Half Life -- First run through

[DanDaManJC]

So I'm currently working on my first run through half life. I had played single player before, but for one reason or another always ended up stopping right after the blast pit level. iono, school, work and lost saves due to formats would happen and I just never bothered playing through. I have played HL2, ep1 and ep2 though...

anyways, back to HL. Talk about a great game. No doubt the graphics are dated (duh).. but the AI is superb. Level design -- given the tech they have to work with -- is also great. I really like the variety of the levels (I thought the same of HL2, but again, on older tech they did a great job with HL). The puzzles are nice too... they're all just challenging enough to have me scratching my head about which door to find or conveyor belt to climb without being distractingly hard.

makes me wish i had played through the game sooner

 

[Zenoth]

So I'm currently working on my first run through half life. I had played single player before, but for one reason or another always ended up stopping right after the blast pit level. iono, school, work and lost saves due to formats would happen and I just never bothered playing through. I have played HL2, ep1 and ep2 though...

anyways, back to HL. Talk about a great game. No doubt the graphics are dated (duh).. but the AI is superb. Level design -- given the tech they have to work with -- is also great. I really like the variety of the levels (I thought the same of HL2, but again, on older tech they did a great job with HL). The puzzles are nice too... they're all just challenging enough to have me scratching my head about which door to find or conveyor belt to climb without being distractingly hard.

makes me wish i had played through the game sooner

Good.

Indeed, had you found the time to play it when it was still fresh and a major buzz in the gaming industry you might have just been wow'ed for years after. No doubt however that it's still a great game even today. If you liked it (and, well, even if you didn't) I highly recommend to play both expansion packs, the official one Blue Shift, and the not-so-official one by Gearbox, namely Opposing Force (not being quite official doesn't mean it's bad believe me, it's just as good as Blue Shift).

 

[Ancalagon44]

I actually preferred Opposing Force to Blue Shift. Its a much fresher perspective and also includes new weapons and monsters.

EDIT: I take it Black Mesa: Source is nowhere near release yet? Why dont they just announce its all been a hoax?

 

[Fayd]

So I'm currently working on my first run through half life. I had played single player before, but for one reason or another always ended up stopping right after the blast pit level. iono, school, work and lost saves due to formats would happen and I just never bothered playing through. I have played HL2, ep1 and ep2 though...

anyways, back to HL. Talk about a great game. No doubt the graphics are dated (duh).. but the AI is superb. Level design -- given the tech they have to work with -- is also great. I really like the variety of the levels (I thought the same of HL2, but again, on older tech they did a great job with HL). The puzzles are nice too... they're all just challenging enough to have me scratching my head about which door to find or conveyor belt to climb without being distractingly hard.

makes me wish i had played through the game sooner

play halflife-source for updated graphics.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Good.

Indeed, had you found the time to play it when it was still fresh and a major buzz in the gaming industry you might have just been wow'ed for years after. No doubt however that it's still a great game even today. If you liked it (and, well, even if you didn't) I highly recommend to play both expansion packs, the official one Blue Shift, and the not-so-official one by Gearbox, namely Opposing Force (not being quite official doesn't mean it's bad believe me, it's just as good as Blue Shift).

Its widely held opinion that Opposing Force is actually better than Blue Shift.

 

[Zenoth]

Its widely held opinion that Opposing Force is actually better than Blue Shift.

It's still an opinion though isn't it? I for one preferred Blue Shift, but I really liked Opposing Force as well. My only problem with Blue Shift is that it was damn short, if I recall correctly I beat it in only two play sessions, that must have been around no more than five hours of play total, all I remember for sure is that it's even shorter than H-L 2: E1.

But preferences or not, there's nothing really negative to say about those games, H-L, Blue Shift and Opposing Force, they're all jewels of PC gaming. If Black Mesa: Source could eventually be released then it will allow the graphics whores around who refuse to even try H-L due to its age and its "bad graphics" to play a game that was and still is better than H-L 2 in all aspects of game-play, in my humble opinion... except perhaps for character interactions for obvious reasons, techs back in the days didn't allow such things as facial expressions and well-crafted body movements as it is in H-L 2, but proportional for each gaming periods H-L 1 is far superior.

But anyway, that is also my opinion and nothing else.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Awesome game, but you should have played it years ago when it would have had maximal impact on you. I remember flipping out when demoing the game at the local game store and the characters mouths moved when they talked.

 

[duragezic]

I think I remembering correctly, but when I bought Half-life at release, I had some sort of issue playing it (online probably) and I emailed support and the reply came from Gabe Newell himself. Sounds pretty weird, since even back then why would he do email support, but I'm pretty sure I remember that! And the solution fixed the problem I was having.

 

[Carcass]

I never actually played HL single player.... I just bought it for TFC after I played it at a friend's house and loved it. Single player FPS games used to freak me out when I was younger, I couldn't play them!

I've got all the old games on my steam account (I have no idea how, since I don't remember ever buying blue shift etc) and this thread has just persuaded me to play them

 

[flyboy84]

It's still an opinion though isn't it? I for one preferred Blue Shift, but I really liked Opposing Force as well. My only problem with Blue Shift is that it was damn short, if I recall correctly I beat it in only two play sessions, that must have been around no more than five hours of play total, all I remember for sure is that it's even shorter than H-L 2: E1.

But preferences or not, there's nothing really negative to say about those games, H-L, Blue Shift and Opposing Force, they're all jewels of PC gaming. If Black Mesa: Source could eventually be released then it will allow the graphics whores around who refuse to even try H-L due to its age and its "bad graphics" to play a game that was and still is better than H-L 2 in all aspects of game-play, in my humble opinion... except perhaps for character interactions for obvious reasons, techs back in the days didn't allow such things as facial expressions and well-crafted body movements as it is in H-L 2, but proportional for each gaming periods H-L 1 is far superior.

