I think Half-Life 2's story is overrated

[video games]

Gordon wakes up. He gets chased by metro police. Finds Alyx. Teleporting mishap sends Gordon outside. Gordon traveses to an airboat, which he uses to get to Black Mesa East. The Combine find the facility and Gordon is left in Ravenholm. He escapes Ravenholm with the help of Father Grigori. WINSTON GETS SHOT HOLY ♥♥♥♥ WINSTON. Gordon uses a buggy to make his way to a lighthouse, where he fends off against Overwatch and gunships. He makes his way to the Vortigaunt Camp. He leads an army of Antlions to attack Nova Prospect. Gordon and Aylx find out that Judith is a Combine spy. They both find Eli and plan to teleport him to Kliener's lab, but Judith teleports him to the Citadel instead. Gordon leads rebels through the streets of City 17 and sneaks into the Citadel. Breen decides to get the ♥♥♥♥ off of Earth by using a giant teleporter. Gordon destroys the teleporter and then the G-Man puts Gordon into stasis again.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the Half-Life series but I couldn't help but notice all the praise Half-Life 2's plot was getting. In case there's any misunderstanding, I don't hate the story, I don't hate the games, I merely think that all the positive reception the plot was getting was unjustified. Feel free to share what you think about the story.

[Rockhead Gaz]

I'm not decrying the quality of the story or the level of detail in there, and the attention that's gone into creating a very accomplished and realised universe, but I always thought the story was a bit.... overrated. I much prefered HL1's basic premise, it was more intimate and atmospheric, more isolated and generally more vague, which I think went in its favour. I personally just feel that maybe the HL universe expanded too quickly, but it's irrelevant now, because with the Episodes and Portal tying into the main story, it's all become very interesting at this point. I _do_ like that it doesn't spoon-feed you every piece of information about the background and setting, a lot of it you have to pick up on by yourself. It's still absolutely classic storytelling, regardless, but I'm inclined to say that, HL2 when taken as a direct sequel to HL1, with nothing else after it, seems a bit overrated to me.

[Velvet]

You're only looking into the immediate events. You kind of have to read between the lines to get the beauty of half life 2, for instance, was the detour through ravenhom a coincedence, or did the G-Man intervene so gordon could be trained for survival and the gravity gun by Father Grigori? How much power DOES the G-Man have, whose side is he really on? Should the borealis be destroyed? Was Dr. Breen right to an extent, and G-man just wanted to make it appear to give him a bad wrap? It's what's going on behind the set that's captivating, and what makes people so anxious for the notoious HL3.

[video games]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Detective Dog:

did the G-Man intervene so gordon could be trained for survival and the gravity gun by Father Grigori?

It was most likely Judith contacting the Combine.

[Johari]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Detective Dog:

etc

G-man is satan.
There is no other explanation.

[Marte]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από ownomics:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Detective Dog:

etc

G-man is satan.
There is no other explanation.

Or he is God and is actually saving humanity from the Combine?

[Velvet]

Or maybe he could be just a business man?
If he was an ultimate evil, e.g. Satan, I don't think that he would've saved a child from Black Mesa with no intent of any further interaction, however, I don't think that the ultimate good would kill off a guy just to get a message across.

Sounds like a business man/polotician to me. The question is, what does he believe, who does he work for? He hinted at it by mentioning his employers, but who? Couldn't be the combine, he's indifferent to Xen and the Vorts, and it would be illogical for him to work for the Nihilanth.

[Rockhead Gaz]

He's a representation of... something. What that "something" is requires player interpretation. I'm not entirely sure Valve will ever tie the Half-Life story up neatly. It'll probably end in a situation where we have more questions than we do now.

[Sir Cat]

i dont know the story soooooooooooooooooo byee...

[Velvet]

I have faith valve will answer most questions in HL3, but still leave some unanswered.
Why? Because Valve.

[The Brown Hornet]

Just beat Half Life 2 last night for the first time, I really like the beginning of the game, it was very Twilight Zone like, however, playing through this game soon became a chore and I lost my interest in the story. I actually think the game itself loses interest in the story cause there isnt much of one. For me HL2 is basically go here, go there, go here, go there, do this, do that, etc....thats not story telling is it?

The G Man also comes off pretty lame in this game, I played the original Half Life a few months earlier and I much prefer how the man in the suit "eerily" appears at random moments throughout the game. The G Man appearance at the beginning and end of HL2 is suppose to be mysterious but I just found kind of lame. I feel a big letdown at the conclusion of the game, I trekked through all this for what???? I dont even get the chance to ♥♥♥♥♥ slap Dr. Breen??

Also I got tired of fighting combine soldiers, there is nothing special about them, they are too human and ultimately too boring. I would of appreciated a more diverse set of things to shoot at.

I know there is Episodes 2 and 3 and I will play those soon enough but for the moment HL2 has left me saying "thats it" rather than wow that was amazing....

[video games]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Rare Hunter:

Just beat Half Life 2 last night for the first time, I really like the beginning of the game, it was very Twilight Zone like, however, playing through this game soon became a chore and I lost my interest in the story. I actually think the game itself loses interest in the story cause there isnt much of one. For me HL2 is basically go here, go there, go here, go there, do this, do that, etc....thats not story telling is it?

The G Man also comes off pretty lame in this game, I played the original Half Life a few months earlier and I much prefer how the man in the suit "eerily" appears at random moments throughout the game. The G Man appearance at the beginning and end of HL2 is suppose to be mysterious but I just found kind of lame. I feel a big letdown at the conclusion of the game, I trekked through all this for what???? I dont even get the chance to ♥♥♥♥♥ slap Dr. Breen??

Also I got tired of fighting combine soldiers, there is nothing special about them, they are too human and ultimately too boring. I would of appreciated a more diverse set of things to shoot at.

I know there is Episodes 2 and 3 and I will play those soon enough but for the moment HL2 has left me saying "thats it" rather than wow that was amazing....

I couldn't agree more.

[Velvet]

Once again, the story doesn't lie so much in the immediate present, but small hints that you catch. For instance, how human exactly are the combine? Are they capable of any empathy? You find out more about the story and what's really going on by the small details, such as the things you hear from the breencasts or posters placed around the terrain, or simply hearing a Vort talk about eternity sheds a lot of light on the intricate storytelling.

Oh well, I guess I'm not getting to you guys at all, that's okay, we all have our different tastes, but just one question for Mr. Noname; if you became so disinterested with HL2 on the first playthrough, why bother to purchase episode one and two afterwards?

[Rockhead Gaz]

Yeah, the beauty of it's story is in the stuff it doesn't tell you. The background, how things came to be as they are etc. I can't think of any other game that has built such an intricate and detailed universe, and done it all without even telling you half the stuff. It's truly a credit to the writers at Valve. Although, I still stand by my original assertion that without the Episodes and Portal to back it up, it is slightly less interesting. But there's still enough mystery there to keep one guessing. Left 4 Dead deals with its lore in a similar fashion. Lots of little things scattered about that don't seem like much on their own, but when put together, form this fascinating and compelling world.

[Velvet]

It really is a kind of art, but as art is, art does. Some people can really appreciate some forms while other people just don't get it, and that's perfectly fine.

[Rockhead Gaz]

That's the truth. No two people view things in the same way.