complete new setting, based on Eastern European architecture and representing an alien repressive dictatorship, which was simply perfect and immersive. Episode One expanded (no pun intended) on this setting, demonstrating a City 17 completely overrun by anarchy and chaos – but still City 17, and still in the same setting as Half-Life 2.
The first scenes of Episode Two immediately do an excellent job at establishing this game as the true sequel to Half-Life 2 – in the first seconds, you see the vast landscape that you will be travelling, and the sight of the destructed Citadel reminds you that this is a new place, free from the Combine rule, and that the odds have just improved. The game may be linear, but it does give you hope. At least, for a few seconds – and then the portal storm kicks in, which you soon find out was the reason why the Combine were so desperate to blow up their HQ back in City 17.
From that moment, everything is new to the Half-Life series – and proves, once and for all, that you are playing the sequel, and not an expansion. One of the first things that actually made me feel this was a completely different game was the Vortigaunt.

After only a quick glimpse – but a helpful one – in Episode One, the Vortigaunts are back, and better than ever. After a relatively small role in Half-Life 2 as enigmatic allies, they finally join forces with you after your faithful partner Alyx is sent directly to limbo, free of charge, by the first Hunter you ever meet.
The first thing that impressed me was their improved look – the pre-release screenshots, which I hated so much when they included the Voritgaunts, didn’t do them justice. They somehow feel more realistic, and I found myself staring at them a lot. Besides, their new voice – by Tony Todd, who managed to outdo Louis Gossett, Jr’s amazing work – made them feel remarkably different from Half-Life 2, in a good, or rather great, way.
The second thing that really got me feeling this was completely new was fighting alongside them. Of course, I’ve done it a lot in Garry’s Mod, but this was still different – and you never did fight with them in Half-Life 2 or the first episode. But even comparing them to Garry’s Mod, you clearly see the differences. Their moveset was almost completely new and improved, and it was a joy to fight alongside them – plus, they didn’t feel as overpowered, which is a great thing, as you really felt you were teaming up and not being rescued.

Of course, the Vortigaunts weren’t the only thing that felt fresh and better. The underground mines, where the Antlions have built a hive, were another thing that set it apart from what I’d seen.
And I cannot talk about the mines without mentioning one of the two new (and incredibly tough) enemies – the Antlion Workers. Most previews said their role was similar to the poison headcrabs – but they reminded me more of the old Bullsquids from Half-Life, with an added bonus of poisoning. They are truly challenging, although not on par with the Hunters – which I’ll talk about later, concerning gameplay.
Even so, it wasn’t until I got the “Hotrod” that I thought “this is Half-Life 3″. Sure, Half-Life 2 had vehicles, but this was different. Driving around the woodland, with Alyx pointing out a cliff that was familiar to her, was a new experience concerning the Half-Life universe, and truly setting Episode Two apart from the rest.
Yes, Valve took a goddamned long time to do what was supposed to be an “episode”, but, at least in atmosphere, they acheived their goal, and quite well. But what about the rest?

The graphics. It’s true that I didn’t have the maximum settings, but I had it pretty close – I had to sacrifice some stuff, both new and old, to maintain a pleasant framerate, but most of the options were on max, including HDR.
I’ll go ahead and tell you that I’m not a graphics expert – you tell me some odd name and I’ll probably not recognize it. However, I did notice the differences between Episode Two and its predecessor, such as the already mentioned Vortigaunt new look and its Phong shading (something I actually do know what is… sort of).
Of course, the biggest different between this Episode and all the other Half-Life games is the forest setting – going back to the atmosphere point. Instead of the underground laboratories, Eastern architecture and Xenian “asteroid islands” that have appeared on previous Half-Life games, this game is set both on the woods and in the Antlion’s nest – which may not be a big variety, but is compensated by the amazing beauty of it. From the glowing rock formations within the mines and the life-like rivers outside, everything is just jaw-dropping and truly demonstrates Valve’s dedication and standard of quality.
Now that the graphics part is summarised – for it’s something that you can only understand by playing the game, and those who have surely know what I mean -, it’s time to get to the fun part, i.e. the gameplay.

