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antisuck · 11-16-2004, 09:46 AM

Played it for almost 4 hours (west coast USA, midnight to 4am). I'm paying the price this morning but it was worth it.

This game defines the term "cinematic" as it applies to games; the environment is beautiful and oppressive, and the sense of tension is not derived from some silly expositional cut scene where the situation is laid out. You're just dropped into the world and left to discover what is going on. And there are things to play with right off the bat! Try picking up bottles and cans off the ground and throwing them at a random NPC, or better yet a guard. The results are much as you'd expect in real life...

The visuals are fantastic. This isn't a game world where every surface has a shiny metallic sheen just because they can; the city itself is beautiful, but things look realistically grungy and worn and there is trash everywhere. That said, the water is to die for in terms of hi-tech bling, while looking quite realistic.

The character models and facial animations are a few steps above anything I've ever seen in a game. And the dialogue fits wonderfully, whether it's the hopeless mumblings of the oppressed populace or the wry humor of your old friends from Black Mesa. There are some neat references to the original game, but nothing that will be particularly missed if you never played it.

The gameplay is interesting and the pace varied, and the puzzles do not seem especially contrived in the context of the action (although it's clear that many of them were constructed with showing off the physics engine in mind). You need to get somewhere, there's an obstacle, here's a way to get past it. And some of the more elaborate contraptions that help you on your way are consistent with the situation, with an underground resistance movement planning escape routes and such.

Anyway I didn't mean to write an essay on the subject, I just felt the need to gush a bit. Short version: this is a great game, it raises the bar for PC games in many areas, and the development problems and the extra year's wait don't seem important any more now that I've seen the result. I can't wait to play some more.

edit: Yay I'm tilted now! No more rookie for me!

11-16-2004, 09:46 AM	#11 (permalink)
antisuck Tilted Location: Tacoma, WA, USA, Earth	Played it for almost 4 hours (west coast USA, midnight to 4am). I'm paying the price this morning but it was worth it. This game defines the term "cinematic" as it applies to games; the environment is beautiful and oppressive, and the sense of tension is not derived from some silly expositional cut scene where the situation is laid out. You're just dropped into the world and left to discover what is going on. And there are things to play with right off the bat! Try picking up bottles and cans off the ground and throwing them at a random NPC, or better yet a guard. The results are much as you'd expect in real life... The visuals are fantastic. This isn't a game world where every surface has a shiny metallic sheen just because they can; the city itself is beautiful, but things look realistically grungy and worn and there is trash everywhere. That said, the water is to die for in terms of hi-tech bling, while looking quite realistic. The character models and facial animations are a few steps above anything I've ever seen in a game. And the dialogue fits wonderfully, whether it's the hopeless mumblings of the oppressed populace or the wry humor of your old friends from Black Mesa. There are some neat references to the original game, but nothing that will be particularly missed if you never played it. The gameplay is interesting and the pace varied, and the puzzles do not seem especially contrived in the context of the action (although it's clear that many of them were constructed with showing off the physics engine in mind). You need to get somewhere, there's an obstacle, here's a way to get past it. And some of the more elaborate contraptions that help you on your way are consistent with the situation, with an underground resistance movement planning escape routes and such. Anyway I didn't mean to write an essay on the subject, I just felt the need to gush a bit. Short version: this is a great game, it raises the bar for PC games in many areas, and the development problems and the extra year's wait don't seem important any more now that I've seen the result. I can't wait to play some more. edit: Yay I'm tilted now! No more rookie for me! Last edited by antisuck; 11-16-2004 at 09:49 AM..