Half-Life 1 Or 2?

[A Nobody]

Which do you pick? The 1998 classic or the sequel?

[AtticTelephone]

Half Life 1, it's got everything and it's wayyy more epic than Half Life 2.

[A Nobody]

6 minutes ago, AtticTelephone said:

Half Life 1, it's got everything and it's wayyy more epic than Half Life 2.

Definitely! Also the amount of great mods made for it. :D

Edited November 14, 2020 by The Strife Commando

[snapshot]

I can't decide =P

 

1 is more straight forward, faster paced, and has all the cool sci fi guns.

 

2 because characters that are actually fleshed out and more relatable, dystopian setting, and gravity gun.

 

Opposing Force is my favorite so I'll go with Half-Life 1

Edited November 14, 2020 by sluggard

[Phobus]

I've never played the HL1 expansions, but HL2 was something I went back to multiple times happily. Both games are very good, mind.

[magicsofa]

1

[Redneckerz]

Half-Life Classic: Source.

[cambreaKer]

i enjoy both, but i'll have to pick HL1 and expansions, they got better gameplay, bigger arsenal of weapons, and a huge selection of great mods.

[Pokemanic33]

Half-Life 2 is an excellent tech showcase, but it definitely feels a bit like a tech demo at times. A lack of cutscenes also mean that the story has to be told through scripted exposition dumps where you can't do anything but walk around and listen, which turns the game into an absolute slog on repeat playthroughs. The enemy AI is incredibly basic as well, with most enemies walking into the barrel of your gun.

 

The first game by contrast holds up a lot better by virtue of its impressive tech being worked into the gameplay more effectively. Half-Life's enemy AI is dynamic and complex, and still remains impressive to this day. It creates a fun and interesting gameplay dynamic on top of being impressive. 

 

This is subjective, but I also much prefer the first game's plot, with the military and alien forces not only fighting you but also each other. It's more interesting than just the humanoid alien bad guys of Half-Life 2.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Apparently I'm the minority, but Half-Life 2 for sure. I've gone back and replayed HL2 + episodes far more than I've returned to the original. I just prefer the combat, the art style (love that dystopian, European cityscape), and the general feel of everything. The airboat level gets a bit old, but the game is full of great setpieces and sequences, and I prefer the emphasis on being outdoors.

[mrthejoshmon]

Half-life 2 has much better tools and a more solid gameplay base for mods and maps thanks to the physics system provided so I'd pick 2 on that alone.

 

Opposing Force is still the best chapter though.

[Pokemanic33]

58 minutes ago, RonnieJamesDiner said:

love that dystopian, European cityscape

 

This is an interesting point. I love the "midcentury European city invaded by dieselpunk-esque science fiction techonlogy" aesthetic too, but it's hard to take it in isolation because of just how much it's been used outside of Half-Life 2. I've been playing custom Garry's Mod maps for so long (longer even than Half-Life 2 itself) that the aesthetic feels almost less like Half-Life and more like Garry's Mod. 

[Biodegradable]

I've definitely played Half-Life 2 a lot more often. However, I do have a specially reserved soft spot for Opposing Force which is the best classic Half-Life expansion in my humble opinion. Mind you, I'd like to throw in a wildcard: Black Mesa, by far my absolute favourite HL-related entry. Takes everything great about the original Half-Life and makes it bigger, bolder and better than ever. I absolutely love it.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Biodegradable

[BunnyWithBeans]

I'm with a lot of other people here on the opinions for Opposing Force. By far one of the best expansions to any game. But I have to say I enjoy HL2 a lot more than HL1.

 

Does HL1 have more weapon and enemy variety? Yes, but it's much less consistent in its quality and it suffers the boomer shooter "there are no real characters except for the player character" syndrome, even though it has more story than something like Quake or classic Doom. The gunplay has also aged pretty terribly, and there's also the obvious thorn in the game's side that is Xen. I respect it for what it did for the FPS genre and it's still a fine game, but I'll stick with Black Mesa whenever I want to relive it.

 

HL2, by comparison, has a world I enjoy a lot more. Even from the first chapter you can see how dire the situation has gotten since HL1 and what you're up against. The gunplay is more satisfying, I actually do like the vehicle segments, and I find the cast of characters incredibly enjoyable. It's more memorable for me than HL1 and I've put a lot more hours into it as a result.

 

There is one thing HL1 does better, though; you're forced to get more creative with your arsenal because Gordon isn't a roided up space marine. He's a 30 year old theoretical physicist and he can't tank bullets like Ranger or the Doom Marine can. HL2 also does this but a lot of combat encounters are more direct and Gordon can take a bit more punishment, so it's more downplayed for a lot of the game.

