Half-Life revolutionized the first-person shooter. It presented us with not only a new style of play, but also proved that a shooter could hold an interesting story and characters for the player. While certainly not as revolutionary as the first installment, Half-Life 2 expands possibilities for the series.
For any fan of the series, the first few moments of the game should be pure bliss. We are reintroduced to a few key characters from the first title with more in-depth characterizations and some satisfyingly witty dialog. While characters such as Dr. Kleiner and Eli Vance were merely character models with no purpose other than static placement in the first one, here we meet them as members of a resistance group. Also joined with them are Barney, our security guard friend from Black Mesa, and Eli's daughter, Alyx. We also meet the G-Man again, a character who always seems to play a pivotal role in the fate of Gordon Freeman and all those around him.
The events that have occurred since Gordon Freeman's first outing have apparently left Earth largely under control of a syndicate known as the Combine. The game's events take place in and around City 17, a dystopian environment if there ever was one. Citizens living in the city wear number tags, jump suits and frequently lose loved ones and belongings. All is controlled by the mysterious Combine troops in their foreboding masks and uniforms. Very early on, you come to learn that an old associate of Freeman's, the former administrator of the Black Mesa Research Facility, one Doctor Breen, is working with the Combine to secure City 17 and minimize resistance.
The Xbox port of the game features relatively nice graphics and excellent sound. Some of the textures on buildings seem a little muddy and some of the more generic character models don't look so great, but the main characters are all very well rendered. Players of the original title will recognize many of the sounds effects such as those used with medical and HEV suit recharge terminals. The soundtrack for the game is once again more of a cerebral mix with some appropriately eerie tracks and exciting action mixes. Also worthy of mention are the game's physics, which hold up unbelievably well after all this time. The only real complaint to be had with this port of the game is that the frame rate drops quite frequently and sometimes very heavily.
In the end, Half-Life 2 is a worthy play through. Valve provides us once again with an excellent story and wonderful characters. For players who have not yet experienced Half-Life 2 and don't have the hardware support for the PC, the Xbox port is a viable option. And the G-Man's appearances alone are worth the price of admission.
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