Ships Ahoy - Half-Life 2: Episode One [Jun 01, 2006, 6:42 pm ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
Valve announces that Half-Life 2: Episode One is now available via
Steam:
Valve Launches First of an Episodic Trilogy
Bellevue, WA, June 1, 2006 - Valve®, developer of the blockbuster series Half-Life® and Counter-Strike™, announced Half-Life® 2: Episode One is now available via Steamgames.com for just $19.95 and at retail outlets around the world.
The first in a trilogy of episodic games, Episode One reveals the aftermath of Half-Life 2 and launches a journey beyond City 17. Episode One does not require Half-Life 2 to play and also includes a first look at Episode Two, which will ship by year's end.
In addition to the new single player experience, two multiplayer games are included. And those who purchase Episode One will have free access via Steam (www.steamgames.com) to Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, the interactive technology demo that introduces High Dynamic Range lighting to the SourceTM Engine, Valve's award-winning game technology.
Beamer, congratulations, you've officially reached biggest HL2 fanboy status. Has Valve given you your plague yet? 
But seriously.
"Alyx follows Gordon around."
Really? Where? In HL2, the following happens.
- Gordon is told by Barney to go to Dr Kleiner.
- Gordon is told by Dr Kleiner & Barney to go to the sewers.
- Gordon is told by the resistance to take the boat to Dr Vance's lab.
- Gordon is told by Alyx to go to Ravenholm.
- Gordon is told by Alyx to take the car to that prison.
- Gordon follows ALYX around the prison, she's the one who opens doors, jams locks, finds her dad, etc. Gordon doesn't do shit. All you get to do (as Gordon) is place a few sentry guns. Woohoo.
- Gordon is told by Alyx (After the slow teleport) to go to the Citadel.
- Gordon is finally told by... Barney I think, to go into the Citadel and take care of shit.
- All the way at the end, it's Alyx who tells Gordon to go blow up the reactor.
Gordon never makes a single decision for himself. For that matter, you as the player never get the idea that you've made a single decision for yourself.
I haven't played Ep1, but from what I read in here, it's pretty much the same? Alyx tells you you need to get back in the citadel etc etc? And you call GORDON the hero? He's the merc who shoots thing, that's about all.
That would be fine, EXCEPT that Valve went to great lengths to establish Gordon as a FUCKING SCIENTIST.
"His place isn't to question. It's to act. He's not mindless, he's the best killing machine the world has seen"
His place isn't to question? Again, he's a SCIENTIST.
If Valve has now decided that the scientist angle was really stupid, they should just kill Gordon off and have you play with the dumb mute protagonist soldier (Which ofcourse they won't do, since it's the world's biggest milking cow.)
By keeping yapping about Gordon and how smart he is, and then by NEVER EVER EVER having him DO a single fucking thing, it makes Gordon completely, utterly unbelievable as a protagonist. He's the only scientist in the world who never does anything, and who never questions anything.
If you go to such lengths to establish the protagonist as someone, and then NEVER EVER use those credentials throughout the course of the game, to me that reeks of pisspoor writing.
Seeing as how it was written by Laidlaw, that doesn't really surprise me.
Shit, the protagonist from Shadowgrounds is more believable. He's a mechanic, and guess what, throughout the course of the game, you have to use his mechanical skills. Nothing too profound, but it establishes the protagonist and helps ground him into reality. Gordon is a fucking Special Ops Commando, who somehow was envisioned as a scientist by Valve.
Yeah, that's just awesome writing. Let us all pay homage to the most amazing writing ever witnessed in a game.
Creston
This comment was edited on Jun 7, 19:58.
But seriously.
"Alyx follows Gordon around."
Really? Where? In HL2, the following happens.
- Gordon is told by Barney to go to Dr Kleiner.
- Gordon is told by Dr Kleiner & Barney to go to the sewers.
- Gordon is told by the resistance to take the boat to Dr Vance's lab.
- Gordon is told by Alyx to go to Ravenholm.
- Gordon is told by Alyx to take the car to that prison.
- Gordon follows ALYX around the prison, she's the one who opens doors, jams locks, finds her dad, etc. Gordon doesn't do shit. All you get to do (as Gordon) is place a few sentry guns. Woohoo.
- Gordon is told by Alyx (After the slow teleport) to go to the Citadel.
- Gordon is finally told by... Barney I think, to go into the Citadel and take care of shit.
- All the way at the end, it's Alyx who tells Gordon to go blow up the reactor.
Gordon never makes a single decision for himself. For that matter, you as the player never get the idea that you've made a single decision for yourself.
I haven't played Ep1, but from what I read in here, it's pretty much the same? Alyx tells you you need to get back in the citadel etc etc? And you call GORDON the hero? He's the merc who shoots thing, that's about all.
That would be fine, EXCEPT that Valve went to great lengths to establish Gordon as a FUCKING SCIENTIST.
"His place isn't to question. It's to act. He's not mindless, he's the best killing machine the world has seen"
His place isn't to question? Again, he's a SCIENTIST.
If Valve has now decided that the scientist angle was really stupid, they should just kill Gordon off and have you play with the dumb mute protagonist soldier (Which ofcourse they won't do, since it's the world's biggest milking cow.)
By keeping yapping about Gordon and how smart he is, and then by NEVER EVER EVER having him DO a single fucking thing, it makes Gordon completely, utterly unbelievable as a protagonist. He's the only scientist in the world who never does anything, and who never questions anything.
If you go to such lengths to establish the protagonist as someone, and then NEVER EVER use those credentials throughout the course of the game, to me that reeks of pisspoor writing.
Seeing as how it was written by Laidlaw, that doesn't really surprise me.
Shit, the protagonist from Shadowgrounds is more believable. He's a mechanic, and guess what, throughout the course of the game, you have to use his mechanical skills. Nothing too profound, but it establishes the protagonist and helps ground him into reality. Gordon is a fucking Special Ops Commando, who somehow was envisioned as a scientist by Valve.
Yeah, that's just awesome writing. Let us all pay homage to the most amazing writing ever witnessed in a game.
Creston
This comment was edited on Jun 7, 19:58.
Date
Subject
Author
Copyright © 1996-2025 Stephen Heaslip. All rights reserved.
All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Privacy Policy. Manage Cookie Settings.
News CGI copyright © 1999-2025 James "furn" Furness & Blue's News. All rights reserved.
Chatbear v1.5.0/blue++: Page generated 13 July 2025, 14:05.