whatever6352
Member
Wrong thread
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How many FPS campaigns have surpassed HL2 in the last 13 years?
- Thread starter oni-link
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Half-Life 2 will always be legendary for how it changed the conventions of FPS campaigns (just like Half-Life before it), but it's been far surpassed often.
Just in the past 10 years we've had Metro: 2033/Last Light, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Wolfenstein: TNO, DOOM, Crysis, FEAR, The Darkness, Bioshock 2 (yes, 2, better than the first in campaign design), Titanfall 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Portal, Dishonored, STALKER (though this is janky as hell), Riddick- Butcher Bay/Dark Athena, Far Cry 2, etc.
There's going to be a lot of varying mileage with my mentions, but while it's ssecured it's spot in gaming pantheon, it's hardly a sacred idol that will never be bested.
Just in the past 10 years we've had Metro: 2033/Last Light, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Wolfenstein: TNO, DOOM, Crysis, FEAR, The Darkness, Bioshock 2 (yes, 2, better than the first in campaign design), Titanfall 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Portal, Dishonored, STALKER (though this is janky as hell), Riddick- Butcher Bay/Dark Athena, Far Cry 2, etc.
There's going to be a lot of varying mileage with my mentions, but while it's ssecured it's spot in gaming pantheon, it's hardly a sacred idol that will never be bested.
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
This is a pretty weird thread, seems like an excuse to lay into Half Life. Plenty of FPS have "surpassed" HL2, it would be strange if there weren't any. Half Life 2 came out eons ago in the scheme of things, shooters have evolved in so many different ways, and developers have made storytelling a big priority in recent years.
A list of some FPS campaigns I would rate above HL2:
DOOM
Halo 3
Modern Warfare (If MP was considered it would be my fav)
Titanfall 2 (though I'm not as moved by it as many)
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Bioshock (probably my favorite on the list)
Crysis
F.E.A.R
Haven't played Stalker and haven't finished the Metro games. Do the Portal games count? They're not really shooters but if they do count BOTH OF THOSE.
A list of some FPS campaigns I would rate above HL2:
DOOM
Halo 3
Modern Warfare (If MP was considered it would be my fav)
Titanfall 2 (though I'm not as moved by it as many)
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Bioshock (probably my favorite on the list)
Crysis
F.E.A.R
Haven't played Stalker and haven't finished the Metro games. Do the Portal games count? They're not really shooters but if they do count BOTH OF THOSE.
CannonFodder52
Member
I like tons of the games being posted in this thread. Yea, a bunch of them may have more modern gameplay, be more polished or even be straight up better games.
But I don't think any of these have surpassed HL2's impact.
But I don't think any of these have surpassed HL2's impact.
Temeculan3000
Member
Best FPS campaigns (IMO) by year with runner up in parentheses.
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D
1993 - Doom (Blake Stone)
1994 - System Shock (Doom 2)
1995 - Hexen (Dark Forces)
1996 - Duke Nukem 3D (Quake)
1997 - Goldeneye 007 (Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight)
1998 - Half-Life (Unreal)
1999 - System Shock 2 (Kingpin)
2000 - Deus Ex (Perfect Dark)
2001 - Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Halo)
2002 - Jedi Outcast 2 (Medal of Honor: Allied Assault)
2003 - Call of Duty (Jedi Academy)
2004 - Half-Life 2 (Chronicles of Riddick)
2005 - FEAR (Brothers in Arms)
2006 - Prey (Resistance Fall of Man)
2007 - Bioshock (Halo 3)
2008 - Crysis Warhead (Resistance 2)
2009 - Killzone 2 (COD MW2)
2010 - Metro 2033 (COD Black Ops)
2011 - Deus Ex: HR (Portal 2)
2012 - Dishonored or Far Cry 3 maybe? weak year
2013 - Bioshock: Infinite (Crysis 3 or Metro LL)
2014 - Wolfenstein TNO (FC4 maybe)
2015 - can't think of any... haven't played Halo 5 yet
2016 - Doom (Titanfall 2)
I wonder how many of those still hold up today.
