What's so special about this series?

[Bogart]

Not a hate thread as I have not played the games YET but would like to get around to them eventually, probably starting with the Black Mesa remake. But I am intrigued by how popular it is. I was going to say it has a cult following but it's even more mainstream than that. So in your opinion what makes this series special?

[Virgil]

Originally posted by Bogart Praetor Bridges:

Not a hate thread as I have not played the games YET but would like to get around to them eventually, probably starting with the Black Mesa remake. But I am intrigued by how popular it is. I was going to say it has a cult following but it's even more mainstream than that. So in your opinion what makes this series special?

Honestly? It's popular today pretty much due to memes and the cultural impact it had 20+ years ago. Most of the people who are actively still talking about Half-Life were either not even born or still in diapers when Half-Life was actually relevant. I say this as someone who was actively gaming back then and completely understands why it's such a juggernaut of a franchise.

When Half-Life 1 came out, the top competition was basically Doom 1 and 2 for PC, Goldeneye for N64 or if you were unfortunate enough to be gaming on Macintosh, you had the brilliant (but very dated by now) Marathon trilogy. Marathon is the precursor to Halo and along with Pathways Into Darkness, was Bungie's foray into gaming before they hit pay dirt with Halo and became a household name.

Half-Life completely changed the FPS formula going forward and changed it forever. Between Half-Life and Deus Ex, you started seeing much larger and more sprawling maps with much more intricate (for the time) story and dialogue, which was practically unheard of in the FPS genre before that time. Marathon had a storyline that was readable on computer terminals in-game, but most associated FPS with frantic run and gun slaughterfests like Doom and Wolfenstein 3d.

Half-Life brought a whole new degree of cinematic storytelling to the genre, and while it's been analyzed to death by now and it's now likened to a "linear sequence of scripted events", at the time it was completely revolutionary. Half-Life brought online FPS gaming to a whole new level with mods like Counter-Strike that once again revolutionized the industry, and along with games like Morrowind that would come out several years later, it kickstarted a whole new era of creativity and modding that has pretty much persisted to this day. Modding existed before then, but was far, far more primitive and specialized.

If you're new to the franchise and playing it today, you are playing a piece of gaming history. I imagine it would be difficult to understand why it would be so significant because judging by today's standards, just about everything it's done has been done better elsewhere by now. It would be like playing Mario Bros for NES and saying "huh, I don't know why this is so beloved, it's a generic 2d platformer set on a linear path."


EDIT/TLDR: You had to be there.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Virgil:

EDIT/TLDR: You had to be there.

I feel that it's a flawed argument to say that... implying that the game isn't that good outside of nostalgia.

[inpurpleshadows]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

Originally posted by Virgil:

EDIT/TLDR: You had to be there.

I feel that it's a flawed argument to say that... implying that the game isn't that good outside of nostalgia.

I agree that the "you had to be there" argument is kinda flawed. Even though nostalgia is a huge factor of the appeal of older games, it isn't the only one. I have no nostalgia for the Half-Life series because I first played it last year. Even when I first played it more than two decades after its release, I still found it to be impressive and I think the game holds up, something you can't really say about other games released around the same time.

[Virgil]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

Originally posted by Virgil:

EDIT/TLDR: You had to be there.

I feel that it's a flawed argument to say that... implying that the game isn't that good outside of nostalgia.

It's not my intention to imply that. The fundamentals are still solid, it's still fun to play and it's an important game in the annals of history. A lot of us who grew up with the games have permanently moved on, as a literal generation has passed since then. Many of us have kids who are older than we were when these games first came out (childfree here, but the point stands). People and their tastes change with time. Maybe you're right, and I underestimated the lasting appeal - in which case, I'm thrilled that new audiences are still finding reasons to play and enjoy these games. I applaud it.

My ultimate point was that these games today are solid, enjoyable and fun but they are not the industry game changers they used to be and I can understand a newer player not understanding how these games were so, so celebrated for so long. The gaming market has expanded a thousandfold since those times and is absolutely saturated to bursting now, which was definitely not the case back then.

Gaming as a medium has gone from a niche market that was the butt of jokes from older generations to a respected and legitimate art form in the time since then, and games like Half-Life helped slowly but surely pave the way. By the mid 2000's, the industry had become fully mainstream. Games like this and the early years of WoW made that happen as did the Nintendo Wii, which brought a lot of non-gamers into the gaming fold for the first time.

I liken people playing Half-Life for the first time now to people going to Woodstock festivals in the modern day. Yeah, you can say you went, but it's not the same as attending the original when it debuted, changing the musical world and leaving its mark on western culture forever. If people still enjoy going, I'm happy for them, but Jimi's been dead a long time now.

