Half-Life
Description official descriptions
The PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life is a port of the Windows game, but with a significant overhaul for the weapons and character models, as well as the overall map geometry and some extended levels.
It also includes an expansion pack that is referred to as Half-Life: Decay, which was never officially available as an expansion for the Windows game until it was eventually recreated as a modification. The third expansion for the original game, it features two-player cooperative gameplay (in split-screen) with the two female scientists Gina Cross and Colette Green as the protagonists. It is meant to be played with two players at the same time as it is more puzzle-oriented than the original game and the first two expansions. Singleplayer is also possible, but then switching between the two characters is necessary to advance. When not active, the other character is AI controlled for basic actions.
It is set at the same time of the events in the original Half-Life, but from the perspective of other characters. All enemies and weapons are based on the original game and many of the missions have a more friendly approach about working together or rescuing NPCs. Unique to the series as a whole is the lack of a single narrative; instead the add-on consists of fixed, separate missions. At the end of each mission, statistics are shown and the player is graded. When the nine levels are completed with an A grade, a bonus mission is unlocked where players control and work together as two Vortigaunts. As an additional bonus, the entire singleplayer can then also be completed as a Vortigaunt.
The game supports an USB mouse and keyboard for more precise control.
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Credits (PlayStation 2 version)
116 People (103 developers, 13 thanks) · View all
| Production / Direction | |
| Art Direction | |
| Art, Models and Animation | |
| Decay Level Design | |
| Additional Level Design | |
| Programming | |
| Sound Effects | |
| Writing | |
| [ full credits ] | |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 81% (based on 26 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.7 out of 5 (based on 71 ratings with 1 reviews)
Simply a classic, a jewel of the gaming industry!
The Good
I've never played the PC version of this game, so I can't make any real comparisons. However, this game is a classic for the first-person-shooter genre and science fiction. What I loved was the introduction to the Black Mesa complex, and how the game smoothly started, and the action starts! The story is simple, typical "Area 51 outbreak" concept, but even though not original, its quite cool. The highlights of the game include: the variety of weapons available, the grotesque enemies, the puzzle element (which is just right), the amount of detail (of the time) and the huge life expectancy (the game can take hours to complete - but every minute is great).
The Bad
What I didn't like about the game? Possibly the audio - why? Because when a player speaks, even if they're human, the words they say sound muffled and hard to understand, which can prevent hints being revealed to the player. Also, the "save" option is initially hard to discover, until one plays around a bit, which is quite frustrating. One last thing though: the loading times. Although not long, they are frequent - but this isn't so bad, considering the game's age. But I must say that the good outweigh the bad, so buy this game now, PC or PlayStation 2!
The Bottom Line
It really is a highlight of the FPS and science fiction genres, and a classic that deserves to be mentioned every time you are discussing the game industry or other games. This is one of the most revolutionary games ever, and next to the Doom game series, this is one of the most important first-person-shooters ever. If you haven't got this game now, you should be ashamed. The only way to redeem yourself is to buy a copy (although the PC version may be more available) and complete it now and enjoy what everyone has experienced. Like I said, "simply a classic, a jewel of the gaming industry!"
PlayStation 2 · by Reborn_Demon (127) · 2006
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Half-Life: Decay
The expansion from this game recreated as a modification for the original Windows version of Half-Life
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Sciere.
Additional contributors: Plok.
Game added November 7, 2008. Last modified July 23, 2024.