Half-Life

Half-Life has been chosen one of the best games ever created. When Gamespot and PC Gamer had their top 100 games lists recently, Half-Life topped the lists at number 1 for both of them. But what makes this game so great? Let's find out.

I got Half-Life for my birthday. When I got home from Office Depot, I installed my trackball, then went to install Half-Life. It only took about 400 MB. When it was done installing I started it up. I had to turn off all of the graphics settings and set all the effects to the lowest level in order to have some form of playability on Ed. When you play it with everything turned off it looks like Doom. I started to play the Hazard Course. After I completed that I went to play the actual game. I set it to the easiest level. I played through the first section, but I just got sick of the jerkiness I decided to play it on the monster. It looks like a brand spankin new game when you play it on such a system as the monster.

It starts off, you are going to work via the transit system. There is this female voice talking to you through the intercom telling you about the Black Mesa Research Center. That is where you work. After a long trip through canyons, tunnels, and those sorts of things, you finally reach the end of your trip. A security officer comes to open the door for you. You step out and walk inside the research center. Then you go somewhere, hop into your Hazard Suit, and then this cool music starts playing. Then you walk into another part where two scientists let you into this big door and you walk into this large room with some strange scientific do-hicky on the ceiling. When I walked into this large room using Ed, the frame-rate immediately started slowing down. Anyway, they ask you to press a button, then push something into a ray beam. Everything seems fine, until you push the thing into the ray beam. Things start exploding, the scientists start screaming, and I am trying to get back up the stairs. You go unconscious, then you are in this strange world for about 5 seconds, then you go back into unconsciousness, then you are in this strange dark place with about 4 strange creatures. Unconscious again and when you finally regain consciousness you realize that something has gone very wrong.

You start to walk through the disaster area of what was left of the Black Mesa Research Center, you come upon a scientist trying to revive a security officer.

Now I won't tell any of the rest of the story because it is very cool.

The gameplay is similar to System Shock 2. (Which is also an awesome game.) System Shock 2 was more role playing and strategy than Half-Life. Half-Life is more walking around, trying not to get killed.

I would recommend this game to everyone who has a descent system. After I get my new hard drive I will attempt to play this game again and see if it does any better. Only try this game if your system is a little better than Ed.

Highs:

    Old game can look like new!

    It can run on Ed

    Good story

    Good gameplay



Lows:

    Doesn't run that good on Ed

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