Half Life 2 - Pal XBOX

[Concept]

Yeah dude, i agree.

I don't want to be ruining peoples party with my opinions on the framerate but it REALLY does not reach levels that i would consider playable.

It's just the harsh truth IMO, i've been comparing the two (i sold my copy to my brother, so it's not like it's now totally out of reach )
and the difference is profound.

I do not think this deserves such acollade as "Stunning Conversion".
RE4 on the PS2 is an example of a Stunning conversion, there are some obvious limitations but they in no way affect the game experience.
(my bro has got PS2 RE4 and it's just insane from a technical stand point.)

I feel that HL2 has been thrown at the xbox and just tried to see if it could work, which it unfortunitly doesn't.

I just have to make do with the stutter-a-thon PC version, it's more enjoyable than a chugfest.

The great thing about Resident Evil 4 (having just come off the back of the PS2 version in playing Xbox Half-Life 2), is that the contrasts in terms of stable technology couldn't be more stark. While it goes without saying RE4 isn't utilising the same advancements in physics and is bordered, it happily can deal with around 10-15 characters on the screen with lots going on, and maintain a locked frame-rate, together with fairly sophisticated lighting and mind-blowing art design.

Technically, I think the Xbox version has made me less convinced of Source, and if I was a developer, I'd be very concerned at its seeming inability to stream data without impacting negatively on a stable, locked frame-rate. The reason I'm concluding this is because there are parts in the Xbox version where it hitches at exactly the same parts as the PC version.

I did go back to the latter edition of Half-Life 2 today, and while the increases in resolution are startling, I still can't hack the jumps. They may be small for a lot of people, but the train station/plaza section in particular has about twenty of them.

->Open Spoiler<-

When one of the citizens is walking off the train, when you walk off the train, walking down to Breen's video broadcast, walking into the waiting area (as the guy throws the rubbish on the floor), walking past the grilled panelling, when the door opens and you're ushered to the interrogation room, the pick-up-the-trashcan moment, opening the door to the plaza, when the combine guards break down the door in the apartment block etc. etc.

They're small (apart from the trashcan bit) compared to some of the later and huge stutters, but they decimate Half-Life 2's sense of immersion. Now... would Resident Evil 4 have been less of a game if it's startling achievements in technology and art design were accompanied by hitches of these forms?

Yes, I'm afraid it would have.

That's why Half-Life 2 is frustrating... the game and art design are beautiful, but the technology is letting them down, and at the back of my mind I'm always wondering what the game would be like if it was given a more stable engine. A fluent, completely smooth version of Half-Life 2 would allow it in my mind to be justified of the 10/10s it got on release.

And if you look at the likes of Riddick, Doom III, Far Cry (on the Xbox as well as the PC)... you have to ask yourself if Starbreeze, iD and Crytek/Ubisoft Montreal can get their engines properly functioning, why can't Valve?

That's why Half-Life 2 has become something of a double-edged sword. I was quick to lavish praise on it during the game's honeymoon in 2004, and while I take none of my admiration for its game/narrative/art design back, I remain unconvinced by Source's technology.

In a sense, as I said previously, the Xbox version is more forgivable, and it's very impressive that Valve even got the game up and running. But (in consideration that Doom III, Riddick, Far Cry and Stranger's Wrath are also up there in a more solid state) it's done nothing to silence my doubts over Source.

[Ish]

Source is a weird one. I know you've had no end of problems but on my fairly modest gaming PC (9800 Pro, 3GHz, Gig of RAM) it runs smooth as silk. There's the occasional stutter but nothing really noticeable. I did have problems with the audio causing dreadful stuttering until changing the sound drivers but after that fine. I've even been running it at 1900x1200 lately (new monitor) and while there is a serious framerate drop and the audio stutters again it still maintains a fairly consistent framerate for the most part. Bizarre!

Perhaps my PC is the computer equivelant of that VW they found that ran without any oil..... exept for the fact Quake 4 runs like a turd on a stick.

I wonder if the real killer for Half Life 2 on the XBox compared to those other games you mention is the physics. Its pretty consistently intense on the physics and that must consume a fair old chunk of CPU time.

I agree with everything you've said about stuttering spoiling the atmosphere. If Resi 4 hadn't been smooth of silk it wouldn't have been half as immersive as it is. I get so sucked into its world its untrue.

[Concept]

I think it's (maybe) to do with the bandwith motherboard bus. I am being really picky over the PC version in the examples I'm using.

But these minute hitches are like little tiny cuts over Half-Life 2's face. It's the equivalent of Edd's PSP piece that he wrote for the site a while back. You're confronted with this beautiful, awe-inspiring production... and the little flaws are all the more evident because of that.

You could call me contradictory... Shadow of the Colossus suffers from frame-rate problems for example, though they're not as determimental to the experience as those in the Xbox version of Half-Life 2. Also, in Half-Life 2, they're more like pauses than continual frame-rate problems... when it isn't hitching it does run as smooth as silk. So I know what you mean...

It's Half-Life 2's quality that is the problem. In the completely top-tier games... the best of the best... for me the technology tends to take a back seat to the art design. From this year, Resident Evil 4, Farenheit, Killer7 and Stranger's Wrath all possess solid engines that you can forget about.

With Half-Life 2... you're constantly aware of its engine and what it's going to do, and that harms the ability to properly connect with its world.

In reference to Colossus, the frame-rate problems aren't hitch related. so when it slows down in the open environments these moments don't distinguish themselves quite as abruptly as Half-Life 2.

I feel guilty tearing into the game, and I am aware there will be people who have suffered little problems with Half-Life 2, but from my experience of it, the technology of source is less than solid.

[Team Andromeda]

Yeah dude, i agree.





