Half-Life 2 Episode One review

[AsbjornOlling]

"no defined release schedule"

It's called valve time.

..and it's now half a decade since Ep.3's original release date.

Mark my word, Ep.3. (or HL3?) will be announced in 2012.

Come back here in a year. You'll see :) It WILL be out. I promise.

[jimmyy13]

When or are you going to talk about modern gaming industry,downloadable contents and all the other crap in todays gaming?

[jimmyy13]

When or are you going to talk about modern gaming industry,downloadable contents and all the other crap in todays gaming?

[propanehns]

i liked the ep1-2 almost more than the original since you always have Alyx with you. Its so boring to walk around alone.

[Sizzlik]

i think episodig games arent THAT bad..if you think that if they would pack all episodes in one game..you would get the story in the quality of Ep. 1 ..with this episodic type you get each time little advancements in graphic and maybe improvements of the gameplay..so..its not so bad..got its pros and cons

[topografer]

Good game, and as it says its an episode.. For a few hours its a nice intense game with puzzles cool atmosphere and visual even today.. But what makes it very good is that its part of half life universe, in other words its a peace of history for the franchise lovers

[thesman32]

thats the thing about the half life games its like playing a realy good sci fi film,best games ever made in my opinion.

thay should make these into movies, then thay would be the best sci fi films ever made.

[loudbill]

for me, the chapters took like 1 hour 30 min. each cus i suck at that game lol

[topografer]

@loudbill You squeezed 7 hours or so out of this game?

[loudbill]

@topografer yessir

[topografer]

@loudbill Lol i really envy you dude. I finished it an afternoon waiting before i go out.. It was good though, great music and pacing, and i like the "how the hell do i get out of here, while shooting too many fucking enemies" attitude:D

[loudbill]

@topografer lol

[Deathmarks1]

While I don't agree with your opinions on the episodic content Valve has released for Half-Life 2, it is obvious that you are an extremely intelligent reviewer. You put thought into what you say and actually cause me to skeptically look into my favorite game franchise of all time. That said, being as intelligent as you are, I am surprised certain individuals couldn't respect your opinions. I pray you will continue to post these spectacular video reviews, (P.S. Did I mention I still love HL2 ep?)

[thejoker9998]

Well now for anyone who hasn't played half life 2 it is very affordable now just get the orange box on steam and you get HL2 plus episode 1 and 2 with portal and TF2 for only 20 bucks. So i highly recommend anyone who hasn't picked these up already to do so now just because its so affordable but i can understand this reviewers stance on it when it was first released. But luckily for me i just recently got into these games and got em very cheap the half life series is quite a steal now.

[jeffwillis1214]

These are opinions, no one is wrong. For anyone to say otherwise is simply immature. I agree with this review. Great job, good supporting arguments.  It's all there.

[MisterAAnderson]

You should write instead of 2007 - 2006 in the description of the release date.

[Bluey4696]

I love your reviews, but i feel that you've been overly harsh on episode 1. The reason, i feel, that valve named it an episode is so that they could carry on the story without having to create a separate game with new features and without having to call it something stupid like "Half Life 2: Get the Coordinates". I don't think that valve wanted to put across an episodic series, but wanted a good name for a great game. Although i agree with you i think you just need to let go about the name.

[howez14]

worst review ever. bad voice.



[Krzysiufpp]

I wonder, why the pistol in HL2 does not eject brasses, things like that piss me off.

[jfetherboy]

I thought HL2 was better but HL2 episode two was pretty good the part when yer in the mines and the turrets die but then the vortigaunts come and all of the tunnels have a shit load of antlions and the vorts start kickin ass and intense music starts playing... best part of a HL game ever

[xXxIndestructablexXx]

Sigh, I remember waiting for the lift and my flashlight's battery ran out along with my shotgun ammo just as a zombine ran towards me with a grenade. Good times.

[NickWood07]

Just shut up, quit whining about episodic installments and get to the review. Not everyone is a stupid redneck that watches Nascar and shortens his/her life by drinking beer all day long, we know what Episodes are. We dont need a 2 minute lecture on "Sequential Episodes". I clicked on this video to watch a review about the best game that I have ever played, not to listen to some pissed off man rant about something completely irrelevant.

