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Holy shit LTTP: Half-Life

S

Sibylus

Banned
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I haven't played this, but that's being remedied currently. Also, holy shit spoilerz ahead (if that wasn't obvious already).

A childhood friend has recently come to live with us, and he owns the original Half-Life (and an expansion or two). So I've been playing this week, and now I'm in the process of beating Surface Tension. I've sunk a good amount of time into it so far and enjoyed myself for the vast majority of it. The game is dated yet extraordinarily compelling.

What I Liked:
  • The music - For obvious reasons
  • The lighting - I was expecting much worse for a game this old.
  • Black Mesa Inbound (Chapter 1) - And I thought this long train ride would be boring.
  • Anomalous Materials (Chapter 2) - Resonance Cascade, bitches!
  • Unforeseen Consequences (Chapter 3) - Running through a devastated area after previously seeing it in pristine condition was really neat.
  • "We've Got Hostiles" (Chapter 5) - Yankee doodle comes to town.
  • Blast Pit (Chapter 6) - Realizing that the Tentacles are totally blind and only hunt through hearing was an awesome lightbulb moment.
  • On A Rail (Chapter 8) - Rail shenanigans, death threats scribbled on the walls, and finally launching a rocket into the nighttime sky.
  • Apprehension (Chapter 9) - First being surprised by and then finally taking down the Icthyosaurs was an epic triumph. At the end Freeman is captured and thrown into a massive garbage crusher- What can I say? Unexpected and full of oshi- moments.
  • Residue Processing (Chapter 10) - A meat processing plant from hell. Riding the conveyor belts, avoiding the crushers and furnaces was great fun.
  • Questionable Ethics (Chapter 11) - Giant lasers, a bunch of aliens attacking marines, and other chaotic goodness. This is also the level that marks the appearance of the Tau Cannon. Pew pew pew! I love that thing.
  • Surface Tension (Chapter 12) - Jets, cliffside battles, blowing up a helicopter, blowing up tanks and other armored vehicles, etc.
  • Assassins - Sooo satisfying popping around a corner and blowing one away with a double-barrel blast from my shotgun.
  • HL1 Headcrab zombies - I spied them doing some really creepy things, like crouching over corpses or carrying dead bodies under their arms. Their super-long claws and resulting extended reach freaked me out at first.
  • Forget About Freeman! - Short, sweet, and lots of explosions.
  • Lambda Core - Lots of wheels and switches to activate on all kinds of scientific equipment, and then there's the climactic teleportation to the alien world.
  • Gluon Gun - BZZZZZZZZZZT POOF!
  • Xen – Very short chapter, had some interesting jumping mechanics.
  • Interloper – I liked it, there was some unique puzzles and there were plenty of healing pods scattered around so it didn’t get too tough.

What I Disliked:
  • Excessive amount of hallways/corridors in some levels - Felt slightly repetitive after a while.
  • Office Complex (Chapter 4) - The level managed to creep me out at first, which is a plus, but I didn't really find the level very interesting or compelling at all.
  • The occasional grenade spam by enemy soldiers (Damn things are laser-guided)
  • Lack of checkpoints - I'm getting used to doing it manually, but it's still a nuisance. Thank goodness that they fixed that problem in HL2.
  • Xen? (I haven't reached that point yet, but I hear it sucks)
  • Minor annoyance, but I noticed that there are some walls you "stick" to for brief periods of time, can be very distracting in combat.
  • Gonarch’s Lair – Giant ballsacks that soak up a ton of damage aren’t really too much fun to fight.
  • Nihilanth - Would have actually been fun if the Nihilanth didn't spam teleporter blobs at you. I spent the entire game fighting to get at this giant spacebaby, don't take me away at the worst possible time! Overall, a pretty frustrating ending.

Many aspects have aged (Graphics, sound, AI [No way it's more advanced than the sequels]), but I can easily see it every one of those 50-ish game of the year awards.

In Closing:
If you haven't played this yet, bloody get around to it! If you can stomach the low poly environments/characters and low res textures you'll have a blast. It's considered one of the best games of 1998 and of all time for damn good reason.
 
Half-Life is such a fucking incredible game. It really knocked the wind out of me when I first played it back in 1998, it was just so different.

There are still some things it does better than most shooters. God, great game.
 
Chris Remo said:
Half-Life is such a fucking incredible game. It really knocked the wind out of me when I first played it back in 1998, it was just so different.

There are still some things it does better than most shooters. God, great game.
Click to expand...

Understatement ;) but I agree completely.

How's that black mesa rework coming along??
 
You should've waited until the Source remake http://www.blackmesasource.com/
is released with the updated graphics, but obviously the graphics didn't bother you much.

I played through this game in my college dorm while my friend watched me. He couldn't play it worth a damn, but would sit and watch me for hours, lol. One of my favorite games of all time.