But anyway, that is also my opinion and nothing else.

Not to join in the pile up, but I really can't agree with you that Blue Shift was better than Opposing Force. Both were fun, but Blue Shift was inexcusably short (2 hours maybe?). Opposing Force on the other hand, was perhaps half to two-thirds the length of the original game. My real problem with your argument is that you seem to think Opposing Force is somehow "unofficial," when the same people (Gearbox) made Blue Shift.

 

[Ancalagon44]

Awesome game, but you should have played it years ago when it would have had maximal impact on you. I remember flipping out when demoing the game at the local game store and the characters mouths moved when they talked.

I remember seeing screenshots and thinking "this looks pretty close to real life". And that was before I'd even played it. Amazing game...

 

[Rakewell]

*shakes fists in the air*

Come on, Black Mesa Source!!!

 

[Kev]

Seriously, Black Mesa Source is the DNF of the mod world

 

[Golgatha]

Its widely held opinion that Opposing Force is actually better than Blue Shift.

I would agree with this statement.

 

[Genx87]

Half-Life was one of the most memorable experiences of my gaming life. When i started playing it, I felt like it was a movie script and I was the star. 1998 was a great year for me gaming wise. Half-Life and Tribes. Two gems!

 

[bunnyfubbles]

It's still an opinion though isn't it? I for one preferred Blue Shift, but I really liked Opposing Force as well. My only problem with Blue Shift is that it was damn short, if I recall correctly I beat it in only two play sessions, that must have been around no more than five hours of play total, all I remember for sure is that it's even shorter than H-L 2: E1.

But preferences or not, there's nothing really negative to say about those games, H-L, Blue Shift and Opposing Force, they're all jewels of PC gaming. If Black Mesa: Source could eventually be released then it will allow the graphics whores around who refuse to even try H-L due to its age and its "bad graphics" to play a game that was and still is better than H-L 2 in all aspects of game-play, in my humble opinion... except perhaps for character interactions for obvious reasons, techs back in the days didn't allow such things as facial expressions and well-crafted body movements as it is in H-L 2, but proportional for each gaming periods H-L 1 is far superior.

But anyway, that is also my opinion and nothing else.

Of course it is an opinion, but you'd be in the minority. There's nothing wrong with that, I was just giving a heads up as there's a greater chance the OP will be pleased with Opposing Force more so than Blue Shift... although maybe he'll see things the way you did and prefer Blue Shift, or maybe he'll be among the even greater minority and hate both of them.

 

[DanDaManJC]

Yeah I played a lot of StarCraft back in the day. At the time of HL's release I do remember not being able to handle HL... but got the game a couple years later for CS, HL DM and TFC. On the note of cinematics, playing through HL2 gave me many of the same wows that you guys seem to have had for HL. Before HL2, my top games were probably FF7, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft in terms of single player story telling ability.

But yeah, I'll give blue shift and opposing force a go. Ive heard the same from other friends that both are good games too.

 

[fatpat268]

I haven't played HL1 to completion yet either. I played quite a bit of it 10 years ago, but I don't remember all that much from it. I keep saying I'll just wait for Black Mesa Source, but it probably won't come out for another year or so. So, I'll probably play HL Source eventually, and I'm sure Black mesa will come out right after I beat it.

 

[gorcorps]

play halflife-source for updated graphics.

Uh... no. Have you played it? All that was updated was the water graphics.

 

[simonizor]

Half-Life was one of the most memorable experiences of my gaming life. When i started playing it, I felt like it was a movie script and I was the star. 1998 was a great year for me gaming wise. Half-Life and Tribes. Two gems!

This is because never in the Half Life series is there a cut-scene. Throughout all of the games, you are in control for the entire time that you are playing. It gives a much better feel of immersion when you never watch the character that you are playing as in a cut scene from some third person camera angle.

I really enjoy the whole Half Life series. They make you feel like you are the hero unlike any other game out there. The way that the story is told all without ever taking control away from the user is amazing.

 

[zerocool84]

Uh... no. Have you played it? All that was updated was the water graphics.

Yea some stupid lighting and water effects.

 

[abaez]

I still remember the intro. Just going through the company and all that on the monorail, I was like.. WHOOAAAAAA. I actually felt like I was really Gordon Freeman. The immersion was just fantastic.

Then when the machine thing blew up, I thought I pushed a wrong button and was just.. oh god oh god what button did I push!?!?!?

Later on in the game I was hiding behind some boxes from the soldiers, AND THEY FUCKING THREW A GRENADE OVER THE BOXES TO WHERE I WAS. I ran out and died from them shooting me and shit my pants right after.

I managed to get to the alien planet, but never pass that one boss with the big egg sac under its body. Ran out of ammo or something and hadn't played since.

 

[DanDaManJC]

Cool well looks like I'm not the only one who never beat the game

 

[iCyborg]

Cool well looks like I'm not the only one who never beat the game

My only experience with HL was a couple hours one night at a friend's place who had 3 PCs in a LAN and we played HL1 against each other, pretty sure it was in 90s. Other than that, no HL1 single player, and no HL2 of any kind. I was tempted with the orange box, but mandating Steam is a turn-off for me. So, there are worse cases than yours

 

[DanDaManJC]

My only experience with HL was a couple hours one night at a friend's place who had 3 PCs in a LAN and we played HL1 against each other, pretty sure it was in 90s. Other than that, no HL1 single player, and no HL2 of any kind. I was tempted with the orange box, but mandating Steam is a turn-off for me. So, there are worse cases than yours

lol I see. well... HL1 might be a stretch then, but I'd really implore you to consider hl2, even if you have to pirate it. The game's definitely up there in terms of story telling ability -- for a fps.