Strengths: Amazing, Original storyline,
Great Voice-overs,
Smooth NPC actions and Accurate weapons,
Lots of re-play-ability,
Environments and Locales are never the same,
Gravity Gun = *^_^*
Weakness: No Multiplayer;
Load times are tolerable;
Slow framerate for two seconds after Loading Screen/Lots of action, enemies, or 20+ items attached to the magnet crane on Highway 17
The Xbox version was toned down from the PC version graphically and, contrary to popular belief, in some of it's gameplay. Some sections were removed from the Xbox version that were found in the PC version, of this I am SURE.
For instance, I played a bit of the PC version at a friend's house, and in one situation on Highway 17, a house containing some Combine Overwatch soldiers also has a set of binoculars posted in a window - looking into them, you'll look across the bay to a house in the distance, seeing the elusive G-Man talking with someone - NOT entirely sure if it was the Combine or members of the resistance, it WAS a long time ago. Either way, I am 100% sure this scene WAS in the PC version, and NOT in the Xbox version. I'm also certain more parts were cut, I'm just not sure what, not having the full PC experience.
Nothing pertaining to the MAIN story was cut, but still, missing some little geeky bits, and potentially some locations and situations, it's something to maybe piss and moan about, and forget a few seconds later.
This game, however, is surely my number-one favorite single-player FPS. I'll admit, Halo took up a good two years of my life - I even started a club for LAN parties Junior year of high school, and I was a complete Halo Fanboy.
Take it from me: If you own an Xbox, you need Half-Life 2. Same goes for Halo, but everybody already knows that.
I've found it's RE-playability to keep me up many a night, and I've played fully through the storyline Four times now. Finding new way to take down those awe-inspiring, however frustrating, Gunships is great fun with the tweaked-out laser-guided Uber-agile rockets, and also using barrel and crates to climb to new hights in some levels to explore that which you shouldn't see (Invisible textures and just geeky fun). I seriously played around with the Crane Magnet on Highway 17 for maybe four hours straight, with 3 containers and 16 barrels attached to it at once, playing with the physics, giving the framerate a seizure...*^_^*
You'll also find yourself sitting still in-game, listening intently to Dr. Breen's numerous speeches progressing through the game. He is constantly providing a very believable argument for the Combine, but his motives are certainy questionable.
Either way, there is way too much fun to be had and way too many people to meet through all of City Seventeen, the Canals, Ravenholm, Highway Seventeen, the Sandtraps, Nova Prospekt, and finally, the Citadel of Dr. Breen...
You will never regret buying this game.
Just try setting one of the Headcrab Zombies on fire. The Malicious, Evil laughter WILL be your own.
67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Strengths: -Fun imaginative visually impressive world.
-Gravity gun never gets old. NEVER.
-Interactive cutscenes.
-Some of the best Xbox graphics out there.
-Backwards compatible on the Xbox 360.
Weakness: -Not as nice as the PC version running on a high end rig.
-No multiplayer Counterstike: Source which is included in the PC version.
Valve has done it again and raised the bar for what we should expect from the fps performance. The characters feel very realistic and are voiced very well. The story is intriguing lasting for nearly 20 hours of very replayable gameplay. The ragdoll physics are very fun, and with the gravity gun anything can be wielded as a weapon! The puzzles are welcomed breaks in the well paced action. This is one of the best games of all time and you shouldn't miss it! I've been playing the PC version for over a year and now I have one I can play on my XBOX. I recommend the PC version for those who have mid to high end gaming rigs, however an entry level rig probably won't perform as good as the hassle free XBOX version which is also very impressive at in SDTV.
67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
The hit PC game comes to the Xbox and offers nothing new. If you havent played the PC version you should definitely pick it up for the Xbox. Now at $19.99 you cant go wrong. Great graphics and gameplay but sadly no multiplayer at all.
67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
There are very few games on the xbox as good as Halo. Halflife 2 is one of them. Extremely well done graphics, gameplay, and involved story make this a must have game for the xbox. Playing as Gordon Freeman is very immersive 99% of the time, the only time where the game suffers is the occasional frame rate problem. The biggest drawback to this game is that is has no multiplayer support, a bit of a dissapointment for me, but everything else is so good this it is easily forgiven.
