Half-Life 2

Part of my Orange Box was of course 2004's hit shooter Half-Life 2, following the ongoing saga of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist with a crowbar, and his struggle to defeat pandimensional invaders. I have never been a particular fan of shooters (with rare exceptions), and Half-Life 2, though clearly a champion of its genre and somewhat enjoyable to boot, has helped me reason out why this might be: personality.

There's no question about HL2's production values, the solidity of its shooter mechanics, or the subtle genius of its level design. Even the story is interesting. But that's just it - it's interesting, not exactly what I would call compelling. Though it has all the trappings of a good story, with the historied villain, the elderly mentor, the powerful governing body, and the stench of conspiracy, none of the players have much personality. Said villain is an utterly transparent puppet. Said mentor is unsurprisingly full of answers. Friendly NPCs show concern toward their plights, but are not dynamic or exceptionally interactive. Unfriendly NPCs are brutish and unintelligent. Environments are square, sparsely populated, and almost monochromatic.

This menagerie of cliches and flatness may be the primary reason I'm not very "into" Half-Life 2, nor most games like it. There is a thing they do well - shooting - and Half-Life 2 does this excellently. It is impressive, especially from a technological standpoint, and it is a challenge which exercises my game-playing muscles. But it is not without precedent: it is not surprising, it is not thought-provoking. This isn't to say I won't have fun with it; but it is an implementation of a simplistic game architecture that has its limits.

Progress: Water Hazard