300°

Half-Life 2 gets graphical overhaul

Bit-Tech reports: "This is why PC gaming is better than console gaming in our opinion; because of excellent mods like this which keep on improving on the games we all know and love.

When it comes to mods in fact it's tough to get more well known FakeFactory, the modder who's been working to improve the visual impact of the Half-Life games ever since their first release. The FakeFactory mods have been upping the polygon count (and amount of cleavage) on Half-Life 2's characters for a number of years now. "

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devilhunterx5592d ago

too bad the gameplay and story were terrible.

Ghoul5592d ago

utter nonsense sorry

Half life 1+2 are probably the best Shooters evermade. And yet most Devs are still behind what valve achieved with Half life

Eiffel5592d ago

What do you like?

Honestly...

So far all I got is b!tching.

poopsack5592d ago (Edited 5592d ago )

I found the story very stale, im sorry I dont worship Half Life 2.

@yoHAN: Hey down there your preaching about choice, dont know what it is yourself? Or are people only able to choose when it best suits you? Maybe not everyone thinks its the best game ever.

y0haN5592d ago

What a troll. HL2 is one of the best games EVER. GTFO

5592d ago
Scarfy5592d ago

Because after playing it I found it overly long, repetitive and lacking in characterization.

So... What did people see in this game?

poopsack5592d ago

In episode 2, there was a vehicle section that I felt just dragged on for too long, when I reached a part where there was actually other people I was like whoah yeah! But it lasted for 2 minutes and I went on another vehicle part... again. Then the movement of the whole thing is so slow. I was having nightmares about beeping because it was the only thing I remembered about the whole thing, just beeping.

ThanatosDMC5592d ago

I agree with the crappy story or plot whatever. You're Gordon Freeman some nerd scientist guy (according to Yahtzee) and you "wake up" at the train station without knowing how the F you got there.

The game does not explain how you've became overly popular especially since there was no way everybody could know what you've done in Half Life 1.

They never explain who the suitcase guy is.

What made Half Life 2 popular is gameplay, innovation with physics, and the engine which can be easily be modded.

narked5592d ago

seriously, not knowing who the G-Man is, is part of the story, did u ever read a story and all the characters are shown immediatly? spoils the fun. as for the no-one knowing about Gordon Freeman, well if u played HL1 u will know that Dr. Kliener knows who he is, Barney knows who he is and so do other characters who know what he has done and who he is. so play your games before u speak.

what in your opinions constitutes a good story? Gears? ALIEN ATTACK, LETS KICK ALIEN ASS, ALIENS GONE. ALIENS BACK AGAIN, KICK ALIEN ASS AGAIN, ALIENS GONE AGAIN! WOOT.

the half life story can be rivaled by metal gear and halo, but thats about it.

Beast_Master5592d ago

I played the Orange box and I too was a little curious why people rated it so high. I understand the gravity gun was something not done before, but other than that I guess I didn't understand the ending with the agent. To be fair I didn't play the first Half Life, but still I found the story hard to follow.

I guess in 05 this game was ground breaking but when I played it last year I didn't get what the fuss was all about, especially with the ending. Ep. 1 and 2 didn't exactly clear things up either.

TheIneffableBob5592d ago

The story in Half-Life 2 is passively presented. Unlike most other games, it's not just thrown in your face. The story is told through the condition of the city, the attitudes of the citizens and what they say to one another, the bulletins posted on walls throughout the game, and so much more.

It requires the player to use their brain.

Tony P5592d ago

HL2 isn't god's gift to FPS imo and I'm not about get all up in arms about a story I didn't care for. But it's far from non-existent as some posters have implied. I found it exceptionally easy to follow and the gameplay to be the shining point of the entire experience. It actually expects you to think or listen instead of just shoot. That's high points in an FPS any day.

The biggest issue I have is with the episodic nature of the game; I'm far more used to having a game reach an acceptable conclusion rather than leave me at a big cliffhanger question mark. I really hate that since most games now require a $30-$60 entry fee just too see wtf happened in the sequel. But overall I didn't think badly of it.

ThanatosDMC5592d ago

Wow, you assume too much. Gears' story does not hold water. Half Life's story cannot even come close to Metal Gear but it can come close to Halo.

Out of all of those 6+ games in the Half Life universe that had the G-man never even hints anything about that guy.

Also, since i played all those games (even the PS2 co-op) you completely missed my point about EVERYBODY. Everybody you met in the game knew who Gordon Freeman was. Yes, those rebels.

I compare Half Life 2 to the first FEAR game. Stack how Fear told you the story and how in slowly opened everything to you, the player, about Alma being your mother. After understanding her powers you can nod and understand why you can have "fast reflexes" (aka slowmo powers) in the game.

Oh wait, if you've ever played that game you would know! What?! The game story evah is minesweeper?! .... waht a dmubsas.

See what i did there?

il-mouzer5592d ago

I see what you did there.

But seriously, MGS4 had no story, I'm no 360 fanboy and neither am I defending the Half Life story (although the story isn't finished yet - I doubt it has even started).

