"A good start for episodic gaming with some minor flaws."

(Note: Grading in the following review is not based off any school system, so a '8/10' isn't like a C.)

Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is the first new game in Half-Life 2's episodic set. Valve hoped they could change the market with episodic gaming. Episodes are supposed to cost only $20 USD, but last a short amount of play hours. They are also supposed to be released in shorter increments than a game and its sequel. Also, as GPUs grow more powerful, graphical upgrades may be applied in new Episodes. In this case, Valve took the Source engine for Half-Life 2 and added HDR and other things. In fact, in Episode 2 the Source engine will be upgraded again to render plants better. Now, the review.

Graphics: Very nice to look at. New render technologies have begun to blur the line between "obviously made of polygons" and "photorealism." One of the new things in the Source engine is HDR: which is a bit like taking a photo and exposing it from what I understand.

Sound: If you have a sound card and some nice headphones sounds are amazing. Be sure to listen for Doppler effects! Voice acting sounds great and there's a few funnies in their too.

Gameplay: Fun and fast paced, but this is the category that earned it the 7. Things can get kind of repetitive (such as stopping Antlion burrows) or moving citizens. Although things certainly get challenging (something I enjoy) things that get stupid fast annoy me. The game is, of course, short because of its price. It's about five hours for me.

Extra content: If you're a person that enjoys finding out what devs think (i.e. commentary nerd) like me, you'll enjoy the commentary. Half-Life 2 Deathmatch is also a blast if you enjoy some awesome, crazy, kill-everyone fun (tip: Use the gravity gun 60% of the time). Give Half-Life Deathmatch: Source a miss though unless you want some nostalgia. (Or want to spam Snarks)

To overview: Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is a fun game that can get repetitive and is very short. It's cheap and comes with some fun multiplayer you may have already have (It's already free with Half-Life 2). It's quite nice to look at and listen to. There's also the minor things of physics: most of the world can be manipulated.
Overall, if you're having trouble deciding whether or not to buy it: don't if this is going to be your first Half-Life game or you're some sort of crazy person who thinks Half-Life sucks and always will. If you enjoy the Half-Life series and are looking for the expanded storyline buy it. I'm not regretting it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/06