"Half-Life 2 is still a great game on the Xbox"

Half-Life 2 has been out on the PC for a year now but, many Xbox owners are just now getting to enjoy what PC gamers have enjoyed for quite a while now. Which is one of the most fun FPS games in a while and one that you don't want to put down. To get this out of the way first I would like to tell all PC owners of Half-Life 2 that there is zero reason to get it for the Xbox. It's the exact same game and is not different in anyway.

Story: As you know this is the sequel to the game that revolutionized FPS games and is one of the main reasons FPS games are what they are today. At the end of the first Half-Life you have two options. One option is to work for this mysterious person the "G-Man" the other however, is to face off against infinite monsters which would result in the end of your life. So, naturally Gordon Freeman(you the player) chooses to work for this G-Man. Half-Life 2 starts off a few years after Half-Life. You are woken up by the G-Man on a train headed towards the nearest station. You soon come to find out that an alien race known as the "Combine" have taken over earth and have basically made humans their slaves. You like many of the humans are being transported somewhere else and with no reason or cause given. You escape the enemies grip and start out on an adventure like no other, to bring an end to the Combine's reign. Giving more than that away would spoil too much of the storyline which, is a huge part of Half-Life 2's value. I've heard people complain about the story but, don't listen to them Half-Life 2 has a great story and it really makes you think unlike, some other FPS games that just have the story so you won't get too bored. A lot of people that are from the first game are back but, for those of you who haven't played it don't worry, you won't get too confused and it's explained pretty well how they all know eachother.

Audio: The first thing you will likely notice is the amazing job of voice acting done in the game. Every character sounds different and they all have their own personality which, is different from any other one person in the game. The characters all deliver a very emotional performance and sound very convincing. You can hear fear, anger, or even happiness in their voices.The sound effects of cracking wood with your crowbar or running over enemies in your buggy all sound amazingly real and realistic. When you walk it sounds just like it would in real life whether you're running in puddles or on metal, wood, or grass. Exsplosins sound huge and deafening and the revving of a motor sounds just as realistic as any other sound effect. Guns sound just like you would expect them too whether they're machine guns, pistols, or rocket launchers it sounds just like it would in real life. There isn't a whole lot of actual music in the game but, the few scores that it does have fit the mood and tone of the game to a tee.

Graphics: This is probably one of the main points of interest about the Xbox version of Half-Life 2. Do the graphics look as good as a high end computer? No. Do they still look decent? You had better believe it. The graphics aren't as good has they would be if you have a very nice and high end computer but, that doesn't mean they look bad either. They are somewhere between low end comps and medium comps. The graphics do rival any other Xbox game that is out there so you sure won't be missing the eye candy. Guns(and the crowbar) all are very detailed and look amazing Valve made sure they got the weapons looking like they should be in any FPS. The vehicles that you can(and can't) drive all look incredible and have amazing detail to them that rivals any other vehicles in any game. Enemies look either scary or menacing just like they should depending on the type of enemy it is. Furniture, boxes, crates, junk, tvs, and just about anything else you can think of look great and fit the tone of the game. Water, exsplosins, dust, and smoke all look great and are very realistic. The blood and gore in the game(and trust me there's a lot) look awesome and the wounds on enemies look exactly like they would in real life. Buildings, cities, beaches, and everything in between have detail and seem to just fit perfectly no matter what's going on. Fire and electricity look good and even gas looks amazingly real. Grass, rocks, wood, trees, fences, broken down buildings, junk yards, and rubble all look so good that you could just sit there and enjoy it. Now even though it all looks good there are a few things that are a bit bland and didn't seem to get much attention. Other things seem a bit rough around the edges and don't have a lot of detail like you would expect them too. One other thing to note is that the lighting effects and bloom effects do look very good and add nice detail even though it doesn't look as good on the Xbox.