[antisocialfatman]

@NickWood07 But it is relevant. It's a part of the game.

[liukang1378]

man you talk about this game like it is just supposed to be a game with intense firefights and nothing else...half life 2 isnt just made for the fights and just that there some chapters which are made for story development and character development , i know it might just be your oppinion and i respect that but you should judge games for what they are and just curious,howcome almost every single review you have given are all bad

[antisocialfatman]

@liukang1378 You obviously didn't pay attention to my review. I point out that gunplay takes an increased role and therefore becomes a far more significant element of the game. I also point out that with all the scenario recycling going on, gunplay is all there is left.

Also, popularity does not have anything to do with quality. The other reviewers like it because.... they like it. Does that make me wrong? No. Does this review make them wrong? No. They're opinions. Grow up.

[1999PhantoM]

@liukang1378

agreed

[GenericRubbishName]

The only problem I have had with these episodes is the frequency at which they are released is unnacceptable, and the end of Episode 2 was a vain attempt to crowbar (forgive the pun) in a gameplay element that didn't fit the HL universe.

[penumbra1313]

I like your reviews and understand your position. I just felt like the episodes were like playing Half Life 2 but with companions most of the way. For me, this was a good thing. It let me see more of a story through their dialog and the gameplay stayed about the same. Valve tends to experiment with different ways to release content or modify it. Their idea of episodic gaming probably won't be repeated. However, if someone liked Half Life 2, they will likely enjoy the episodes as well.

[ScarletSnake]

Well I watched your review on the abomination that was call of cthulhu and played it anyway and totally agreed with you afterwards, I guess I'm gonna give this one a try since the orange box is like what... 15 bucks where I live...

[PBanimation]

SUPER GRAVITY GUN BORING THAT WAS THE BEST PART OF HALF LIFE 2 WHEN I FIRST GOT THAT I FELT LIKE I WAS GOD!

[Travaillons]

It costs a lot for it's length, but you can just buy the orange box, 5 games in one, 15 dollars, totally worth it.

[spartan5261]

im sorry you had to pay so much but just know i bought orange box on steam and it only cost me 14.99 i say that's pretty good

[WalterREBoRN]

You know what I hate about the HL2 episodes?

Valve doesn't give us any new weapons, and when they do add things to it, they're just one or two enemies, and a character or two.

And they are short and expensive.

[isokessu]

You are so annoying, there's so many good things in Half Life series and in half life 2 episode 1 but you hated almost everything. Don't you understand if you don't like some game, you can't review it. For example if I hate World of Warcraft I can't review that because it would be so fucking stupid to do that.. I would just say bad things about it like you said about this. Btw do you actually like any game? Keep making reviews from those or just stop doing that shit..

[WalterREBoRN]

@isokessu

It's his opinions, dumbshit. He's entitled to his own and so are you.

[naruto12345678912]

i just bought the orange box on steam for $7.50 on sale just for ep.1 and 2 I had everything else, but when the package is cheaper than 1 game itself, I had to

[Manekdk]

just bought oránge box for about 1 dollar...

[ringedgebetterbereal]

@Manekdk BEST! DEAL! EVAR!

[ringedgebetterbereal]

i can get both episodes for 10 dollers, can any buddy tell me if it's a good buy?

[Manekdk]

@ringedgebetterbereal anything is worth 10 dollars

[EpicnessInABox]

I like the Half Life episodes better than the full game for this reason: Half Life 2's gameplay seems to change very little, it is more enjoyable in bite-sized bits like this, where they give you enough variety to be fun, without overusing concepts like I felt they did in half life 2 and 1.

Of course don't take my word for it, I started playing these when the orange box came out, not playing them when they game out in the first place.

[lennonzb654]

i thought it was 20 dollars at release

[jorge72249]

i thought episode 1 was good but maybe that is because i bought the orange box for 20 dollars

[tiagom135]

You should review it not saying that you dislike it

[TheSinsir]

Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential! Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential!

Overuse words much?

[TheSinsir]

Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential! Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential!

Overuse words much? 

[TheSinsir]

Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential! Episodic episodic episodic! Sequential sequential sequential!