Originally posted by inpurpleshadows:

I agree that the "you had to be there" argument is kinda flawed. Even though nostalgia is a huge factor of the appeal of older games, it isn't the only one. I have no nostalgia for the Half-Life series because I first played it last year. Even when I first played it more than two decades after its release, I still found it to be impressive and I think the game holds up, something you can't really say about other games released around the same time.

I almost exclusively play older games anymore, with the exception of a few of the more promising roguelites that are solidly built and respect my time. I understand that nostalgia has very little to do with the lasting appeal of older titles, or I would have moved on a long time ago. Most of my gaming is done through GoG anymore as unfortunately physical media (and ownership in general) is dying swiftly.

There are a lot of games from that era that still hold up. Diablo 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and 3, Master of Orion 2, Alpha Centauri, Vice City and San Andreas (if you can play the originals - good luck and God bless SilentPatch), Morrowind, Doom 2 and the thousands of excellent pwads for it, the list goes on. That's just off the top of my head, and not even counting consoles of which there are many many more that still hold up, games far older than Half-Life. Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Yoshi's Island, Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter 2, I mean, I could literally go all day.

Deus Ex and Heroes of Might and Magic 3 were both released around the same time as the original Half-Life and I would argue both of them have a lot more replayability (especially Heroes 3) than Half-Life ever did. Still, I realize that I'm nitpicking right now. I am genuinely glad people still enjoy these titles and it actually gives me some hope for the future of this medium.

I only realize as I'm writing this how jaded I sound, and I don't like it. I much prefer the enthusiasm of both of you. You're probably right and I'm probably wrong, and if so, I'm honestly gladdened by that. I hope the games bring you as much joy as they did for me, and I hope you get to discover some of the amazing library of mods which has surely only expanded greatly since I last played.


TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

[Cat]

It has good story, characters, physics, weapons, puzzles and gimmicks. I started playing in 2012 and it was all good.

[user]

Originally posted by Virgil:

Originally posted by Ikagura:

I feel that it's a flawed argument to say that... implying that the game isn't that good outside of nostalgia.

It's not my intention to imply that. The fundamentals are still solid, it's still fun to play and it's an important game in the annals of history. A lot of us who grew up with the games have permanently moved on, as a literal generation has passed since then. Many of us have kids who are older than we were when these games first came out (childfree here, but the point stands). People and their tastes change with time. Maybe you're right, and I underestimated the lasting appeal - in which case, I'm thrilled that new audiences are still finding reasons to play and enjoy these games. I applaud it.

My ultimate point was that these games today are solid, enjoyable and fun but they are not the industry game changers they used to be and I can understand a newer player not understanding how these games were so, so celebrated for so long. The gaming market has expanded a thousandfold since those times and is absolutely saturated to bursting now, which was definitely not the case back then.

Gaming as a medium has gone from a niche market that was the butt of jokes from older generations to a respected and legitimate art form in the time since then, and games like Half-Life helped slowly but surely pave the way. By the mid 2000's, the industry had become fully mainstream. Games like this and the early years of WoW made that happen as did the Nintendo Wii, which brought a lot of non-gamers into the gaming fold for the first time.

I liken people playing Half-Life for the first time now to people going to Woodstock festivals in the modern day. Yeah, you can say you went, but it's not the same as attending the original when it debuted, changing the musical world and leaving its mark on western culture forever. If people still enjoy going, I'm happy for them, but Jimi's been dead a long time now.

Originally posted by inpurpleshadows:

I agree that the "you had to be there" argument is kinda flawed. Even though nostalgia is a huge factor of the appeal of older games, it isn't the only one. I have no nostalgia for the Half-Life series because I first played it last year. Even when I first played it more than two decades after its release, I still found it to be impressive and I think the game holds up, something you can't really say about other games released around the same time.

I almost exclusively play older games anymore, with the exception of a few of the more promising roguelites that are solidly built and respect my time. I understand that nostalgia has very little to do with the lasting appeal of older titles, or I would have moved on a long time ago. Most of my gaming is done through GoG anymore as unfortunately physical media (and ownership in general) is dying swiftly.

There are a lot of games from that era that still hold up. Diablo 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and 3, Master of Orion 2, Alpha Centauri, Vice City and San Andreas (if you can play the originals - good luck and God bless SilentPatch), Morrowind, Doom 2 and the thousands of excellent pwads for it, the list goes on. That's just off the top of my head, and not even counting consoles of which there are many many more that still hold up, games far older than Half-Life. Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Yoshi's Island, Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter 2, I mean, I could literally go all day.

