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My brother works for Valve software (the people who made Half-Life) and I got to test this item myself. This is the best game for the Playstation 2 so far I would say. The controls are remarcable compared to the PC version. But, if you liked the original controls with the keyboard and the mouse, you'll love this. Half-Life supportes the USB ports. So hook up your mouse and keyboard and get playing!The graphics are also stunning on this game. They are enhanced very much from the PC version. And, if your concerned about the framerate, no fear, it runs as smooth as silk.
There's also a multi-player mode and a co-op mode on Half-life, so you can compete against your friends in a deathmatch, or try and get place back to normal by fighting side-by-side.
I gave this a 5/5 because... IT'S THE BEST FREAKIN' GAME FOR THE PS2 YET!!! If you liked the original, you'll love this one.With totally revised graphics, and new multi-player mode, this is a must buy for the playstation 2.
(there's also a rumor around valve about online play)
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Keep in mind I'm writing this review from the perspective of somebody that played the game in the last six months, and not when it first came out. Back then first person shooters (FPS) weren't all the deep in the story department and most of the time players just saw the "storyline" as something getting in the way of shooting anything that moves Half Life came onto the scene with radically new thinking on several fronts.The biggest one was intelligent enemies. There was more artificial intelligence put into your opponents so as they didn't just run up to you and attack like the monsters from Doom and Quake. They took cover, laid suppressing fire, tried sneaking around you, and all other sorts of tactics. Back in 1998 you didn't much of that in a first person shooter.
The second innovation is more what the fanboys say about the game rather than the truth, and that's a storyline. Indeed Half Life had a plot that you followed throughout the game that made shooting the bad have a little more depth, however it wasn't all that. Games like the System Shock series and Thief already gave you superior FPS storylines. Half Life was just the popular one.
And that's where we come to how this game stacks in the new millenium. I played it on PC back in 1998 up to a point, but never finished. I ended up finishing the game with the PS2 version. That plotline only takes you so far as much of the action in middle gets extremely tedious. If you don't mind just shooting and solving jump puzzles without much story to inspire then I guess that's not big deal. However these days more engaging plots on FPS games is the norm.
Gameplay is pretty good for a console FPS. The target lock system helps make up for the lack of the keyboard/mouse configuration and the rest of the controls fit fine with the PS2 controller. The graphics are supposed to be enhanced, but I couldn't see all that much of a difference from the original Half Life game set to high resolution on the characters. I believe the bitmaps for the walls, skies and such is where the major graphic improvements were. Either way the graphics are indeed dated.
In the end Half Life was a good game to play for the most part. Only there were some very long stretches where I wished the game would just end already due to lack of any depth beyond getting past the level. The "wow" ending left me a bit underwhelmed after all those boring levels (again you're talking to someone who played it recently... I bet back in the day it was awesome).
What's the verdict? If you can find it cheap by all means get the game and experience the highs (and lows). I hear this game is being redone with the new HL2 engine, so at that point I would say it's up to you regarding a revisit when this happens? As for me I don't regret paying the $10 finding out what was good and bad about this game.
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Half-Life is certainly a good FPS title for the PS2. It's very reminiscent of Voyager Elite Force or Red Faction. You play the game as Gordon Freeman, a scientist in a secret research facility. Something goes horribly wrong and a portal to an alien world is opened up and you find yourself battling a variety of alien monsters and even government soldiers sent to kill you and cover the whole thing up. In the end, you will travel to the alien world for the final showdown.Overall the game is a good game with decent graphics and sound. It has a "save at any point" feature which greatly enhances the playablity. The game plays basically as a continuous "movie" with few cutscenes and fairly decent loading times. The control scheme is almost identical to one used in Voyage Elite Force, however you have to learn that your weapon does not necessariy aim where you're looking.
I enjoyed the game and found it addicting, however I began to tire of it in the final missions. This game is longer than most recent releases, and even on the easy level, I found it to be pretty difficult, especially in the later stages. While most of the game involves fighting enemies, a fair amount of your time is spent solving puzzles and in the end, it became more about making tedious jumps rather than fighting aliens. After awhile, jumping from point A to point B gets a little tiresome.
This an enjoyable game worth the investment but be advised that it can get tiresome before you finish. The game is better than 3 stars but in my mind, maybe not completely deserving of the 4 star rating, primarily because of the "tedious" factor.
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OK, I'll begin by saying I own all game systems. N64, PS2, X-Box, Dreamcast,and Game cube. I've played every FPS game released (I know, sad huh....) and I concider myself an authority in this arena. That said, Half-Life is the current game in my PS2 console. I had never played the PC version so I didn't know what to expect. I went through the in-game training and then began with DECAY. The co-op play was fun. What I found kinda cool is that you can play the co-op version by yourself.(One controler, switching back and forth between player 1 and 2. ) AI keeps the non-user alive and even helpful during battles but you have to advance BOTH players. Play it, you'll see what I mean. Although DECAY was kinda short, 12 levels, A grading system offers bonus levels if you do well. DECAY gets 3 stars.The Main game is where the real action is. The levels are long and progressivly more difficult. The lock-aim feature is invaluble. AI is incredible. Fighting both aliens and humans keeps the game alive and the sound, WOW. The story line is one of the best I've played and the weapons are easy to use. I also enjoyed having to solve the mind puzzles along the way. Not puzzles really but more like "how the hell do I do this....."
So, why is it no HALO ? Well, if you have to ask, you have never played HALO before. For starters, The communication voice often gets lost in the music and action noise leaving you wondering what it is you need to do. Not that you have to stop and restart mind you, the game is linier in nature so eventually you'll figure out what it is you missed. Next, the loading pauses take place too often for my taste. It slows the game. The graphics are less than should be expected for todays PS2 games but still very detailed. Even with these minor things, the game was addicting. Don't turn it on if you only have an hour to play, you'll be late to where ever you need to be.
Oh, and one other thing.....go play HALO. Did I mention HALO?
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