Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Since Half Life 2 is about 3 years old, and has therefore already been played by anyone who even knows the definition of the word game, I’m going to skip right ahead to reviewing Half Life 2: Episode 1.
You start off the game with a nice view of the inside of a pile of rubble, when Dog, your faithful companion and giant robotic gorilla thing picks you up out of the dirt and re-introduces you into the world of Half Life. The Citadel is collapsing, the core is about to burst, and you’re 10 feet away from a giant explosion capable of destroying an entire city and opening a super portal to another dimension. Dr. Kleiner sends you and Alyx Vance, who, by the way, follows you throughout both (if not all 3) of the episodes, to delay the core explosion, yada yada yada, etc.
The game is intense and action packed, leading you through 4-6 hours of zombie menagerie, gunship battles, and Combine encounters. The only thing I’d really have to complain about is the use of common game clichés. Stopping a hoard of headcrab zombies while waiting for an extremely slow elevator? Check.
At the end of the day, besides the fact that the game can be beat by then, this game is still quite good, and keeps the Half Life series going strong. I give it an 8 out of 10.