Deus Ex and Heroes of Might and Magic 3 were both released around the same time as the original Half-Life and I would argue both of them have a lot more replayability (especially Heroes 3) than Half-Life ever did. Still, I realize that I'm nitpicking right now. I am genuinely glad people still enjoy these titles and it actually gives me some hope for the future of this medium.

I only realize as I'm writing this how jaded I sound, and I don't like it. I much prefer the enthusiasm of both of you. You're probably right and I'm probably wrong, and if so, I'm honestly gladdened by that. I hope the games bring you as much joy as they did for me, and I hope you get to discover some of the amazing library of mods which has surely only expanded greatly since I last played.


TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

[Virgil]

Originally posted by scout (real):

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

That's a reasonable request. Next time I'm asked an open ended question or challenged on a reply, I'll stick to two sentence answers and use small words.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by scout (real):

Originally posted by Virgil:

TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

The person wrote a Tl;Dr...

Also this is a gaming forum, not an instant message service like Discord or Twitter/FB where you have to count your character number...

Are people nowaday unnable to read long text? I know that attention span has decreased over the years but this is just a bit too much.

On the other hand even if I prefer HL1 overal, I love how fun the Source Engine still is regarding its physics.

[inpurpleshadows]

Originally posted by Virgil:

TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

You're not jaded nor are you wrong. You're just giving your perspective on a form of media.

[Robo]

Half Life has a uniquely constructed universe which just looks different from Fallout, Warhammer 40k, Halo and other franchises. Its story explores existential dread with the Xen and the eventual combine takeover, as well as the horrors with the quick collapse of Black Mesa and the world before HL2. Not only that, the government conspiracy in Half Life 1 is an added bonus.

That's one of the reasons why I believe Half-Life is beloved by its community in the same way as Warhammer 40k. You can't find any other setting that hits the same way, and combined with the grittiness that the source engine offers, is a whole entire pack to unravel.

[Cat]

Originally posted by scout (real):

Originally posted by Virgil:

It's not my intention to imply that. The fundamentals are still solid, it's still fun to play and it's an important game in the annals of history. A lot of us who grew up with the games have permanently moved on, as a literal generation has passed since then. Many of us have kids who are older than we were when these games first came out (childfree here, but the point stands). People and their tastes change with time. Maybe you're right, and I underestimated the lasting appeal - in which case, I'm thrilled that new audiences are still finding reasons to play and enjoy these games. I applaud it.

My ultimate point was that these games today are solid, enjoyable and fun but they are not the industry game changers they used to be and I can understand a newer player not understanding how these games were so, so celebrated for so long. The gaming market has expanded a thousandfold since those times and is absolutely saturated to bursting now, which was definitely not the case back then.

Gaming as a medium has gone from a niche market that was the butt of jokes from older generations to a respected and legitimate art form in the time since then, and games like Half-Life helped slowly but surely pave the way. By the mid 2000's, the industry had become fully mainstream. Games like this and the early years of WoW made that happen as did the Nintendo Wii, which brought a lot of non-gamers into the gaming fold for the first time.

I liken people playing Half-Life for the first time now to people going to Woodstock festivals in the modern day. Yeah, you can say you went, but it's not the same as attending the original when it debuted, changing the musical world and leaving its mark on western culture forever. If people still enjoy going, I'm happy for them, but Jimi's been dead a long time now.



I almost exclusively play older games anymore, with the exception of a few of the more promising roguelites that are solidly built and respect my time. I understand that nostalgia has very little to do with the lasting appeal of older titles, or I would have moved on a long time ago. Most of my gaming is done through GoG anymore as unfortunately physical media (and ownership in general) is dying swiftly.

There are a lot of games from that era that still hold up. Diablo 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and 3, Master of Orion 2, Alpha Centauri, Vice City and San Andreas (if you can play the originals - good luck and God bless SilentPatch), Morrowind, Doom 2 and the thousands of excellent pwads for it, the list goes on. That's just off the top of my head, and not even counting consoles of which there are many many more that still hold up, games far older than Half-Life. Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Yoshi's Island, Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter 2, I mean, I could literally go all day.

Deus Ex and Heroes of Might and Magic 3 were both released around the same time as the original Half-Life and I would argue both of them have a lot more replayability (especially Heroes 3) than Half-Life ever did. Still, I realize that I'm nitpicking right now. I am genuinely glad people still enjoy these titles and it actually gives me some hope for the future of this medium.

I only realize as I'm writing this how jaded I sound, and I don't like it. I much prefer the enthusiasm of both of you. You're probably right and I'm probably wrong, and if so, I'm honestly gladdened by that. I hope the games bring you as much joy as they did for me, and I hope you get to discover some of the amazing library of mods which has surely only expanded greatly since I last played.


TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

It was a well written answer to the posts. Being long doesn't mean he's wrong, it only means his answer won't be read by people too lazy to read long comments such as the likes of you.

