Half Life 2: The Orange Box
Review
Five games for the price of one.
by Kevin
reviewed on PC
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Episode One starts almost exactly where Half-Life 2 left off. Gordon and Alyx Vance must escape City 17 with information that Alyx gathered from one of the computers in the Citadel, and take it to her father Eli Vance and Dr. Kleiner. The game is a far more combat oriented than its predecessor, but this time, Alyx is around throughout most of the game. She is a big help against the onslaught of the Combine soldiers that you will be up against. Episode One is lacking in puzzles and variety, becoming almost pure run-and-gun gameplay. This, along with being only about three hours worth of gameplay time is what makes it slightly disappointing.
There are some positive points too. Along with a new version of the facial animation technology, it implements the High Dynamic Range rendering capabilities that were introduced in the Half-Life 2: Lost Coast tech demo. A new enemy is included: Headcrabs that can take possession of a Combine soldier's body. This zombie-like creature will pull out a grenade and destroy itself in an attempt to kill you. While Episode One probably isn't really worth a separate purchase, it is an essential piece to the Half-Life story. Its inclusion in The Orange Box is great for anyone who didn't purchase it beforehand.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
The story of Episode Two begins on the very outskirts of City 17. Alyx and Gordon must make their way to a resistance base located at White Forest. The puzzles and driving sequences make a return in this expansion, along with quite a few other additions. The first thing you will notice when starting Episode Two is that your flashlight's power is no longer tied to your Aux Power. Instead, it has its own meter. This allows the player to sprint for a longer duration after using the flashlight for an extended period of time. Makes more sense too.
A short while into the game, a new enemy is revealed. The Hunter is a smaller, faster, and more intelligent version of the Strider. A new variation to an old enemy is also introduced. While travelling through the Antlion tunnels, Gordon must face off against not only regular Antlions, but also an acid-spitting variation. The acid Antlions can do a hefty amount of damage, but luckily there are plenty of Antlion larvae around that can be squished to restore some health.
Episode Two shines in its many epic encounters. Alyx's robotic friend DOG ripping the brain out of a Strider, a standoff against two ferocious Antlion Guardians, multiple battles against the powerful and intelligent Hunters, and the final standoff against an army of both Striders and Hunters using the immensely destructive Magnusson device will be branded into the memories of many a gamer. There are some really great battles and storytelling elements in between, but those are the major ones.
Making up for the somewhat disappointing Episode One, fans of the Half-Life series would not want to pass this one up. It brings the story to an even higher level and offers a refreshing experience compared to the many other shooters available on the market today.
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
