Half Life 2 is a game people are STILL talking about. What made it so special? Why are people begging for a Half Life 3? Let's talk. Subscribe for more: / gameranxtv
When this game first came out, not only was I blown away at how much of a jump in realism it was, but also how low the system requirements were and the smooth frame rate.
Yeah, it ran really well on average PCs of its age for such a good looking game, the only issue with HL2 was the loading times. The opposite of HL2 was Crysis, one the most resource hungry games ever, still a very good game, later when we finally got better PCs that were able to run Crysis.
It plays on my laptop lol that thing has trouble playing games with 1/4 of the graphic capacity on low and HL2 runs at high on almost everything with impecable frames
could that be about game engine? I don't know, Source engine really gives you the sense of freedom in the movement, console etc. Maybe that's why the opmitization is so good. Then again, it might not and i might be talking nonsense.
@@nawlsone586 thank you i just purchased them now haha so i will be playing them both very very soon haha i am SO pumped although i am pretty spoiled by modern graphics haha so idk how i will go with the first game but I will be giving it one hell of a go through haha
@@bluehornet197 if you were to be underwhelmed, consider how much time has passed. HL was like the first game to have serious ai. (When the Marines jump in and start outsmarting you, that was the most mind blowing experience at the time, almost a shock haha)..
@@bluehornet197 PS3 And Xbox 360 caught and again In 2006 Crysis was revealed and launched in 2007. The game that defeated Crysis was Warhead and then in 2009 Shattered Horizon. 2010 Metro 2033. 2011 Crysis 2. 2012 Far Cry 3. 2013 Crysis 3. So in the 7th generation in every year PC had the best graphics.
Physics still hold up today. They had weight and didn't feel floaty. If something was meant to be heavy it felt like it when it was tossed around or moved.
For me the fact these guys made a game of the year game and basically told all the fans to go f%$k themselves by leaving a cliff hanger and never making an ending has made me relegate this game to the I'll never touch it again pile. At this point I wouldn't even steal part 3 let alone buy or borrow it.
I Have one, Half life is one of the most creative game i ever played in my life, the story, Characters, music, everything about Half life is a masterpiece and i still have my Copy of the Half life games, to this day i still think Half life Graphics holds up pretty well and the gameplay never gets old, Every Christmas to New Years i play all Half life games, it became my tradition because i love this game so much
I wish I could forget the entire Half Life series, just so I could play it again, and experience it again. The experience of playing Half-Life was so different and so alien and so amazing, that no other game that I've played since has came near it.
yeah, I wish I never looked stuff of it up, cause lil me back then, never had money to buy that, so I was watching gmod videos and going like "tf is that turkey? Holy shit is that a flying whale aircraft thingy? Holy mother of jesus, those soldiers look cool!"
I finally got to experience the feeling the new half life again this year and my god after over 15 years it was not only worth the wait but overcame all possible expectations. If you haven't played Half Life Alyx yet and you can afford a quest 2 for 300 and your PC is up to the task do yourself a favor and play this game. The weight I've felt since Episode 2's ending has finally lifted.
Im sure you have, but after I play, or “complete” a game, I jack up the difficulty and keep my weapons to a minimum, almost creating a different game…almost, not quite. The AI for the time seemed to allow limitless scenarios! 🤷🏻♂️
Who else could hear the start dialog in your head. “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So, wake up, Mister Freeman. Wake up and... smell the ashes...”
Rickydo Totally this. People don’t realize it, but back then there were tons of invisible walls that blocked where your character could go, lots of objects that you couldn’t move, or break, or interact with. Even voice-acting in games back then was a treat. Half-Life changed all of that.
The crazy way they delivered it was also amazing at the time. When I downloaded HL2 from steam it was quite the difference to running a CD and being able to play it the day of release without having to go to the store was crazy.
I feel like the best level in Half Life 2, is the citadel. Specifically Our Benefactors. During this chapter you ride inside a pod where you can admire the citadel. You can see gunships being fixed, soldiers frantically trying to deploy, striders exiting to deploy to the city, and the ambience just embraces the alien of it all. It was just so astounding for me when I first experienced it.
Bethesda: You keep buying our games, we're going to keep shoveling shit graphics with our same obsolete, dilapidated engine at you, until you force us to take pride in our graphics and animations. But until that day comes, eat 💩.
@Josh Wallace That''s precisely it isn't it? Beth have grown very satisfied with themselves over their decades of success, by the time they released FO4, they could just barely even bother caring about RPGs anymore. Fo4 was so dumbed down, lazy, and generic, compared to their past work of the last decade. You'd not even recognize it was from the same creative team of Morrowind and FO3. If not for half balked animations, mannequin NPCs, and landscape seams everywhere from a procedural generated computer, that no human ever bothered to come in and fix. Bethesda Softworks is a prime example of a company that gets so fat and lazy with success, becomes blind to criticism, and too satisfied living off past success, with no competition to push them. But I do think they're paying attention to CDPR, if those devs from Poland can't motivate them, then Bethesda is truly creatively and likely morally bankrupt as a RPG developer.