[Audiocronic]

The half life series is an exciting and engaging game play loop married perfectly with storytelling that doesn't pull you out of the game but is instead absorbed while playing. Additionally, the game world is meticulously built and consistent and terrifying. You can run and gun through them and have a great time, while still hitting the main plot points, or you can take time to absorb the world around you and let it piece the story together for you over time, showing you just how dreadful the world has become (especially in HL2 and its episodes). Everyone will tell you that this game has held up well for twenty years. You can find YouTubers playing the series for the first time right now and see how well it holds up to modern games for people who have no sense of nostalgia and have no idea what they're getting into. It regularly goes on deep deep sales, so if you want to save a few bucks, pop it in your wishlist. It's not like its going out of style anytime soon.

[BurningCakeDoesAche]

Originally posted by scout (real):

Originally posted by Virgil:

It's not my intention to imply that. The fundamentals are still solid, it's still fun to play and it's an important game in the annals of history. A lot of us who grew up with the games have permanently moved on, as a literal generation has passed since then. Many of us have kids who are older than we were when these games first came out (childfree here, but the point stands). People and their tastes change with time. Maybe you're right, and I underestimated the lasting appeal - in which case, I'm thrilled that new audiences are still finding reasons to play and enjoy these games. I applaud it.

My ultimate point was that these games today are solid, enjoyable and fun but they are not the industry game changers they used to be and I can understand a newer player not understanding how these games were so, so celebrated for so long. The gaming market has expanded a thousandfold since those times and is absolutely saturated to bursting now, which was definitely not the case back then.

Gaming as a medium has gone from a niche market that was the butt of jokes from older generations to a respected and legitimate art form in the time since then, and games like Half-Life helped slowly but surely pave the way. By the mid 2000's, the industry had become fully mainstream. Games like this and the early years of WoW made that happen as did the Nintendo Wii, which brought a lot of non-gamers into the gaming fold for the first time.

I liken people playing Half-Life for the first time now to people going to Woodstock festivals in the modern day. Yeah, you can say you went, but it's not the same as attending the original when it debuted, changing the musical world and leaving its mark on western culture forever. If people still enjoy going, I'm happy for them, but Jimi's been dead a long time now.



I almost exclusively play older games anymore, with the exception of a few of the more promising roguelites that are solidly built and respect my time. I understand that nostalgia has very little to do with the lasting appeal of older titles, or I would have moved on a long time ago. Most of my gaming is done through GoG anymore as unfortunately physical media (and ownership in general) is dying swiftly.

There are a lot of games from that era that still hold up. Diablo 2, Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and 3, Master of Orion 2, Alpha Centauri, Vice City and San Andreas (if you can play the originals - good luck and God bless SilentPatch), Morrowind, Doom 2 and the thousands of excellent pwads for it, the list goes on. That's just off the top of my head, and not even counting consoles of which there are many many more that still hold up, games far older than Half-Life. Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, Yoshi's Island, Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter 2, I mean, I could literally go all day.

Deus Ex and Heroes of Might and Magic 3 were both released around the same time as the original Half-Life and I would argue both of them have a lot more replayability (especially Heroes 3) than Half-Life ever did. Still, I realize that I'm nitpicking right now. I am genuinely glad people still enjoy these titles and it actually gives me some hope for the future of this medium.

I only realize as I'm writing this how jaded I sound, and I don't like it. I much prefer the enthusiasm of both of you. You're probably right and I'm probably wrong, and if so, I'm honestly gladdened by that. I hope the games bring you as much joy as they did for me, and I hope you get to discover some of the amazing library of mods which has surely only expanded greatly since I last played.


TLDR: I'm jaded, you guys are right and I'm glad you're having fun.

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

this is like that one time PsyWarVeteran didn't understand the word "diegetically" so he called the user a nerd instead of blaming himself for not knowing a word

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by BurningCakeDoesAche:

Originally posted by scout (real):

please stop writing entire books in comment sections every time you respond to stuff, thank you for not making it one block of text though

this is like that one time PsyWarVeteran didn't understand the word "diegetically" so he called the user a nerd instead of blaming himself for not knowing a word

I remember that moment..

Because I was the one using this term... I wasn't aware that trying to use specific terms was seen badly on the net. I am doing some efforts because english isn't my main language.


I would agree that being synthetic is better for everyone but I feel that people can no longer read text (I said this already)...

[Disgruntled Cuttlefish]

Half-Life is a classic, Black Mesa is great. Half-Life 2 is an overrated trash tech demo, along with its subsequent "episodes".

Half-Life 2 really [redacted] stinks.

Oh my, will somebody please think of the children.