shipofshame

So far five reviews have been released in print in various PC gaming magazines. No online gaming sites will have the priviledge of reviewing this game most likely until its already been released, but so far Half-Life 2 is scoring damn well.

PC Gamer (US): 98%
PC Zone (UK): 97% This is the best ever PC Zone (UK) score.
PC Gamer (UK): 96%
PC Format (Slovenia): 96%
PC Gameplay (Benelux): 90%

All scores have been confirmed by VALVe.

So far, the only negative comments these reviews have been giving the game is that "sometimes" your squadmates will stray into your line of fire. This is expected. No game A.I. has ever gotten this right, and the reviews have been saying that the rest of the game A.I. is absolute genius.

New screenshots officialy released from the PC Zone (UK) review:

nothingx

Coooooool. Man, I'm so totally excited about playing this one. It seems like I've been waiting for it forever. Those scores actually look better than what was given out for Doom3... interesting.

Rdr4evr

98% by PC Gamer!? That is damn impressive....is that their highest score yet? Man I am excited to get my hands on this, but I unfortunately cant till I upgrade or purchase new PC . One thing though...the graphics are not really that impressive..it seems to have become worse over time.. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, kick ass.

Bonesaw

I'm not quite sure I understand the logic to that statement

If you compare the graphics to the Doom 3 engine I can almost understand but when you consider the capabilities of the facial movements and expressions as well as large scale areas that are allowed with the game, the graphics haven't gotten worse over time at all.

The big problem I'm sitting on the fence with, is do I plunk down money now through steam just to be able to play CS:Source and then plunk down more cash to get the hard copy collector edition (sucker for T-shirt) or just wait? I just wish Valve/VU would announce that the game has gone gold so that Steam users could then actually play HL2.

I'm going to call in sick for a day or two once the game is "playably" on my machine

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.

YaWhateva

are you kidding? the graphics look great. Doom 3 was so enclosed that you couldnt do anything, this game has huge open cities and stuff like that. The graphics are great. What ratings on PC gamer did Doom 3 get? Even if these games arent the greatest(*cough*DOOM 3*cough*), we have the engines now, so great games can be made off of those.

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“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

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Rdr4evr

I never said anything about Doom 3. I have not even played it. I am just saying it does not look as nice as the original shots did. The screens probably dont do it justice.

shipofshame

Ugh, I know. Same predicament for me. I mean, if I wanted to, I could be playing CS:S tomorrow! That'd be sick. But then again, I don't want to buy HL2 over Steam. I want the box and the CDs. So I shall wait.


92%, I believe.

And I totally agree about the graphics issue. Not only do the environments look beautiful, but the facial animations have absolutely blown me away from what we've seen, and I'm sure they've only gotten better in time.

Just to show you some stuff, here are some screenshots taken by a member at a forum I frequent, of the graphical capabilities of the SOURCE engine (as seen in CS:S).







http://www.halflife2.net/forums/atta...chmentid=10514

YaWhateva

I know you didnt but thats what it is always compared to.

__________________
“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

"This is my United States of Whateva!"

Bonesaw

shipofshame: Nice post of CS shots. Now if they release DoD with the pre-pay I'd pony up the money for the Steam version.

Anybody gonna get the book Raising the Bar? From the interview with the author posted on one of the other HL2 sites it sounds like it will one heck of a book.

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.

bltzkriegmcanon

Man, that's some good stuff. What I don't understand is how the magazines managed to get so far in advance on the reviews. These shots look WAY better than the first ones I saw for the game. Very, very polished looking. If this game isn't ready to go gold, I don't know what is.

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kalisto_911

I have officially spooged my pants.

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shipofshame

No problem, man. I'm with you on wanting DoD:S to come out. Man, that's going to be sick. Unfortunately, I think it'll be coming out after HL:2.

And, yeah, the book looks really cool. Might have to reserve a spot for it on my coffee table.
I believe the magazines were invited to VALVe HQ to play the game in person so that they could get their "world exclusives."
Sucks with all the legal trouble, because I'm sure the game is more than capable of going gold already.

Xepidemic

SWEEEEEET!!! thanks ship

lightsaberboy

wait a minute...when did it go gold??? when's the release???

where have i been!??!?!

Sleepyjack

heh, that's what i've been thinking whilst reading this thread
I've been out of the loop for a while now though

MSD

If it runs anythign like Doom3, I'll have the graphics settings so low that it's indistinguishable from HL1

skyfire

I may play this, but atm, its too late for me to be interested in the game anymore...

Destrox

Well lets compare...