Alright, let’s be honest here – the game doesn’t have much variety. Just like it’s been since Half-Life 2, it centers around the Gravity Gun’s various uses and the driving sequences. Even in terms of enemies we only find two new species (unless you also consider the new Antlion Grubs “enemies”) and some reskins, which is not much.
None of that does really matter, for Valve has again done an excellent job. In spite of focusing on established gameplay notions, it still feels fresh and fun – in fact, in this aspect it might very well be Valve’s best work so far. It may be just because I finished playing the game just some hours ago, but I do feel that I had more fun and excitement during Episode Two’s six-seven hours than during all of Half-Life 2, which is no small feat.
A large part of the fun was provided by the much-hyped new Combine Synth, the Hunter. And, in case you haven’t played the game yet… they do live up to it. Oh, do they – they’re quick, they’re smart, they’re tactical, they’re powerful, and you can’t hide from them. While the Striders were definitely mind-blowing when you first met them some years ago, they were easy to avoid and all you had to do to beat them was to waste your supply of rockets on them. With the Hunters, that doesn’t happen. I’ve read some previews and reviews stating that the Hunters always provided the opportunity to try new tactics – I personally didn’t do that a lot; on the contrary, the Hunters alerted very instinct that I might have. When they were closed up on me, I desperately tried to gain some space to counterattack or shot them countless times with the shotgun; when they were far, I tried to protect myself from their flechettes, and many times even grab some with a prop and throw it at them – the “Payback” Achievement was probably the best reward I ever had in gameplay terms.
It’s true that Valve didn’t add much to the game in terms of opposition, but that doesn’t matter at all – they created two fantastic and challenging enemies that will remain in the minds (and perhaps nightmares) of many players for long, especially because of the final battle.

Oh, the final battle. The Half-Life series has always provided many remarkable battles throughout the games, but nothing as big as this. In fact, it is probably the most fabulous battle of all time in a videogame.
I’ve played some challenging games, but nothing like this. I lost count of the times I’d died around ten, and I died a lot afterwards. Near the end I actually had some trouble staying alive for more than three seconds, and it’s not that I suck – the battle’s just too much. After managing to get through it, I finally understand why the backstory states that Humanity’s military force was wiped out in seven hours. It’s no small feat that they lasted so long.
Striders, lots of Striders. Hunters, an entire battalion of Hunters. Around three Striders deployed at the same time, each with a squad of four to five Hunters protecting them, coming from various points over a
Anyone who has played Half-Life 2 knows how hard a group of Striders can be to kill. Fortunately, the game offers us a new tool, indispensable to getting through the battle and reaching the well-deserved ending – the Magnusson Device, a.k.a “the Strider Buster”. basically an object the size and shape of a pumpkin that sticks to Striders and makes them vulnerable to a single well-placed .45 shot. But don’t think it is an easy feat, as Hunters have the annoying habit of shooting down the Device, even if it has already attached itself to the intended targets. But oh, was it pleasant to see a Strider blowing up. Each time I managed to eliminate a Strider, I sent a joyful message to my buddy GrowingDelirium through Steam Friends – “BUSTED”. Let’s just hope it becomes a fad.
And, since I’ve mentioned the ending, let’s move on to another great aspect of Episode Two – the story.

Everyone who has experienced one of the games knows that the Half-Life series does not relay much of its story – if you invest on it and keep an eye out for details, you’ll find a rich universe that sheds light to some events, although never directly explaning what is happening on the background. So far, Gordon Freeman has basically been a puppet on the hands of various forces, especially the enigmatic “G-Man” that has appeared in all of the series’ games to date.
However, Marc Laidlaw has finally decided to advance the plot somewhat and reveal more about the charismatic cast of characters and their intentions. The revelations aren’t as drastic as some previews made them sound, but they are still essential to the overall understanding of the universe behind the games, and when coupled with some subtle details from the past games provide a fantastic view of the story as a whole.
The story developments can be categorized in two aspects: character growth and revelations about the G-Man. The latter part was actually a big surprise, as the puppetmaster himself has a”heart-to-heart” with Mr. Freeman, explaining some of his past actions, one in particular that connects him to another important character.
In another display of Laidlaw’s fantastic writing, Eli Vance proves to be more than he appears to. So far I’d thought of him as just a survivor of Black Mesa who became the leader of the Resistance alongside Isaac Kleiner; after Episode Two, it’s different. I did like him almost as much before, but now I realize I underestimated him.
He knows the G-Man. Not only is he aware of him, but he knew what role he had in the resonance cascade. And the few things that are releaved lead to a countless number of possible theories, some of which I’ve already thought of and may write later on the blog. For now, let’s stay focused on the actual facts.
In terms of character growth, the ending does far more in that aspect than the entire Half-Life 2 experience. Eli’s death is not only a display of dark irony, as it would be in any other game, but it’s truly an emotional scene to anyone who’s played Half-Life 2 and Episode One. I did feel sad when I first saw the scene on YouTube, and after playing the entire Episode Two I feel even more sad. Alyx went through so many hardships to meet up with her father, from infiltrating Nova Prospekt to travelling through a devastated City 17 and beyond, and the few moments that she spends with him are the last.