Half-Life 2 is the best game ever made... and for anyone who havent played it yet. its litteraly 0.99 USD on Steam right now. so pick it up.. also portal 1 and portal 2 and episode 1 and episode 2. all below 1 dollar
First level that comes to mind is Ravenholm. There are so many great levels but Ravenholm was truly the first time I ever got to experience horror in a video game. The tone and dark aesthetic behind it was so incredibly genius. It might actually be one of the most interesting, terrifying and atmospheric levels in a game period. It's so iconic within the HL lore and is definitely a highlight of the game and franchise overall.
Then the title appears ''We don't go to Ravenholm'' then you make 3 steps and there's a sign on the ground that reads ''Ravenholm'' and you're like ''Aw crap.''
Half Life 2 absolutely holds up, even in 2022. It feels like you were dropped into a story happening around you, and you just turn out to be central to it.
My favorite part was at the end when you get the modified gravity gun. It could pick up basically anything and throwing combine soldiers around like rag dolls was just amazing fun to me.
I finally got around to playing this, and it has outdone nearly every game I've played. Such a pity they never finished the series... Prime example of a TRUE game.
rodrrico half life 2 is a series of boring physics ‘puzzles’ and average shooting. The canal level is atrocious and overlong. The journey with the buggy and antlions is straight up frustrating. The last level in the tower is an absolute shit show of level design. The flying enemies 🤦🏻♂️. I don’t remember anyone taking about anything other than how impressive the tech was, which I agree with, which is why Gary’s mod is the real MVP here. I don’t think HL2 is average. I think it’s terrible and a great candidate for the most New Kings Clothes of gaming. People who honestly hold HL2 in high regard as a game are sycophants without the perspective or experience of other art an media to discern how completely average it is as a whole.
@@fioredeutchmark I don't even think your own mother could take this seriously. Or you are just taking thr long way of saying, you don't enjoy video games because they cause brain damage..
@@Yggdrasil42 i've played the game back when i was 16 yrs old and i had a blast it was perfect, now these days kids dont know what a good game is, they only know fortnite and graphics lol
Ravernholm level was always the creepies and most scary level I played, and I played a lot of horror games, but that level really brings the horror out..
Best part of HL2 for me is honestly everything through the boat chase. I just remember finishing that part and being like, “holy shit. I have literally been in a two hour chase sequence and it is exhilarating.” Getting the super gravity gun is also just plain fun.
@@minners71 Not true. having sunk hundreds of hours into Half life 2, I can tell you as a fan that it has the best level design out of any first person shooter I've seen, Graphics that still kinda hold up, An absolute blast in every stage. Ravenholm has an amazing horror atmosphere, the lighthouse level is definitely cool, the characters feel real, the physics-based puzzles are fun as all hell, and many other things that make half life 2 revolutionary and fun as fuck
Its gmod zombie panic tf2 every source game basically thats half life 2 and still half life 2 people still play the various mods for half life 2 coop zombies etc its a legendary game great memories have been made and are being made with this classic
i think they got a caught up with all their other projects and HL3 kept getting pushed back again and again and it happened so much that the generation it was made for became the old generation and the new generation had and still dont really have a clue what half life is or how revolutionary it was.
It was a privilege to have been of a certain age when the world was experiencing that game for the first time. Kinda like when Van Halen's 5150 came out when I was 12 years old, it changed me forever.
The road-trip to White Forest, in Episode 2, is my favourite part of the game. It's this lonely ride through the war-torn countryside that has so much atmosphere to it, and unlike the hovercraft ride in the main game, isn't a chore to travel.
The best area was the zombie infested resistance outpost after you exit the antlion cave in episode 2. Everything is just so interconnected, that whole area is a single map.
I loved that cave where you have to set up those tri-pod turrets. at each mouth of the tunnels, and when one gets run over, you'd have to rush over to frantically set it up before more come. That game was filled with so many great little moments, besides just the obligatory boss battles standard games only bother with, sandwiched between generic filler. HL2 Ep1 Ep2, had zero filler. Adrenaline rush, and clever set ups, from moment to moment.
haha yup i remember pulling all nighters just checking out the realtime physics....wait you can pin characters to walls with the crossbow bolt AND theye still physicall simulate??? incredible. Garrys mod was a dream come true when it came out after I was a part of the source weapon creation modding community for a handful of years CS 1.6/CZ days
Many of us saw some of that already in the first Far Cry. They just made sure to demonstrate the physics engine in HL2 a lot more, almost as a demonstration.
@@FrederickdA And of course on the hype that it was a new Half Life. I also think the leaked beta helped to sell it, it created quite a bit of downloads as people wanted to try it based on the demos they had seen and seen it happen in their own systems. Personally I had fun with it, but I never felt like I played a real classic.
Ugh. I hate cliffhangers like that, but I loved HL1. Yes, that was a cliffhanger as well, but in light of what the franchise turned into, I'd rather imagine my own further adventures for Doctor Freeman from HL2 onwards, than use the actual material.
It's probably a tie between Nova Prospekt, and Ravenholm for my favorite levels. If I had to choose one to be a second, it would definitely be Route Kanal/Water Hazard.
