The Underwhelming music of Half Life

[Crux2]

I've recently replayed the Half Life games after the update and one thing that struck me was how underwhelming the music is compared to the impact the rest of the game has had. Half Life has one of the most iconic soundscapes in gaming for sure, but it really does feel like it was the sound effects and not the music.

I recognised a handful of musical moments that stood out here and there (e.g. start of Ravenholm) but for the most part this was just rote recognition and, for me at least, there's nothing that comes close to the feeling of a typical 'good game soundtrack'.

I've acquired a ton of music from video games over the years but the only track of Half Life related music is the "Ballad of Black Mesa" a fan piece that prominently features sounds, rather than tunes, from HL2 - which kind of serves as the ultimate example of this whole train of thought.

Am I wrong? Is it just me? Can any music aficionados step in an explain what's actually good about the music of Half Life? Or at least what you liked about it?

[hoaxey]

Combine soldiers are not human. They were human, but have been transformed using the alien technology of the Combine. Civil Protection are still humans.

The vehicles are made from alien technology. Therefore, they are of alien nature.

What does it matter that Striders only appear until later? Does that make Gonarch less alien because she only appears later, and only once at that, in Half-life?

The zombies wouldn't be zombies without the alien headcrabs, so they are technically not human anymore.

[Snark]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

Combine soldiers are not human. They were human, but have been transformed using the alien technology of the Combine. Civil Protection are still humans.

They're cyborgs (modified humans). It doesn't matter what you call them though, because in game it's just guys in gas masks regardless of the terminology.

They don't have anything interesting going for them, they just hold a gun and shoot at you like you're playing Call of Duty.

Originally posted by hoaxey:

The vehicles are made from alien technology. Therefore, they are of alien nature.

But they're not aliens. Which is what the conversation was about (the lack of aliens).

Originally posted by hoaxey:

What does it matter that Striders only appear until later? Does that make Gonarch less alien because she only appears later, and only once at that, in Half-life?

It matters because through most of the game you fight guys in gas masks or infected humans. Even though there are aliens in the roster, you rarely fight them, unless it's a headcrab.

Originally posted by hoaxey:

The zombies wouldn't be zombies without the alien headcrabs, so they are technically not human anymore.

They are infected humans. Being infected by a parasite does not make you an alien.



for a game about Earth being taken over by aliens and how much people glorify the combine, you don't really see all that many aliens in game or fantastical alien scenery either.

[hoaxey]

They are called the Combine because they mix alien technology with humans and other races, which doesn't leave them very human. You wrote they were human, and now changing it cyborgs. I noticed that that you only count headcrabs as only one alien enemy, but what about the fast headcrab, and the Poison headcrab? You also excluded the Antlion Guard.

Would you write that all the soldiers in Half-life are one enemy type because they are all human?

[hoaxey]

You're not going to see much alien scenery since it's Earth!

[Snark]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

You're not going to see much alien scenery since it's Earth!

What kind of argument is that?
HL1 took place on Earth as well but you saw Xen bleeding into our world and fusing with the environment. If HL2 was interesting it would have expanded upon that.

Anyway, I'll just let you cope.

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by Snark:

Originally posted by hoaxey:

You're not going to see much alien scenery since it's Earth!

What kind of argument is that?
HL1 took place on Earth as well but you saw Xen bleeding into our world and fusing with the environment. If HL2 was interesting it would have expanded upon that.

Anyway, I'll just let you cope.

So you missed the citadel part then?

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

Originally posted by Snark:

What kind of argument is that?
HL1 took place on Earth as well but you saw Xen bleeding into our world and fusing with the environment. If HL2 was interesting it would have expanded upon that.

Anyway, I'll just let you cope.

So you missed the citadel part then?

Cope with what? I've got nothing to cope with, is this younger generation speak?

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

Originally posted by hoaxey:

So you missed the citadel part then?

Cope with what? I've got nothing to cope with, is this younger generation speak?

Not interesting to YOU, you mean.

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

You're not going to see much alien scenery since it's Earth!

Also, note I wrote "see much", that doesn't mean any.

[hoaxey]

It's been a while since I last played Half-Life, would you please tell me what parts where the Xen world is fusing with Black Mesa. I don't recall that.

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by hoaxey:

It's been a while since I last played Half-Life, would you please tell me what parts where the Xen world is fusing with Black Mesa. I don't recall that.

Doesn't matter, I found out.

[pasta864]

Klaxon Beat. You're not supposed to be here. Tracking Device.

[hoaxey]

Originally posted by pasta864:

Klaxon Beat. You're not supposed to be here. Tracking Device.

I love the music of Half-Life 2. I like that is reactionary to events happening, rather than playing constantly. Films don't generally have music playing all the way through either.

[Sar]

I love the way HL series use music. You know ♥♥♥♥ is about to get real when a pumping track starts playing.

[Firewalk]

Sure, there's only like an hour worth of music, but what music there is is *really* good.