Play Blue-shift, and the other expansions (opposing force is the other one, iirc) if you can get ahold of them.
 
Incredible game, set the benchmark for the what the modern fps should be. It did so much right, playing it back in 1998 just blew me away. The AI, storytelling, sense of isolation, the sheer size of Black Mesa itself.

For the love of criminy, when you finish Half-Life go and play Opposing Force. A great expansion that told the story from a whole new perspective.

(And then Blue Shift for a few hours of Barney action...but that wasn't as good)
 
AI [No way it's more advanced than the sequels]
# Xen? (I haven't reached that point yet, but I hear it sucks)
Click to expand...

Xen is good. People hate platforming in first person
because they suck
.

As for the AI, someone said that HL's is simpler, and the situations are more smoke and mirrors to make the AI look better than it really is. And I call that "good level design," but whatever. I definitely had more fun fighting the soldiers in HL than most Combine in HL2, and that combined with the pacing made HL the better game in the end.

Episode 2, though, damn. It comes awful close.

Also yeah, play the remake mod after the original if at all. I wouldn't assume it'll be better. Half-Life Source, however, despite all the hoopla about the physics, does a fine job.
 
Muerte_X said:
You should've waited until the Source remake http://www.blackmesasource.com/
is released with the updated graphics, but obviously the graphics didn't bother you much.

I played through this game in my college dorm while my friend watched me. He couldn't play it worth a damn, but would sit and watch me for hours, lol. One of my favorite games of all time.


Play Blue-shift, and the other expansions (opposing force is the other one, iirc) if you can get ahold of them.
Click to expand...
I'm planning on playing that mod when it comes out, but I'm not troubled at all by the original's lack of graphical fidelity. It shines in every other way.
 
Chris Remo said:
Half-Life is such a fucking incredible game. It really knocked the wind out of me when I first played it back in 1998, it was just so different.

There are still some things it does better than most shooters. God, great game.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% When I first played HL in 98 it totally blew me away. I knew from the magazine screen shots I was in for a treat but nothing prepared me for how great the game turned out to be. Just bought it again recently (still have my retail copy as well) and plan to play through it again sometime this year, or maybe the Black Mesa Mod will be out then.
 
What still blows my mind is that Valve basically rebuilt the entire game in a year after scrapping most of their original level design.
 
Tain said:
Xen is good. People hate platforming in first person
because they suck
.

As for the AI, someone said that HL's is simpler, and the situations are more smoke and mirrors to make the AI look better than it really is. And I call that "good level design," but whatever. I definitely had more fun fighting the soldiers in HL than most Combine in HL2, and that combined with the pacing made HL the better game in the end.

Episode 2, though, damn. It comes awful close.

Also yeah, play the remake mod after the original if at all. I wouldn't assume it'll be better. Half-Life Source, however, despite all the hoopla about the physics, does a fine job.
Click to expand...
Yea, HL1's AI is more smoke and mirrors than anything. I can sneak around corners and kill them by splashing bullets across their toes and they don't even blink :lol .
 
I found it quite boring back then and stopped playing when I reached the sector with the railway/cart and the automated turrets. I have however rebought the game when it was discounted on steam and will probably give it another try when the black mesa mod hits.
 
sionyboy said:
Incredible game, set the benchmark for the what the modern fps should be. It did so much right, playing it back in 1998 just blew me away. The AI, storytelling, sense of isolation, the sheer size of Black Mesa itself.

For the love of criminy, when you finish Half-Life go and play Opposing Force. A great expansion that told the story from a whole new perspective.

(And then Blue Shift for a few hours of Barney action...but that wasn't as good)
Click to expand...

It really did. Before Half-Life the FPS genre pretty much consisted of a bunch of mindless Doom clones with little to no story and countless corridors that all looked exactly the same where you fought endless hordes of mindless enemies. I was completely blown away by Half-Life when I first played it back in '98. The gameplay was really ahead of its time.
 
I was a pretty casual gamer in 98 so I didn't finish it when it came out. I replayed it again last year a couple of bits I got stuck on I remembered as clear as day. The first was that room with the three laser trip wires over the stairs. Goddamn stupid crouch jump crap. The second was that bit where you have to call in the air strikes. I had no idea what to do.

It didn't help that I was living in a share house at the time so whenever someone would fire up Half Life everyone would want to play HL: DM over the LAN. I don't think I've played a map of any game more than Crossfire.
 
I didn't care for it, and I played the PS2 version, so it wasn't great. Half-Life 2 and the episodes, however, are some of the greatest games I have ever played.


I <3 HL2!
 
