Developer: Valve
Publisher: Steam / Valve
Price: $19.95

Minimum System Requirements
1.2 GHz Processor
256MB RAM
DirectX 7 level Video Card
Internet Connection

Test System
3.0 GHz Intel P4 with HT
2 GB of Dual Channel RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256
SB Audigy2


Almost 2 years after Half Life 2, Valve delivers their first try at episodic content. At this point in the game everyone should know the story, if not go out a pick up Half Life 2 because it is one of the greatest games ever made. The questions on everyone’s minds are, does this game live up the Half Life name and is it worth it.

Gameplay

Most of the game is based around working with Alyx to get out of City 17. I am not a big fan of the whole side kick thing. I rather have the game co-op than bother with a computer controlled friend. At least she was not useless and did not seem to get stuck along the way. Unlike her counter part in SiN, Alyx does help you out and Valve did a good job of making the most of the feature. Walking through a dark room, Alyx can only see zombies if your flashlight is on them. It can get intense as your flashlight’s power is starting to go out and zombies are pouring out of the wood work.

However, Alyx is not with you the whole time. There are many times you have to go off on your own to complete objectives. In some ways Episode One is almost a puzzle game with some action mixed in. None of the puzzles are too hard, but I found them rewarding when I figured them out. Once again, Valve uses the physics engine to enhance this experience, so it is not a matter of just jumping from platform to platform but moving a barrel, or breaking an object to get through a section.

There is not much new as far as general gameplay. There are Zombine, which are combine soldiers that have been turned to zombies. Other than that, it is mostly the same group of weapons and bad guys. The action is varied through the different sections so the game continues at a good pace without being too repetitive. I have realized that I really dislike how the machine guns fire in Half Life at all. The fake recoil is a bit annoying. I rather have control over it. It is one of the things SiN (or even CS) does better than Half Life 2. At least the gravity gun is still entertaining, and I found myself using it as much as possible in fights.

Graphics / Performance

The Source engine has gone through many updates over the last two years. Not only does this game look better than Half Life 2 when it first came out, but it runs a lot better too. I did not have to turn down the graphics settings at all and the game ran flawlessly. The models have all been improved as well, with more detail and smoothness to them.

Sound

The sound has received some improvements as well. Depending where you are firing, your weapon’s sound differs in a realistic way. Even the enemy sounds have been enhanced to add a bit more variety to their catalog.

Conclusion & Ratings

Overall, the game was a lot of fun and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have been debating the “Is it worth twenty bucks for a four hour game?” question over the last twenty four hours. In one way, it included excellent story telling and gameplay throughout the whole game. On the other hand, it was over pretty damn fast. Then again, if you look at games like Rainbow Six Lockdown for $50 and Ubersoldier for $30, both which were not even enjoyable for one hour, let alone all ten. Right now, you can pick up SiN and HL2 Episode One for $40 dollars, and you will get about nine hours of solid gameplay. Looking at it that way, it does not seem like that bad of a value at all.



View the complete Half Life 2: Episode 1 Gallery