Support NeoGAF

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Playlist to get you in the mood: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4YvHF4Tt4EkjuiJMIAfae0J3qVeO9KAR

Here are a few Videos that discusses the nature of Half-life and why its still a good topic to talk about even today despite its creators neglecting their duty to keep franchise relevant.

 

[AV]

Still something that I think everyone remotely interested in the history of video games should play at least once. 20th anniversary sounds like a good excuse for a replay (16th? 22nd? who knows).

 

[JohnnyFootball]

This was a great game in it's day. Eventhough I haven't played it in many many years I bet it would hold up reasonably well.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Noclip said they will release their clip on 20th anniversary too. I loved the HL universe. Heres my little story:

I was living in Serbia at the time, my hometown and whoever remembers we had the NATO bombing till June 10th 1999. So I started the game, i believe it was the second level...the one with the black n white tiles and offices full off vortigaunts, very creepy atmosphere.

So im already shitting myself a bit, was 13 at the time and alone in the house. Outside the sirens started whaling, another bombing run was gonna pass by. Bombs are being dropped in the distance, the floor starts shaking, small earthquake tremors and here I am playing HL all alone in this mess and thinking WTF lol. I will never forget my first HL playthrough.

After it was the third level when the Marines show up and that electronic music with heavy guitars kicks in.... Full on pumped, soldiers saying "oh shit" when i chuck a grenade at them, while outside in real life we got F16s doing flybys and ainti aircraft missiles popping every few minutes .... Surreal experience. But that was how I first started HL1.

Half Life 2 im already in college, skipped class that day and desicated the whole day to it. Fun times, wish i could do it for a third time.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Ahhh, half-Life. It was the pinnacle of 90s FPS gaming. Enemies and maps that felt alive, lived in, responsive to your actions. And the weapons had so much punch.

Chills every time:

 

[Dr.brain64]

The setting, the environment, the ambiance are why I still replay the series every few years. The mystery and that scary feeling of your surrounding. Too good.

 

[SlashBringingHasher]

back in the day I got this game a few times when I bought a counterstrike disc and never played it. I will play it when they release an HD remaster or something when they make the third. yeah I know the memes and all but they will eventually make one if they don't they will probably sell the game rights or something or outsource development

 

[J-Roderton]

I should really play this at some point.

 

[onlyoneno1]

Since its a 20 year anniversary lets all collectively call for a HL3 announcement. On the other hand I am genuinely surprised that there are no fake/prank announcements for HL3.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I think people just gave up. And to be honest if there ever was a HL3, I wouldnt want VALVE to make it. The main people on the 2 installments are long gone. Id rather they sell the rights and let another developer who is grateful to have the opportunity, make it because I honestly believe they would make a better effort than Valve ever could mainly because they turned into 3drealms, expectations are too high, they will never deliver. Of its a new developer,gamers prob wont expect as much as they would from original creators.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

https://www.moddb.com/mods/year-of-the-dragon

Spyro the Dragon was also released in 1998. so this is kind of a cool mod for some fun cross over action.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

One of the best games i've played.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

back in the day I got this game a few times when I bought a counterstrike disc and never played it. I will play it when they release an HD remaster or something when they make the third. yeah I know the memes and all but they will eventually make one if they don't they will probably sell the game rights or something or outsource development

Good news the Remake of Half-life is already currently being made and its really fantastic.. however if you love what you play of the Remake, you need to go back to the Original and try that also. Remake and Original have some differences and their are details missing in the Remake... so i can only recommend going back and playing the original. But do look forward to the Remake - Black Mesa looks stunning in how they have interpretated Xen.

Spoiler: images of Xen Remake

 

[thequestion]

1998 was a great time to be alive. Half Life 1 was great. Wish they would remaster and port to consoles.

 

[ShirAhava]

Me and my friends were too busy playing SiN when this came out

Thought this game was pretty dull at the time compared to SiN should give it another chance one day

I played HL2 on PS2 and didn't like it at all

 

[hivsteak]

I played HL2 on PS2 and didn't like it at all

Half-Life 1 was on PS2. Half-Life 2 was on PS3.

 

[Space Runaway]

Amazing game. I remember following it pre-release when it was being hyped to have some kind of fear system built into the AI, which never really made it into the final game. =P

It really was a major leap forward in many areas for the FPS genre. The presentation was fresh (And copied by everyone after), the flowing level design was great and better executed than Unreal, while making stuff like Q2 seem old in their approach, the enemy AI was very impressive for the time and the scripted events were a new and cool thing. They even managed to do shit like making a helicopter a memorable boss villain. Then just tons of smaller aspects that weren't a big deal but cool and new, like being able to "talk" to friendly NPCs and command them. It's also probably the first FPS I can remember that had heavy platforming which didn't suck. Even the MP was pretty good too. I remember spending a good amount of time on 24/7 Gasworks servers. And that's not even counting TFC, CS and DoD.