Gameplay: Half-Life 2 is a FPS but, it's also so much more than that and it's all thanks to the amazing gameplay. At the start of the game you get your old crowbar back which, packs a nice punch for taking down weaker enemies and smashing crates. As you progress through the game you get more and more weapons like the pistol, machine gun, rocket launcher, and a few new weapons like the Gravity Gun which is the most fun weapon in the game thanks to the Source Engine and Havok Physics. But, what would a FPS be without tons of enemies to shoot? There's a pretty good range of enemies to take down from the Head Crabs(which can posses humans and turn them into zombies) to the Combine foot soldiers and even Ant Lions(which you get to control as allies later in the game). Every weapon in the game is fun to use and for the most part they feel balanced although, a few feel a bit overpowered at times. Ammo and health can be found in wooden crates and from fallen enemies(only from Combine soldiers) and there's always enough ammo to let you use whatever weapon you want to. Most enemies only take a few shots to go down but, some of the tougher ones won't go down without you using up a good bit of your ammo and health. The A.I. for both enemies and allies is great and more advanced than other A.I. in any other game but, sadly the level designs(which are great and varied) don't allow for the A.I. to actually show their full potential which hurts the game somewhat. Even though the A.I. isn't what it could've been it's still like every other game where the enemies(and allies) take cover, shoot, ambush, flank, and of course call for backup. The allies that you get(although it doesn't happen a whole lot) are pretty useful since they do provide some distraction to let you get behind the enemy and of course you don't have to use up as much ammo killing the bad guys either. Now even though they are pretty helpful there are times that they get a bit annoying like, when you're in buildings and it's cramped and they all try and follow you but, if you have to turn around you're stuck because they don't get out of your way for the most part so, you have to either wait for them to move or jump over them as best you can which can get annoying quickly if it happens too much. Of course main characters like Alyx are more helpful than regular allies since they can open doors that you can't and provide helpful hints in sticky situations. Another type of ally that is very useful is the Ant Lions(which you get to control later in the game) because they are fast and powerful. They can kill most enemies in one swipe and you get an infinite supply of them so you never have to worry about them dying. Like most FPS games you get to drive vehicles but, there's only two in the whole game so there's not a wide variety like some games offer. You get to drive an Air Boat and a custom Dune Buggy. You don't choose when you drive these vehicles instead, they are parts of missions and once you don't need the vehicles anymore you don't get to drive them again so, enjoy it while it lasts. When you first get the Air Boat you'll just be running from the enemies and trying to stay alive but, after a little into the mission you get a machine gun(with infinite ammo of course) put on the Air Boat and then you can shoot down any enemies with ease. Unlike the Air Boat the Dune Buggy has a gun already attached to it so you'll be blasting enemies throughout. So as to add some variety and a bit more depth there are occasional puzzles that you must solve, while you're driving and it requires you to get out of your vehicle and clear a path by different means each time so that you can continue on your way. While this does break up the driving some of the puzzles feel like they were just thrown in to make you annoyed but, for the most the puzzles are just a nice way to relax before starting up the fight again. There are a total of 14 chapters(15 if you count the credits which, the game does) in the game and each chapter feels unique and different. You'll play levels that range from big open cities to the countryside and even in other unique places that I won't talk about so as not to spoil any of the game for you. The levels are designed pretty well and each one presents new challenges that you haven't faced before which, adds a fresh feeling to each level and makes you really want to get to the next level to see what will be thrown at you next. You'll have fun exploring every level but, for the most part you don't get to stray too far from the beaten path which, makes you feel a little bit closed in at times. There is one thing that takes a little away from the game and that is the fact that there isn't a huge assortment of enemies to shoot at. For the most part you'll be shooting up a lot of Combine(which does make sense) but, there just isn't as many different kinds of enemies as most of us are use to which, doesn't really hurt it but, it would've been nice to see a few other creatures. Some of the most fun you'll have isn't shooting up enemies with normal weapons but, using the Gravity Gun to throw tables, chairs, bricks, poles, and just about anything you can think of. You can't pick up huge objects like cars and such but, you can move them just the same to get them out of your way. Using the physics in the game is what really makes it so much fun since no other game let's you do what you can do in Half-Life 2 which, is why it's more than just a simple FPS with mindless shooting. Load times are a bit longer for the Xbox(about 9-15 seconds) but, they don't take away from the fun or experience of the game. Valve really put some thought about where they put the loading too since for the most part you'll get to a load screen when you're not doing anything or when there's a break in the action so that you won't be shooting and all of a sudden there's a load screen that just popped up and it mess you up. There are a few more load times than the PC but, the fact that Valve could even put this on the Xbox is amazing when you look at the specs. A lot of people have said things about how bad the framerate is but, that is simply not true. It may not be as smooth as the PC but, it's not awful either. I only had minor issues with it and the only few times it did slow down a little were right after the load screen and that only lasted for the max of two seconds. When there's a good group of enemies and allies going at it the game does slow down somewhat but, not enough to take away from what's going on. When there were huge groups of enemies(15-20) there was some pretty good lag but, if you really enjoy this game and just like having fun it won't bother you and since it doesn't happen a lot don't worry about it and just enjoy the game. The other great thing about the game is there aren't any cutscenes. Throughout the entire game you see everything through Gordon Freeman's eyes and that never changes once. You can walk around any time whether it's a plot point or not(since you may want to do that turn on the captions in the options menu so you won't miss what's going on) and you feel like you really are Gordon Freeman which, adds a really nice touch and immersion that no other game has to this date. In a way Half-Life 2 plays out like a movie since it's a seamless experience and that is very unique. An average gamer will complete this game in about 10-18 hours or more depending on the difficulty(there is Easy, Normal, and Hard).

