Game Review: Half Life 2

As I've said before, I'm usually very much behind the times when it comes to gaming. I recently completed playing Half Life 2, one of the most anticipated games of 2005. I got started in video games as an adult in shooter games, particularly games like Medal of Honor. But I've become more a fan of RPG's. Shooters are fine, but how many different ways are there to shoot a machine gun? But I wanted something different and this game seemed just the ticket.

Every time this game, or its predecessor, is reviewed, they talk, no rave, about the strong story telling. I played part of Half Life, and all of Half Life 2. What story? The game starts with Gordon Freeman waking up on a train in City 17. Why you are there is never really explained. Just go with it, you're there. You start roaming around, eventually get a crowbar and the game is on. For the next many hours, you run through an elaborate maze picking up various weapons along the way and killing a whole bunch of people, zombies, and aliens who are trying to kill you. Why you are doing this is not explained. Why the bad guys want to kill you is not explained, though I guess once you start killing them it's pretty obvious why they want to return the favor. Just go with it, you're a one-man army. And then, it's .... over. You've achieved ... something. But there is "immersive story telling."

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun game. The graphics and sound are really good. There is variety in the game. You aren't just shooting all the time. There are levels where you pilot a boat and where you drive a buggy. Sometimes you get to control alien entities and let them to the hard work of clearing out rooms. It takes up a lot of time and is definitely enjoyable.

There is one section that was just plain aggravating. You have to cross through this sandy region where if you touch the sand, antlions will rise up continuously until you are dead. So you have to pick up debris that just happens to be lying around and step from box to box to get to the other end. Slowly. Tediously. Whoever thought of that should get slapped.

The ending pretty much stinks. You lose all but one weapon, which mysteriously gets upgraded by the enemy. It becomes a cool little gun and gives you new ways of eliminating your enemies. But isn't the point of a shooter game to have multiple weapons you can choose from? Beyond that, it ends pretty much out of the blue.

Anyway, as a shooter game, it's fun. Just don't talk to me about story.