'Ah... Gordon Freeman!' (Half Life (PC))

Member Name: clownfoot

Product:	Half Life (PC)
Date:	25/04/08 (353 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One on the finest immersive first person shooters ever designed.

Disadvantages: Okay, so the graphics are slightly dated...

HALF-LIFE

Like my Amiga 600 beforehand, I have fond memories of my first PC. A Pentium 133Mhz was the business in 1996, although now days it would likely be out-performed by a twenty quid toaster! Still, you could play some pretty top notch games like Command & Conquer (pure simplicity), Sam & Max (I miss the old point and click adventures), Syndicate Wars (neutron bomb grenades - awesome) and Ultima Underworld (quite simply no Ultima Underworld, no Bioshock). Yet as good as these games are, they have all dated somewhat, replaced by more superior creations in their genres over the sands of time. Well, except for one game, which is still as fresh, invigorating and original as it was when first released at the tail end of 1998. Many first person shooters have been made in the intervening years with ever flashier graphics, but few have even come close to matching the experience Valve had crafted when they unleashed the Black Mesa Research Facility, resonance cascades, Vortigaunts, the G-Man and a little known title character called Gordon Freeman upon the world. Half-Life was born. Better than that, it actually managed to run on my P133!

Gordon Freeman is the latest acquisition to the Black Mesa Research Facility; a theoretical scientist of some clout who is part of the anomalous materials team. Today seems like any other day for Gordon - late arrival, technical glitches to the communications mainframe, more specimens to analyse. Yawn central! Yet things get rather exciting when the normal routine of placing a specimen into the scanning beam inadvertently creates a resonance cascade, opening a portal between earth and an alien dimension. On awaking from the temporal displacement (Gordon is teleported to an alien planet and back again), he finds that the research facility is falling apart around him, alien creatures are tearing his science colleagues a new one, and the military rescue team that have taken control of the facility are killing all in their path in an effort to cover up the 'incident'. Gordon decides on a course of action that one would expect of any theoretical scientist - grab a shotgun and blast your way out! Instructed to head for the lambda complex on the far side of the facility for reasons unknown, Gordon must confront human and alien foe alike, traverse rail networks, missile silos, sewers, office buildings, blast pits and mountain ranges, before attempting to close the resonance cascade; saving not only Black Mesa but the whole world at large.

So, as Gordon Freeman (the significance of his surname is elaborated on in the sequel) you are placed in the free-falling hell of the research facility with only a Hazardous Environmental suit, Barney the security guard, whatever weaponry you can muster (including the now iconic crow-bar) and your own wits for company through 19 rather extensive chapters. But unlike all previous first person shooters Half-Life is no Doom clone; it's much more intelligent than that. Certainly you get to blow things up and such like, but whereas Doom (and later the Quake franchise) was a straightforward 'there's something moving, shoot it' kind of game, which was great fun in the short term, it wasn't particularly immersive and suffered from bouts of repetitiveness in its structure that led to a more diluted gaming experience. Half-Life instead took the best elements that first made Doom a revolutionary game (a great blast, bloody scary) and refined them into something much more subtle, engaging and innovative.

Firstly, the structure and design of the game is co-ordinated in such a fashion that getting from point A to point B derives a greater more fulfilling purpose. Gone are the objective based platitudes of most similar shooters; story progression is key here making for a much more immersive experience. Indeed, by not incorporating levels, any cut-scenes or an inventory page (everything can be done from the main game screen) and keeping everything within Gordon's eye-view throughout the game, ensures you remain involved as the character. Whilst Gordon is never seen and never actually speaks, he certainly interacts. Scientists speak to you as Gordon, members of the rescue team bitch about you for killing their mates, and then the mysterious G-Man appears every so often. Who is he? You want to know and this systematically drives the game onwards in an unrelenting, unforgettable way.