Overuse words much?

[lumpyfishful]

in my opion you thnk a bit to deeply into games

i mean games are just something to do when your bored .

oh and did you ever play baldur's gate or icewind dale 2?

[Beefdipings]

I know this is a bit late....but i would say that this game is worth geting with Orange box...since now the orange box cost now is 30$ on steam. So you are basicly buying the 2 episode's of 5$-10$ with other games.

[dathip]

@Beefdipings

I got it for 10.99 lol. Seems valve is ripping people off

[DuckFeetProductions]

You say that you judge episode one as it's own game but in both your episode reviews you can't go five seconds without mentioning half life 2, if I wanted you watch your half life 2 review I would

[mrtomdabomb40]

in all honesty, this review was better than your episode 2 review. I didn't like Episode 1 and 2 as much as the original HL2, but I still had some fun with both of them.

[gilgamesh310]

Incidentely I thought chapter 3 was the worst in half life history. I hated the fact that you couldn't see where you were going and where the enemies were. It had a stupid sense of unfairness to it and reminded me of the worst sections of doom 3. Chapter 4 was one of the best though alright and the final chapter was fairly average. I couldn't disagree with you more on the first 3 chapters though.

[gilgamesh310]

I must say I strongly disagree with you on your review of both this and episode 2. You said that the first two chapters of the game are bad because there isn't much combat and the gravity gun makes you feel like god. I didn't have a problem being eased in gently and there not being any combat for a while especially considering I had Alex for company who I think is one of the best NPC's ever. And as regards feeling like god, since when is that a bad thing?!

[SpaceChinchillaFilms]

I got this in the orange box.

I liked it. Not as good as HL2. I am PISSED about episode 3 though.

[henry3117]

there is no reason for you to talk and use the way you do keep it simple for the first 2 minutes i was like wtf, what are u trying to say its a game review no rocket science

[agentbaybob]

stupid britshit

[slamt08]

your reviews are all over the place

its like you state something in an extreme way and then totally destroy what you just said with a totally opposite comment

its kinda distracting

[gamerzndplayerz]

this price can be justified now , its called orange box with an extra 2 games .... for a tenner

£2 each =)

[beastglitcher24]

OK the idea of this game was that valve realized how bad they were hurt not making another half life game in a few years so the idea of it was to break it into episodes so this way they could get more feedback in what they need to be told of to fix or continue what they are doing good the idea wasnt to make make episode 1 or 2 there own games

[Petrico94]

k, i'll get hl2, skip the episodes EXEPT 3 and 4 then just wait for hl3

[Disturbed928]

@Petrico94

[joshua582]

I thought it was going to get a better mark seeing how he said one chapters good and the other execlent. Never the lest a great review and are better job then i could hav done so good work!!

[Fighting31406]

I just got finished playing HL2:ep1 and you know what; everything you said about this game is right. I'm very disappointed with this one. Hopefully the the second episode is better.

[LasagnaProductions]

You know what? You dispointd me greatly wth ths review. You say Chaptrs 1 and 2 were dul and hevly unecesary (besides story). However, you failed to note that Alex Vance as a character is being developed in the process and is developing a relationship bordering or romantic in episode 2 with Gordon. Also, it was a technical achievement on those bits graphically. Every HL game MEANT TO BE HALF A TECH DEMO of the game engine! I admit it is mediocre, but you seem to let your dislike get in the way.

[faszika]

episode 3 anyone? :( maybe by 2015

[RAULO3]

well antisocialfatman good review but on my own side

i had it better

got the orange Box for 20$ and never had played HL2-ep2 sad that a game from 04 destroys many "Next gen" games out to day...

i hope that EP3

comes out for consoles....

[megamindstorm101]

nice video you start with the game being horrible, then the game being awesme, then the game being horrible again XD

i belive valve is the best game company ever and all the games are just amazing (even richochet which everyone hates) but everyone has their opinions :)

[tibweed]

YOU HAVE AN ACCENT!!!!!

I COULDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS SAYING FOR ABOUT HALF THE DAMN VIDeo...

