I remember playing Half Life 2: Episode 2 in 2007 and enjoying it, but not loving it. I wasnt really a fan of Half Life 2 and I thought Episode 1 focused on many of the things that I disliked about HL2 proper, but Episode 2 had a certain humor about it I liked. I dug it.
Playing Portal 2 made me want to go back to Episode 2I dunno, maybe some sort of Source attraction or something. I think its a combination of my tastes changing over time and the deluge of shooters (most of them crap) Ive suffered through this generation, but I think this game is a really spectacular title now.
Sure, I still think its not perfect. You spend a little long in the caves fighting ranged enemies, the weapons still feel a little weaker than Id like, and I still try and jump repeatedly on peoples heads while they talk to me (I guess Im not part of the Valve cutsceneless revolution). And the game can be really frustrating sometimes with the precision of control it demands. But the magnificent pacing and immaculate scripting of this game make it stand out so strongly to me against so many other shooters.
Episode 2, like Half Life 2 before it, feels like a real adventure. The environments vary greatly and give a real sense of progression. Thats really impressive to me because, unlike HL2, you dont ever spend an eternity driving, and the game itself isnt very long. So Valve manages to convey a sense of distance and time that is punching way above the games weight. I played FEAR 2 this weekend, and that game completely fails to create convincing environments that convey a sense of progression despite being twice as long as HL2:E2. FEAR 2 starts in an absolutely massive hospital that has a secret underground facility beneath it, and then it transitions to an absolutely massive grammar school that has a secret underground facility beneath it. Its just uninteresting.
2007 also saw the release of Call of Duty 4, and I think since then that game (and its ilk) have become synonymous with scripted campaigns, but I had almost forgotten the wonderful variety of scripting in Half Life 2: Episode 2. I guess theres that Valve hides it so much better than everyone else, but theres also a creativity and openness to their scripting that I love. Take the antlion sequence in the tunnels yeah, the sequence is the same every time, but Valve gives you the tools to do things however you like. You have the turrets, you have the two resistance fighters, you have mines, and you have yourself. Later, you fight the guardians in the valley and have a ton of tools at your disposal. You never really feel like what youre doing is scripted. I think it heightens the sense of the adventure being your own. And of course the game is full of them.
The level design, a combination of these things, is basically perfect. Youre constantly moving, constantly seeing new, interesting things, and constantly using the games mechanics in new and interesting ways. Towards the middle of the game, theres a room with a spring on the floor (an early aerial faith plate to be sure) and some blast patterns around and an area you cant reach up above. This game has just a superb synthesis of mechanics and level design.
In lesser shooters, the gameplay is divorced from the environments. And you could replace the environments with any other environments and there would be no real changeand both elements suffer because of it. This is where, I think, corridor shooter fatigue comes from. Half Life 2: Episode 2 is often as restrictive in terms of where you can go and what you can do but Valve makes the environment a weapon or a character or a puzzle to keep you distracted.
The end sequence is incredible. I just struggle to think of another shooter sequence in the past five years where you have something like this. Its basically exactly what I want from sandbox gameplay. Give me distinct objectives and design the sandbox so that I am consistently experiencing interesting encounters. Valve always makes me see exactly what they want me to see, and they do it without a PRESS Y TO LOOK button.
The game is a Magnusson Opus! Bring on Episode 3. I'd like to see some more weapon and enemy variety, but this is how I want my shooters.
Playing Portal 2 made me want to go back to Episode 2I dunno, maybe some sort of Source attraction or something. I think its a combination of my tastes changing over time and the deluge of shooters (most of them crap) Ive suffered through this generation, but I think this game is a really spectacular title now.
Sure, I still think its not perfect. You spend a little long in the caves fighting ranged enemies, the weapons still feel a little weaker than Id like, and I still try and jump repeatedly on peoples heads while they talk to me (I guess Im not part of the Valve cutsceneless revolution). And the game can be really frustrating sometimes with the precision of control it demands. But the magnificent pacing and immaculate scripting of this game make it stand out so strongly to me against so many other shooters.
Episode 2, like Half Life 2 before it, feels like a real adventure. The environments vary greatly and give a real sense of progression. Thats really impressive to me because, unlike HL2, you dont ever spend an eternity driving, and the game itself isnt very long. So Valve manages to convey a sense of distance and time that is punching way above the games weight. I played FEAR 2 this weekend, and that game completely fails to create convincing environments that convey a sense of progression despite being twice as long as HL2:E2. FEAR 2 starts in an absolutely massive hospital that has a secret underground facility beneath it, and then it transitions to an absolutely massive grammar school that has a secret underground facility beneath it. Its just uninteresting.
2007 also saw the release of Call of Duty 4, and I think since then that game (and its ilk) have become synonymous with scripted campaigns, but I had almost forgotten the wonderful variety of scripting in Half Life 2: Episode 2. I guess theres that Valve hides it so much better than everyone else, but theres also a creativity and openness to their scripting that I love. Take the antlion sequence in the tunnels yeah, the sequence is the same every time, but Valve gives you the tools to do things however you like. You have the turrets, you have the two resistance fighters, you have mines, and you have yourself. Later, you fight the guardians in the valley and have a ton of tools at your disposal. You never really feel like what youre doing is scripted. I think it heightens the sense of the adventure being your own. And of course the game is full of them.
The level design, a combination of these things, is basically perfect. Youre constantly moving, constantly seeing new, interesting things, and constantly using the games mechanics in new and interesting ways. Towards the middle of the game, theres a room with a spring on the floor (an early aerial faith plate to be sure) and some blast patterns around and an area you cant reach up above. This game has just a superb synthesis of mechanics and level design.
In lesser shooters, the gameplay is divorced from the environments. And you could replace the environments with any other environments and there would be no real changeand both elements suffer because of it. This is where, I think, corridor shooter fatigue comes from. Half Life 2: Episode 2 is often as restrictive in terms of where you can go and what you can do but Valve makes the environment a weapon or a character or a puzzle to keep you distracted.
The end sequence is incredible. I just struggle to think of another shooter sequence in the past five years where you have something like this. Its basically exactly what I want from sandbox gameplay. Give me distinct objectives and design the sandbox so that I am consistently experiencing interesting encounters. Valve always makes me see exactly what they want me to see, and they do it without a PRESS Y TO LOOK button.
The game is a Magnusson Opus! Bring on Episode 3. I'd like to see some more weapon and enemy variety, but this is how I want my shooters.
It was not bad, but somehow a bit of a grind.
