Geek Time: Half-Life 2
 

If you're not into computer games then go back to the topic index now ... you have been warned!

Having played the first installment of Half-Life, then all the expansion packs, I was pretty keen to get my hands on Half-Life 2 when it first came out.

One purchase for 29.99 later at PC World and I got home and installed it....

It ran fine on my old PIII 933MHz system with 512Mb of Ram and a Radeon 9000 card, which amazed me as this is less than their minimum spec machine! It was totally playable without any problems at all, whereas I couldn't even run Doom3!

But I decided to upgrade anyway and one Shuttle SB75G2 XPC with a P4 3.2GHz, 1Gb RAM, 160Gb Seagate SATA and a Radeon 9800 Pro and it absolutely rocks at 1280x1024 in 32bit colour with everything on maximum detail!

Anyway, the game itself is awesome. If you liked the first one you'll *love* this as it's more of the same but so, so much better. The maps are huge and the physics engine is amazing and so lifelike.

With the addition of vehicles, a whole new load of weapons and aliens to contend with (along with some familiar old ones like those b*stard head crabs!) it'll make you jump all over again.

Go out and buy it right now!

/geek


:borg:

I've got a similar spec machine, and as you say it runs great.

I have to say, although the graphics and the physics of the game are superb, the levels of the game are a little disapointing to me. I'm about 2/3rds of the way through it and apart from a couple of great moments...the levels have been fairly linear. I'd love to be able to walk around and explore...but if you try you just get shot at from everywhere!!!

At the same time as buying HL2, I also bought Far Cry, and have to say, I have been playing this more. Its a stunning game in every sense...for overall playability and fun...it beats HL2 in my book.

We could get really geeky and talk about benchmark scores and stuff...nah thats just plain sad!

That's odd, I found that a lot of the levels are huge and just ripe for walking around and exploring to try and find the hidden stuff, but I know what you mean about it keeping you on a guiding path so you know where you're going.

Besides, killing *all* the enemies is half the fun!

Take the powerboat level for example...don't know if you've been there yet but it must have gone on for about 40 minutes, and not through mega landscapes but barren wasteland etc. It got to a point where I thought I'd maybe took a wrong turn as it just seemed to be going on forever!

The only time you stopped the boat was to do a simple task like open a gate or summut.

Don't get me wrong...its clearly a very good game with real cutting edge features...but I can't help but feel a little disapointed...I guess after all of the hype...it was going to be very difficult to make everyone happy (now where have I heard that before 'he says looking at a piccy of the 999'):sing:

I listen to this daily!!

I had to endure much cursing when trying to get out of the room with all the pipes and water and the barrels!!

I have to admire his will power though, he managed to resist loading it for all of a week as he was determined to get further in GTA SA before he got hooked on HL2

Mind you it has its plus side over UT as I don't get shouted at for using up the bandwidth if i want to surf!!

I feel it is sad that I have been deserted in favour of 'Gordon'

ah well....peace and quiet :D

not tried half life 2 yet
but far cry is the best game ever
done it twice now
just getting into dooom 3 at the momment
that aint to bad either,scares the pants out of you though

Yeah...doom 3 is OK...but is pretty much a super graphics version of the original doom. If it wasn't for its history it would only be 'OK' in my books.

You are right though Glyn...played in a dark room with the 5.1 cranked right up...its a hoot:o

Well, I haven't tried Far Cry of Half Life 2 yet. I've been trying to come to grips with Doom 3 - even upgraded my video card to a x800 for it!

It's fantastic, although I'm crapola ... but I haven't been playing it much, I'e started to figure out that you need to play it fairly aggressively to progress.

Nice :D

Bloody nerds!!

tried halo 2 yet?? great game, even play as an alien! The speed which everything happens is lightening - and some of the sounds add to the suspense....my boy loves it!!

Now your being funny mate...X-box...your so old skool!:P

Doom3 - very average indeed, although quite eerie

UT2004 - Onslaught is the way ahead

HL2 - Well work the wait, but I keep getting frustrated when I get stuck, top tip - don't trip and shoot the fully amoured helicopters with a normal gun, you'll lose ;)

I am back on Halo and Halo 2 on that 'old' XBox!

Lol! I also found that trying to defeat the big stick insect monsters is much easier if you don't lob grenades at it, then stand on them just as they explode.

And running across the sand to escape the antlions really isn't a good idea either ... although they do drown quite easily!

