Half-Life - Part 4

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Nukeboxharris

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Published on March 6, 2025 12:02:18 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLFESlee4YE

Game:

Half-Life (1998)

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Out of convenience and because I wanted to play the closest to the original, I decided to play the PlayStation 2 version. Of course this had it's positives (already mentioned) and it's drawbacks such as ridiculously placed and frequent load screens as it would go from map area to map area - even at the points of enemy placement. I'm going to ignore that for the purpose of the review, as it's not reflective of the game as a whole - but what a joy it was to return to Gordon Freeman's first adventure. The story is a mixture of Doom and Stephen King's The Mist, as you are tasked with assisting some scientists with their experiment in the Black Mesa facility. They accidentally open a portal to Xen, and aliens invade with the sole intention of destroying the human race - and to make matters worse, government soldiers are sent to cover it up by annihilating everything in the area. You must fight your way through the facility to the Lambda complex to close the portal.

Half-Life was hugely important for first person shooters, with Valve building off the success and reputation of Quake, Doom, Duke Nukem, etc. Firstly, the storytelling is fantastic, with NPCs giving valuable backstory, information and hints - and although bit parts where it usually ends in viscera sprayed up the walls or being gobbled into vents, they add to the tension and urgency, particularly in the opening moments. The level design is great too, at least in the first half - everything is really well mapped out and designed for tension or gunfights. Being stuck in a dark vent with red lighting reminded me of aliens (when they're in the ceilings), and adding to the claustrophobia is the threat of a facehugg... sorry, rotisserie chick... sorry, headcrab jumping out at any moment. Enemy AI was a literal gamechanger at the time too, considering FPS enemies were known for recklessly charging you - whereas here, they will get into cover and lob grenades at you.

Resources are pretty scarce at times, and it's a struggle to navigate the genuinely rough combat - sometimes it was rewarding, and other times it's relief at overcoming something so frustrating and annoying. Conserving the power of your suit and health using batteries found in crates, or stations placed around the facility is key, and I found myself quick saving a lot to make sure where I was was satisfactory. Sadly, with all the above said, the game starts to lose its way in the final act which is a genuine slog that only serves to piss you off through questionable design, ludicrous jump sections and unfair fights (yeah, sure... git gud) - it makes you wonder if the devs got bored. The big question is does it hold up? Enough for me to revisit and playthrough, sure - but not for another 27 years. Everything said, Half Life is an immersive experience that changed FPS games forever and should at least be experienced once.

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