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Half-Life 2 Preview |
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Half-Life 2
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Many people still regard the original Half Life as the best first person shooter ever. There is no doubt that it had a massive impact on gaming. After 5 years of work, Gordon Freeman returns, and the amount of time that has been put into the game is really showing.
The physics engine is by far more advanced than any other game that has been seen, and it affects all objects in the game world. To show this off, a special anti-gravity weapon is available, which allows players to pick up objects and toss them around. Objects rebound realisticly off walls, and can be flung around. Objects will interact realisticly with each other, dropping a wrench into the gears of a machine will cause it to grind to a hault, sending compressed gas cannisters spinning around the floor in an unpredictable manner, or dropping a body onto a weak wooden plank could cause it to shatter. On top of this, different materials will have unique properties. Wood will split into small splinters when shot and burn easily, whereas metal will simply spark when shot at.
The graphics are also currently looking very nice. Compared to Halo 2, they have a much more realistic style. It seems that geo-mod technology, or at least destructible environments, will feature, as explosions send concrete from buildings showering everywhere. When moving rapidly, the graphics do indeed look photo-realistic. In the original Half Life, Black Mesa personel consisted of generic characters. Half Life 2 employs a morphing technology, which will make it rare to see the same NPC twice, if it ever does happen.
The AI that we have seen looks incredible, and could even rival Halo 2's. Examples of this include a soldier attempting to force his way through a door. After realising that the door won't open, he shoots through the window and jumps through. This was not a scripted sequence. Enemies should also use the environment to their advantage, such as throwing objects if they are unarmed. Expect grunts to make use of realistic military strategy, hiding, covering fire, ambushes and snipers used effectively. Striders will realise when something is too low for them to get under, and step over it or crouch under it, whichever is more suitable. The AI is designed to search for the player, and then specifically look for cool ways to get to the player and attack.
The game is split into chunks, but will keep going as one adventure, just as the original Half Life. The game is expected to be around 30-40 hours in length, which, for a first person shooter, is pretty long. Vehicles will be available to drive and shoot in both mutli player and single player modes. Some of these vehicles will be armed, with weapons such as the gauss cannon. Half Life 2 will feature a unqiue arsenal. The crowbar will be returning, as well as most of the weapons from the original, albeit in different forms. The shotgun seems to be modelled on the Italian Spas 15, and the sub machine-gun returns, although it is not the MP5. An assault rifle which seems to be heavily based on the OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) and has a night vision scope will also be in the game. The RPG will retain it's laser guiding system and grenades will come back, which is about it for the confirmed human weaponry. The afforementioned anti-gravity gun will also presumably make it to the full game, and another unique weapon are some type of alien grenade, which attracts Ant Lions which will kill anything in the vicinity. As before, all weapons will have a secondary fire mode.
Many characters will return, such as Barney and G-Man, all played by the original voice actors. Without wanting to spoil the story too much, you will team up with a female named Alyx Vance, who is the daughter of one of the Black Mesa scientists. The main type of enemy you will face appears to be the combine soldiers. Since not much information has been released on the story so far, it is unclear why they are after you. They have a human shape, but they wear masks, so it is impossible to see if they are indeed human. The Ant Lions, which can be summoned with the alien grenades, seem like scorpions with massive fangs and wings, and are one of the most vicious looking enemies I have seen in any game. A larger variant, called the Ant Lion Guard, will also be in the game, and are strong enough to send you flying through the air. Zombies are back, and therefore headcrabs. The headcrabs now have the ability to detach itself from a dead zombie and go after another victim. Oversized headcrabs, known as striders, will also feature, and can use their 40 ft long legs to impale anything on the ground.
Gordon Freeman will fight in many locations including 17, a harbor, a dried up ocean, an icebreaker ship and the mysteriously named "City 17". Half Life 2, or at least the PC version, will be shipped with an upgraded "hammer" editor, which will allow easy creation of new levels, and maybe even weapons, characters and full mods.
The current PC release date is September 30th, 2003. Whether it will make this date is uncertain, however this November will mark Half Life's 5th anniversary, so that is another possible release date should it be delayed. Half Life 2 features some of the best technology we have seen yet, and hopefully future games will be able to take advantage of this. Unfortunately, the Xbox release is expected to be well after the PC release, maybe even in 2004. Whatever happens, with a sequel this big, it is certain to be good.
Review By: Flid_Merchant
Game Info: Half-Life 2
Screenshots (11):
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