It's a game of two halves! (No, really!) (Half-Life (DC))

Member Name: Johndonut

Product:	Half-Life (DC)
Date:	29/10/00 (649 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Better graphics, a whole new single player experience

Disadvantages: Multiplayer may not be released....yet

For those of you who have never heard of the game Half-Life, go away, you are not worthy of reading this preview! For those of you who have, and also own a Dreamcast, run along and shake the hands of those nice men and women at Sierra Studios. Expected this November, this Dreamcast reincarnation offers a real treat, even if you've completed it for the PC. Why? Apart from superior controls, the Dreamcast version offers a brand new single player experience. When Sierra and Valve announced that Half-Life would be coming out for the Dreamcast they said, "By partnering with Sega our intention is to create an incredible new version of Half-Life that takes full advantage of Sega Dreamcast's architecture." It seemed likely that this version was also going to make use of Dreamcast Network multiplayer support, but sadly Sega has recently announced that this will not happen. However, the new single player adventure will no doubt be a popular addition to the winner of over a dozen "Game of the Year" awards.

One of the most impressive things about Half-Life is that it has an incredibly rich storyline, which is explained fully throughout the game, not in the manual. Instead of the stereotypical first-person shooter where you start the game in the middle of a room filled with aliens, everything is explained clearly and has a reason. How often do you walk down the road and come across a rocket launcher? Well, you don't in this game. Weapons are retrieved from people's lockers and torn off alien foes, all adding to the realism and overall believability of this fantastic game. The character undertaken is called Gordon Freeman, a feisty young scientist who takes part in an experiment that goes horribly wrong. Aliens start pouring into your world, and Freeman is left to face the music.

The alien creatures and the military that Gordon encounters are all tremendously intelligent. Instead of running straight into your gunfire they run
for cover, communicate and use grenades to kill you while they're hiding somewhere safe. You'll find that it's not all a one sided battle when you're equipped with a terrifying arsenal of weapons including snarks (my favourite), a strange breed of alien weapon. Of course, you're not just faced with enemies, but you have friends too. Scientists have the useful function of being able to open doors and provide medical attention, as well as walking up to you and muttering phrases such as, "Leave me alone until after the experiment", and, "I can't be bothered right now". Charming! Security guards are also useful to a certain extent, picking off pesky head crabs to make your life easier.

Overall then, Half-Life was a tremendous game for the PC and it would be foolish to say that it will be anything else for the Dreamcast. Superb graphics and improved controls are the main enhancements, but a game such as Half-Life doesn't really need anything added to it to make it a winner. This game should definitely be an addition to your 'to get' list.

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