Botolf said:
What I Disliked:
  • Office Complex (Chapter 4) - The level managed to creep me out at first, which is a plus, but I didn't really find the level very interesting or compelling at all.
    ...
  • Xen? (I haven't reached that point yet, but I hear it sucks)
Click to expand...
I agree with you on Office Complex, that level was a bit too long and somewhat boring when compared to the rest of the game. It also had some of those annoying electricity-in-the-water spots that I really dislike.

The Xen hate is way overblown, don't let it ruin your expectations. Some of the coolest environments of the whole game are in Xen, and the jumping puzzles (there aren't even that many of them!) are a breeze thanks to the ultra-precise control you have over your movement.
 
My cousin was the first person I knew who played the game. He apparently sunk about 70 hours into the game, and raved about how awesome it was going from just a crowbar to this giganto kill-everything gun you get late in the game.

...Unfortunately, I didn't have a PC and now that the game is over ten years old, I think I'll wait for Black Mesa: Source instead.
 
fushi said:
The Xen hate is way overblown, don't let it ruin your expectations. Some of the coolest environments of the whole game are in Xen, and the jumping puzzles (there aren't even that many of them!) are a breeze thanks to the ultra-precise control you have over your movement.
Click to expand...



I hated Zen because it was ugly, and the enemies were really annoying. I think I played Half-Life far too late to really appreciate it.
 
AniHawk said:
My cousin was the first person I knew who played the game. He apparently sunk about 70 hours into the game, and raved about how awesome it was going from just a crowbar to this giganto kill-everything gun you get late in the game.

...Unfortunately, I didn't have a PC and now that the game is over ten years old, I think I'll wait for Black Mesa: Source instead.
Click to expand...

Bah, don't wait. Who knows when - if ?!? - that will get finished.
 
Vagabundo said:
Bah, don't wait. Who knows when - if ?!? - that will get finished.
Click to expand...

I'm usually pretty okay with all sorts of control schemes and visuals, but with the possibility of a "remake" looming, I'm just gonna hold off a bit. I'll probably just hunt down a copy somehow if it doesn't get released this year.
 
One of the best games ever. Keep going.
 
HL1 is easily one of my top 10 PC FPSes ever and holds a very special place in my heart.

The single-player was fantastic and lets not forget the multiplayer and the awesome mod community. I played that game with its mods till the release of HL2 and I still boot up the thing and play it from time to time.

Ahh, nostalgia. :D
 
kozmo7 said:
HL1 is easily one of my top 10 PC FPSes ever and holds a very special place in my heart.

The single-player was fantastic and lets not forget the multiplayer and the awesome mod community. I played that game with its mods till the release of HL2 and I still boot up the thing and play it from time to time.

Ahh, nostalgia. :D
Click to expand...

Definitely! Counterstrike and Team Fortress Classic as well as tons of other mods really made the multiplayer awesome. I used to play a lot of the normal deathmatch too and it was a lot of fun back in the day.
 
It still blows my mind that people think Half-Life 2 is the superior game to the original. I mean it is, obviously, but considered in context it didn't have anything approaching the impact that HL1 on me. No game has come close to shattering so many of my expectations of its genre as this one. I love shooters; they're my favourite genre. I remember blasting through Wolfenstein 3D shareware in a single afternoon and wanting more. I divide the history of the genre into pre-Half-Life, and post.
 
Half-Life is an amazing game. Probably one of the most groundbreaking games of all time. Ten years later, it still holds up well.

I was actually pretty worried that Half-Life 2 wouldn't hold up...fortunately, it was even better.

The Episodes are great too. Episode One has a great start, and then once you leave the Citadel it sort of falls apart. Definitely the worst of the Valve Half-Life games. Episode Two is fantastic though. It's a bit too short and lacking in story, but in terms of gameplay it's BETTER then Half-Life 2.
 
never did finish the first one, but I consider the second one and it's expansions some of the greatest gaming I've ever played. I'll be playing the shit out of Black Mesa
 
I still play HL1 mods to this day (woo, Sven-Coop 4.0 was released a few days ago)
It's just such a fantastic game with one of the best (if not the best) mod community.
 
It still blows my mind that people think Half-Life 2 is the superior game to the original. I mean it is, obviously, but considered in context it didn't have anything approaching the impact that HL1 on me. No game has come close to shattering so many of my expectations of its genre as this one. I love shooters; they're my favourite genre. I remember blasting through Wolfenstein 3D shareware in a single afternoon and wanting more. I divide the history of the genre into pre-Half-Life, and post.
Click to expand...

QFT.

Half-Life is still my favourite FPS of all-time, and in my top 5 games ever.

City 17 just didn't have the same impact to me that Black Mesa did.
 
Shake Appeal[B said:
]It still blows my mind that people think Half-Life 2 is the superior game to the original.[/B] I mean it is, obviously, but considered in context it didn't have anything approaching the impact that HL1 on me. No game has come close to shattering so many of my expectations of its genre as this one. I love shooters; they're my favourite genre. I remember blasting through Wolfenstein 3D shareware in a single afternoon and wanting more. I divide the history of the genre into pre-Half-Life, and post.
Click to expand...

