[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Okay, now we've had time to play through the game, what were your most and least enjoyable parts of HL2? Here are the ones that pop into my mind:

Best: Jumping the buggy through the plate glass window, water effects (airboat level) and helicopter backwash, leaping zombies in Ravenholm (including the tops of the drainpipes wobbling as they climb up towards you), the Gravity Gun, Dog's set pieces, taking down the striders with rocket launchers, chopping zombies in half with the gravitygun and sawblades, having your own army of Ant-Lions, squashing the soldiers using the containers on the end of the magnetic crane, grabbing enemy soldiers with the super gravity gun and shooting them across the room, finding that if you dodge the king Ant-Lion at the last minute, you can get him to knock down columns or run into walls stunning himself, the logic and unabigquity of the physics based puzzles, ant-lion behaviour around the thumpers, climbing around under the train bridge, crossing the train bridge to afterwards and having to reverse all the way back, expressive NPC faces, voice acting, graphic style, level design, general story-telling direction.

Worst: motion sickness, the "tune in next week" ending (which is a valid device, but somewhat unsatisfying), SecureROM CD checks even though validating through Steam, stuttering (although I was only minimally affected), the Scooby gang chasing you around ("Follow Freeman!"), generally getting in the way and not staying where you tell them to go. Complete scripting of events (never any variation).

[RussSchultz]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.

Best: Jumping the buggy through the plate glass window

Heh. Something went wrong for me and I ended up breaking the window, but straddling the window sill. As I was driving up to it I was thinking "this'll be a GREAT cinematic moment". Moments later, I'm thinking well, that didn't turn out as well as I could hope.

chopping zombies in half with the gravitygun and sawblades,

Definately fun.

having your own army of Ant-Lions

Probably the neatest part of the game for me, so far.

crossing the train bridge to afterwards and having to reverse all the way back

If you turbo all the way, you can make it in one shot.

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Originally Posted by RussSchultz

Doh! I should have thought of that.

There was also one section in the buggy level where I went screaming though a roadblock, and then destroyed the next roadblock. I was a bit low on health, and looked back down the road to see soldiers running out of the houses beside the first road block, so I turned around, drove back, killed the soldiers, and investigated the house. After finding some health, more soldiers turned up to invade the house (just as I had a few minutes before) and I then had to fight my way back out to my buggy.

It's amazing that they put in these little side-sections in that you can spend another 20 minutes playing/investigating, or you could just zoom straight past and miss them alltogether.

[Dave Baumann]

My worst bit so far is the f*cking heat seeking missiles: why can't they just hit the damned helicopter instead of getting close to it, circling around it three times, flying a few miles away only to be shot down when it comes back and gets close again (and usually with Gordon getting caught in the crossfire!). Gah! (I might have been missing something with them).

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Originally Posted by DaveBaumann

My worst bit so far is the f*cking heat seeking missiles: why can't they just hit the damned helicopter instead of getting close to it, circling around it three times, flying a few miles away only to be shot down when it comes back and gets close again (and usually with Gordon getting caught in the crossfire!). Gah! (I might have been missing something with them).

You're letting the missile get too close before locking on, so the helicopter is inside it's turning circle. Shoot the missile away at an angle to the target, and then paint the target to make the missile turn and move straight in from the sides of the target. Make the missile fly a big "V" shape where it makes it's turn at the bottom of the "V" and you and the target are at the two tops of the "V". Then the missile will come straight in from the side, instead of getting to the side and then trying to make a tight turn.

[demalion]

You can fire the "dot seekers" in one direction, then sweep them away from where the chopper's gun turret is firing to the opposite side of the chopper, then put the dot on the chopper for it to home in.

I found it effective to look to the chopper, then look to your left or right about 90 degrees and fire, then loop the dot in a circle above or below the chopper, then to a side where the gun turret wasn't facing (the chopper usually starts to turn to try and shoot down the missile and stops firing at you at this moment), then, finally, into the chopper itself. The path this causes in 3 dimensions is a good way to get good dodging motion from the missile initially (moving at full speed perpendicular to the chopper's ability to shoot it down) while drawing the chopper fire away from you. You need broad high speed movements because the chopper aims its gun very quickly in the arc it can cover, but the chopper takes long to turn.

...