THUMBS UP IF U AGREE

[paimail21]

I've listened to this review and I have to say I agree with you...

on every single point I agree except one.

the "Bad Rating"

YOU: Half life 2 was "great" Ep1 was "Bad"

ME: Half life 2 was "Awesome" Ep1 was "good"

[FiverBeyond]

I'm sure you get alot of flak, and I hate to add to it...

But here goes...

For me, the monetary value of the episodes was incredible, because I picked up all three installments as part of the orange box, essentially giving me an epically-long high-quality game for a fairly cheap price. However, I did feel that Episode 2 was the best of the lot.

[frank2512]

"HL - Blue Shit" is far better than"EP1"

[Meepdababy]

3 out of 5 is good. Not revolutionary, not badass, but entertaining.

Episode 2 however is a 4 1/2 out of 5 in my book.

[CalvinReiderInc]

For the first 2 Minutes and 17 seconds I had no idea whether he was being positive or negative.

[recepesek]

I've played half-life 2 the first now i am gonna play half-life 2 episode one but its still cool from thepiratebay!

[sup3rt0aster]

i actualy liked ep:1 espesialy when ur in the hospital. i would give it a 7 out of 10. the story is awesome the maps are awesome the game play is good but it's kind of short so, yaa.. 7/10

[viliussmproductions]

@sup3rt0aster actualy its the shortest of all half lifes

[Venomfan88]

why judge episode one as its own game? it would make more sense to judge it as a legitimate chapter in half life 2

[antisocialfatman]

@Venomfan88 Because it is its own game. It's an expansion, regardless of what they want to call it, and I judge expansions on their own merits, but also relative to their parent game.

In either case, Ep One is mediocre.

[TreehuggerSnr]

@antisocialfatman

Are you really an antisocialfatman?

[GlobalMut3]

bitter and cynical much? rofl

[tomtom0919]

Gurgh,  this game was blegh.

HL2:2 made it up for me.

[notsolucky96]

3 out of 5 = alright in my book...

you said only 2 chapters were bad, so why put the game as a whole as so?

i thought all the chapters intill blak messa were bad in half life 2, but i still like it. i mean you have your opinion but that was almost considered nitpicking.

[shaneSPARTAN054]

dude i would play this a third time and still have a pretty good time, while now that i think of it you had many valid points, this game was pretty boss but using your scoring i would say at least averageand at most good. but it was only an episode and not intended to be long or to give much story other then get the hell out of the city. of course thats my opinion

[irio333]

wow this review sucks

[tadukas4]

you suck man this game is great 1 star for this review

[yongyi11223344]

i know u are jealous cause u don hav it

[tadukas4]

i have orange box dumbass

[yongyi11223344]

hey chill out i am only kidding... plus i don have half life 2 ep 1 i only got half life 2 and the gmod so chill out

[notsolucky96]

@tadukas4 your a twat

[Book5550]

What's up with the negative outlook on everything?

Why not base a games score on it's brilliance rather than it's crappiness?

[raket94]

wow i cant believe you think this game is BAD.....

its not perfect or anything but its not bad.

i really enjoyed it actually.

[xxiroxxx]

i cant understand you

[winmine0327]

good points!

[huhabab]

The actual gameplay really wasn't that spectacular but I still liked this episode.

The main reason is that you're on the side of Alyx, I just really enjoyed the fact that you had Alyx on your side nearly all the time and her talking made the beginning great imho, even if there wasn't that much to do.

But the civilians-rescue-crap did really suck, I give you that.

Still, a great review, as are all of your reviews..

[xoSTEPHENox]

You're really good at this game. Nice review.

[sippitysipsap]

Five Star review.

[Spect8er1]

i got the game with the orange box so the price and episodic stuff doesn't really matter...

[spooky0315]

i just got an xbox, so i'm gonna get the orange box. i hope half life is good.

[FenderUsa]

howcome this vid isnt HQ???

[lowspecreview]

i got this game for only 5 $

[esfelectra]

nice

i got episode 1 and 2 for 13 $

[xy274]

i got half life 2 episode pack for $5 :P

[KRAZY7777]

oh dude and dont forget the half fast zombie torso!

[KRAZY7777]

rofl this guys an idiot this game was epic dude!

