Episode Two is an extension of all the great qualities from the previous games in the series.
The strongest suit of this entry is the intricate, spiderweb-like design of the many and varied levels. From the descent into the ant lion nest to the linear but occasionally branching vehicle treks, the environments often feel perfectly suited to the gameplay system that's utilized.
The vehicle moments are vastly improved from those in Half Life 2. Rather than just having checkpoints at houses where there are resources and random enemies, each one is either a story moment or small puzzle that can be discovered by use of the radar. Using the car to load sticky bombs and catch up to Striders made it feel like more than just a way to get around.
This doesn't control like a stealth game at all, but it was refreshing to see them add sections where you have to move deliberately to avoid detection like crouching through the scrapyard with the gun turret.
The encounters with waves of enemies always felt balanced between overwhelming and possible. The auto-turret standoff with ant-lions coming down the tunnels and the Combine encounter in the town start simple and slow-paced at first but quickly become a frenetic run-and-gun à la Doom.
It's hard to forgive the ending of this game, not only because it ends on a massive cliffhanger but to think there still hasn't been a Episode Three or HL3 over a decade later. As of writing this, I'm just starting Half-Life: Alyx, but since it's a prequel I'm not really expecting any resolution.
The strongest suit of this entry is the intricate, spiderweb-like design of the many and varied levels. From the descent into the ant lion nest to the linear but occasionally branching vehicle treks, the environments often feel perfectly suited to the gameplay system that's utilized.
The vehicle moments are vastly improved from those in Half Life 2. Rather than just having checkpoints at houses where there are resources and random enemies, each one is either a story moment or small puzzle that can be discovered by use of the radar. Using the car to load sticky bombs and catch up to Striders made it feel like more than just a way to get around.
This doesn't control like a stealth game at all, but it was refreshing to see them add sections where you have to move deliberately to avoid detection like crouching through the scrapyard with the gun turret.
The encounters with waves of enemies always felt balanced between overwhelming and possible. The auto-turret standoff with ant-lions coming down the tunnels and the Combine encounter in the town start simple and slow-paced at first but quickly become a frenetic run-and-gun à la Doom.
It's hard to forgive the ending of this game, not only because it ends on a massive cliffhanger but to think there still hasn't been a Episode Three or HL3 over a decade later. As of writing this, I'm just starting Half-Life: Alyx, but since it's a prequel I'm not really expecting any resolution.