Yup, it doesn't even come close.

Probably one of my top 3 games of all time, playing it through when I was a kid and barely knowing anything about it (no internet, so the game wasn't spoilt for me months before it came out) was an experience I'll never forget.

I really hope they get that source upgrade out at some point. I'd love new gamers to be able to play a decent looking version of the game. Hopefully they'll have kept the gameplay in tact.
 
bengraven said:
Wasn't this less than a dollar or something on Steam a month or so ago? I wish more of GAF had picked it up.
Click to expand...
I did along with the expansions, looking forward to finding some time to play it all again, lent my CDs out at school years ago and never got them back. :(

I'm actually planning on playing this and then BMS, even if it comes out soon, so I can appreciate the differences more.

I agree that the experience of Black Mesa has stuck with me a lot more than City 17 has, it felt so real and authentic.
 
gollumsluvslave said:
City 17 just didn't have the same impact to me that Black Mesa did.
Click to expand...
Disagreed! And HL2 is more than just City 17. Nova Prospekt *swoon*

But I have love in my heart for both games! Best FPS series ever and right up there with the best games I've ever played.
 
Seriously we shouldn't be arguing which in the Half-Life series is the best. They are all awesome games.

Does anyone know how the Half-Life: Source version plays? I remember hearing some complaints about it. This thread is tempting me to replay Half-Life and I only have the Source version that game with HL2 in my Steam account. Considering how cheap the game is I wouldn't be adverse to repurchasing the game, but if the Source version is about the same or better then I really wouldn't need to.

I also never played through Blue Shift or Opposing Forces all the way, and while they weren't developed by Valve I think I may give them a chance because I remember hearing some good things about them.
 
The thing about PC games is you can go back and play them 10 years later and they will actually play better then they used to. Console games do the opposite, seemingly.

Definitely one of the best games ever made, I remember this game scaring the crap out of me because I was used to Sonic 3 and Gunstar Heroes. HL2's importance shouldn't be understated either, not to mention the significance of the engine it ran on.

Blue Shift and Opposing Forces were great as well, I remember completing both of them several times and enjoying OF the most. It was really cool getting the different perspectives as well.
 
Chris Remo said:
Half-Life is such a fucking incredible game. It really knocked the wind out of me when I first played it back in 1998, it was just so different.

There are still some things it does better than most shooters. God, great game.
Click to expand...
Different is the right word, such a great video game. Doctor Freeman!
As good as Grim Fandango in another style.
 
Zefah said:
Does anyone know how the Half-Life: Source version plays? I remember hearing some complaints about it. This thread is tempting me to replay Half-Life and I only have the Source version that game with HL2 in my Steam account. Considering how cheap the game is I wouldn't be adverse to repurchasing the game, but if the Source version is about the same or better then I really wouldn't need to.

I also never played through Blue Shift or Opposing Forces all the way, and while they weren't developed by Valve I think I may give them a chance because I remember hearing some good things about them.
Click to expand...
HL: Source plays well. Some people will talk about how movement speeds or jumping physics are slightly different but I don't see it.

The most notable differences are the new water effect (distracting), ragdoll physics (fun but a little distracting if you've played the original version,) skyboxes (looks good, espeically on the vertical levels) and the Source flashlight (a HUGE improvement). And it has the super-stylish Source UI + 3D menus.
 
DieH@rd said:
HL1 was first game i played on my first PC home rig in 1999. That and Myth 2. Two most badass games ever crated ;)
Click to expand...

Heh, my first home PC games were HL1 and Grim Fandango in 1999. It's been downhill ever since.
 
I really want that Black Mesa thing to hurry up so I can go back and replay HL.

I just started playing HL2 for the first time ever and I'm loving it so far.
 
Played through HL2 and its episodes, but still need to play this one past the third chapter.
 
The ai is good! Actually I haven't played the game for couple of years now but even then I remember the AI being quite decent. Have you gotten to the assassins part yet?

HL1 > HL2 (although I haven't played the episodes, shame on me, i know, I just started ep 1 couple days back, quite good thus far).

That black mesa mod is probably my most anticipated game of 2009. More so then any other retail release, can't wait.
 
Duuuuuude, Half life 1 was freakin awesome!!!. I remember posting way back on contaminated.net before it became planethalflife waiting for half life to come out. I remember back then there were no gamestops, just EBgames. In order for me to get HL on the day it was released i had to walk 2 miles to a mall and back just to get the game. I remember getting to EB before it opened and just before it did the fedex guy showed up with the game deliveries so i had to badger the fat guy who ran the EB store that morning to open the half life shipment up, that was such a great morning.
 
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