1992 - Wolfenstein 3D
1993 - Doom (Blake Stone)
1994 - System Shock (Doom 2)
1995 - Hexen (Dark Forces)
1996 - Duke Nukem 3D (Quake)
1997 - Goldeneye 007 (Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight)
1998 - Half-Life (Unreal)
1999 - System Shock 2 (Kingpin)
2000 - Deus Ex (Perfect Dark)
2001 - Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Halo)
2002 - Jedi Outcast 2 (Medal of Honor: Allied Assault)
2003 - Call of Duty (Jedi Academy)
2004 - Half-Life 2 (Chronicles of Riddick)
2005 - FEAR (Brothers in Arms)
2006 - Prey (Resistance Fall of Man)
2007 - Bioshock (Halo 3)
2008 - Crysis Warhead (Resistance 2)
2009 - Killzone 2 (COD MW2)
2010 - Metro 2033 (COD Black Ops)
2011 - Deus Ex: HR (Portal 2)
2012 - Dishonored or Far Cry 3 maybe? weak year
2013 - Bioshock: Infinite (Crysis 3 or Metro LL)
2014 - Wolfenstein TNO (FC4 maybe)
2015 - can't think of any... haven't played Halo 5 yet
2016 - Doom (Titanfall 2)
I wonder how many of those still hold up today.
Doom 1
Doom 2
Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Time Splitters trilogy
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Doom 2016
Resident Evil 7 (if you can consider it to be in the same genre)
Basically Half Life was never amazing.
It was the start of the new school of extremely linear and mediocre level design with a bit more plot and passable gameplay. It gave birth to the COD-style of campaigns that everybody likes to mock.
It never was an upgrade from the real greatness that Doom was and still is.
Doom 2
Goldeneye
Perfect Dark
Time Splitters trilogy
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Doom 2016
Resident Evil 7 (if you can consider it to be in the same genre)
Basically Half Life was never amazing.
It was the start of the new school of extremely linear and mediocre level design with a bit more plot and passable gameplay. It gave birth to the COD-style of campaigns that everybody likes to mock.
It never was an upgrade from the real greatness that Doom was and still is.
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
If we're going to talk about impact, I think it's fair to include multiplayer into the discussion. Modern Warfare absolutely matched or surpassed HL2's impact. It changed the face of multiplayer experiences even affecting titles OUTSIDE of its genre.
People tend to credit Uncharted with progressing cinematic storytelling in games, specifically action set piece design, but MW was right there too.
Landmark achievement.
You're wrong. I actually got my wife to start playing HL2 for the first time 3 days ago, and it is still incredible.
This ain't a bad list. Think I agree on each and everyone, huh.
Edit:
no, at 99 I'd personally go:
1999 - System Shock 2 (Alient vs Predator)
I think this is correct. Bear in mind I've never been a big fan of Half Life 2, so my opinion might differ from most people.
Even when Half Life 2 was new, I just didn't find myself attached to it like I was with the first game. I still have never completed it. I try to go back every now and then, but I just don't like playing it enough to finish (at least cloud saves are a thing now and I don't have to do that airboat part for like the millionth time).
Not a bad list, but I would definitely swap 2013. I loved Last Light's single player campaign, and Infinite definitely didn't gel with me like LL did.
I will never not be salty that FC4 got shooter of the year over The New Order at that year's Game Awards, lol...
shouamabane
Member
DOOM
No, it's an opinion from me, someone who is pretty well known for not liking Half-Life 2, and who often writes in-depth and at length about good shooter design. Half-Life 2, I firmly believe, is not a great video game. We're all welcome to believe what we want and argue for that perspective. It's not a shitpost just because you can't believe I'd say that.
I'm packing up right now so I don't really feel like dumping a three thousand words on why I dislike Half-Life 2 in this thread, plus it'd probably be derailing since this thread is about "how many FPS campaigns have surpassed Half Life 2?" and not "let's talk about HL2's campaign's quality."
martincrimson87
Banned
None. Just like Roger Federer, Half Life 2 has been the GOAT since 2004.
