This review contains spoilers
As someone who rarely plays shooters, it's no surprise I suck at Half-Life since I have no fundamentals. I can't aim, I can't keep my reticle on a moving target, can't keep my reticle on a target while moving, can't lead my shots, etc. Don't know how to combat hitscan weaponry either; every military grunt kicked my ass. Too many times I would just stand still and face-tank enemy fire while praying for my reload to complete (I can't track my ammo either).
To be transparent, I was using a controller instead of keyboard/mouse, and I understand this technological lack of precision handicaps me even with reticle lock-on. I will not be learning how to play with a keyboard however, because I can't co-ordinate my middle, ring, and pinky fingers at once. In fact, I am ideologically opposed to using more than my strongest fingers to press buttons (I've no interest in getting in a fightstick for this reason).
The game is beautiful in its own special way. Environments come alive with richly detailed textures and crazy colour splashes. The clean, scientificy look of the Lambda pumping station just tickles me. That Xen barrel factory looks like something right outta Scorn.
It's morbidly funny how Gordon can mutilate the corpses of his enemies and friends, which has to violate some Geneva convention.
Sound design is on point. Not much else to say 'cause Half-Life is as plainly good in this aspect as 'games that give every enemy a unique sound' are. I came to dread distorted HECU radio chatter and the cries of the babies. Oh I hate the babies.
Unfortunately these achievements in art and sound do little to guide the player along the critical path; the way forward is often unclear at first pass. "Surface Tension" in particular was filled with back-to-back headscratchers like the dam that kills you instantly so you have to jump into the water or the canyon, and the armory where you must hop out a window onto a thin ledge then jump across lockers. Two separate hallways in the Lambda pumping plant made me think I was backtracking, et cetera. Miraculously though, I was able to beat the game blind without a guide.
I will give this another playthrough sometime and maybe I won't die constantly or save scum from to finish. I wanna say HL2 was better at onboarding shooters for punters like me, but I don't remember much of my first playthrough, only the revisits with greater game knowledge. Though there are still many times in HL2 where the way forward is rather unclear.
Overall, cool game, but maybe I don't really get it.
To be transparent, I was using a controller instead of keyboard/mouse, and I understand this technological lack of precision handicaps me even with reticle lock-on. I will not be learning how to play with a keyboard however, because I can't co-ordinate my middle, ring, and pinky fingers at once. In fact, I am ideologically opposed to using more than my strongest fingers to press buttons (I've no interest in getting in a fightstick for this reason).
The game is beautiful in its own special way. Environments come alive with richly detailed textures and crazy colour splashes. The clean, scientificy look of the Lambda pumping station just tickles me. That Xen barrel factory looks like something right outta Scorn.
It's morbidly funny how Gordon can mutilate the corpses of his enemies and friends, which has to violate some Geneva convention.
Sound design is on point. Not much else to say 'cause Half-Life is as plainly good in this aspect as 'games that give every enemy a unique sound' are. I came to dread distorted HECU radio chatter and the cries of the babies. Oh I hate the babies.
Unfortunately these achievements in art and sound do little to guide the player along the critical path; the way forward is often unclear at first pass. "Surface Tension" in particular was filled with back-to-back headscratchers like the dam that kills you instantly so you have to jump into the water or the canyon, and the armory where you must hop out a window onto a thin ledge then jump across lockers. Two separate hallways in the Lambda pumping plant made me think I was backtracking, et cetera. Miraculously though, I was able to beat the game blind without a guide.
I will give this another playthrough sometime and maybe I won't die constantly or save scum from to finish. I wanna say HL2 was better at onboarding shooters for punters like me, but I don't remember much of my first playthrough, only the revisits with greater game knowledge. Though there are still many times in HL2 where the way forward is rather unclear.
Overall, cool game, but maybe I don't really get it.