I have a AMD Barton 2500+ @ 2.1Ghz | 1024 pc3200 corsair xms | gainward gf4-ti4600 (not-oc'd)

I run the game at 1024x768 with max settings but low shadows and no AA. Avg fps of 50-80 (Some maps, ie Aztec, are poorly made and lower my avg fps.) Maps like cs_office give me a good solid 60-80.

HL2/css is highly cpu bound, letting you slack on the graphics card.

Here's a video showing some detail of what hl2/cs is like:

http://disp0sable.org/hl_cs_detail.avi
http://disp0sable.org/counter-strike-source.avi

__________________
You bore me.... next.

portwineboy

That first video of the gun shooting the PC and the fan, HD and mobo go flying...would be enough to sell me on this game even if I wasn't already waiting for it.

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mkultra

Grrr, Vivendi needs to go ahead and greenlight the game already. Stupid delay tactics are only going to piss off fans into buying it on Steam. Which I would have already done, but I loath not having a physical disk copy of the game.

YaWhateva

you can always burn it........I think they said they would release them as iso's but i am not sure.

__________________
“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

"This is my United States of Whateva!"

shipofshame

I think I'm about to give in and get the Silver package on Steam. I just -can't- NOT have DoD:S.

portwineboy

Can someone explain to me what they mean by Counter Strike: Source and Day of Defeat : Source? I've played a lot of shooters but never got into CS. Since I'm going to get HL2 does that mean I don't get DoD:S with it? Isn't DoD:S just a CS mod? And what do they mean by "source" anyway? I can't decide what package to get because of this confusion...

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YaWhateva

Okay, CounterStrike Source and DoD source are those two games(which originally used the half-life 1 engine) updated and now using the Half-Life 2 game engine. They are major improvements of the originals. And if you buy the Silver package for Half-Life 2 you get both of them along with a bunch of others. If you buy the Bronze package you only get CS: source.

__________________
“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly

"This is my United States of Whateva!"

shipofshame

VALVe has taken it upon themselves to port Half-Life, Counter Strike, and Day of Defeat to the Source engine. They have also updated all the textures, models, audio and some gameplay elements to bring you Counter Strike and Day of Defeat in the modern gaming world. They did not spend so much time porting Half-Life, so the graphics won't be as great. But it will be running on the Source engine.

Source engine

What you get when you buy a certain package over Steam

EDIT - To clarify, Day of Defeat and Counter Strike (and their newer, Source counterparts) are completely different games. Some love one and hate the other. You might want to find a way to play them both before you commit to buying the Source ports.

However, CS:S comes with HL2 no matter what.

Gortexfogg

...it's only a matter of time 'til it's released... of course it always has been like that ubt now it's almost out! Finally! And, those screen shots look incredible.

Bonesaw

Ok...so I'm sold now. After work tonight Steam Silver it is. Sheesh.

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.

Xepidemic

looks amazing! puts doom 3 and ID to shame

shipofshame

And it just keeps on getting better!

Of of the editors at Electronic Gaming Monthly was able to play the game and he's recently made these comments to describe the game at the site's messageboard.

That just sound too good to be true.

mkultra

Xepidemic-

Thanks for the scans, I've been trying to find a newstand that was selling that issue for like a week now. Every new screen shot they release just looks cooler and cooler.

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frostfell

Thanks for the scans....just simply CANNOT wait for it to come out

BuddyHawks

Although it's uncharacteristic of me, I think I may have to buy this game. I have to justify my computer upgrades after all.

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Rdr4evr

Are there any screens of HL1 source?

Bonesaw

Xepidemic....thanks for the post!

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.

Destrox

Mmm Hl2 .. sexy

While CS:source runs perfectly fine on my computer, I may need to buy a 6800GT for the fact my ti4600 just doesnt cut it... I want my DX9 eyecandy damnit!

__________________
You bore me.... next.

Bonesaw

Dude yeah!!!! You gotta pick up a 6800 GT!!! Everything and I mean EVERYTHING!!! looks fan-fucking-tastic on that card!

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.

Man/Amazing

HALF LIFE 2... WOW....Thanks to Xepidemic for posting the review.

__________________

NavySEAL

That game is amazing and I just ordered Gold on Steam. I also got the 6800 GT with 3.4Ghz a while back, so I'm now all ready for HL2.

shipofshame

Typed up by a member over at Halflife2.net.

PC Gamer US Review:

HALF-LIFE

Why is Half-Life 2 he most important game you may ever play? Simple: It makes Far Cry weep and it smacks Doom 3 with its own flashlight. This year's hottest blockbuster entertainment won't be found at a multiplex, nor will it air onHBO...It's on your PC.