Good memories. Shame H/L2 couldn't live up to the original despite being more popular and acclaimed.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Me and my friends were too busy playing SiN when this came out

Thought this game was pretty dull at the time compared to SiN should give it another chance one day

I played HL2 on PS2 and didn't like it at all

Funny that you mention SiN because that game got released on the same day as Half-life..
I think SiN is quite a tough one to get working on modern machines and Valve have been very good at supporting Half-life to work on the most modern machines so if you feel like retro playing the choice is more obvious which one is less hassle to get to work.
That said i plan to do a SiN playthrough after Half-life.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

So i finally finished Half-life so here are my final thoughts.
I enjoyed a lot playing through the Xen levels i don't know if i will enjoy it as much on hardest difficulty so i get back to this topic when i have tried that.
Also i probably cheated a bit by already knowing about the optional stealth in a section of Gonarch's Lair. which obviously put a nice advantage by avoiding the alarms calling reinforcements.

Let me just write about the Crowbar for a bit, i love that this weapon is usable right down to the end of the game. and it never gets old to break wooden boxes quite frankly the Crowbar is most definitely the most useful and ambitious util melee/starter weapon you get in any FPS game.
While Doom Slayers fists are also used quite a bit through the Doom Franchise thanks to Berserk power up... The way that the Crowbar is used is simply outmatched. The Crowbar is also the main way you interact with the world in funny ways like breaking down vending machines, smashing Scientists. and trying the different sounds of the crowbar on surfaces... of course you can do it with weapons too but it just feels more natural to shift to the crowbar for it. So in short i think that Crowbar is the single most useful starter weapon in entirety of FPS games. and for that Half-life deserves a lot of praise already. It makes me a bit sad that the remake of Half-life Black Mesa doesn't go as detailed into implementing utility of the crowbar beside the standard things they have neglected the usage of breaking down vending machines for instance.. and i am sure there are other details missing. even then Black Mesa remakes level design is still fun and varied enough to make it worth your time. i hope i can talk more about other things as well.

The Weapon progression in Half-life is also worthy of a lengthy discussion, For instance while Quake 1 gets praised for its level design and overall feel .. i always found the weapon variety very lacking. Arcane Dimensions kind of helps a bit with it to me it ends up being more of speedy shotgun runs. going from 1 barrel shotgun to 2 barrel shotguns and then in Arcane Dimensions a third Barrel was implemented.. its all good fun.. but the weapon variety is a sore sight compared to what we got in Half-life.

 

[Lucumo]

Funny that you mention SiN because that game got released on the same day as Half-life..
I think SiN is quite a tough one to get working on modern machines and Valve have been very good at supporting Half-life to work on the most modern machines so if you feel like retro playing the choice is more obvious which one is less hassle to get to work.

Huh? I bought it on GOG and there were absolutely no issues with it.

 

[Solarstrike]

What a glorious time it is. But i'm waiting to celebrate it on my Nintendo Switch with a nice slice of that Orange Box pie in 720p handheld Gravity Gun goodness.

 

[Mochilador]

This playlist contains plenty of interesting stuff about the game:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDmcwfn8y0lMtlqcpUhggk0FB1EC2i3iB

Some videos:

 

[eot]

Half-Life is one of my most re-played games, and not for reasons of nostalgia. I genuinely enjoy playing through it for the gameplay, which to me seems overlooked. It's my favourite 90's shooter in this regard, and holds up much better than contemporaries like Unreal and Quake II. The weapon set is so creative and varied, that combined with the great level and enemy design makes it a joy to play around with. Tried to put together a video to show it off a while ago



Something I am nostalgic for though is the demo, Half-Life: Uplink. I haven't played it since 1998 or '99, but I still remember it vividly, and it helps me recall how damn atmospheric Half-Life was at the time. I think it's impossible to play the game now and feel quite the same way.

 

[DrNeroCF]

What a glorious time it is. But i'm waiting to celebrate it on my Nintendo Switch with a nice slice of that Orange Box pie in 720p handheld Gravity Gun goodness.

Might want to look into Xash3D on the Switch...

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

My intro to Half-Life was the PS2 port in 2001.

That opening was just stunning and it was a great twist to spot the mysterious Gman off in the distance, but always disappearing on you, only to oh shit, have him right in front of you at the end.

I'm also amazed by how well paced Half-Life is, the contrast between slower moments and more epic action packed ones and just the general way the game plays out, by the time you get to the Lambda complex, the military is pulling out and bombing the place to hell just as you safely make it inside, you feel exhausted and yet the game still has a good chunk left to it.

I love it when games leave you with that happily exhausted feeling at the end, the feeling that you've truly made a long journey.

It feels like it would be too hard to go back to the Half-Life series now though, it would be too painful to get invested again knowing it's dead and will never continue.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Huh? I bought it on GOG and there were absolutely no issues with it.

