Half-Life 2 (PC)

[Len]

I ordered from GAME a few weeks ago. But as you say, it's out of stock right now. Pick it up if you can though - The level of polish is very high.

Wait until you see how G-Man's real model looks uncannily like him in-game.

Gotta agree with everything you posted above and before. Fantastic coffee table book if you will. Loads and loads of interesting info, storyline, and amazing art. Pride of place for me.

Quality... 8)

[evilmatt]

I just finished and I thought the last couple of levels were great, definitely the best in the game. Good ending too, especially compared to HL1! And I liked how it wasn't too long, too many PC fps' seem to go on forever, but this is long enough to feel meaty but not so long that you don't want to plough back through it again. Hats off to Valve, the development may have been one cock-up after another but the results were well worth the wait

[ascender]

How good is the weapon you get after the sandtraps section? Hours of fun....

[Chadruharazzeb]

Also, the bloke on the train right at the start says "I didn't see you get on". Wonder if there's anything in that as well as the "slow teleporter"

Spotted G one more time as well. Woot!

[Freddo]

I thought

Gordon hasn't just been "missing" for the timespan between hlone and hltwo, but he has infact been suspended from space/time by the g-man as he says "your time has come" the doctor (or barny) says "gordon you havn't aged a day" , and "hey your suit still fits you like a glove"

[Chadruharazzeb]

Good point! It's especially apt as the very first thing the G man says is "Rise and shine Mr Freeman, not that I'm impying that you've been sleeping on the job" (or something)

Not sure if that is a spoiler as it's the first thing that happens, but I'll blob it out anyway.

[Zapp$ter]

In his speech in Nova Prospekt where Dr Breen is addressing the CP IIRC, he tells them that his sources lead him to believe that in the time between the BM incident to the present day, Gordon Freeman was in a state such that he could not procure additional covert skills or something similar.

Also if you think about it(expanding on what Freddo said), it is a bit strange that Barney and co. are expecting him. Since the only people that know he is still alive and missing are himself and the G-man. The others might have presumed him to be dead or something. This is what leads me to believe to a certain extent the theory that the rebels may have hired Gordon's services from the G-man. The only thing that works against this theory is, what could the rebels have possibly offered the G-man that Dr. Breen(if he did bid for Gordon's services) or other bidders couldn't offer him?

[Tom Salter]

http://bluesnews.com/

Go valve!

[Spatial]

I agree with Zapp$ter - the theory is similar to mine in that long rambling post a few pages back.

Before the game came out Gabe Newell went on the record as saying there are two factions in the game. He said "One faction is wrong. The other is spectacularly wrong." As yet no ones been able to figure out exactly what that means ( probably cos we're not privy to the full story yet ).

Taking into account the above theory though, it could be that Breen is wrong and the resistance is spectacularly wrong if they've made a pact with the Gman

Thats complete speculation mind

I've been thinking about expansion packs. The ones for Half Life, while you played different people, all followed the same idea as the original in that you were the character you were playing and never left the viewpoint of that person, or heared them speak.

This presents a bit of a problem if one of the expansion packs is to be based on Alyx (which is pretty much has to be IMO ) as the game couldn't really take place at the same time as HL2 - theres just too much dialog by Alyx when she appears. Also in the original expansions you never really came into direct contact with Freeman ( Blue Shift got you as close to him as you could ever hope )

It would have to take place before, and maybe after the ending of HL2 in order to work. Might be a good thing too as we get to find out what happens to Alyx at the end

[Kotatsu Neko]

I think there's a lot of story to tell in the events betwen HL1 and HL2. Explaining it all as the Seven Year War and leaving it at that isn't really enough. Even the events in the weeks/months before HL2, with Barney going undercover would be interesting.

[Len]

Also, the bloke on the train right at the start says "I didn't see you get on". Wonder if there's anything in that as well as the "slow teleporter"

Spotted G one more time as well. Woot!

This is sort of explained in the Raising The Bar book. Marc Laidlaw shows his notes for an alternate idea for the opening for HL2 which has Gordon out on a hill overlooking a green and pleasnat land with the g-man chatting to him, flashes to the future, everthing is knackered and grim. Then a train trundles up and Gordon and the g-man get on, everyone is suspended/frozen and then as the gman leaves time continues and one of the passengers on the train looks up and says 'You startled me...'. Train trundles on to the city...

Same thing just changed slightly. 8)

[Tom Salter]

I think there's a lot of story to tell in the events betwen HL1 and HL2. Explaining it all as the Seven Year War and leaving it at that isn't really enough. Even the events in the weeks/months before HL2, with Barney going undercover would be interesting.

Isn't it the Seven Hour War?

[Chadruharazzeb]

God knows! I've yet to find any mention of it yet.

The thing about the HEV suit, if Barney or Kleiner or whoever says "It still fits like a glove" (as I'm sure somone does), that implies that it's the same on Gordon wore in HL1 - if that's the case, where did they get it from? Freeman never took it off.

That's the problem with these hidden explanations, you have to be a little too pedantic sometimes.

[Tom Salter]

You found reference to the Seven Hour War the first time you meet Eli. It's on the newspapers on the wall. If you look closely, he comes and tells you more about it.

Guys, I've heard that the big fish from Half Life 1 is in the game, somewhere on the water boat section in a deep bit of water. I *need* to find him!! He was so scary in the original!

[Chadruharazzeb]

**** yeah, I was going to ask about that! I forgot about the big fish thing (Icthyosau or whatever it's called). It appears in the intro when the teleport is b0rking, but I never came across the wretched beast.