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Strengths: Engaging story, cutting edge graphics, lifelike physics, interactive environments, all of the PC's single player campaign, budget price
Weakness: No online support, no multiplayer support, occasional frame rate issues, no content downloads, load times, late release
Fans of the original Half-Life waited a very long time for the eventual sequel, and when it finally came out, you had to have a high-end PC to play it. Now that Xbox owners finally have a chance to play it, you begin to wonder what all the fuss was about.
Half-Life 2 brings a great many positives to the table: great story, killer graphics, amazing physics engine, truly interactive environments, etc., and it's astonishing that the original Xbox is capable of all this. Unfortunately, this game's handful of flaws are significant as well.
The beautiful graphics begin to stutter when too much happens on screen, and you'll encounter frequent and annoying load times. There's also no online or multiplayer support of any kind, and Xbox owners had to wait roughly a year after PC gamers has already enjoyed their superior version.
If you don't own a cutting edge PC gaming rig, you can get much of the same Half-Life 2 experience as PC gamers enjoyed on Xbox at a fraction of the price. The PS2 port of the original Half-Life wasn't anything to write home about either, so if you want to experience Gordon's continuing story without breaking the bank, the Xbox port is the only way to go.
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Strengths: The level of response of creatures to your actions is high and hence, they are tough.
Weakness: Not enough soldiers so even though it is challenging, it is possible.
Playing my second time through the game and find it much easier, although still difficult. Exciting game has me playing a few hours at a time. Then when I get tired, I start getting my ears bent.
50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Strengths: Great graphics, great levels and fun weapons
Weakness: FPS is a little harder to control on xbox
Half life 1 revolutionized the way we play first person shooters by expanding upon what was thought to be an already stale genre. It added RPG elements and new ways to use weapons and tell the story.
Half Life 2 does all that and ups the ante even more. It contains realistic physics to allow realistic gameplay responses to your actions. The physics gun weapon allows you to manipulate many of the items around you.
As always the gameplay is fast and furious and the graphics are amazing. The story moves at a brisk pace and it will suck you in immediately.
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Weakness: No multiplayer, pushes the Xbox to the limits and it shows
Half-Life 2 is one of the most critically acclaimed first-person shooters in history and for good reason. It's definitely not your standard corridor shooter and it immerses you in the environment like few games can. The story is well down and the graphics are among the best the Xbox has to offer. The physics in this game are amazing as well and some of the weapons get extremely creative.
Unfortunately, there are no multiplayer modes in this game. Another slight downfall is that this game really pushes the Xbox to the limits and there are times that the game shows a lot of slowdown.
Overall, though this is a masterpiece of a game and I highly recommend it to any first-person shooter fan.
50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Weakness: frame rate can stutter at times if there's too many enemies
Half-life 2 is one of the many the first person shooters out there for the X box. It is also one of the best looking, with gorgeous graphics that rival even those of Doom 3 and The Chronicles of Riddick. It is extremely faithful to the PC version’s single player campaign( but there is no multiplayer available for this version) One has to commend Valve Software for being able to pack all that into an X box disc . you once again take the role of scientist Gordon Freeman and battle the invading alien Combine and its occupying forces. The storytelling and the voice acting is top notch and really draws you into the experience. The Story is seamless and and has no cut scenes so it is as if you were living the actual game itself. You have the same weapons you had from Half life 1, such as the crowbar, machine gun, a shotgun, and the crossbow. You also have three new weapons, such as the pulse rifle and the gravity gun. The latter is the best weapon in the game because with it , you can pick up almost any object in the environments and use it to your advantage. The dining table you saw can now be used as a makeshift shield or you can pick up a fallen saw blade and fling them at enemies and behead them. You will also take control of vehicles such as a fan boat and a dune buggy. My only complaint is the lag and slow down that sometimes occurs when there's too many enemies or objects on screen. But I guess it's a small price to pay to be able to play one of the best games out there for both the PC and the X box.
50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Strengths: Amazing Graphics and Sound, Engaging story
Weakness: No Offline/Online Multiplayer, Load times
Half-Life 2 for the Xbox is a port of the sequel to one of the greatest first person shooters of all time on the PC. The console version of the game completely delivers on every aspect of the single-player PC version. The graphics, sound and even console controls are very well executed. The worst problem is the exclusion of multiplayer, whether online or offline. Also, the load times can be frustrating, especially with the story of the game being so compelling. Overall, for those that are unable to play the PC version due to it's monster requirements, the Xbox version is highly recommended and one of the best games on the Xbox.
