HL1 & HL2 first play comparison

Technology and Gaming
#1

Hello!!

Im new here, but been lurking about reading posts and following Black Mesa from the very start. Some of the topics here are really fun to read, really great community, so thought I should sign up :slight_smile:

Recently I read a post about what age you were when you played Half Life (not number 2). I was really surprised how young people were, and that was when they said it was number 2 they played. Think most were too young to have played original Half Life upon release?? :expressionless:

Now I was about 16 when I played Half Life and it blew me away with amazement. I remember comparing it to Unreal. Ever since I have never stopped playing Half Life, in fact just completed it again last weekend!

Anyway, with all that out the way, my point for posting was to ask what people thought about Half Life 2 if they were able to play Half Life 1 first?

I dont know if I am the only one on the boat here, but I really really did not like Half Life 2 at all (at first). The engine was great, graphics good, loads of action etc BUT I did not think it was anything like Half Life and was really disappointed.

I now like the game much more now, as I think I may have been such a Half Life fanatic that I got upset when they changed the formula. My mind just didn’t want to except the way number 2 took the story/action.

It was years until I played Half Life 2 again, just to see if I would like it any more and suddenly I loved it…really strange! :meh:

However, I expect if you were the other way around and the first Half Life game you played was two, then I expect number 1 was radically different. What did you think?

I think I just loved Black Mesa so much, even though it could not be in number two as it got nuked in Opposing Force.:’(

Though I do like number 2, I think my favorite is still number 1 and thats why I cant wait for Black Mesa! In a way that will be more like Half Life 2 for me. :smiley:

Anyway, sorry for long post…think I got carried away.

So what are your thoughts with 1 and 2 story/action/location??

#2

I thought the first was better, obviously not graphics wise but it feels longer and has the atmosphere that you’re all alone and every one who isn’t wearing a ridiculous tie is trying to kill you around every corner. and you don’t really know what’s coming next. The puzzles take longer to sol- OH FUCK A TANK

#3

:rolleyes:

On topic, I think I like HL2 more. I liked how it had more varied gameplay than your standard FPS. They were both amazing when they came out, unfortunately Call of Duty and Halo have changed the FPS genre (in some ways for the better) so they both feel a bit dated now. Because of the (few) improvements those series made.

I should marathon play through both of them and see if I change my mind about which one I like more.

#4

What I love about HL the most is the story telling and since HL2 is just so much more detailed and fleshed out, it’s a better game in my book. And while I didn’t play HL upon release, I did play it before HL2 and I really liked it, I still do, but HL2 just blew my mind and along with the episodes is probably my favorite game ever.

And please don’t refer to either of these games as number 1 or number 2.

#5

I played Half-life 2 first, still one of the favorite games. I played half life afterwards, and loved that too, But i think i prefer the way half-life 2 is, More variety of environments, More action and the way it carries the story line. Don’t get me wrong, I still love half-life , so BlackMesa will be nice.

#6

I liked how HL gave you very little idea as to what’s going on. You had to pay attention and figure it out yourself.

HL2 sort of feeds you the action, each completed objective controlling a gigantic mechanical device that spouts exposition

#7

HL2 in my opinion has a stronger atmosphere, and the world more immersive. It’s a bit too easy compared to the original, though, mostly because it’s a bit more story-driven than HL1

#8

I prefer HL1 since it has more weapons, equipment, enemies/monsters and epic moments… also the story is a lot more exciting imo. hl2 has a nice atmosphere but in the end it has only some of the things hl1 had +gravitygun and jeep/boatride… but instead of boats or jeeps you can use trains, teleports and the longjump module in hl1…
and btw I bought hl2 mainly because of it’s multiplayer but then I found out it didn’t even have one… then… months after the main release of hl2 they released hl2dm which was a really big disappointment for hldm fans.

#9

Portal 2 is more like HL1 than HL2.

I played HL2 because of story, But it has other good things too. Only difference is “atmosphere”.

#10

HL2 blew me away on launch day. I was really, really impressed by it. But it didn’t top the experience of the first game.

I do think by today’s standards HL2 is the better game of the two, but in the context of the time period, Half-Life was a revolution. We had never seen a first person game with that kind of presentation, attention to detail, and thought put into it. Most FPSes were just the same old thing with new graphics and AI (Unreal, anyone?) but HL felt new and exciting.

HL2 also had some new and exciting things about it, but it was mostly just a triumph of excellent game design. It didn’t turn the industry on its head the way the first one did.

#11

I played Half-Life 2 first and just recently finished the original, I though the original was more challenging and therefore rewarding but I liked the second one because it told a clearer story and I like that in a game.

#12

loved Half life 2’s retro 50s sci fi feel.

I did miss that in HL2. Imo, and I’ve said this before, I think besides it’s characters, HL2 lacks any character.

#13

Hell, I was more interested in D0g than Barney talking. Barney be so blaaaand.

#14

I remember playing Half-life when I was young and getting very afraid to finish. But I kept getting drawn back in due to the game’s scientific and mysterious feeling. I eventually finished it and was blown away by the game’s finally.

Then, I saw a commercial for Half-Life 2. I was so excited to play it, but never could due to my computer’s graphical limitations. But, a year later, I got a very nice computer with specifications that could handle Half-Life 2.

I can say for sure that the game had me drawn in the same way the original did. The game kept that mysterious feel by adding plot developments that would take many pages to explain. Then, I noticed a more retro and beat-up type of technology in the game, which brought on the scientific feel - a lot like the original Star Wars trilogy. The two games became one in my mind and I have been a huge fan of the series since birth.

That’s my take on.

#15

There’s only a way to describe it: Half-Life’s epicness.

#16

I totally agree with this, not completed Portal 2 yet, but it does feel similar to Half Life, which then made me think this is what I expected from HL2. However, I guess it would have been too similar. So the direction they took HL2 is good. Portal 2 sort of makes me look forward to Black Mesa even more :slight_smile: - YAY

I see quite a few have said they found the first one harder to play and harder to follow the story. I thought it was the other way around. Half Life was hard to play, but I thought some parts of HL2 was much harder. Also took me a while to put the story together. HL1 I knew I had to survive and improvise. HL2, felt more like just running away and not knowing what to do!

Both very different atmosphere’s as quoted above. Both very good in their own unique way.

#17

If I compare my both first playthrough, HL beats the crap of HL2, mostly because I was disappointed by the new story : another post apocalyptic story full of holes (no more xenian creeps aside the headcrab, US protagonists in eastern Europe, etc.)
Somewhat the first time I hoped a continuation of the 1st story arc and fighting in New Mexico, dealing with the aftermath of my mess.

Now I’m used to it and I pretty like HL2 but HL will always keep my favors.

#18

I love the way things move in the original.

#19

I only recently started gaming, rather late in life, because of this damn cartoon. I played portal > half-life > half-life 2 in that order.

Half-life 2 wins for me: I was completely blown away. People are saying “atmosphere” and that’s exactly right, but the way that was so carefully put together to convey the feeling of being hounded through this colonised city - nothing’s come close since. Just been replaying it, and realising e.g. how important the female `voice of the combine’ is to that feel.

That’s partly why I felt the follow-on episodes dropped off a little: it didn’t all come together so perfectly to create a world with depths you could almost but not quite see.

#20

Half Life is my all time favorite game. Ep.2 was great and I enjoyed every minute of game play. But I was pissed when the game ended. I thought I was going to fly a helicopter. I know it was just an “episode”, but I was disappointed with all the long cut scenes and less game play than I expected. Nevertheless, I still love it with Episode 2 being my favoriate.

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