This is only bettered when you realise what else the gameplay has to offer. There is a successful balance between puzzle solving and combat that proves distinctive from anything that had gone before. By being more than just a shoot 'em up, Half-Life successfully tells tedium to take a hike. The puzzles themselves are not particularly arduous and cause minimal frustration, but they really stand out thanks to the innovative way Valve have designed them. Refraining from the whole 3-D map maze where switches need to be flicked to open doors, Valve's idea of a puzzle can be seen in one particular scenario. How does one progress past and remove three plant-like creatures that can't see but can sense by sound? An outstanding sequence sets up the puzzle - a scientist being dragged off and munched by one of the creatures is immediately unnerving! The fact you have to then enter the cylindrical room that contains the beasts and navigate by their piercing beaks derides much satisfaction (and pure adrenaline pumping terror) once achieved.

Of course, then there is the combat. The typical FPS weapons are all on show, from the MP5, shotgun and magnum, to the stupidly powerful rail gun. A few alien weapons are included later on, but this is merely for starters. What actually makes the combat in Half-Life such a joy is the wonderful artificial intelligence employed and, more importantly, the bravado of the superbly implemented scripted sequences. Enemies no longer wonder straight into your sights, but instead put up a pretty good fight. Rescue team members out-flank you, throw grenades and are a general nuisance; something not previously witnessed in the genre. Alien creatures hide round corners merely looking to ambush you as you approach. Head-crabs appear from darkened air vents, all teeth snapping in your general direction. Indeed, don't play the game on easy mode as many such surprises the game has in store for you on the harder games modes are otherwise ruined.

And then you have the scripted sequences! Ranging from scientists being dragged into air vents by alien monsters before body parts are spat out in some quite graphic gore; to the G-Man looking at you through a window of a locked door and straightening his tie before walking off; to specific combat sequences set-off once you reach a particular area (each combined with a pumping music cue); all are brilliantly conveyed and just add to the games multi-layered atmosphere. When you talk about a game playing out like a film, with the player starring in the lead role, Half-Life is that game! It's an action movie and horror flick combined and for the full effect you really should turn up the volume, turn off the lights and prepare to pee yourself once you see what's round the next corner...

Sure, Half-Life does look a little dated when directly compared to more recent fare, in particular its marvellous sequel. Some of the graphics are fairly naff - the underwater beast being quite rubbish - but for its time this was top of the range stuff. Even today, though, it does what it needs to effectively. The superb introduction with Gordon being carried through a variety of environments on the internal rail system, whilst the film style credits roll, is still fantastically impressive, and the alien homeworld still stands out. A wonderfully visualised landscape of floating platforms and crisp, coloured space, littered with corpses of previous interlopers from Black Mesa and pierced by an eerie silence for the most part, makes for a more than fitting finale.

The true quality of a game should perhaps be measured on its longevity and influence. Now ten years down the line and looking back retrospectively, it's difficult to disagree with the critics of the time about how revolutionary a game Half-Life is! Without it the first person shooter would have likely evolved much more slowly. It injected an intelligence into the genre which made it more fun and entertaining than the likes of Quake and with its movie like qualities added a flair and style that was previously much overlooked. That it's influenced pretty much every atmospheric first person shooter that's followed, from Deus-Ex to F.E.A.R to Halo, is pretty much undoubted! That few of these games have bettered it is ever more impressive. And it's still as much fun to play today as it was on the day of release, thanks to its subtle craft, immense gameplay and exquisitely conceived scenarios.

So, if you are yet to embrace the H.E.V suit, have failed to pick up a crow bar and are still waiting to commit your first resonance cascade, then you really should investigate this exquisite piece of gaming. Don't disappoint the G-Man now...


Overall - Not only one of the finest first person shooters ever crafted, but one of the finest games crafted, period.

Specs - Do you really need the specs? The game was released in 1998 for crying out loud and should work on all modern PC's!

Where to buy? - Half-Life can still be found in a range of guises either online or in a range of gaming stores, usually for no more than 5-10 gold bars. Alternatively, the best way to get your hands on a copy is to visit the Steam website below where you can download a legal version of the game for $9.95 (about a fiver).

http://www.steampowered.com/v/index.php

Summary: Gordon Freeman. Resonance Cascade. Alien Attack. Crow Bar. Kick Ass!