I see thats awesome i will get around to that soon enough then

 

[Kadayi]

I remember playing this when it first came out and being blown away by it literally and figuratively in terms of what it was doing. It really did generate a paradigm shift in terms of players expectations as to what an FPS could be, and definitely had a huge impact on game design going forward.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I love that people are bringing up SiN in this thread. SiN came out about 2 weeks before HL. I loved SiN too. SiN had the distinction of being terribly buggy on release day and I think that affected how well it did.

Nevertheless I look at HL and SiN as one of gamings great one-two punches.

 

[Red Crayon Aristocrat]

I remember playing this when it first came out and being blown away by it literally and figuratively in terms of what it was doing. It really did generate a paradigm shift in terms of players expectations as to what an FPS could be, and definitely had a huge impact on game design going forward.

Half-Life seemed to be the culmination of FPS level design to where the locales were supposed to be real places with purpose and function and not just random mazes.

Although the original System Shock made strides in that regard, it's levels are certainly designed to be more real than say Doom levels, but Half-Life really took it to another level.

 

[Lanrutcon]

As a serious Doom fan: HL showed me that the kind of depth that first person game campaigns could have.

And man, if I totaled all the hours I spent playing various HL mods over the years I'd probably qualify for some kind of long service award.

 

[Kadayi]

Half-Life seemed to be the culmination of FPS level design to where the locales were supposed to be real places with purpose and function and not just random mazes.

Although the original System Shock made strides in that regard, it's levels are certainly designed to be more real than say Doom levels, but Half-Life really took it to another level.

Agreed. It's a pity that that mindset didn't carry through with other games in the genre. The Bioshock games for me personally fell foul of the spaces over places perspective to my mind, which is why I really struggled to get into them despite repeated attempts. The environments always felt like combat arenas with set dressing rather than actual functional environments fallen into despair and disrepair.

 

[Porcile]

It's a good game that holds up well but that damn tranquilliser crossbow is OP as hell.

Also, the last time I played it, I got a game breaking bug with a scientist who just ran around like a mad man. Had to cheat my way past that section.

 

[eot]

Is no one going to post the amazing Half-Life 20 minute speed run?

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

so LGR has done a retrospective in respect to the 20 year anniversary


I think he paints it not as well as it deserves but its still a interesting watch.
like he mentions the game is very much linear experience this is true if you compare it too a Open World type of game... but Half-life has sections where its not afraid of throwing you into a multiple Directions level design. but the game is just soo fluent you never really notice it. i guess that is also to the games Strength in any case he does conclude the game is timeless Classic so i guess i should be satisfied with that conclusion.

 

[Solomeena]

HL1 & HL2 are the best games ever.

 

[Vtecomega]

Any chance of releasing a Half life 2 anniversary addition?

 

[Stexor]

Still one of the best games ever made. Half-Life 1 i like the most out of the 2.

The AI in Half-Life 1 was also ridiculously good at the time, still holds up. Like no game beat its AI until FEAR came around.
The most amazing thing about the game might be that they could tell a story and not once have a cutscene in there or something that takes you out of the game. You have control over Gordon throughout the entire game even in the very beginning and end(though a bit more limited).

 

[SonicVolcano]

Still waiting for the complete Black Mesa to drop...

 

[Orta]

My relationship with HL1 is an odd one. I played it years after it came out having gone through stuff like HL2, FEAR, Doom3, Deus Ex, Far Cry, Quake 3, Crysis, etc. Just one of those games that was put on the long finger through no fault of its own I suppose

When I eventually got round to HL it didn't stand a chance unfortunately. Time had passed it by. I've done a few playthroughs but it just won't click with me.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

My relationship with HL1 is an odd one. I played it years after it came out having gone through stuff like HL2, FEAR, Doom3, Deus Ex, Far Cry, Quake 3, Crysis, etc. Just one of those games that was put on the long finger through no fault of its own I suppose

When I eventually got round to HL it didn't stand a chance unfortunately. Time had passed it by. I've done a few playthroughs but it just won't click with me.

Wonderful to hear your story with the franchise.

 

[DeleteriousObnoxious]

Wow that made me incredible emotional, what a great tribute video.

 

[Bogroll]

For me it was like how Halo was to consoles. Before this game, games where mostly set in corridors and tho this game had it's corridors it's was amazing how you could go up and out to the outside world and then back down underground to the inside. That along with the AI and how the story was told was untouchable for me at the time. You really had to be there at the time to fully appreciate it. Sure there are better shooters now but i don't think there has been a big a jump in FPS standards from the rest as this one since.

 

[Havoc2049]

I enjoy Half-Life, but from that era, I enjoy FPSs like Quake, Unreal, Rainbow Six and Deus Ex more.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I wish yhey just released HL1 source and HL2 for PS4. Not remakes, just good ports of their PC counterparts.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

We weren't able to talk to the developers, so we talked to everyone else. Join Noclip as we travel around the country meeting the developers, modders, & gamers whose lives have changed in the twenty years since the launch of Half-Life. Subscribe to watch the full doc for free.