I do not think this deserves such acollade as "Stunning Conversion".
RE4 on the PS2 is an example of a Stunning conversion, there are some obvious limitations but they in no way affect the game experience.
(my bro has got PS2 RE4 and it's just insane from a technical stand point.)

I feel that HL2 has been thrown at the xbox and just tried to see if it could work, which it unfortunitly doesn't.

I just have to make do with the stutter-a-thon PC version, it's more enjoyable than a chugfest.

I DO

RE4 wasn't made to run on a machine with 256 MB of RAM at a bar minium , never mind the Graphics Card or processor speeds. In manys ways it was far easier to port somthing like RE4 tothe PS2, than HL 2 to 4 years old hardware.

And I really don't know which version of HL2 you're playing but its far from a chugfest onthe XBox

[Concept]

No really, it is a chug fest in certain parts.

Maybe as mentioned, it is down to the type of Xbox being used. Anything 15fps or over is acceptable to me. Anything below isn't... and in certain sections (not the entire game mind, about 4-5 longish chapters of the 14) it crawls during combat heavy moments.

It is easier to port RE4 to the PS2 considering the leap from the GC to the PS2 is smaller. The technical achievement from a raw viewpoint is commendable with Half-Life 2... but when you get into how smooth the overall production is, you have to question the wisdom of the downgrade.

However, I do agree it is (obviously) subject to interpretation as to the ways in which people will find Half-Life 2 on the Xbox more acceptable than others.

[Team Andromeda]

Yeah but only in certain parts , and to be fair going from at the very least 60 fps (onthe PC) to the X-Box 20 tp 30 fps is going to make the game look jerky from the get go. But this game is not meant for people that can play it on thier PC.
You ask most that's never played the PC version and they have no problem what so ever with the frame rate

[fishbowlhead]

for all the people who keep moaning about the frame rate on xbox version ive got just a few words to say to you, IF YOU DONT LIKE IT, BUGGER OFF.

bloody hell i thourght i was bad at moaning but the last five pages have been people maoning about frame rate differences in the two versions. I think some of you should stop looking through your frame rate analizers and actually enjoy the game.

Games like this come around once in a blue moon so enjoy them when they do.

[El Leone]

Well, Valve have said if yer play HL2 on the X360, its at 720p, with some AA and the frame rate is ment to be improved! Rumour is that they're also making it so they use higher res textures .

[Kevvy Metal]

Maybe as mentioned, it is down to the type of Xbox being used.

I don't know dude, i've played/seen being played on 3 xboxes, all quite new and all with Samsung drives and the game runs exactly the same, it's not so bad near the start of the game but soon deteriorates.

Sorry i'll stop my moaning and head of to say nice things in the DQVIII Thread.

[Concept]

fishbowlhead - An opinion doesn't have to be positive to be valid.

We've already clarified that we think the game is great. We're talking about something that impacts on the experience of the conversion. If you can't hack that, then please don't read the posts or use the ignore function. That way you'd be doing us both a favour.

[Kevvy Metal]

fishbowlhead - An opinion doesn't have to be positive to be valid.

We've already clarified that we think the game is great. We're talking about something that impacts on the experience of the conversion. If you can't hack that, then please don't read the posts or use the ignore function. That way you'd be doing us both a favour.

I agree whole heartedly. I don't want to be overly negative. It would fill me with joy to say how awesome the HL2 Xbox conversion is but unfortunately I can't.
I feel that the framerate is something that should be noted and discussed; it is an intrinsical part of the game and has a direct influence on the overall experience.

I think it is a good thing that on this website, other people can be exposed to the opinions and impressions of other like minded people that are motivated through their love of videogames, rather then cuz it's there job in the media.

[gamelife]

been playing this game for nearly 3 hours now - game is awesome, easily one of the best FPS games i've ever played. the levels are so diverse, the hover craft section was amazing and i loved the ravenholm area with the survival horror feel. just at the beginning of the buggy section on the beach...

[Team Andromeda]

I agree whole heartedly. I don't want to be overly negative. It would fill me with joy to say how awesome the HL2 Xbox conversion is but unfortunately I can't.
I feel that the framerate is something that should be noted and discussed; it is an intrinsical part of the game and has a direct influence on the overall experience.

I think it is a good thing that on this website, other people can be exposed to the opinions and impressions of other like minded people that are motivated through their love of videogames, rather then cuz it's there job in the media.

That true.
But to people thats never played the PC version the frane rate isn't a problem . Going from 60/80 fps to 20/30 fps onthe XBox is going to make the game look jerky from the very start .
20 to 24 fps make the likes of Golden Eye or Perfect dark unplayable???. I?ve lost count of the amount of times they?re heled up as the best examples of FPS?s and lets face it PD jerks around a hell of a lot more.

Not XBox fan was expecting a perfect port , but like with the Doom they got a more than adverage port, with most of the gameplay and even some of the better effects ported over . I'm sure no Sega Rally fan was expecting Model 2B graphics on thier Saturn , but what they got was the best possible onthe Harwdare.

Valve have done the same onthe X-Box. This along with Riddick is simpley the best FPS I've played in years

[jimmbob]

Valve have done the same onthe X-Box. This along with Riddick is simpley the best FPS I've played in years

Yeah another game ruined for me by dodgy thumbsticks!

[sharky_ob]

Yeah another game ruined for me by dodgy thumbsticks!

Jimmie, I use(d) ther same control method as you - the old Goldeneye method right?

I've bought Halflife 2 and I'm actually having no probs at all adjusting. I'm going to change all of my games after this - might struggle with Halo 2 online for a bit but I reckon it's worth it.

My point is don't let this put you off buying it. Might be a good time to adjust to the standard double thumbstick FPS controls anyway - this is going to be an issue again and again in the future if you don't.