No Half-life 2 Review Again In Gametm?

[squirtle]

it looks exactly the same as the first game.

Oh, Duncan. Oh, Duncan.

Oh, just... No. Seriously. No.

[Beertiger]

The scuff and stain on the wallpaper tells as much of the game's story as the dialogue. The lighting makes you shiver and sweat.

Anyone else wanna argue that Edge might be disappearing up it's own arse again?

Yes and so close to the reshuffle. I think they're just trying to make up for treating PC gamers so poor over the years. Shame they're doing it in such an obviously obvious way.

[angel]

Anyone else wanna argue that Edge might be disappearing up it's own arse again

Nah, thats fair comment. If you play the game in its intended spirit, each little ruined kitchen / bedroom / apartment block alludes to what happened there in the past. Stains on walls as soldiers came in and smashed the place up. Proper realistic looking grafitti everywhere.

It may run like shit a lot of the time but the art and atmosphere stand out a mile above most current games.

[squirtle]

Nah, thats fair comment. If you play the game in its intended spirit, each little ruined kitchen / bedroom / apartment block alludes to what happened there in the past. Stains on walls as soldiers came in and smashed the place up. Proper realistic looking grafitti everywhere.

It may run like shit a lot of the time but the art and atmosphere stand out a mile above most current games.

Arse. It's a fucked up city. I'd expect it to look like that. If it was all pristine I'd think it was a bit odd. How is drawing the bloody obvious telling a story. And what is that same graffiti pattern doing everywhere? That one with the kid sort of sat down. What does it mean?

Far Cry is technically better as well. And MP2 is hands down the most visually inventive game this year. Bar none. What's so inventive about re-presenting reality? I'm not saying that it doesn't look good, but it's hardly inventive, is it? And no mention of the repetitive character designs either. Didn't you just die?

[The Liberal Elite]

Oh, Duncan. Oh, Duncan.

Oh, just... No. Seriously. No.

Apparently, the bosses are more irritating than the last game as well. I wouldn't have thought that was possible!

[The Liberal Elite]

Arse. It's a fucked up city. I'd expect it to look like that. If it was all pristine I'd think it was a bit odd. How is drawing the bloody obvious telling a story. And what is that same graffiti pattern doing everywhere? That one with the kid sort of sat down. What does it mean?

Click For Spoiler

I'll tell you what: the second I wandered into ravensholm and saw all those empty headcrab missile pods is the moment that it clicked for me. That in itself told a whole lot of story to me regarding the combine and their attitude to the humans without having to have someone and sit me down and tell me that 'they are bad and want to kill everyone!!!'

Which was brilliant.

[Cyhwuhx]

Apparently, the bosses are more irritating than the last game as well. I wouldn't have thought that was possible!

.::: I don't see what irritating bosses have to do with the visual aspect of the game.

[oorbroon]

Hey, mind it with the HL2 spoilers - no matter how mild. I've not played it, and already I know there's some them vs us plotstrand from this thread alone.

[angel]

Il agree about MP having amazing environs...been saving MP2 since it came out and i might have to start it.

[Stolly]

The stuttering thing is common to certain PC set ups isn't it?

I can't remember a PC game that has never before encountered some playability problems. The combinations of parts will always make this a PC gaming issue (ie not an issue specific to HL2 alone). In the end the game might need a certain machine to be at its best but that's not to detract from how good the game is at its best. I don't have an Xbox capable of playing Halo 2 but that doesn't make the game bad does it?

[squirtle]

Click For Spoiler

I'll tell you what: the second I wandered into ravensholm and saw all those empty headcrab missile pods is the moment that it clicked for me. That in itself told a whole lot of story to me regarding the combine and their attitude to the humans without having to have someone and sit me down and tell me that 'they are bad and want to kill everyone!!!'

Which was brilliant.

But you had already been told that by Alex in that bit where she tells you why they don't go to Ravenholme any more. And what so different from what you describe to the bit in Halo 2 where you're

Click For Spoiler

playing as the aribiter and go into that building and see all the green shit everywhere, and one of the elite's turns round and says something along the lines of "This smells familiar..." And you go, "Oh, fuck!" because you know the flood are coming up. Where's the difference?

Don't get me wrong, HL2 is a cracking game. But it's not the be all and end all. The combat still sucks - It's just point and click and wait for them to fall over. All it really has going for it beyond other games is the gravity gun, and even that isn't consistent. So, wait, I can twat a car over a cliff, knock over a sand crab, twat on oncoming head crab, but can't hit the combine, dead or alive. Right, that's consistent.

