steve kwan user experience designer

Review: Half-Life 2: Episode One

(June 1st, 2006 - 10:48PM)

Alyx is back, and this time she doesn't find convenient excuses to leave you alone for hours on end.

(4 / 5 stars)

One sentence summary: Short, but sweet.

I've been waiting since 2004 for more Half-Life, and today I finally got it. Unfortunately, I was able to beat it in a single sitting.

Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of short episodes that take place after Half-Life 2's ending. The idea behind episodic gaming is to release game content in smaller chunks, rather than in single large releases. And Episode One doesn't disappoint: it's certainly a small chunk.

Things I liked about Half-Life 2: Episode One:

• The gameplay is just as good as Half-Life 2's, and that alone is a major accomplishment.
• Having Alyx by your side throughout most of the game makes for some fun shootouts. I was particularly impressed by her AI; not once did she get stuck on a wall or on the other side of a door. I went out of my way to look for shortcomings in her behaviour, but didn't find any.
• The game is packed full of memorable shootouts and sequences. It seems like the high points came faster and more frequently than in Half-Life 2. Maybe the developers didn't feel the pressure to lengthen the game by adding fluff, and just put in good stuff.
• Alyx's character is developed substantially.
• It has HDR lighting.
• As always, the Source engine's performance is stunning. It's been over a year since it was released, and it still outperforms every other engine I've seen. Even with the resolution cranked up and HDR enabled, the game runs at a solid framerate.

Things I didn't like about Half-Life 2: Episode One:

• It's short, even by episode standards. I was able to beat this game in about four hours. Can a game that short justify a $20 price tag? That's steep, even for Half-Life.
• It took Valve forever to release this episode. According to GameSpot, Episode One was confirmed on April 8th, 2005. And it just came out today. Does that mean we'll have to wait equally long for Episode Two? I don't want to wait more than a year for four hours of gameplay.
• It's a Steam game.
• It's very easy, especially considering that Alyx is invincible. In most cases, you can just sit back and let her do all the fighting.
• As good as Episode One is, I can't help but feel that it's just more of the same.