"The modern epic continues with Episode One!"

It was little surprise that Half Life 2 did as well as it did. Not only did it build upon the massive hype, but also the reputation as the sequel to one of the best FPS games ever. Such things sell, and so did Half Life 2. However, as good things always do, it ended and with a cliffhanger that was hard to accept. Luckily, Valve decided that the story wasn't quite over yet, and they started on the episodes. Three episodes are planned so far that takes place after the events in HL2, and this is the review of the first one.

Plot
This part contains spoilers, so you might want to skip it if you don't want to be spoiled.

After the dramatic ending in HL2, Episode One picks up immediately and explains what happens during the explosion. Slightly cheezy due to it's Deus Ex Machina solution, but it allows for the characters to survive. You'll find yourself safe and sound(Well, almost), in the ruins near the Citadel, with Alyx and Dog nearby. After some scenes it's clear that the Citadel is going to explode, taking the city with it, and that Gordon and Alyx have to get out of there as soon as possible. The only way they can do it however, is infiltrating the Citadel once more to temporarily delay the explosion giving them more time. And so it begins...

Gameplay
Chances are, if you're reading this, you already know what to expect of Episode One. It's essentially a few more chapters of Half Life 2, and you're yet again in the control of world famous, earth savior Gordon Freeman. It's clear that they was more experienced using the engine in Episode One, as it's put to good use during Episode One. Even the beginning, shows great moments where you among things are tossed over a great distance in a hilarious scene, all ingame.

One of the major additions to Episode One, is that Alyx is with you almost all the time. This could have been bad, as bad A.I tends to destroy such gameplay, but in Episode One this works great. Alyx shows a generally good A.I, is rarely in the way(and when she is, she'll back off) apart from one time, when she managed to knock me off a ledge. However, one bad instance just doesn't detract from the overall good A.I and there's very little to complain about. In certain areas, you'll be her eyes and use your flashlight to light up enemies as she takes them down. These parts are very tense and as your flashlight is running out of battery while the enemies are massing, it's easy to feel the sweat running. Yet, it avoid being frustrating, and most parts can be done without much trouble but still with a decent and rewarding challenge.

The gameplay is quite finetuned here, to a better point than HL2 which could at times be a bit frustrating, a bit too tedious or a bit too slow. In Episode One, everything is better laid out and evenly spaced so that you get some much needed breaks at times which avoids being boring due to a nice progression of plot and events.

In terms of locations, weapons and enemies, there aren't much changes. You'll meet a new enemy during the game, which Alyx jokingly labels as a Zombine. Half Life 2 veterans should be able to figure out that one right away, but for the rest, it's basically a Combine Soldier who has become a Zombie. With a grenade in his hand. In other words, a quite formidable enemy which takes alot of damage to take down and does alot of damage back.

Since you will be running around the vicinity of the Citadel, the locations doesn't change much either, although the game does it's best to show different areas of the city that you haven't been too, including the lower parts of the citadel, a hospital, sewers and another trainstation. The levels combine both gravity and physic based puzzles with some nice, tense moments, in one location you are overrun by Antlions are you attempt to escape a carpark, while blocking their entrancepoints. Moments like that are very intense and gives Episode One plenty of memorable moments, despite it's short length. None of the levels include the vehicle driving from Half Life 2, and most of the levels do take place in tighter, indoor locations.

There's no new weapons, although you do all your old weapons back. The only exception is that you're no friend of the Antlions anymore, so you don't get back the weapon to control them. Shame really, as it was one of the best weapons in the original game, at least for entertainment and how fun it was to use.

Yes, Episode One is short. But it's very cheap, and the amount of gameplay you get out of the approximately 5-6 hours is amazing and easily worth the money. I bought the game directly through Steam for 19.99$, the download time was done in a few hours and the game was ready to play. It didn't crash or hang at any time, and there were no bugs or problems.

No new multiplayer modes was added, but that was expected as Episode One is focused on continuing the story from where Half Life 2 left off. One of the only complaints I would like to raise is that just like Half Life 2, Episode One adds in a cliffhanger, and gives you very little feeling of satisfaction when it's over. While it does make you thirst for Episode Two even more, it's easy to feel a little sore of not getting any sort of resolution at the end of Episode One when Episode Two is so far away. Still, at least the game is clever enough to add a trailer for Episode Two to wet your appetite, although it leaves you with even more questions than answers.

Graphics
The Source engine is still a sight to see, and it's put to the test here as new ways to use it is introduced. Light and Darkness is handled well in the level where you guide Alyx with your Flashlight. Facial animations and textures are improved and especially Alyx looks even more alive than before. The end result is that the game looks about just as stunning as it did back in 2004, and still competes with the current games out there and in development in terms of graphics and physics. Comparing Prey to Episode One and you can clearly see that the Source engine still delivers.

Sound
There's not all that much to talk about here. The voice actors from the original game have returned, breathing life into the familiar and well beloved characters. Especially Alyx has alot of dialogue in Episode One, including some hilarious phrases. The music isn't all that memorable in Episode One, unlike Half Life 2 which had plenty of great musical moments. Still, it does its job and it suffices, but for the most part, it's only there mostly passing by unnoticed.

Conclusion
To make it clear. If you at all liked Half Life 2, buy Episode One. End of discussion. It continues right where Half Life 2 ended, and ignoring that it's essentially an sequel, it could just as well have been melted directly into the original game. It feels right, it doesn't feel tacked on or different. It is Half Life 2, and it is good to return to Gordon and Alyx. Yes, it's short, but there's pure value from every dollar, and the 5-6 hours of gameplay you get out of it is an experience you cannot miss. The epic lives on.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/25/06