Author: Gabriel Vega
Editor: Howard Ha
Publish Date: Monday, June 12th, 2006
Originally Published on Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com)
Article Link: http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Games/Reviews/hl2eps1_r/
Copyright Neo Era Media, Inc. - please do not redistribute or use for commercial purposes.
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the latest in Steam releases taking on the Episodic content system, while many may be a bit sketchy due to the freshness of this content delivery, it should be a given that if it's a series and part of the HL2 universe, you're going to need to play it to understand how things are developing.
Episode One drops players back into the Citadel area and gives them some company with the return of an even more prominent Alyx. While details of the espcae from the Citadel are not exactly clear the game leaves players with little time to really ponder that tidbit as the Citadel rocks the Earth as it comes back to life for a final hurrah. From here players have to scramble to get out of City 17 by any means necessary.
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The game itself brings some updates, obviously running on the updated HDR enabled Source engine is the first. Players get a taste of what an even more detailed HL2 universe can come out as. For those that haven't experienced Half-Life 2 before, the game also brings in Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Half-Life: Deathmatch Source to the table for a bit of bonus to the experience.
With that said lets get going into the world of Episode One.
Fans of Half-Life 2 will be right at home stepping into the world of Episode One, well almost, the one key item that will evade gamers for a while is that of the crowbar. Luckily they make up for it by giving you a taste of the gravity gun from the start and even the super-charged version of the gravity gun which is just great fun. The game this time around picks up a bit of a faster pace with the whole Citadel about to explode thing going on at the same time as you try to figure out where you're going.
Something to remember though about Half-Life 2 is the AI system, even if you are running with Alyx in all of this, the game is quite aware that if one of you dies it can send you right back to the last checkpoint, as such the game forces players to find a balance when playing so that players are playing offense, defense and the protective roll at the same time. Unfortunately I decided to run ahead and let Alyx sort it out on a few occassions and remembered the hard way that the other NPC's have health bars of their own. As gamers crank up the difficulty it should be a given that added attention to make sure Alyx lives will be a standard habit.
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The addition of Combie brings in some fun times as well, who would have thought that head crabs would turn on the Combine Forces? Players should beware of these things as they are very strong yet suicidal about their attacks, if you see them pulling the pin on the grenade it's a safe bet that clearing the area is the best route to prevent being nuked. Overall the AI steps things up with more reserved fighting and more accurate hits at points when it comes to sharpshooting.
The visuals in Episode One take a bit of a jump up thanks to improvements in Source over the past years. HDR and other tweaks compliment the initial chapter of this trilogy. As gamers take a stroll through the introduction area the game demonstrates the advanced models, expressions and body animations. A key sequence is the re-encounter with Alyx's pet D.O.G. and the multiple variations in the body as it reacts to the feedback from Alyx. While the model was pretty fluid the last time around it gets a step up for the latest version of the game. In terms of level design the game makes use of destructable floors and other areas to create some really devestated areas to play through, instead of establishing a recycled environment things progress along quite well with pleanty of outdoor and indoor scenarios.
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The audio gets some new tweaks in Episode One, a new focus comes in on the ambience effect helping to develop full environments be it a simple room or the depths of the Citadel with the building ready to collapse. The addition of new music also helps develop added drama to the scenes with new intensity that generally wasn't as present before. Also the upgrade in the amount of commentary while playing was a welcome update as well, when cutting through and failing to go the proper route Alyx adds insult to injury by making cracks about getting lost and arriving so soon. While commentary can sometimes get in the way, the presentation isn't one where it forces players to follow a scripted sequence to be able to progress, players can easily run off mid-way through the speech and get on with exploration.
As a second entry into the Episodic style of gaming I'd have to say in terms of a full plate delivery Half-Life 2: Episode 1 does a one up on SiN by introducing larger environments and overall just a lot more variety into the mix as really the Half-Life universe seems to do in every release. The AI is refined and gives a pretty good challenge from start to finish, the environments are large and provide a good deal of fun to be had from them. For those new to the game they can also enjoy the benefits of HL2: DM and HL: DM Source as well.
For those new to the Half-Life universe I would advise taking a stroll through the original or at least Half-Life 2 before jumping into Episode One, for the average unknowing gamer the story might seem a bit off or full of holes but this is more attributed to the lack of experience that is given from playing through the original Half-Life 2. With that said Half-Life 2: Episode One has certainly given us a small glimpse into the epic battle that is on the verge of hitting gamers and for those looking to enter the HL2 universe this will be a must have item especially as cheap as it is going for online and in many retail stores right now.
We would like to thank the guys at Valve for giving us a chance to check out their latest work and look forward to Episode Two this Winter.
Overall:
8.8 / 10
Please do not redistribute or use this article in whole, or in part, for commercial purposes.