It's not just a videogame. It's not just a shooter -- Half-Life 2 is history in the making. It raises the bar for interactive entertainment, and then uses that bar to club all other games into submission. And yes, it's more than worth the wait. We banged down the big metal doors guarding Valve's office to get the worlds first review of this instant classic. We played from start to finish what no one outside of Valve has...and did it months before anyone else will. The secret is out. Half-Life 2 is finished. And it's a historic success for PC Gaming. Read on to see why...

First things first:
This review is a hype-free zone. Will I raveabout Half-Life2 with a smidgen of wild-eyed enthusiasm? Yes, I will -- and galdly, too. It's genuine enthusiasm for a mind-boggling, edge-of-your-seat experience that would make even the most reserved reviewer want to babbie cliches with gusto. Bu there's nothing to see through. While some games have eye dropping visuals, or amazing gameplay, opr maybe a cinematic story with good voice-acting, not one has ever delivered the complete package. Half-Life 2 nails it, surpassing the original in every way. There arn't words to describe just how well Half-Life 2 does what it does -- and my challenge is to find some anyway.

Insertion Point:
The events depicted in Half-Life have left the world a woefully different place. Killing Nihilanth didn't stop the alien invasion -- in fact, the Earth has surrendered to the aliens and is now under martial law. What's Gordon Freeman been up to all this time? The story, written by Half-Life scribe Mark Laidlaw, is cagey to the point of obtuseness. And while it cribs liberally from a host of sci-fi films -- most notably Total Recall, Starship Troppers, and The Matrix -- Half-Life 2 assimilates without being derivative. Just when you think yu know what's going on..well, it turns out you don't.

At the beggining of the game, you're awakened by the G-Man -- whether literally or metaphorically, you're not sure -- to make good on the employment forced upon you in Half-Life's finale.

"Wake up and smell the ashes," he intones rhythmically, like the bastard love-child of The Matrix's Agent Smith and X-Files' Cancer Man. The world is in chaos and you are needed, your're told.
Fittingly, the gameplay begins with a train ride as the crdits role. The allusion, of course, is to the long, drawn-out tram ride that began Half-Life; however, this trip is short and succinct. It's knwoing commentary from Valve to the player: "We're not going to waste your time. Let's get to the action."
Gordon is en route to City 17, a place that was probably a sleepy Eastern Euro city, but now acts as the headquarters to Earth's new government. AS you disembark the train, your eye is immegiately attracted to the prominent viewscreen displayed overhead. On the screen doing his best Big Brother impression, is Dr. Wallace Breen, the former director of Black Mesa and now the Interim Administration for Earth.
"I'm proud to call City 17 my home," Dr. Breen reassures. AS he speaks, his lips glide perfectly over the contour of every consonant and vowel. His face is slightly grizzled, graying, and wrinked; his skin etched by the imperfections of time and stress. Somehow, you don't quite believe what he's saying.
The city is under perpectual lockdown by the jack-booted soldiers of the Combine Overwatch, a Gestapo-type force that brutally enforces the new government's laws, Aooriach one and he'll jab you with an electric prod, ordering your to move along. Civilians shamble solemly around the station, mutering to themselves, all hope drained from their eyes.

Our Benefactors:
It's a tribute to the power of the Source graphics engine that despair seems to seep like sweat from the opressed. Soon enough, you're introduced to members of Earth's resistance, Dr. Kleiner and Alyx Vance. Kleiner was one of Black Mesa's balding, white haired scientists from the facility. As the virtual actors interact with one another and you, playfully smirking or resting a hand on another's shoulder, other emotions come to light. It's dramatic, natural, and sometimes even intentionally comicla.
For the last decade or so, a lot of lip service has been paid to videogames' inevitable reinvention as the cinema of the modern age. But not until Half-Life 2 has the marriage of design and technology actually fulfilled the promise. Let's tick down the list. Realistic scripting? Check -- Characters smoothly assume natural oses, looking and talking in your direction, no matter where you go. Voice-acting? Check -- Profession actores like Robert Guillaume and Robert Culp deliver real dramatic performances, not that phones-in crap heard in so many other games. And their characters' mouths are exactly matched to the words coming out of them. Visually intersting charachters? Check -- Some characters look so real and detailed that I was reminded of the all-CG movie Final Fantasy.
Incoorporating the lastest technology -- like dynamic lighting, specular bump-maps, and water refraction -- Half-Life 2 is a visual smorgasbord.
Indoor environments are so detailed that even quiet settings, such as Dr. Kleiner's lab, invite thougrough inspection. The visuals are at their weakest when Source is churning out large-scale outdoor environments, but it's not like you'll really be bothered by low-res textures on rock wall when the Combine is hot on your heels.
All this and I havn't even picked up a gun yet.

