Half-Life 2 (PC)

[Spatial]

So anyone had the Raising The Bar book delivered yet...? Concept, Spatial...?

I wasn't planning on getting it at first, but I am very tempted to purchase it tbh

[Magnakai]

V.interesting reading all those big spoiler ideas, makes you think. Just hope the developers are thinking like that too

I reckon in the third HL game, it will be Freeman going into the Gman's HQ or whatever he has and finding out wtf happened in the first two games, would be really interesting, I think.
Then you find out at the end it was all a test (again)

As much as I love both games, another ending like that'll drive me crazy...
Hopefully some addons will keep me happy until HL3. I know they were talking about episodic content via Steam delivery...

[Spatial]

I'd love to see some Alyx and Barney episodes. Anything that introduces DOG and Lamar again and I'll be happy

And what about Adrian Shepard from Opposing Forces ?

A game based on the `7 Hour War` against The Combine invasion would be a great idea

Maybe Shepard trying to heard earths defenses against the invasion ?

[Concept]

I wasn't planning on getting it at first, but I am very tempted to purchase it tbh

It's a high concept artwork book which includes exclusive art, all the things they cut from the game, inside information, interviews and inside looks at the development etc.

Basically an essential Half-Life 2 companion piece. Should be good.

[Ish]

Great post Spatial. You raise some interesting points. I think on my second time through I'm going to have to try and pay more attention to the bigger picture and not let myself get quite so wrapped up in the insane action!

[marcus]

Im still stick at the bit where me and 3 combines have to hold fort against a relentless number of soldiers. Ive even tried it twice on easy and failed, am getting rapidly cheesed off with it now. Its a crazy difficulty spike as Ive had no problems at all up to now on Normal.

[Spatial]

Marcus - you can change the games difficulty levels on the fly. I'm not sure how much easier that bit would be on the lowest setting.

Ish - cheers mate. I'd love to know everyone else's thoughts and feelings

[marcus]

I guess I could do the lamest thing and save each time I go a few minutes without losing much health. This shouldnt be though gah!

[Len]

Im still stick at the bit where me and 3 combines have to hold fort against a relentless number of soldiers. Ive even tried it twice on easy and failed, am getting rapidly cheesed off with it now. Its a crazy difficulty spike as Ive had no problems at all up to now on Normal.

Try it the way I suggested on pg.203 of this thread, it's definitely a winner. Make sure you have the 4 turrets as well. I was having a 'mare on that bit for ages but doing it this way was a, relative, breeze.

Good luck!

[replicant]

I'd love to see some Alyx and Barney episodes. Anything that introduces DOG and Lamar again and I'll be happy

Amen - a dog and lamar expansion pack. As dog u just through things about, and as Lamar u bite knees.

[Len]

Don't you mean suck...

[Chadruharazzeb]

Jesus, I thought I'd have this finished last night. Nope. Still hunting Striders (and vice versa). No idea how longs left again, but there's still absolutely no sign of any story. Half Life 1's plot was just a tired rip off of Doom (which was hardly a masterpiece of originality), but at least it had one - surely a crap plot is better than none at all? Pfft.

[Concept]

I have to disagree. Half-Life barely featured a plot at all. It was basically all about escaping the base you're in, and that was more or less it in terms of a detailed narrative. Where I do think both games share a common theme is that their stories are all in the details, characterisation and flow of the actual experience. Of moving from place to place and encountering different events. As has been mentioned, if you know where to look and you talk to characters then the layers of the world begin to add up within the game.

It's possible to mistake a lack of purpose for a lack of story. Personally, I'm sick of the never-ending save-the-world crap which goes on in a lot of videogaming and first-person shooters. All Freeman is trying to do throughout Half-Life 2 is help the characters around him to the best of his ability - Not liberate or take the entire forces of the combine down. That purpose just crops up because other forces around him misinterpret his actions.

[Chadruharazzeb]

HL1 was the hackneyed old "b0rked experiment teleports in a load of vile beasts from across the realm". HL2 so far has Freeman moving from one location to the next for seemingly no reason. Help the citizens of C17? With what? Why? What is C17? Why is it full of ex-Black Mesa staff? Why are there a few Xen aliens knocking about, and why are the vortigaunts now good?

Any sort of plot would answer these questions as it went along, a manual with the game could give some background on C17 ( ). As great as the game is, they didn't seem to spend a minutes thought on what's going on in it.

[Concept]

Highlight the text underneath the quotes to read. They contain spoilers though (nothing to do with the end, don't worry).

HL2 so far has Freeman moving from one location to the next for seemingly no reason.

Get out of City 17 to meet Eli and involve yourself in the resistance. Then try and relocate with Alyx and discover a way in which you can incorporate yourself into the surviving group.

Help the citizens of C17? With what?

Meet the resistance. Free Eli up until Nova Prospekt and then help liberate City 17 on the return to it when the resistance misinterpret your actions (you only entered Nova Prospekt with the intention of freeing Eli originally).

Why? What is C17?

A containment area for the remaining human species. If you listen to a couple of the characters at the start of the game, they mention how Breen was also the adminstrator for City 14. Looking at the train boards reveals a whole host of Cx's. Also if you listen to Breen on the video screens thoughout the game then you realise that the combine are effectively sterilising humans to wipe them out, or narrow them down to a select few of their choosing. He even says City 17 is "one of our finest urban centres" in which you choose or are chosen to relocate to. If you also examine Eli's lab and read the newspaper cuttings then you find there's been a seven year war, and Breen helped arrange Earth's surrender to the combine in exchange for power and helping them to set up more portals.

Why is it full of ex-Black Mesa staff? Why are there a few Xen aliens knocking about, and why are the vortigaunts now good?

It's full of ex-Black Mesa Staff because Breen used to be the adminstrator of that very base. He's obviously herding up all his old employees in spaces he and the combine have so they don't organise an effective resistance which contains information which may damage them outside of the areas they control. Or so they don't spread information against the combine in a campaign to damage them.

As for the vortiguants. They tell you if you speak to them. In killing Nihilanth, their master, you effectively free them, and they're grateful to you for that. It's why they think of you as a kindred spirit. Abandoned on Earth and no way to get back, Eli was the first person they came into proper communication with. In doing so, they decided to side with the resistance.