[antisocialfatman]

I'm an idiot because I dislike - and can, in detail, explain why I dislike - things that you like?

You have a funny idea of what constitutes idiocy.

[KRAZY7777]

listen what i meant was half this review was just u saying how bad it was u hardly ever said a good point or even mentiond the new hdr graphics valve offerd

[downupacross]

fanboy rage, hdr graphics is a gimmick and episode 1/2 are shameless (what I hope is only) filler for half life 3

[TimM676]

at around the 5 minute mark you start to contradict yourself

[antisocialfatman]

I didn't, but feel free to point out where and allow me to explain.

[TimM676]

at the start of the video, you really start to bring across the point that the game is terrible, but at the 5 minute mark, you start to say it's fantastic. However, I might have been hasty with my comment, seeing as you justified yourself as the video progressed. As for the review itself, i may not entirely agree with it, but you brought up valid points and justified them well. Good job

[antisocialfatman]

Have you played the game? Because, like Half-Life 2, each level is almost fundamentally different to the ones before (and after) it.

I don't think it's a contradiction to say parts of the game are great, as those parts play differently to the other parts. That's one of the things that makes HL2 such a masterpiece, it's constantly changing, and while it wasn't executed anywhere near as well in Ep One, Ep One does it too.

I hope this explanation makes sense.

[TimM676]

I see the point you're bringing across. And yes, I have played Episode 1, and I enjoyed it. You're right in saying that it isn't as good as HL2, but it was well worth my time. I just don't agree with the "bad"rating you gave it, but I respect your opinion and the fact that you justified it well.

[FearlessSon]

In fairness to the first chapter, I did think that going down the elevator and using the gravity gun to knock aside falling debries that would otherwise crush you was a kind of fun "active time" puzzle that made the most of the level's setting.

The first few chapters were Valve experimenting what they could do by taking away the player's weapons. Thankfully they chickened out when they realized that even with weapons, the players would voluntarily use other means (Alyx and her pistol.)

[Jdshald]

good review. I agree with a lot of your analysis.

[zeplynrulz]

i liked it but im not all that picky i jsut dont want somthing to be repetative thats the only thing that i think can really kill a game

[whoisfettel]

I honestly thought episode one wasn't just good, but mind-blowing.

[Whaletitus77]

I would admit that this would be my least favorite out of ALL the Valve games, but I still enjoy it. One of the main reasons I enjoy it so much is the back story with the Gman, I'm gonna play the half-life series till the end to figure out what the Gman is all about. :) But, if it didn't have that backstory, I would think that this would be just another run of the mill game.

[Subach831]

While I enjoyed Ep1 more than you seemed to, I agree that it suffered for lacking HL2's variety in game play, and I also found City 17 to be a bit tiring after a while.

I find Ep2 to be quite the return to form.

I'm surprised that you didn't comment on the interaction with Alyx as an AI partner, which was a huge part of the game, and one I found rather enjoyable.

[GoodlikeSweeper]

I as others also like episodes more than original HL2, mostly because of the much better pacing. HL2 felt stretched, repetitive, while episodes have absolutely perfect pacing. I can't play majority of generic shooters like crysis or dead space longer than an hour, when I have to make a break before continuing. And this game makes these pauses for you with some straightforward puzzle elements. Actually, pacing is the reason I'm such a fan of HL2 saga. It means a lot to me.

[whatitubelike]

Perhaps this was solely because I got Episode 1 through the Orange Box, but I thoroughly enjoyed the game. I consider it a "roller coaster" like experience. It's incredibly short but very fun

In fact I think the episodes are superior to HL2. Episode 1 somewhat lacks the whole constant shift gameplay feel as you put it, but some of the sequences the game puts you through more than make up for it.

[utubegod35]

Hey man, I'm just telling you the truth. It seems weird to me now too, being that it's one of my favorite games.

[althoir88]

I dont agree, but like always, you had valid reasons and beautiful insights when reviewing a game.

Episode One rocks, in my books. Heheheh cant wait for your next review!

[samuelmichaud]

Episode One was too short for the price. Yes.

But also the fact that it felt like it was made in a hurry.

