- Sequel to the hit first-person shooter.
- Scientist-with-a-crowbar Gordon Freeman joins a ragtag human resistance fighting extradimensional invaders for the survival of a conquered Earth.
- Unnervingly realistic graphics the likes of which have not been witnessed outside of a motion picture or pre-rendered cut scene.
- Realistic physics: objects have varied and appropriate mass, density, physical properties.
- For 1 player.
Product Description
-------------------
Half-Life 2 takes the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of
the original Half-Life and adds startling new realism and
responsiveness. Welcome to a world where your presence affects
everything else. From the physical environment to the behaviors
and emotions of both friends and enemies, every move has a
consequence. Enjoy the unique combination of pounding action and
continuous, immersive storytelling. Characters can assess
threats, navigate tricky terrain and fashion weapons from
whatever is at hand. Lush and realistic environments - objects
obey the laws of mass, friction, gravity and buoyancy. System
requirements: Windows, 700 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM, DirectX 6.0
compatible graphics card/accelerator.
.com
----
In many ways, creating a sequel to Half-Life is an unenviable
task. After all, the goal is to craft not just any ordinary game,
but an improvement to a title that is widely considered to be the
high water mark for first person shooters. Fortunately, Valve
does not disappoint on their sopre effort.
Half-Life 2 picks up exactly where its predecessor leaves off,
with gamers stepping once more into Gordon Freeman's HVAC suit as
he awakes at some indeterminate time in the future, now
apparently in the employ of the mysterious G-Man. Humanity has
been sold out to alien forces, and your job is to escape their
thrall and lead the resistance to victory.
HL2's key successes are in a few critical areas, the first of
which is the new physics & graphics engine, called Source. People
and objects fall, fly, tip over, float, and break in an
extraordinarily realistic fashion, and in-game puzzles often
require you to use simple applications of physics to progress.
Second, an elaborate facial structure system coupled with
excellent voice acting make for some of the most believably human
NPCs in gaming history. This is no small thing; you will find
yourself actually caring about the characters who surround you,
even those that are normally regarded as cannon fodder. Third,
the level design exhibits a subtle brilliance, which frequently
fools you into feeling like you're making your way through an
environment and not a forced linear path. These elements
combine to form one of the most truly immersive experiences ever
captured on a PC.
This gaming bliss comes at a cost, however. If your computer
isn't running the latest and greatest hardware, you may find
yourself turning down a lot of the slick graphics to keep the
machine from choking. Also, at the time of this writing the only
two bundled multiplayer games are a barely updated version of
Counter-Strike and HL2 DeathMatch. Counter-Strike: Source is
every bit as fun as the original, but the DeathMatch is
lackluster and contains only a handful of uninspired s.
Overall, Half-Life 2 is a smashing success, every bit worthy of
the prestige and respect that the franchise has been awarded.
This is absolutely a game that every computer gaming enthusiast
is going to want to have in their collection. -- Jon "Safety
Monkey" Grover
Pros:
* Advanced graphics and physics system provide highly immersive
experience
* Believable, expressive non-player characters
* Fun, realistic level design Cons:* Requires a very fast
computer to play with all bells & whistles on
* DeathMatch mode has few s and is not terribly entertaining
P.when('A').execute(function(A) {
A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse',
function(data) {
window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100);
});
});
From the Manufacturer
---------------------
By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the
original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness,
Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence
affects everything around him, from the physical environment to
the behaviors even the emotions of both friends and enemies
The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist
Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth
being picked to the , its resources depleted, its populace
dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing
the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a
lot of people he cares about are counting on him.
The intense, real-time gameplay of Half-Life 2 is made possible
only by Source, Valve's new proprietary engine technology. Source
provides major enhancements in:
Characters--Advanced facial animation system delivers the most
sophisticated in-game characters ever seen. With 40 distinct
facial "muscles," human characters convey the full array of human
emotion, and respond to the player with fluidity and
intelligence.
Physics--From pebbles to water to 2-ton trucks respond as
expected, as they obey the laws of mass, friction, gravity, and
buoyancy.
Graphics--Source's shader-based renderer, like the one used at
Pixar to create movies such as Toy Story and Monster's, Inc.,
creates the most beautiful and realistic environments ever seen
in a video game.
AI--Neither friends nor enemies charge blindly into the fray.
They can assess threats, navigate tricky terrain, and fashion
weapons from whatever is at hand.
See more ( javascript:void(0) )