[squirtle]

.::: I don't see what irritating bosses have to do with the visual aspect of the game.

o/\o

[squirtle]

The stuttering thing is common to certain PC set ups isn't it?

I can't remember a PC game that has never before encountered some playability problems. The combinations of parts will always make this a PC gaming issue (ie not an issue specific to HL2 alone). In the end the game might need a certain machine to be at its best but that's not to detract from how good the game is at its best. I don't have an Xbox capable of playing Halo 2 but that doesn't make the game bad does it?

Doom 3 ran fine for me. Even on my modest 2.2 Celeron and Geforce Mx 440se, it ran. Not with everything on, but it never stuttered or anything. It ran fine. Far Cry too ran perfectly fine for me as well.

And didn't Valve say they were making it with Ati cards in particular in mind? I have the 9800pro and and 2.8Ghz P4 with 768 meg of ram. Should it be stuttering even with everything turned off and on 640*480? No it shouldn't. Stop making excuses for it.

[Stolly]

But I get no problems playing it so why should I dislike it? Because you have problems?

[squirtle]

But I get no problems playing it so why should I dislike it? Because you have problems?

No, that's not what I'm saying. It's great that you play it with no problems. But you at least recognise that the game has problems that some are experiencing. Hell, just go look on the steam forums. But you are aware of this. And yet, videogaming's premiere magazine has one reference to a major problem with their latest 10/10 game and that is in a comic right at the back.

Imagine what GT, SM64, Halo or OOT would have got with the same problems? A 10? I hardly think so.

[Concept]

To be fair, it's happening to hundreds of thousands of people by the looks of the scale of the problem in question.

I feel that's the issue in contention here. I'd accept that it doesn't impact on the quality of the game itself if you can view the content away from the technology upholding it. Having said that, this isn't just some usual PC 'bug' that can be patched.

Valve have tried patching and for many users it hasn't really changed a thing. I include myself amongst those.

I'd say the stuttering problem is indicative of a flaw in Source's adaptability more than anything. Yes, it scales well on hardware in terms of raw performance, but in terms of stability... that's another issue altogether.

I haven't played Half-Life 2 properly in weeks because of this, and it has hurt the game. Put it like this... after ICO, I was on that game, drunk on that game, completely infected by that game for months.

I very much wanted it to be the same for Half-Life 2, but with the stuttering problem, it just can't be the case. It harms the immersion.

[Stolly]

No, that's not what I'm saying. It's great that you play it with no problems. But you at least recognise that the game has problems that some are experiencing. Hell, just go look on the steam forums. But you are aware of this. And yet, videogaming's premiere magazine has one reference to a major problem with their latest 10/10 game and that is in a comic right at the back.

Imagine what GT, SM64, Halo or OOT would have got with the same problems? A 10? I hardly think so.

Individually though I wouldn't have known of any problems. Therefore when Edge reviewed it they wouldn't necessarily of either, would they?

Anyway HL2 isn't the best game of 2004 - FFXI is

In the last month I've only been able to get 2.5 hours into HL2 because of my own PC hardware problems. I'm very good at the opening HL2 levels now I've formatted the HDD 4 times and Evesham are out next week to replace it so don't think I'm completely unfamiliar with PC gaming problems either.

[The Liberal Elite]

But you had already been told that by Alex in that bit where she tells you why they don't go to Ravenholme any more. And what so different from what you describe to the bit in Halo 2 where you're

Click For Spoiler

playing as the aribiter and go into that building and see all the green shit everywhere, and one of the elite's turns round and says something along the lines of "This smells familiar..." And you go, "Oh, fuck!" because you know the flood are coming up. Where's the difference?

the difference is that halo 2's story is donkey shit.

[The Liberal Elite]

o/\o

beauty isn't only skin deep.

[Guest]

But you had already been told that by Alex in that bit where she tells you why they don't go to Ravenholme any more. And what so different from what you describe to the bit in Halo 2 where you're

Click For Spoiler

playing as the aribiter and go into that building and see all the green shit everywhere, and one of the elite's turns round and says something along the lines of "This smells familiar..." And you go, "Oh, fuck!" because you know the flood are coming up. Where's the difference?

Don't get me wrong, HL2 is a cracking game. But it's not the be all and end all. The combat still sucks - It's just point and click and wait for them to fall over. All it really has going for it beyond other games is the gravity gun, and even that isn't consistent. So, wait, I can twat a car over a cliff, knock over a sand crab, twat on oncoming head crab, but can't hit the combine, dead or alive. Right, that's consistent.