Metal Gear Solid series is no political thriller, its just a cheesy 1990s action movie, no plot just a bunch of dialogue mixed together trying to confuse you.

Hideo, I saw what you did there.

narked5589d ago

im not saying that hl story is BETTER than MGS, i can say that it compares pretty well. like metal gear, things are revealed late in games, aka MGS4. i agree that the story mgs has to offer is top notch, but you have to wait for the hl story to develop.

you cant say hl story is poor, do you understand how to combine are there? what the citadel is? and so on. i played hl countless time, if only valve didnt delay the games so much we would know more about the G-Man but we have to wait.

there are little shooters which rival the hl story, fear has a great story yes but nowere as good as the one of hl, imo.

+ Show (13) more repliesLast reply 5589d ago
GWAVE5592d ago

I wouldn't go as far you say that PC gaming is better than console gaming (or that console gaming is better than PC gaming).

Still, it is pretty sweet when independent mods can improve a game. That has always been a strength of PC games. Console games such as Little Big Planet are starting to make this a possibility for console owners.

rbanke5592d ago

I allways think its a bit silly to pit consoles -vs- pc's. I would think that most gamers in general would play at least some games from pc's and consoles.

And on that note, what would be the point of limiting youreself to one console/platform anyway? I know when i see a game that appeals to me, i'm going to play it, doesnt matter what platform its on.

tplarkin75592d ago

PC gamers play the same games, over and over and over. Why buy Crysis when you can play the latest mod of Half-Life 2?

Bigrhyno5592d ago (Edited 5592d ago )

That's because the games are incredibly fun.

Why are people playing Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix, when it's just an updated version of a game?

GWAVE5592d ago

You say that as if it's a bad thing. Mods are awesome. You're obviously a console-only gamer if you think otherwise.

solsub5592d ago

Well, mods gives you that additional incentive to go back and re-play those old games. Sometimes they feel like completely new experiences thanks to the endless efforts and dedication of certain modders.

It definitely is one of the major advantages of PC gaming. I really don't believe that they hinder the sales of upcoming titles but rather breathe new life into the ones you already have.

This coming from a big console supporter.

y0haN5592d ago (Edited 5592d ago )

Why is it a problem? It's called choice..

poopsack5592d ago

mods arent a problem, I liked the SAS mod for UT2004 like hell, but I agree that it could become a disturbance for newer games.

y0haN5592d ago

People still play SAS 2004? I thought the UT2k4 mod scene died when Red Orchestra went retail? (I bought it and it's awesome.)

poopsack5592d ago

oh yeah, its still very active.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5592d ago
onomix5592d ago

Half-Life 2 is the reason I play FPS games. It puts Halo and Gears of War to shame. When you finish this game, you'll be crying. That's how good it is. This game has revolutionized not just FPS games, but games in general. Half-life 2 is the standard in which all FPS games are compared against.

Hububla5592d ago

i have gotten more games then i can count because of HL 2 and the source engine... not just retail but there are dozens of user made full conversion mods like insurgency and age of chivalry.. and all of the mods are free! best 20$ i ever spent

ForROME5592d ago

Sorry Valve Products are dead to me. HL3 of course Ill play it for the story, then return it, or give it back to a friend whom which I borrowed it. As far as Buying, Valve can piss off, the PS3 nonsense, the attitude, I dont dig em.

Its like the Dixie chicks at their concert started talking S@#$ about their president (our). Cool if you dont like em, I have no problems with that, but to use your concert as a forum ruins the exp.

If I go to see a concert, I want just a concert, if I play a game, I want them just to make games.

Proxy5592d ago (Edited 5592d ago )

"If I play games, I just want them to make games."
Have they been doing anything else?

They don't have the manpower to support the PS3 and keep up on their PC development and continual released of FREE improvement for their past games. (Like recent TF2 update.) It's all business.

Also, I bet HL3 will be tied to your Steam account, which means you cannot play it and then return it.

QQcrybaby5592d ago

Dude I'm with you on the Dixie Sluts but ffs man, what you said made absolutely no sense.

Marquis_de_Sade5592d ago

Why should a developer HAVE to support a console? Valves main focus is(and always will be) the PC, because the 360 has similar architecture, it means easy porting, but the same doesn't apply to the PS3.

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130°

Essential Video Games Everyone Needs To Play At Least Once

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Chard9d ago (Edited 9d ago )

I never got around to mass effect - I’m skeptical that it would hold up if I were to try it now

Furesis9d ago

I would say it does. The combat is a bit shit for todays standards but everything else is great.

anast8d ago

It's worth a play through today.

gold_drake8d ago

the first one is abit the odd one out but after u finished it, believe it it gets tremendously better and better

230°

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thorstein51d ago

.... from the 2000s (mostly).

shinoff218351d ago

I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.

Cacabunga51d ago

Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1

Inverno51d ago

Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.

Name Last Name51d ago

I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.

Inverno51d ago

But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?

LucasRuinedChildhood51d ago (Edited 51d ago )

A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.

But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.

- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).

Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.

Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.

Inverno51d ago

I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.

AuraAbjure51d ago

Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.

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80°

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