dagoss's Half-Life review

A thoroughly interesting take on the game. I like this sort of retrospective: an examination of exactly why something worked, and a challenging of popular belief, instead of a mere description of how good something is.

Half-Life as an RPG: not the sort of idea that would be flying around the gaming community a lot, but a damn good argument, carefully presented. I really enjoyed reading this.

Double wow. I was thinking of writing a Half Life review one of these days, but you've nixed that. I couldn't write one better than this. You've captured why HL is great. I don't know what else there is to say.

Ha! I was expecting this "review" to be greeted with comments like "are you on crack?," "where do you get your crack?," and "can I buy some crack off you?" Now if only this same reversed self-actualizing could happen in the real world...

You can sort us out with some crack as well, if you like.

EDIT: Disclaimer - I do not use crack.

I once played Half Life up until the monorail stage when I forever stopped.

People seem to like that story. I do not know why.

You've made a pretty strong case for picking the game up again. Even if that level is constructed of pure arse.

Me and Boo have nagged you forever to finish that game off. If this review really changes your mind about that, then that's great. It had more power than either our nagging or my review put together. Awesome. =D

Anyway, this was a really interesting review. Haha. I never expected an FPS to be compared to an RPG, though I think Half Life is one of the best games to do that with. I think what I really liked about it, though, was the intelligent enemy and interesting/challenging level design. But I agree that it's really immersive, too, with the story and everything. It truly is a great game, though I never had the heart to give it a ten for some reason (if that matters that much).

Anyway, I did catch one typo:

it's characters at one point

should be its.

Um, Gary? The 'monorail stage'? As in, the introduction?

Half-Life is utterly wonderful. I can't wait to see what it's like modernised.

Foolish Lewis! Some way into the game, there is a section where you need to ride a train around behind the scences of Black Mesa. The level is call "On A Rail". It's as far as I got before quiting, because it's bloody awful.

Here's the official Black Mesa trailer. Hopefully it comes out in the next year or so because I'm sick of waiting for it.

Gary: yeah, so not a monorail then.

On A Rail is a bit naff, yeah. It's one of the few weak points in the game. But then it gets incredibly good again for a while.

The game's opening half is the strongest, though, I must say.

I actually liked On a Rail quite a bit. Once you get the hang of the level it's actually pretty good.

I would have to disagree about the opening being the best part. The game really got good once the humans jumped in and took off maybe 2/3 of the way through. My favorite part was from Questionable Ethics up to the Xen world (but not including it!). Surface Tension just might be the greatest level in any FPS ever.

I might replay Half Life pretty soon and then do a level by level analysis how I did with Half-Life 2 in my blog.

That was a very good and interesting review. I don't know that I necessarily agree with your argument, but you've legit given me something to think about and it's not many reviews that actually do that to anything like the degree this one has.

I'd follow the "Are you on crack? Can you get me some crack?" subplot of this thread, but when I talk about stuff like that, I tend to be oppressed by da man......so I'll just conclude with a hearty "GOOD JOB!"

Surface Tension is brilliant.

Xen would be brilliant in its own game, but still seems hideously out of context in what was essentially a survival-horror game, for me.

I've just finished writing up an interview I did with Black Mesa's project lead for Resolution. Makes for an interesting read. Eyes peeled next week.