Half-Life 2: Episode One

Published on: 15th May, 2009

[Editor's Note: Some of you may notice that our PS3 and 360 reviews of this game are the same, but the PS3 version has scored lower. This is not a typo. The two versions have identical content and both are fantastic. However, the PS3 version sometimes moves at a chuggy, stuttery pace, and has notably longer loading times. These faults have earned it a lower score.]

Anyone who completed Half-Life 2 – one of the most accomplished games ever made – was left with more than a few niggling questions. Did you actually save City 17? Will hero Gordon Freeman escape from the G-Man? And did Alyx Vance, the game’s leading lady, end up on the wrong end of a thermonuclear explosion?

We needed answers and, finally, we’ve got them. Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a trilogy of games that continue the story of Half-Life 2 – Episode One kicks off seconds after that game’s thrilling cliff-hanger ending. But, despite obvious similarities, this is an entirely fresh adventure.

We won’t give too much away but Episode One immediately reveals how Gordon and Alyx survive the blast at the end of Half-Life 2. The Citadel is now on the verge of a second catastrophic explosion and your goal is to escape across the suburbs and catch a train out of the danger zone.

Episode One offers more of a breakneck potboiler in comparison to Half-Life 2′s epic narrative. Five hours is enough to reach the end but the five superbly-paced chapters are hugely satisfying, both in terms of plot and the sheer volume of action. It won’t be long until you’re pining for Episode Two but this first episode never leaves you feeling short-changed.

Every effort is made to push Half-Life 2 forwards and to avoid familiarity. Your surroundings are now actively involved in the gameplay. You begin by re-entering the Citadel in spectacular fashion and have to protect both yourself and Alyx from huge pieces of falling rubble with the super-physics gun. Puzzles and obstacles are even more believable as real-world challenges thanks to Episode One’s robust and intuitive design.

It’s Alyx who makes the biggest impact, though. The charismatic Miss Vance is always by your side and your involvement with her makes the game an incredibly absorbing experience. Alyx isn’t invincible but neither does she need to be wrapped in cotton wool – mostly, she’s putting you to shame with her gritty combat skills.

For the first part of the game, Alyx packs

the only weaponry – you have the grav gun – which creates an unusual, co-dependant relationship between the two of you. In one lights-out section she can’t see to shoot and you have the only torch, so you’re looking after each other in a challenging, dynamic way.

Valve’s achievement is in creating a character you can rely on and feel protective about. Whether she’s watching your back or you’re saving her from zombies, she’s so effective that it’s easy to forget Alyx is actually electro-brained AI. She’s always aware of your actions, and makes great tactical decisions.

And you need Alyx, as Episode One really ramps up the action. Fights with combine soldiers are interrupted by marauding antlions, whose nest-holes must be blocked with wrecked vehicles before you turn your attention to a larger myrmidont antlion. There’s lots of things to do all at once but, if you’re skilled enough, you can turn this to your advantage.

The new zombified combine soldiers are a great example. Stronger than the shuffling corpses you’ve faced before, these ‘zombines’ charge at you while holding live grenades: hesitate and you’re coffin-stuffing, but a quick flick of the grav gun allows you to pluck the grenade from the zombine’s claw.
via

Readers Comments