My least favorite was trying to get the squad across the "L" shaped stretch with striders that was between two underground garages...more commands were needed, like "run without stopping", as it made a situation where the only behavior you could get out of the squad and the single command available rather "stupid".
I was also puzzled as to how the buggy seemed to have headlights but I couldn't turn them on...made some sections of tunnels needlessly frustrating. Maybe I just missed something.

There were a lot of spots I enjoyed, including some BZB mentioned (that pipe rattling was a very nice touch), as well as getting the two man squad up through the sniper streets and fighting your way up to reach Barney on the roof top.
I also really admire the craft in the way the initial game is set up to establish feelings and connections to the other characters and the environment, and the role the emotional interplay of the NPCs plays in that. The playing catch with Dog after the "family" tensions just before struck me as a high point, especially in the way the moment ended.

[digitalwanderer]

I hate to say it, but my fave part so far is going thru a second time but starting the game right off the bat with the blue gravity-gun. 8)

Totally sick, but totally fun.

[[maven]]

The citadel was just awesome in its art direction and geometry. And those tubes that slowed time / physics down were great fun for throwing bodies inside.

[Sxotty]

I hate to say but I really disliked the citadel, it was stuningly boring to me, I will give a better summation of my experiences later.

BTW what plate glass window? Was that in the tunnel with zombies? I just went thru cars...

[Guden Oden]

Digi, how did you get the blue GG at the start of the game, what's the cheat command? :P

The citadel WAS a bit silly IMO, I expected to have more weapons n shit at that point than a blue GG... That badass sniper rifle for example that the badguys use on me as I exit from the train bridge level for example, why didn't I get that?

I hated that it's STILL not possible to kill snipers with anything except explosives, that is so fucking unrealistic! That was in the original game too, actually there was NOTHING there behind that camouflage netting in the original game... :P

[digitalwanderer]

Originally Posted by Guden Oden

Digi, how did you get the blue GG at the start of the game, what's the cheat command? :P

Wait until you hit a load point, and then go to console and make a note of what map level you just loaded and then type:

sv_cheats 1

changelevel d3_citadel_04

give weapon_physcannon

changelevel <the map name you made that note about>

Also gotta recomend binding the following:

bind v "host_timescale 1"
bind c "host_timescale .3"
bind t "sv_cheats 1"

"V" and "C" will become normal/bullet-time switches and the "T" bind will help you from having to type it in each time you play to get the timescale cheats to work.

Be careful with the blue physcannon on the earlier levels, you can get yourself into some crashes/troubles with it. (And whatever you do, do NOT pick up your buggy with it! :? )

[Dio]

Favourite: the sheer joy that they realised "Yes! A gravity gun should be able to throw a soldier back at his mates and flatten them all!" But of course, I'm a Jedi Knight freak, so I would say that.

I thought the ending (as a concept) was brilliant, but felt I deserved a bit 'more'.

Worst: I'd say the repetition of the striders and choppers myself. I found it tedious after the first couple of times, and it's one of the very few gameplay devices that is repeated throughout the game.

But that's a minor quibble. It's a fantastic game.

[digitalwanderer]

Originally Posted by Dio

I thought the ending (as a concept) was brilliant, but felt I deserved a bit 'more'.

I loved the ending, it actually caught me by surprise and I sort of liked that...and I think it's a set-up for a quick turn-around with either HL3 or else a lot of episodic levels released exclusively thru Steam as a sort of "fuck you!" to Vivendi.

Think about it, they could pretty easily make a HL3 using the Source engine as-is and still milk it for a bundle.

[Druga Runda]

well I am not even half-way trough half-life but, well a salto when jumping trough the dam with the boat was fun. I didn't expect that ... was that scripted or?

other than that - so far... ummm... boat level is nice, and before that, well it looks good nothing exceptional that straight springs into my mind.

[Sxotty]

Originally Posted by Guden Oden

D That badass sniper rifle for example that the badguys use on me as I exit from the train bridge level for example, why didn't I get that?

I hated that it's STILL not possible to kill snipers with anything except explosives, that is so fucking unrealistic! That was in the original game too, actually there was NOTHING there behind that camouflage netting in the original game... :P

Me too, I wanted one of those rifles, and figured I would get one... I think that they are just the same as the crossbow though probably, if you notice the projectile took time to arrive. And I sat with my magnum wondering why could not shoot the dumb snipers. I threw a barrel into the windo with the first sniper on the bridge and it didn't do anything to block his aim...