Features: While the PC version has an updated version of the addictive and very popular Counter Strike(which is Counter Strike:Source). The Xbox version has no Multi-player it is only a Single-player game. While that does it hurt it a bit that shouldn't take away from the actual game since Counter Strike:Source isn't Half-Life 2. Of course if you like Multi-player more than Single-player this might not be the right game for you. One nice thing is once you beat the game for the first time you can then go back and select any level you want to play through again. The reason Counter Strike:Source wasn't included with the Xbox version is because Counter Strike is already out for the Xbox and Valve didn't want to waste time adding it to Half-Life 2.

Replay: While there is no MP you'll go through the game more than once just to experience the best Single-player game over again. You can select any level to play again too so you can replay your favorite mission over and over again. Of course you'll most likely want to play through again to play with the Physics engine and the Gravity Gun and to try new strategies against enemies.

Overall: While there is no MP and the graphics and framerate aren't as good as high end computers this still one amazing game that no one should miss. It has a strong and immersive Single-player, amazing physics, good assortment of weapons, great story, good length, amazing voice acting and just so much more. You can tell Valve wanted to make a great game that they could be proud of and they did. If you consider yourself a gamer and like having fun pick this up you will not regret it. If you already have it for the PC there isn't any reason to buy it so just continue enjoying it on the PC.This game is pure fun with a few minor issues that won't matter to people who like having fun and enjoy gaming in general. If you prefer Xbox LIVE and MP then atleast rent or borrow this to experience one of the best games on any system. If you don't like playing through games more than once then rent it so you can atleast see how great it is. While not everyone will agree with this review just know this, that Half-Life 2 has amazing story, incredible physics, great graphics, and some of the most fun gameplay there is to be had with an FPS. Some will buy this while others will rent it but, one thing that will happen no matter which way you decide to go is, you will never look, judge, or think about a game the same way you did after playing the immersive phenomena that is Half-Life 2.

Rating: The graphics aren't as good as the PC, the framerate suffers at time, and there's no MP but, you can't help but have fun with it. I give Half-Life 2(Xbox) a 9.1/10 for doing many things right and a few things wrong but, you can't go wrong here when you're having fun.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/05