And the Advisors… when I found out in Episode One that the Advisors were actually on Earth and not on the Combine Overworld, I thought it was just a lame excuse to add another enemy to the firefights.
Again, Episode Two changed it. The Advisors were revealed to be actually creepy, and I did get shivers when I noticed one down Silo B, in White Forest. What’s even worse is that the game establishes that you can’t do much against them – which, while making it unlikely that you’ll be blasting them with a gun, in terms of story renders them fearful. I mean, what’s scarier in a FPS than losing control of your character in the clutches of bloodthirsty (and brain-hungry) enemies?
Now, beyond the ending. This time we didn’t get a teaser for the next Episode, but we do know where the series is headed. After hinting at Arctic locations in Episode One, we now know that Gordon and Alyx will be heading that way, to retrieve an unknown technology that, in the wrong hands, may be the doom of Humanity. Retrieve it from… the Borealis.
“The Borealis… it’s real?”- Alyx’s statement mirrored my surprise when I first heard of it. In case you’re not aware of it, the Borealis was a segment cut from Half-Life 2 during its beta phase, so it was surprising to find that it is being included in Half-Life’s canon. Especially because it links directly to Portal through Aperture Science, Black Mesa’s “peers”, as Dr. Kleiner puts it. We can only imagine what role this unknown technology and Aperture Science will have in the next installment of the episodic story arc, but it’s good to finally know where Half-Life is heading in terms of storyline.

So, there you have it. Half-Life 2: Episode Two was an absolute triumph and exceeded all the expectations I could have. The only bad thing is that we were left in a cliffhanger, but then again, the Half-Life series always had those, so this system might actually work better.
If this long analysis made your eyes bleed, I’m sorry – unless it’s because of the spoilers. I did alert you, damn it! And I spent the last hour(s?) writing this, so I do hope you enjoyed. If you don’t agree with something, please do leave a comment about it, I’ll be happy to reply.

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The Orange Box

October 27, 2007 — Mythos

So, I’ve been playing the Orange Box for the last hours. Started around 4PM… it’s now midnight.

What can I say? The critics were right. The fans were right. Valve was right. It’s the best game package ever, and I love every single bit of it.

First, Episode Two. I haven’t even met the Hunters yet – in fact, I just got the car -, but I can already safely say it’s one of my favorite games ever. The Vortigaunts, whose new voice and look initially struck me as a bad choice, are better than ever. The graphics, which I have almost on maximum, are nothing short of amazing, and I couldn’t stop staring at the Vortigaunts, as their new look is way better – images really don’t do them justice. Still, I have a lot of ground to cover in the game, although I doubt it’ll get worse; I’d bet on the opposite.

Now, Portal. Interestingly, the game I was more anxious for was the one I didn’t play a lot in the initial hours, probably because I was too tired from this Math test I did today, but after Episode Two’s fabulous non-stop action I decided to pick it up again. I’m on the second-to-last testchamber now, and I love it. The humor really is great, and the gameplay is as good as I had expected. I truly am thinking with portals.

Finally, Team Fortress 2. Now this one is a bit tricky, because my connection basically sucks, so it lagged all over the game when there was too much action – I even got a blue screen at a point and had to restart. But still, I gotta say it’s awesome. I played the initial rounds as a Pyro, and it truly is a fantastic game – way better than TFClassic, if you ask me. The Pyro is not useless now and I did have a lot of fun playing with him – his charisma, coupled with his disruptive skills, made him a quick favorite of mine. Still, I have not experienced all classes yet, and both my Medic and Heavy tests ended abruptly, the second one with a quick headshot that really spelled “n00b” all over me.

However, the biggest point of my short TF2 experience was my duel with my buddy GrowingDelirium, which was one of the craziest mutiplayer experiences I ever had – and I’ve had a couple of really crazy ones for a singleplayer gamer.

To put it simply, it was a balanced game. We were always changing classes, and none of us had a clear upper-hand against the other. However, there’s one image that doesn’t get out of my mind – GrowingDelirium as a Heavy, dead on the floor, just right after a Scout known as Mythos, who was lagging a lot few seconds before, hits him with a bat once or twice.

One of the reasons why it doesn’t leave my mind is that it’s so oddly ironic and sadistic – the other is because I couldn’t resist taking a screenshot.

Oh, and if you wish to criticize the lack of antialiasing and other stuff, I didn’t even touch TF2’s settings. I prefer to try and have a stable game, and I barely even notice the edges in-game.

So, basically, that’s it. I’ll give more info on Episode Two (and possibly Portal) later, but you already have my opinion of the Orange Box. It’s a fantastic deal, it only proves Valve’s superior quality level, and if you don’t have it, you should.

Now go get it. Or play it. See you around – possibly over your burned corpse.

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