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Table of contents for The Orange Box Review
- The ANGRY Pixel’s Review of HL2: Episode Two
Yes, yes, we know we’re a bit late, but we just couldn’t stop playing the accursed thing. Here then, is the first part of a series of reviews on the greatest gaming package 2007 has to offer, starting with Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Our second biggest Half-Life fan(atic) here, Dev, gets down and dirty with the flagship game in the Orange Box, as he takes a nice little drive through White Forest and saves the day all over again. Hit the jump for the official review and some absolutely droolable screenshots.
Half Life 2 Episode Two is the second in the trilogy of games that pick up and continue the story of Gordon Freeman, from the cliff-hanger at the end of Half-Life 2. Yeah that 2004 game that had something to do with changing the way people look at physics and animation. Ring a bell? Good. Now read on.
Episode One, quite appropriately, marked the launch of the episodic “experiment” in games. It showed off all that was good about ‘diet’ gaming. It had a strong focus, and was a far tighter and emotionally richer experience than Half-Life 2; Which is ironic, considering there was hardly any story progression in this game! It picked up right after Gordon Freeman (you!) blew up the citadel, and then followed Freeman and Alyx as they find their way to the surface and eventually, out of City 17. It also brought in (not counting “Lost Coast“) the Commentary system - a great add-on that gave you a whole new reason to replay the game (other than the sheer fun!), while providing insights into the development process. What more could you want?! Oh, all the money in the world? Pfft.
Which was great, because if there was ONE problem with Episode One, it was the length. Lasting barely 3 hours, it left you wanting for SO much more; which is what Episode Two promised and - surprise, surprise - delivers!
Episode Two starts right where Episode One left off. You find yourself on the wreckage of the train you were leaving City 17 in, with Alyx by your side. As you explore your way to safe ground, you find out that the Citadel is now completely destroyed, with a super-portal forming in its place. Some scripted sequences and nice effects, tell you that it’s, obviously, not a good thing. Alyx eventually finds a transmission tower, and you touch base with White Forest - the new home of the rebels. You need to get there, but not before helping the Vortigaunts save Alyx from near-fatal injuries. When did that happen? I’ll leave you to find that out.
Episode Two marks an incredible six hours of mouse-clenching gameplay, interspersed with equally tense and dramatic scripted sequences. There are new enemies, such as the Acid Workers lions and the Hunters, that are intent on making life difficult for poor Freeman and his friends. You eventually find ways to take them down easily, but they are ALWAYS a pleasure to put down. The team dynamic that was introduced in full force in Episode One, takes a new turn as you battle alongside the seemingly invincible Vortigaunts. The enemy and NPC AI in general is also improved, and they both take pretty good care of themselves. This means that the epic set-piece battles are an ABSOLUTE joy to get through in one piece, without being unforgivingly difficult. The puzzles are satisfying and, while not brain-rackers, are bound to bring a smile to your face. You will also be driving a vehicle through a good bit of this Episode. It handles a whole lot better than the vehicular segments in Half-Life 2 and, like the rest of the game, is a - pardon the pun - fun ride.
Visually, Episode Two is a grand departure from the usual post-apocalyptic urban landscape of the Source powered Half-Life games. As was evident from the trailers and the promotion, this episode shifts focus to the countryside and large, open areas, with you and Alyx being chased down by the Combine through lush forests and other hill-side greenery. The indoor environments span across defunct workshops, beautiful abandoned cottages, military bases and an underground antlion haven. The Source engine has received numerous incremental upgrades since Episode One launched, and the game looks stunning, to say the least. Soft shadows dance around on walls while you explore in the darkness; the HDR and bloom effects are far more subtle now. The red tinge in Episode One makes way for a more natural and filled-in look. There’s a controlled explosion of colors, as you look from yellow and red metal walls to blue sky and lush greenery. The water effects have also received a few brushstrokes of subtlety; and it’s not BioShock, but the lazily-rippling water looked simply incredible to this reviewer’s eyes.
The variety in the visuals is complemented by great sound as usual, with music that wonderfully sets the pace for the on-screen action. It always hangs around in the background and really kicks in when the pitched battles take place, of which there are quite a few. The voice-acting is simply spectacular, and it will make you cry and laugh harder than ever. It is backed up by the ever more incredible animation that’s a signature of the Half-Life series now. From your very first glimpse at the new technology, it is evident that all the characters sport more muscle - not in the literal sense. That said, while the upgrade isn’t noticeably significant, it adds little touches of reality and softness here and there, that add to and raise the overall experience to a whole new level. The NPC’s also move more naturally, and the twitches in the transitions that bugged the previous games, have now been smoothened out; as a result the whole presentation seems far more controlled and..right.