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Originally Posted by Sxotty

BTW what plate glass window? Was that in the tunnel with zombies? I just went thru cars...

It's just after you use the magnetic crane to lift the buggy across the dock. You go through the warehouse, around the corner and there is a building open at one end with a ramp and window at the other end.

[swaaye]

Citadel was just a cool, eerie environment with lots of "what the hell was that" moments. It had a high shock and intrigue value. I REALLY liked it. Valve's art dept kicks ass. This art direction in this game is the new role model.

Invincible snipers was stupid. I spent like a half hour trying to get the stupid AI tards to run and survive before I just gave up on them. Hell, I was taking hits just to keep the AI from getting killed!!

BTW, is that crossbow the "fuel rod gun"? The glowing red ammo bolts look like fuel rods...

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

I liked Citadel - very "X-Files" and creepy, but they still piled loads of soldiers into you. I'm not sure if it was a good note to end the game on though. Maybe they should have put in a level where you go and fight the aliens in their own dimension? Maybe call it Xen or something

You can also take out the snipers with the RPG launcher.

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Oh, I hated the fact that you couldn't shoot while zoomed in - or was that just me?

[Guden Oden]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.

It's just after you use the magnetic crane to lift the buggy across the dock. You go through the warehouse, around the corner and there is a building open at one end with a ramp and window at the other end.

I tried to do that, but the dam buggy always got caught on the start of the ramp (!) and turned over! :P

[digitalwanderer]

Originally Posted by Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.

Oh, I hated the fact that you couldn't shoot while zoomed in - or was that just me?

Nope, happened and annoyed me too.

[Sxotty]

Oh yeah I guess it (plate glass) wasn't that great of a moment for me since I forgot it :P

Though one of the highlights was on the bridge right after it that BZB described, I actually jumped when I saw the train coming, but I had it at max turbo already and barely managed to turn and dodge it w/o splattering into the oncoming or parked train. That was probably my favorite point in the whole game... sad I guess I shouldn't play FPS's anymore, but I get bored by driving games...very confusing, I guess it is only fun to drive in FPS games...

To save the ai folks in sniper level you just tell them to stand still and run up to snipers and lob a nade into the windows. It really was not very difficult at all.

Hated
I hated that you could only have 4 ai people with you. I realize why, but it was silly if you kept them alive as I did.

I hated how the AI rockets did not hurt the striders after you went to the next section. As I said earlier I kept a full squad of medixs with launchers alive and with me by sending them out of the long tunnel in advance so they did not all get squashed, then in the abandoned building they shot the strider about 30 times with rockets while I hid behind a chunk of wall, the strider shot at me the entire time and never got injured by the barage of their rockets...

I have played many games in the past that seemed like the citadel, therefore to me it seemed stagnant uninspired and so forth. That however is just an artistic complaint and not a really annoying gripe.

The completely linear gameplay, this game felt as directed and scripted as D3, I wish on certain levels such as that with the many striders and the horse statue you could do something different and that enemies would exist before their script triggered them to spawn.

BTW on the subject of shooting while zoomed in, this is why binoculaurs are a good thing it gives an excuse for not being able to shoot except with sniper rifles.

[Miksu]

Originally Posted by swaaye

This art direction in this game is the new role model.

My feelings exactly.

Invincible snipers was stupid. I spent like a half hour trying to get the stupid AI tards to run and survive before I just gave up on them. Hell, I was taking hits just to keep the AI from getting killed!!

Cooles part in the snipers was when I realized that they shot everything that moved. They would shot a box if I threw one. Or the signs in the houses if they were moving.

There were many really good moments but easily the best part was controlling the ants. I liked that a good deal more than controlling the squad in the end.

Worst part is also easy to name: Ravenholm or whatever that zombie-place was. It felt something like from a normal FPS. Though splitting the zombies was fun

[Cartoon Corpse]

best: flinging everything into the sea, building stuff to climb on (for backtracking or exlploring hard to get to places), sending your squad to the bathroom to get them out of the way.


worst: leaping zombies (who knew dead flesh could contain such super qualities)...

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

Pulling in the mancutters with the gravity-gun and blasting them against the wall was good fun.