OrbitalBeard
Member
I can't think of one. The only two for me that come close are Wolfenstein: The New Order and DOOM.
I don't think there was a single FPS released from 2005-2013 that I loved, unless you want to count the HL2 expansions, Portal, Portal 2, or Metroid Prime 3 (most wouldn't count the latter three).
I don't think there was a single FPS released from 2005-2013 that I loved, unless you want to count the HL2 expansions, Portal, Portal 2, or Metroid Prime 3 (most wouldn't count the latter three).
Mackmannen
Member
Only game that gave me the same feeling as HL2 was TimeShift. It did not surpassed not even close, still was one hell of a game even if the story went down the drain after a while.
Also loved The Darkness 1 that one too had the problem of losing my interest after the level on the ship and forward. Was one hell of a game, few worlds/settings beats it. That part when your in a restaurant and they break down the walls. Good stuff. Many parts that touched greatness, the into chase, sofa with Jenny, the subway in general. Down in the tunnels when you had to use the cover of darkness. The beginning and ending of the Turkish bath- To bad the level design go kind of bad toward the end and the pacing was in many parts way to slow.
Also loved The Darkness 1 that one too had the problem of losing my interest after the level on the ship and forward. Was one hell of a game, few worlds/settings beats it. That part when your in a restaurant and they break down the walls. Good stuff. Many parts that touched greatness, the into chase, sofa with Jenny, the subway in general. Down in the tunnels when you had to use the cover of darkness. The beginning and ending of the Turkish bath- To bad the level design go kind of bad toward the end and the pacing was in many parts way to slow.
On PC without a logitech mouse.
Timeshift, like Resistance 3, is one of those weird little FPSes that aped HL2 and learned that if you don't put "Valve" on the box and focus on being a tech demo, your game won't do very well. It's not a great gameplay formula.
The Darkness is legit, but the controls are so weird. Would love to see it remade with better graphics and controls.
I first played HL2 in 2011 and I'm replaying it now in 2017. I don't remember much about it when it launched
There are tons of great FPS campaigns that I've enjoyed a lot, but HL2 just seems to be on a higher level. This is my opinion of course, but while games like CoD4 have really good campaigns, they seem to fly by in the blink of an eye, and you're always being pushed forward
HL2 has such a great sense of place, and no waypoints or markers, the game guides you with it's level design.
I think the pacing is fantastic, you're never doing one thing for too long. I know people hate the driving and boat sections, but those are under an hour long each, and you get back on foot a dozen times or so in each chapter
Great post
Dance Inferno
Unconfirmed Member
This isn't the best question. Half Life 2 isn't that great; I can name a ton of shooters with better campaigns (Doom, Wolfenstein, Call of Duty 1/2/4/BO, Titanfall, Borderlands 2, Halo 3 ODST, Prey, BioShock Infinite). Half Life 2 is just OK.
Very strong list that I mostly agree with (which doesn't happen often 'round these parts).
My changes:
1999 - System Shock 2 (Alien Vs Predator)
2007 - Halo 3 (Bioshock)
2010 - COD Black Ops (Metro 2033)
2011 - Portal 2 (Deus Ex: HR)
Back to HL2 talk though.. I love the Half-Life 'universe', and I think for its time it was almost as revolutionary as doom or Quake, and I consider it to be the best campaign ever basically.
DeadbeatCassanova
Member
Not to get too off topic but I'm surprised so many people are mentioning far cry 2. Thought I was in the minority in thinking it's the best far cry campaign. I remember it getting mountains of hate back when it released.
ashecitism
Member
Many. But it would be weird if they didn't. HL2 came out 13 years ago after all.
Better question would be if Valve could live up to modern standards if they decided to do a shooter campaign.
Better question would be if Valve could live up to modern standards if they decided to do a shooter campaign.
Based on this thread the answer seems to be about 8
Wolfenstein: TNO? No question
Prey? Yes by a good margin
Destiny? Really seems like it
Titanfall 2? Yes of course
DOOM? E A S I L Y
Metroid Prime Trilogy? Sure!