My favourite is definitely Route Kanal/Water Hazard, because you really get a sense of desolation and desperation from it. Highway 17 had some of that but it was a bit on the too-bare side and is an area I think could do with a mild overhaul. The bridge was fantastic though.
@@InnuendoXP canal and water hazard i think are the most beautiful chapters because the water graphics, i remember when a play them for the first time i got really stunned for that reflections and water physics.
The only thing that legitimately bugged me in the slightest amount was the whole "Hey, it's me, from Black Mesa!" that came from a lot of the characters... Which is it. The rest of the game to me was flawless.
I remember learning about game mechanics and what makes a good game, flow state and all that stuff in school (learned game design). I never played Half-Life 2 before, so a good friend invited me (we lived in the same appartment block) to come over that day, get high as a kite and play HL2. I'm usually a bit unmotivated when it comes to playing "older" games, but holy shit. I sat there and played, while we were smoking weed and my buddy just watched me being completely blown away by this game with a big smile on his face. I think we played until Ravenholm that day and it was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. The game had it all, all the stuff we talked about in class, how it changes from relaxing areas to stressful ones to keep me in my flow, the world building, the characters, everything. I played this game for the first time in my life that day and until now, if someone asked me what the perfect game is, I'd say Half-Life 2.
@Souper Effective You sure about that? Because you didn't like it, doesn't mean no one did. Sure, it was different compared to Doom 1 and 2. But it wasn't a bad game at all. And sure, not everyone liked it. But not everyone dislikes it either.
I mean, Dishonored is a good example of a more modern game that's stylisticly similar to Half-Life 2, but both projects had Victor Antonov as principal "art director", so it's a bit cheating :D
Best levels for me: that part with the wrecked bridge where you have to get to the other side and back again while a gunship is shooting at you. And the second one, "Our benefactors" chapter where, after you spent the whole game in ruined, filthy areas, you get to that place that seems ordered and immaculate.
God I loved this game so much it’s a masterpiece of storytelling, I’m still salty with Valve for not completing this amazing series.. Going to replay this soon.
I was 7 years old I think, when I first played Half life 2 on my cousin's pc. I didn't understand English. I didn't know who I am, what am I doing, why am I doing. Burnt corpses and zombies everywhere. It was fricking scrary at the time(I was only 7! The only fps game I played before was the first call of duty and I found some sections scary in that game too for some reason...) The only thing that was familiar is the city. I'm from Eastern Europe and the cities look like City17. It made it even more scary because it could have been my city. City 17 seemed to be huge. Of coure it's just an illusion, but I was young and didn't know the tricks developers use. I thaught the combine soliders were aliens. I didn't understand why they murder the people. 5 years passed and I bought a gaming magazin and the gift was half life 2 episode1 and 2. These games were the first on my steam account. I couldn't buy half life 2 because we didn't have credit card, and I couldn't buy on steam. I later bought it on a sale for 2 euros. The Half life series is probably my favourite one(but I love fallout too) If you made it this far: Thank you! And sorry for grammar mistakes.
A Valaki - great story dude. I remember staring at the reflections of the surface of the water for over an hour before starting the mission in the demo. Just beautiful!
Everyone complaining about the title typo and I'm just here at 2:47 scratching my head at them calling the headcrabs, "face-huggers" like this is Alien Isolation or something
Ravenholm. Terrified the hell out of me the first time I played it but it became my favourite level just based on the atmosphere. Hell even the music that plays when you start the chapter and the name of the chapter "we don't go to Ravenholm" is amazing.
Playing this as a kid it had a really ominous atmosphere. One that I can vividly remember to this day. Nothing I have played since had quite the same vibe.
late to the party but I have the strongest memories of both ravenholm but also the initial escape from city17 where you walk through the canals and underground. lots of nostalgia
The level design and smooth gameplay was great. However, the sparse story telling caused some character development issues. (Spoiler) For example, Judith's betrayal completely falls flat. A double cross like that is generally done to create some sort of emotion in the audience. For that to happen, there needs to be development around the character to make the betrayal feel despicable. In the case of Judith there is no development prior to that point other than a 10 second conversation in Black Mesa East. So, she is basically a stranger who has given you no reason to put your trust in her. As a result, when she betrays you it comes off as meh because why should you feel a sense of disloyalty from a person you have no reason to trust. I do get its legendary reputation for the physics and its level design and such, but its not perfect. At least for me.
Portal was always so much more light-hearted. It was apparently the same universe, but it doesn't feel that way. I don't put totalitarian Eastern European empires alongside companies bankrupting themselves by buying moon dust paint. It feels neat, but it seems like it would be difficult to really put them together in a satisfying way.
@@joshuadungan9577 The world in Portal is as dark as the HL2 one, you can feel it in the general sense of decadence of the facilities. The only reason why it seems more light hearted is because of Cave Johnson. He was Aperture Science's founder, and basically a mad scientist that put pieces of his personality in all of his creations.
Been wondering if Valve would ever release half life 2 episode 3 and have been for as long as i can remember but iv'e kinda lost hope but I don't hesitate to play the game now and then for nostalgic feels