Gravity of the Situation:
Once Gordon dons his Mark V Environment suit, it's time to get down to buisness. After a few surprise twists (which I won't ruin), Gordon sets out to rendezvous with the resistance leaders -- both human and alein -- in their base.
To these freedom fighters, Gordon has become something of a living legend. This rock-star treatment is a stark contrast to the dismissive behavior thrown your way in Half-Life: everyone, even your adversaries, seems to have respect for your abilities.
(Except maybe Barney: In a sly reference to Fordon's cart-pushing job in Half-Life, the former security guard ribs Grodon goodnaturedly about his vaunted MIT degree when you participate in another experiment -- by pulling a lever.)
With your trusty crowbar firmly in hand, the "kicking ass" portion of the game begins, and you'll have a plethora of ways to destroy all the Combine tropps and headcrab zombies that stand in the way of your liberating Earth.
Naturally, Gordon runs across stashes of conventional weapons -- including a .257 Magnum (small, but gret for one-shot kills), a submachine gun, pulse rifle, and a crossbow (your sole sniping weapon).
But -- not to sound like an Army commercial or anything -- the deadliest weapon in Half-Life 2 is your mind. Thanks to the Havok physics engine, practically anything not nailed down has the potential to become and Unidentified Flung Object.
And now, some unshamed groveling: Thank you, Valve, for making the Zero-Point Energy Gun such an important part of Half-Life 2. Otherwise known as the Gravity Gun, it's the best gadget a commando scientist could wield -- letting you attract and hold an object with alt-fire, and then shiit it like a misslie with primary fire. Its default mode sends out a crackling stream of energy that tosses even the heaviest objects...which come in handy for shoving smoldering cars and other large obstacles out of your path.
What jumping puzzles were to Half-Life, physics puzzles are to Half-Life2. The Gravity Gun can be used to create makeshift bridges by posistioning a wooden plank over a cravice; to shield your body with a ,etal barrel or grate by holding it in front of you; to unloc a barricaded door by sliding out the matal slat keeping it closed; and to snatch health packs and ammo from inaccessible hidey-holes.
One of my favorite offensive uses for the Gravity Gun is to grab a radial sawblade, aim it at a pack of zombies, and watch it slice right through their midsections. Taking them down one by one would've eaten up precious ammo and been infinitely less cool.
The essance of Half-Life 2 is exploration and experimentation. It took me roughly 17 hours to complete the game, but I could easily -- easily -- see that playtime creeping into 20-plus hours considering all the nooks and crannies there are to explore.

Diversity in Numbers:
Half-Life 2 never gives you the chance to become bored with any one style of gameplay. One moment, you're scrambling thorugh an urban wasteland as flying razor bots zip around menacingly; the next level your're driving a swamp buggy through thick marshes while fending off gunships. Sometimes you're maneuvering a dune buggy solo down dusty roadways blocked by sni[ers and wrekcage; at other times you're fightinh an all-ouit street battle alongside a group of squadmates.
Gordon actually fights alongside two different squads: One is a pack of Starship Troopers extras, called Ant Lions, theat are controlled by a bag of alien bugbait filled with a comforting scent; the other is a rag-tag team of human rebels outfitted with rifles and rocket launchers. Ordering my Ant Lion army to mangle Combine troops was fun, but there was no feeling quite alike coordinating rocket attacks on towering, spindly-legged alien Stripders late in the game.
My only nitpicky complaint is that your squadmates have a tendency to bunch up in doorways, blocking your path. A gentle nudge gets them out of the way, but the AI should know that just because I snuck ingto a cramped bathroom doesn't mean everyone on the team should join me.
There are so many genuine "Hell yeah!" surprises in Half-Life 2 -- I've hardly revealed any, since that would just make me an evil prick. But there's one bit that's just so amazing that I'm bursting to tell you about it: It's Dog, Alyx's oversized pet robot that has the demeanor of a puppy and the brawn of a Megatron. He moves, and the ground shakes. When Alyx introduces Dog to Gordon, it's feeling frisky and playfully anxious for you to toss around a ball -- one the size and weight of a satellite -- with your Gravity Gun. But in battle, Dog is a fierce combatant, lifting cars like there were made of balsa wood and flinging them at enemies.
In Short, I think I love Dog. And when you meet hime, you're going to love him too.

SCORE: 98%

Bonesaw

shipofshame: thanks for the post.

I didn't read through all of it simply to keep away from any spoilers(not that the review did much) but i want to play this badboy with the least amt of info as possible.

As I've stated before with all of the reviewers giving such high glowing praise for the damn game Valve/Vinvendi need to just announce the game is gold and get it in our hands.

__________________
Q. What is the difference between erotic and kinky?

A. Erotic is using a feather... kinky is using the whole
chicken.