Chronicles of Riddick? I would say so
Bioshock games? An argument could be made
Halo? No come on
In conclusion: At LEAST 8
Wolfenstein: TNO? No question
Prey? Yes by a good margin
Destiny? Really seems like it
Titanfall 2? Yes of course
DOOM? E A S I L Y
Metroid Prime Trilogy? Sure!
Chronicles of Riddick? I would say so
Bioshock games? An argument could be made
Halo? No come on
In conclusion: At LEAST 8
I'm not sure they could.
Unless... and I'm being Cap'n Obvious here, they did a full-length, meaty campaign in VR. There are just too few of those out there, it would be novel.
Foxy the Fox
Member
Cero
yanipheonu
Member
I'll be honest, HL2 might be too part of its time for me, I played it years later and wasn't all that impressed.
Once you get out of the initial chase out of the first city section, I'm not really into the level design. Just seemed like you were wandering aimlessly through sewers with no clear direction.
I never finished HL2 after that. I appreciate I missed the zeitgeist around that game at the time though. Hate when circumstances out of my control interfere with my enjoyment of a game.
Once you get out of the initial chase out of the first city section, I'm not really into the level design. Just seemed like you were wandering aimlessly through sewers with no clear direction.
I never finished HL2 after that. I appreciate I missed the zeitgeist around that game at the time though. Hate when circumstances out of my control interfere with my enjoyment of a game.
Berserking Guts
Member
First the Halo thread and now this? You're disappointing me gaf.
Sorry
I couldn't disagree more. I played HL2 and Halo 3 back-to-back; HL2 blew me away, Halo 3 just felt like a step down in nearly every respect.
That's a great list.
Titanfall 2 with Doom as a close runner-up are two recent shooter campaigns I prefer to HL2.
In terms of exciting, upcoming campaigns, I have high hopes for Ion Maiden!
ScientificPizza
Banned
half-life 2 is a good and hugely important game but if you don't think a ton of better games have come out in its wake you've been blinded
the last two years alone have been filled with phenomenal shooters that blow half-life 2 away
the last two years alone have been filled with phenomenal shooters that blow half-life 2 away
wild wild rice
Member
I personally enjoy DOOM 2016, Metroid Prime 3 and Resistance 3 more than HL2.
chemicals
Member
I agree with OP. Episode 1 and 2 were great but there's just something about Half Life 2 proper that is just classic and unmatched. I replay it every other year and I always love it. That first time I was running around in that one level and that guy was like "hey, come in here" and I followed him and the game opened up... that was a huge moment in gaming for me.
(one hour later)
I just read the first 3 pages and damn, the bullshit here is unmatched on Neogaf. Nearly everyone is dissing Half Life 2. Really guys..
(one hour later)
I just read the first 3 pages and damn, the bullshit here is unmatched on Neogaf. Nearly everyone is dissing Half Life 2. Really guys..
Doom (2016) absolutely kills Half life 2:s gameplay. In fact it sets a new standard in fps gameplay
HL2 is still the king when it comes to atmosphere imo and only Bioshock 1 comes close
Titanfall 2 - vastly overrated, barely finished the campaign because of the campy story/dialogue
Crysis tho.
Young Liar
Member
There are plenty of old games across many different genres that can still stand with the best of modern titles. Yes, I understand historical context matters, but I think true masterpieces in any medium don't look any worse compared to anything newer.
Half-Life 2 deserved all the accolades it got. It's revolutionary. I liked it a lot when I played it in 07. I have liked more FPSes since then. In fact, I actually like the original Half-Life more.
I'm only a little over halfway through Wolfenstein: The New Order, but I'm very much impressed already with how it handles all the downtime in between the action, moreso than what HL2 does. Way more variety and a lot more compelling narratively, too. And going back 7 years from TNO's release, BioShock also has plenty of more resonant exploration moments too. HL2 isn't unique in that regard.
Mobius and pet octopus
Member
People... have moved on.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Nothing has surpassed it. Portal 2, and Metroid Prime 2 and 3 are the only games that have equaled it. And even then, those are very different types of games. Games like the Bioshock series and the new Doom/Wolfenstein are good, but not quite on the same level.