Zom-B-Q

Sunday, July 16, 2006 » gaming thought

I both started and finished (not surprisingly) Half-Life 2: Episode One today, and I have nothing bad to say. It's more of HL2's great gameplay and more fun tossing things around with the gravity gun. Although the reviews I've read have lamented that the episode's short length is its biggest (if only) downfall, I think it actually worked out well. The smaller scale probably made it easier for Valve to fine-tune the game, and the results are evident in the quick pacing and how naturally everything comes together, even though pretty much every new chapter brings several twists on the standard Half-Life experience. And the HDR effects looked great, even if I had to bump the resolution down a bit.

I managed to get my copy while it was $8 at Circuit City, and while it's great having more Half-Life 2 to play, if I had paid the full $20 I think I might have felt a little cheated, since I got through the episode in about four or five hours. Of course, I still have to do another playthrough with the commentary on, which I'm really looking forward to. I guess that still makes it a way better deal than going to a movie, or even buying a cheap DVD.