Halo 2 is great because...TWO GUNZ!!!!11 AND A CHEATY SORWD!!111

[The Liberal Elite]

Halo 2 is great because...TWO GUNZ!!!!11 AND A CHEATY SORWD!!111

Don't get me wrong, HL2 is a cracking game. But it's not the be all and end all. The combat still sucks - It's just point and click and wait for them to fall over. All it really has going for it beyond other games is the gravity gun, and even that isn't consistent. So, wait, I can twat a car over a cliff, knock over a sand crab, twat on oncoming head crab, but can't hit the combine, dead or alive. Right, that's consistent.

Click For Spoiler

All i'll say about this point is that you clearly haven't finished the game. yup, that's probably a spoiler, but you FORCED IT FROM ME.

[Guest]

Halflife 2 (from a cover point of view) is old news. Do you really think it would sell copies of a magazine if it was featured on the cover of February's issue?

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

[The Liberal Elite]

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££

also, why do you have to put it on the cover?

I bet all those idiots who decided to print reviews after san andreas had been out for a month feel like right cunts now! what was in it for them? nothing!

[Liquid Myth]

the difference is that halo 2's story is donkey shit.

Shinkuu-High 5!

[JohnC]

Individually though I wouldn't have known of any problems. Therefore when Edge reviewed it they wouldn't necessarily of either, would they?

But isn't that largely to do with them reviewing it for all the mags on a special machine at Valves offices? If the magazines were allowed to review the game on their own machines, many of them would have seen the problems.

Personally, the first suggestions involving editing some files and stuff made the problem a bit better. It changed it from unplayable to barely playable. But it still stutters a bit, especially at the start of levels. After I've waited ages for a level to load, I have to wait a bit before doing anything to give it time to settle down.

It's always while accessing the HD too. The stutters synch with the HD light. None of the updates have done anything to improve the problem.

[The Liberal Elite]

But isn't that largely to do with them reviewing it for all the mags on a special machine at Valves offices? If the magazines were allowed to review the game on their own machines, many of them would have seen the problems.

Personally, the first suggestions involving editing some files and stuff made the problem a bit better. It changed it from unplayable to barely playable. But it still stutters a bit, especially at the start of levels. After I've waited ages for a level to load, I have to wait a bit before doing anything to give it time to settle down.

It's always while accessing the HD too. The stutters synch with the HD light. None of the updates have done anything to improve the problem.

I suggest a new system whereby they come around your house and review the game's performance.

Then the following month, they put an excel spreadsheet on a disc with the results for each of the 30,000 computers with an average score which should be used as the final score for the game.

It's clearly the only way to be sure.

Hell, Farcry runs like shit on my machine, but I can see that it's a good game. but what the hey - it's rubbish on my PC so I only give it 4/10.

[oorbroon]

I suggest a new system whereby they come around your house and review the game's performance.

Then the following month, they put an excel spreadsheet on a disc with the results for each of the 30,000 computers with an average score which should be used as the final score for the game.

It's clearly the only way to be sure.

Hell, Farcry runs like shit on my machine, but I can see that it's a good game. but what the hey - it's rubbish on my PC so I only give it 4/10.

I think the point is that all these technical hiccups went unacknowledged by all the reviews showing how bastardised the entire 'critical evaluation' of the game was even for the oh so holy Edge. To an extent, any way - after all, Edge, PC Gamer, PC Zone staffers could have all played the games themselves after their one reviewer wrote all the coverage and not experienced a single problem. Of course, this would be the prime opportunity for gTM to swing in and evaluate it properly, externally with out 'PR support' (which I would have taken to mean 'PR interference'), and look at how it really performs for its users. But no, they have to behave like children. I don't think the technical problems should impact a review of the *gameplay*, but if magazines are all of a sudden trying to look at the way products impact "videogame culture" then the act of actually playing a game being circumvented by shit installation and distribution should not go unnoted.

[ryodi]

It's not out of the question to review a game months later. NGC didn't review NBA Street for months after it came out and admitted they had just forgotten in the short review. I don't see why GTM can't do that.

[squirtle]

beauty isn't only skin deep.

What?

What the chuff?

MP2's locales are stunning. Just stunning. End of that one.

[squirtle]

Click For Spoiler

All i'll say about this point is that you clearly haven't finished the game. yup, that's probably a spoiler, but you FORCED IT FROM ME.

Crazy! For the record, yes I have finished it. I'm actually going through it again now it's running slightly better and have just got through Nova Prospekt.

So I know what you are referring to, but holding that back for last 15mins of the game has to be one of the cheapest things I've witnessed. There was acres more opportunity to play with that in the first 95% of the game than what was offered to you in that last bit.

So, nyer.