Just finished episode 2, and
wow, what a great ending. The last hour is just amazing, both in terms of explosive action and narrative. I was personally very moved by the final piece of drama, which I will not spoil. (The terminally ill looking man in the suit… He turns out to be Gordon from the future.)
After my personal disappointment with episode one, I can’t express how much I enjoyed this second installment. It seems like Valve has finally learned how to gel action sequences together. While HL2 was one great action sequence after another, it seemed to lack direction mostly through out. It almost felt like a ton of great ideas thrown together without much plausible transition.
Episode 1 was above average, but was disappointing in comparison to HL2. Story wise it was infuriating and just dragged the decent action sequences. Its other issue was its late arrival, making its engine feel aged.
While the visuals have gone through an improvement in episode two, they are a bit of a mixed bag. Environmental objects, like trees, grass etc look quite weak. The game also doesn’t have much beauty in the way of lighting from the sun, and something like HDR is sorely missed.
Other aspects like the interface also scream for an overhaul. In today’s fast paced shooter environment, switching weapons in the HL2 games feels like a real chore. While you can fast switch to your last used weapon, wanting to switch to something else takes a second too long. Though most modern shooters map grenade throwing to a single key, HL2:Ep2 still relies on the tired mechanic of weapon switching. On the subject of weapons, it is a pity that there aren’t any new ones in episode two.
The saving grace is the still excellent character design, which breathes life into every NPC you come across. The character skins and even the movement animations are all top notch. Water also looks a lot prettier, and the polygons in general seem to have gone through a bit of an upgrade. I personally believe that excellent character design is something that allows gamers to return to old engines more easily.
Most shooters have trouble recycling an engine for one successful expansion, so credit to Valve for putting together episode 2.
The stakes are raised early on, which makes the action far more dramatic and your efforts more meaningful. The early introduction of the extremely cool hunter enemy sets the pace. While this creature looks like a mini strider, he moves and tracks like a horseback rider. The Hunters are fast and deadly, yet just vulnerable enough not to feel cheap.
A change is in the way Alyx’s character is used by Valve. While episode 1 had Alyx tag along in a slightly superficial way, episode 2 really has her come alive. Her commentary is more regular and often pertains to the action on screen. The action almost always involves her in one way or another, lending the gameplay more of a heart. You also get an alien buddy, who speaks better English than most high school goers, and makes for a powerful yet entertaining ally. Dog too makes a return, as do some of the other characters integral to the storyline.
So overall, I really enjoyed this second episode. In terms of action I felt it was close to the level of HL2, while I felt that its story telling was far more accomplished.