I remember going through HL2, remembering the whole thing and going like "woah that was a lot of stuff, pretty cool".

Then I go and finish Ep.1 and I can't remember shit. There were perhaps two or three memorable areas! Where as HL2 and HL1 both had a hundred. I just failed to remember the chronology of HL1 as well because of how damn long it was!

[krispycrunk]

good review i agree with you on the price they are doing the same with L4D its very greedy marketing to release half a game and charge almost full price and try to play it off as episodes.

[utubegod35]

I bought the Orange Box, played through HL2, and was unimpressed. I decided to try one of the episodes (epi 1, by random selection... I guess), and loved it. Played the original HL2 and loved it, and then played Epi 2 and still was in love.

I'd argue that Episode 1 is the best of the Half Life 2 saga, though I have no idea why. It got me into the series, so I hold a special place in my heart for it, but on paper, it doesn't seem as great as the others, for whatever reason.

[MrBoBoTom]

How about an Episode 2 review?

[antisocialfatman]

Coming either next week or the week after.

[METAL4FISH]

Well?

[ShiningFlamez]

Got it with the orange box for 10 bucks second hand.. works fantastic so i cant complain about the price :P

[hotlesbianassassin]

i agree that first 2 chapters are not that good (and i wouldn't call them poor or bad), but the third and fourth chapters are fantastic, with the elevator sequence in the basement being one of the best moments in gaming history. the third and fourth chapters alone make what is otherwise a mediocre game a good game. your taste sucks!

but great review.

[Bamnesio]

While i think episode 1 was not as excellent as ep 2 or hl 2, I still think it was a good Game. Maybe the Price wasn't fair, but with the Orange Box coming later they made up for it.

I really can't wait for ep3, ep 2 is my favourite so far. It didn't have any good horror stuff like Ravenhold in hl2 but in return it showed a lot more Quality.

[DamarusJSRF]

Nice review. Although I enjoyed the game, I definitely agree with some of your points. It seemed like I was playing Half-Life 2: Lite, or some kind of extended demo.

Can't wait for your Episode 2 review. Hopefully you enjoyed that more than the first.

[jaisinator]

I got it with the Orange Box, so I can't say that the price annoyed me.

[GearsOfChainsaw]

hey dude, I'm interested, if you judge this game in the orange box where it costs £30 for a copy and there are 5 games and assuming that means the game is £6 would it get a good or even excellent rating?

[antisocialfatman]

No. I do not and will never rate using that rationale. I criticised the length/price, but they didn't factor into my score or affect what I think of the game's quality.

The problem with looking at price is, if the game becomes free, even the most awful of games should be judged as 'excellent', no? Or good, at the very least. That seems like a twisted way to score things to me.

Ep 1 scored a bad because it's bad. That's all there is to it.

[GearsOfChainsaw]

Ah, I understand, I don't agree but I do respect your opinions and I'm looking forward to a review of Episode 2.

[LufsyLurqy]

Well I payed 20 euros for the Orange Box (maybe like an year ago or so)... so yeah!

Take that you ... 30 pounds on HL2E1 spending brit! Ha!

[runie360]

Episode one is my favorite.

Lowlife is the greatest chapter.

[yayap001]

my main dislike of the episodes of half life is the relece dates are ireggular and if frequent, and minimal story is convayed in each episode, the comentaries wer fun to listen to, im not fond of chapter 2, but i think chapter 1 complients the the rest of the game(being mostly combat well)

[yayap001]

i got the orange box for 15 bucks

[xxsubzeroxxxx]

thats all true this one is basicly a filler

[xxsubzeroxxxx]

sick review :)

[Havok9990]

IM FUKIN SICK OF HALF LIFE

just kidding but i didnt not like either the first or second expantion

[g805ge]

I thought you were a little harsh on this game, but I agree that Valve should stop bullshitting us and give us Episode Three soon.

[TeenageAznBoy]

The Orange Box is 30 Dollars, I notice that the short episodes cost a little more than they value but I think that's just a marketing strategy to get you to buy the Orange box instead.

[matnatz]

Hey, I got 2nd view on this. I'll watch this then, instead of completing me essay on Frankenstein.

[ogbogy]

another awsome review 5/5