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Half-Life 2 is a cheaper version of the PC edition of this game. The Xbox version is missing multiplayer as well as some slightly lower graphics. However, for me, this is not a problem. I rarely enjoy the multiplayer options of games, so I could care less about that. Rather than spending hundreds of dollars upgrading my graphics card, simply spending $20 is a great way to experience this game in (most) all its glory.
The game itself is great and very intriguing. There is always something/someone around the corner waiting to scare you right before you blow it up. The graphics are stupendous and this is just a mind-blowing game, allbeit a little short.
50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Strengths: Amazing graphics, fantastic action and story, great sound
Weakness: No multiplayer, long load times
Half-Life 2 is the PC title ported to the Xbox, and it's an amazing piece of gameplay. The game looks great, one of the best looking on the Xbox, though with that comes very long load times, due to the great graphics and great sound. The story is extremely well done, providing action and suspense from beginning to end. The single-player story is the only mode, as there is no multiplayer, though it's a minor issue.
Half-Life 2 is a fantastic game from beginning to end.
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Strengths: Voice acting is great, story is well paced and fleshed out.
Weakness: Loading, loading and more loading
Were it not for the limitations of the xbox, this game would be fantastic. Everything in it feels organic in that it makes sense to the world and as you control it. The game starts off a little slow (especially if you did not play the first game), but once it kicks in, the ride is great. The game can feel slightly scary, even more so than Doom 3, but it all adds to the rush of playing.
The characters are very memorable and the length of the game feels just right. I did not feel a need to go back and play again, and of course, the xbox version lacks the modding of the pc.
One thing to mention, however, is the loading. Nothing disrupts a game's pace like seeing a loading screen. And you see a lot of loading screens, when zipping along the landscape in a boat or other craft the loads are even more prevalent. It would be like having to press the chapter forward button on a dvd, a good movie can overcome it, but you get detached over and over again. Other than that, this is a fantastic piece of work.
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Strengths: Excellent storydriven single player experience, immersive, unique weapons.
Weakness: A few framerate issues here and there.
This is truly the best single player FPS that I have ever played. I am not a big fan of FPS's at all, but this game provides an excellent single player experience that never gets repetitive in any way. From platforming to shooting, the gameplay never gets old, because the game is so balanced out. The story picks up from the original Half-life as Gordon is once again thrown into a situation of battling mutants and soldiers. The characters are done very well in this game as you meet up with individuals that are full of life and character through the way they act and their expressions. The variety of weapons in this game is very interesting, from your normal arsenal to the gravity gun and other interesting weapons, you will have a blast. The gravity gun will allow you to pick up any background object and shoot it toward your enemies. The gravity gun really shows off the games unique physics engine incredibly well. This game easily has my highest recommendation for those that are fans of FPS's and those that aren't. You won't be dissappointed!
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Strengths: Great graphics, nice assortment of weapons (gravity gun - enough said), interesting plot, amazing game physics, smart AI
Weakness: no multiplayer, load times can sometimes get annoying, minor frame rate issues
Let me start off by saying that if you want this game as a substitute for the PC version, you are fooling yourself because this is only half as good. This game is a cheap way of playing the game of the year without upgrading your computer with $$$ worth of parts. That said, this game is a great xbox game. Of course you'll be missing out on multiplayer action that comes with the PC, but this game still rocks your world. Just running around with that gravity gun makes everything worthwile. The graphics are great for a console game and the action is full of fun. I will definitely recommend this game especially when you can dish out as low as 10 instead of 1000 for an upgraded computer. This is no substitute, but it's still a great single player game. On a buy/rent/discard scale this is a buy.
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Weakness: No multiplayer and it seems that the Xbox cannot handle this game too well and the Xbox 360 version is gonna come out.
Half-Life 2 for the Xbox is an excellent single-player game. However, if your PC can run this game smoothly, then there is no reason for you to get this unless you can find it under $10. You also don't get counter-strike source with this. However, overall if you don't have a PC that can run the PC version of this, then this is still a decent alternative. If you got a Xbox 360, wait for the 360 version.
