"An amazing game, if you play it for the plot, and not the gameplay."

With Half-Life 2: Episode One, Valve released the third game in the popular Half-Life series. As always, great things are expected from Valve, and this game didn't disappoint. There are some shortcomings that are easy to look past, but what it lacks in some areas, it definitely makes up for in others.

Graphics:
The game looks the same as HL2. The graphics haven't been improved much since then, and it's easy to tell. There were, however, some very nice looking effects in the opening cutscene, as well as in a few other parts throughout the game. Overall, while the game certainly looks nice, it can't really contend with some of the other games that have been released lately.

I have to say though, this game is for sure one of the most polished, cinematic games I've ever played. The scripted events are all pulled off in an astounding yet believable fashion, and the characters all interact with each other in ways that are realistic and don't seem mechanical in the least bit. I was VERY impressed with the scripted sequences.

Sound:
There's not much to say about the sound, except that the voice acting is phenomenal. This game has some of the best voice acting I've heard, easily comparing with the GTA and MGS games. Other than that, nothing is particularly impressive, although the same could be said about nearly all other games.

Gameplay:
This is where the game falls a bit short. While fighting alongside Alyx for most of the game is fun, a lot of the puzzles seem to be implemented simply to make the game seem longer than it actually is. There are a few parts that have you backtracking several times, and it gets a bit boring. Another thing I wasn't particularly pleased with was the lack of amazing firefights. In HL2, there were a few scenes that I could easily play 10 times in a row. In this game, I was never so amazed by any of the battles that I even thought about playing them again. The gameplay was rather disappointing to me, but I found a reason to keep playing, and it was the story.

Story:
The game's story is definitely where it shines. It seems like there was more story, dialog, and character interaction in this game than in both the other Half-Life games combined, and none of it feels rushed or done poorly. The plot caused my jaw to drop on more than one occasion, and I was so excited to see what was next that I was barely bothered by the mediocre gameplay. The story is the reason to play this game, especially if you're a fan of the series.

Overall, while the game did fall short in the gameplay department, the story, the cinematic sequences, and OMFG O_O factor of several parts of the game make it one of the best games of 2006 so far. If this game is a hint at the quality of games released episodically, I'm a believer now, for sure.

Final score: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/06