Discussion — Half-Life 2, Episodes One and Two

[Michael Ubaldi]

"Half-Life 2, Episodes One and Two," by Michael Ubaldi.

[Ed Kirchgessner]

I'm curious: do Half Life 2's loading times bother anyone else, or am I nitpicking too much? I absolutely love the experience, I just wish my suspension of disbelief wasn't shattered every three minutes by a status bar.

I'm about 2/3 through my replay of the original Half Life 2, and then I'm on to Episode 1. I know nothing about the story so far, so I'm pretty excited to see what happens.

[Michael Ubaldi]

I had become so inured to the pauses in the Xbox port that I only faintly notice them now.

However, my own little quibble would be the abandonment of screenshots per save, as I would make good use of that to mark fun segments or interesting sequences that took place well outside of level boundaries.

[Michael Ubaldi]

As if to observe the Orange Box's second anniversary (nearing the fourth for Half-Life 2), I began playing again. This will be my fifth playthrough, I think, and the game still rivets me.

[Unicorn Tim]

Do you by chance have garrys mod?

[Michael Ubaldi]

Originally Posted by Unicorn Tim

Do you by chance have garrys mod?

I play the game exclusively on Xbox 360 — when it comes to first-person shooters, I have the eccentric preference for rough accuracy (analog sticks) over precision (mouse).

But Garry's Mod is incredible. Valve's encouragement of user-generated content is admirable, and the fruits of that labor are often no less than masterful. Concerned is my favorite graphic novel.

[Helix Eternal]

Originally Posted by Michael Ubaldi

when it comes to first-person shooters, I have the eccentric preference for rough accuracy (analog sticks) over precision (mouse).

I'm the same way for some reason. Must be from playing so much Goldeneye as a kid.

Speaking of HL2 I still need to finish my first play-through.

[Michael Ubaldi]

Originally Posted by Helix Eternal

Speaking of HL2 I still need to finish my first play-through.

I find I'm the only one who feels this way, but the game's sonic detail is the kind to obsess over. Newspeak recited by an anodyne dispatcher? Compelling rhetoric delivered by Robert Culp? Combine chatter produced by recording what could only be an air-traffic controller or radio announcer through a radio? Amazing.