Halo 2 is awesome! looks the mutts in hi-Def progressive scan on a 43" plasma:D:sing:
what a laugh on live!
and i'm still playing Project Gotham 2 to death!

:burn:

Guys,

Just wait until you get the supercharged gravity gun in the Citadel levels on HL2 - it's a bleedin hoot I tell ya!!

Bought Halo 2 the same day as HL2 - it's hardly been on even though I was looking forward to it much more - HL2 is soo much better IMHO.

Cheers!

Scott

old school??? coming from a sp3 owner thas an insult:frog:

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

:frog:

I think you'll find its older 'skool' than that actually...its a 916 SP...the bike the SP3 tried to better!

Would be an interesting fight though!!!:roll:

The Gravity gun is cool. The water level is a pretty crappy level. Got quite bored with it after a while. The level after that is better though (Ravens something or other )so persevere (sp) through that level.

from the title Geek time and Half Life I thought the subject was going to be work related :alien:

yeh - I wouldnt be able to catch yer:burn:

:frog:

:devil:

Oh yes,

Far cry, Half life 2 and Doom 3. Got them, played them and love em.

Well cool.

DC:burn:

Best bit of Halo on the 'Old system' is the multiplayer. Cracking laugh!

Doom 3, after the initial "Wow factor" wore off was dull as ditchwater. Enter room, lights go out, monsters appear, kill, repat ad nauseum.

Far cry bugged me in that no matter how quietly you moved "They" heard you.

And Half Life 2 so far has kind of left me cold. I guess it just doesn't have that "out of nowhere feel" that the original had. Oh yeah and Steam pi$$e$ me off. If I've paid £30 odd quid for a game it's my bleeding game, EULA be damned, I own it. To be made to check in every time I want to play it (My broadband is on permanently so the offline mode is no use) hacks me right off. Rather than stopping piracy its just gonna encourage me to download a hacked version next time.

Darren

Yep...the whole 'activation' thing was a bit of a joke. It went pretty well for me, but I would be piffed off if I had paid for the downloads in advance and then couldn't activate it on the first day due to the demand!

Also, as the copy you have is now registered with you, and you only, if you ever need to change some of the registration details (ie you sell the game to someone else) or invest in a new machine/email details etc...this may mean you will have to 're-activate' your steam acount...for a small fee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a joke!

[Edited on 1-12-2004 by Harv748]

Guys,

I don't know what you've been told or read, but once you've activated your Steam account and registered your games, it doesn't need to authenticate you each time IF you've checked the option to remember your username and password (which is checked by default).

Also, I've re-installed HL2 on my new machine and all you have to do is sign in to Steam and it knows you've got access to those games, so it just unlocks all of the files for you.

Just remember that it's there for a reason - to stop people playing the game without paying for it and bumping up the price for people like you and me who actually pay out for the game.

As far as I'm aware, there is no working patch or crack for HL2 at this time - all the ones available have simply been key-loggers and trojans to steal your genuine registration key!

As for the levels in HL2 - wait until you get the Bug Bait and start ordering the Ant Lions around ... now that IS cool!

I've now finished the Nova Prospekt level (chapter 9) and I'm on the last level "Entanglement", so I'm waiting for some really big monsters to come and kick my a$$!

I have no idea what level he is on, but last night it looked very creepy with lots of dead bodies, spooky music and circular saws that he was chopping people in half with using the gravity gun (i think?).

I assume its an 18 as its pretty freaky.

It was part of the Black Mesa facility and going to Raven???

I'm just glad that whole airboat bit is over, and now looks really scary, zombies etc everywhere, and that gravity gun rocks, just launching circular saw blades at them, sawing them in two :D

Yeah, that's Ravencroft. You'll meet The Priest soon and then you get another vehicle, and then.... well I won't spoil it for you :D

I didn't like the airboat bit either - it seemed far too long as you just whizzed past the scenery trying to find out where to go. The only good bit was the chimney, but that was about it!

Have you spotted the GMan out of the corner of your eye yet...he's around...watching!

I'm about 2/3rds of the way through and I've seen him a couple of times.

PS. Here's how to get Steam to work offline:
http://tinyurl.com/4q4c8

Yes, spotted him plenty of times in the distance. In a lot of the buildings where there are tv monitors, you'll sometimes see him in those when you first enter as well - just like in the first one.

All very well done!

LOL

Spotted him last night, gave chase, but funnily enough vanished before I got to him, was near the end of the boat bit