The characters in Half-Life games (or Valve games in general) have always been a joy to behold and are etched in gamers’ memories for numerous reasons. Even in the 1998 game, which featured incredible scripted animation for that time (turning the pages of a newspaper, anyone?) but no facial expressions to speak of, one could recall the idiosyncrasies of the scientist friends you helped out or vice-versa. Half Life 2 introduced you to the Citizen-NPC’s - who, while spouting memorable lines, were but nameless hordes waiting to be saved by a “rogue physicist”; Episode One extended and enhanced the experience to a certain extent. Episode Two, however, plays host to NPC’s that have individual character and charm, and some who actually have names! This takes the immersion and the emotional takeaway from the game to new heights, and makes every NPC interaction “worth having” and memorable. The situational dialogue, spoken by everyone from Alyx, to the Vorts and the Citizens is sharper and funnier than ever, and intelligently shifts with changes in the gameplay. There’s a different line for doing something fast, another for doing it slow and possibly another for not doing it at all! It is not Deus Ex, where there is an explicit bi-directional choice-consequence relationship between actions and dialogue; but it helps keep the conversations natural and allows you to bond and relate to the characters in the game. Speaking of which, Episode Two introduces you to a new character, an old friend from Black Mesa we would LOVE to see more of in the future!
Episode Two provides you with an experience you are not likely to forget very soon, and would in fact want to have again and again. The game also has easter eggs, achievements and the aforementioned Commentary Mode to keep you from moving on to other things in life. The achievements are a great addition to the game, especially for those who only own a PC (even though they don’t add to points of any sort on Steam). Some force you to take a fresh look at how you accomplished a certain task in the game, and it is quite likely you’d want to stick to the new approach even after you are done with the achievement! Others require you to devote a good bit of dedication, if not time, to accomplishing something that’s not even remotely necessary, but is a whole lot of fun to do anyway.
Some would be disappointed to know that the Orange Box achievements on the PC are limited to Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and that other game. But there’s no harm in finding out about the achievements available For Half-Life 2 and Episode One on the 360 version, and trying them out anyway! Getting through Episode One without firing a single bullet (for all practical purposes), is PARTICULARLY fun. Try it out.
Episode Two is again a great showcase for episodic gaming (after Episode One), and this one sincerely hopes more game design studios would jump onto the (rather sparsely populated) “more in less” bandwagon. With extremely visceral gameplay, stellar production qualities (including endearing references to Amelie) and one gut-wrenchingly horrible cliffhanger ending, Episode Two raises the bar yet again for the Half-Life series, even if we probably have to wait another 18 months for the next bloody episode. But for now, stop reading and go enjoy this awesome game already!
Rating - (marked down a bit to make space for that other awesome game in this package) 9.2/10
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October 22nd, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Great review buddy. Was expecting a little more of your quirkiness though!
October 22nd, 2007 at 4:54 pm
And oh, btw, for guys like me who are on the lookout for when the 360 version will land in India, or more specifically in Bangalore, I called up Glasgow Computers, Brigade Road and was informed that the copies will be arriving by Thursday max.
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Thursday, huh. Oh-kay. The guy usually has no clue what he’s talking about but still, for those who haven’t been able to play it on their PCs, I hope it gets here soon enough. I seriously wonder how anyone’s going to get past the Challenge maps in Portal though, considering they’re a bitch even on the PC with a 2000 dpi mouse. Maybe they’ll dumb it down a shade..
October 22nd, 2007 at 5:29 pm
[...] picture has been sitting on my desktop for over a sodding week now, with me just waiting for our Episode Two review to go up, just so I could post this chilling awesome cosplay shot. I don’ t really need to [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Gr8 review there bro..oh and Mumbai Mirror gave EP2 two and a half stars outta 5…yeah!!,the reviewer said he didnt enjoy it much
Who wants to join me in torching his house and killing his cat!!
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Solid Roshan: Did the reviewer say why he didn’t enjoy the game? :’(
October 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Here is the entire transcript of the review
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:00 pm
@abhi, toned down intentionally.
And hey, thanks!
About that “you call this a supplement?!!” review, guess the guy had a rough day before playing it or something…anyhow you always have the occassional *gulp* *deep breath* NAY….sayers. You must have of course learned to *gulp* IG..nOre them.
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:53 pm
[...] but really bad reviews for Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Sure, we may not (and probably never will) have given it bad scores, but some people apparently think it doesn’t deserve all those lofty [...]
October 30th, 2007 at 5:54 am
[...] the madness of September and October behind us, one would have hoped to find some time to sit down and breathe. But do the folks at [...]