Strengths: single player, variety of gameplay, graphics
Weakness: load times, no multiplayer option
If you own a $3000 PC, then should just go and get the PC versionp--which is much prettier and smoother. However, if you don't, this game is a must buy. The single player adventure is freakin' awesome----maybe even better then Halo 2's. The environment, the enemies, the gameplay sucks you into the world of Half Life. The one fault of this game is it was designed for the PC and the poor XBOX just can't do this game justice. There are so many load times throughout a single level---like every ten minutes or so--which does get annoying after a while. However, with all this said---this game can be found for less than $20 at your local stores.
Weakness: No multiplayer; some significant frame-rate issues
The Half-Life series is very familiar to the PC gaming crowd. However, this is its debut on the Xbox and luckily it stays true to the PC version. Half-Life 2 is visually just as amazing as its PC counterpart with immersive and interactive environments. The story-line is solid and will keep you engaged. And the campaign mode is sure to keep you busy for many hours. The downside to the game is that there is no multiplayer gameplay at all. More importantly, there are significant frame-rate problems at certain points in the game. However, these issues are present in the PC version as well. Aside from these problems, Half-Life 2 makes for a great first-person shooter. I'd recommend picking it up if you're a fan of the genre.
Testseek.com has collected 6 expert reviews for Half-Life 2 and the average expert rating is 87 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.
Half-Life 2 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS rating of 3.69 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #144 game of all time, #5 game of 2005 for the Xbox and #16 Xbox game of all time. The rating and ranking is based on an average of 55 critic scores, awards and other criteria. To see a breakdown of the game ranking, read individual critic reviews, or see how other games ranked, click on the link below.
You know the story; Gordon Freeman, research scientist for the Black Mesa research group inadvertently unleashes an alien invasion horde and then finds himself dead center of a three-way slugfest between alien invaders, a military death squad and Government assassins sent in to shut everyone up permanently. Winner: Gordon Freeman, but the victory comes at a price. Rather then find himself in the...
Half-Life 2 on Xbox
Strengths: Amazing, Original storyline, Great Voice-overs, Smooth NPC actions and Accurate weapons, Lots of re-play-ability, Environments and Locales are never the same, Gravity Gun = *^_^*
Weakness: No Multiplayer; Load times are tolerable; Slow framerate for two seconds after Loading Screen/Lots of action, enemies, or 20+ items attached to the magnet crane on Highway 17
The Xbox version was toned down from the PC version graphically and, contrary to popular belief, in some of it's gameplay. Some sections were removed from the Xbox version that were found in the PC version, of this I am SURE.
For instance, I played a bit of the PC version at a friend's house, and in one situation on Highway 17, a house containing some Combine Overwatch soldiers also has a set of binoculars posted in a window - looking into them, you'll look across the bay to a house in the distance, seeing the elusive G-Man talking with someone - NOT entirely sure if it was the Combine or members of the resistance, it WAS a long time ago. Either way, I am 100% sure this scene WAS in the PC version, and NOT in the Xbox version. I'm also certain more parts were cut, I'm just not sure what, not having the full PC experience.
Nothing pertaining to the MAIN story was cut, but still, missing some little geeky bits, and potentially some locations and situations, it's something to maybe piss and moan about, and forget a few seconds later.
This game, however, is surely my number-one favorite single-player FPS. I'll admit, Halo took up a good two years of my life - I even started a club for LAN parties Junior year of high school, and I was a complete Halo Fanboy.
Take it from me: If you own an Xbox, you need Half-Life 2. Same goes for Halo, but everybody already knows that.
I've found it's RE-playability to keep me up many a night, and I've played fully through the storyline Four times now. Finding new way to take down those awe-inspiring, however frustrating, Gunships is great fun with the tweaked-out laser-guided Uber-agile rockets, and also using barrel and crates to climb to new hights in some levels to explore that which you shouldn't see (Invisible textures and just geeky fun). I seriously played around with the Crane Magnet on Highway 17 for maybe four hours straight, with 3 containers and 16 barrels attached to it at once, playing with the physics, giving the framerate a seizure...*^_^*
You'll also find yourself sitting still in-game, listening intently to Dr. Breen's numerous speeches progressing through the game. He is constantly providing a very believable argument for the Combine, but his motives are certainy questionable.
Either way, there is way too much fun to be had and way too many people to meet through all of City Seventeen, the Canals, Ravenholm, Highway Seventeen, the Sandtraps, Nova Prospekt, and finally, the Citadel of Dr. Breen...
You will never regret buying this game.
Just try setting one of the Headcrab Zombies on fire. The Malicious, Evil laughter WILL be your own.
67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?