[Mr. Freeze]

HL1 is a solid shooter but HL2 is a genre-redefining, revolutionary FPS. It changed the gaming landscape forever. 

[DooM Bear]

That’s a really, really hard question and would depend on who I’m recommending it to.

 

Half-life 1 was a groundbreaking game when it was released, is still amazing fun with an amazing story and is usually in most “top 10 FPS games of all time lists”. And that’s not even mentioning the expansions! Opposing Force was possibly even cooler than the base game for me! However, these days it looks and feels a little dated so might be hard for some new players to get into (especially red bull chugging, ADHD millennials seeing as the first half hour of play has no combat :-P).

 

Half-life 2 on the other hand is also amazing gameplay wise and graphically still holds up pretty well! It was also one of the first games to introduce physics and also usually sits on those “top 10 FPS games of all time” lists too :-P The expansions however are just more of the same (which isn’t a bad thing at all if you like HL2) but don’t have the variety of the HL1 expansions.

 

TLDR; Play all of them starting with HL1 :-P

[Nevander]

Get the best of both worlds and play Black Mesa.

[dmslr]

I don't understand why people love HL2 so much. It is boring as hell. I played the main game and the first half of the episode 1 and couldn't keep myself finishing the game... TWICE! Source engine feels so good, the story is intriguing but the gameplay is meh.

Edited November 15, 2020 by dmslr

[Juza]

1 hour ago, dmslr said:

I don't understand why people love HL2 so much. It is boring as hell. I played the main game and the first half of the episode 1 and couldn't keep myself finishing the game... TWICE! The source engine feels so good, the story is intriguing but the gameplay is meh.

Same here... took me months to finish HL2, it's just such a drag. People like to say the game has no cutscenes and how that's a plus, but it practically does, with all those sections where you're just walking around, listening to the dialogue and waiting for NPCs to be done with whatever they're doing, and thing is, you can't even skip it, so it's worse than an actual cutscene.

 

Half-Life 1 on the other hand, other than the beginning, the ending (if you can consider those cutscenes in the same vein of HL2's as mentioned above), and that one part where you're dragged unconscious by the HECU, has pretty much none. It's an immersive experience, beginning to end. Whilst it is still a very flawed game, it is much more unique and colorful in style than HL2's realistic one. The weapons sound pure 80s, the gunplay is overall better, and the HECU have personality and are way smarter than the Combine. Only thing HL2 has over HL1 is story, which I don't care for. The expansions for HL1 break the balls of HL2's episodes, putting you in the shoes of both the bad guys and black mesa guards, which is something you rarely experience in games. I do dislike the heavy scripting and strictly linear progression, though.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Juza

[Murdoch]

5 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

I've definitely played Half-Life 2 a lot more often. However, I do have a specially reserved soft spot for Opposing Force which is the best classic Half-Life expansion in my humble opinion. Mind you, I'd like to throw in a wildcard: Black Mesa, by far my absolute favourite HL-related entry. Takes everything great about the original Half-Life and makes it bigger, bolder and better than ever. I absolutely love it.

 

Agreed.

[Serum]

2 hours ago, dmslr said:

I don't understand why people love HL2 so much. It is boring as hell. I played the main game and the first half of the episode 1 and couldn't keep myself finishing the game... TWICE! Source engine feels so good, the story is intriguing but the gameplay is meh.

 

I felt that way more so about HL1. I know it was important for its time, but boy was it... to put it nicely, slow

[seed]

I'm waiting for the obligatory "none, both are terrible, popular games", as it is their fate on this forum.

 

I'm actually going for HL1, mainly because it was faster paced which makes it easier to jump into, and because Opposing Force. But it's either that or the Episodes for me, the faster pacing makes them quite a bit more replayable than base HL2.

Edited November 15, 2020 by seed

[snapshot]

7 minutes ago, seed said:

I'm waiting for the obligatory "none, both are terrible, popular games", as it is their fate on this forum..

I've never seen anyone around here call them that, might just by a vocal minority.

[seed]

2 minutes ago, sluggard said:

I've never seen anyone around here call them that, might just by a vocal minority.

 

Look up topics where HL shows up, you'll see.

[hybridial]

27 minutes ago, seed said:

Dance Monkey, Dance

 

You're just sending conflicting messages now :P 

[TheNoob_Gamer]

10 hours ago, Pokemanic33 said:

The enemy AI is incredibly basic as well, with most enemies walking into the barrel of your gun.

I disagree. HL2's Combine Soldiers are as dynamic if not more advanced than the HECU. The problem is many combat setpieces are just too overscaled for their close-quarter oriented intelligence.

For reference, here's a very well done analysis on some soldier types you commonly encountered throughout the game.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by TheNoob_Gamer

[ReaperAA]

My favorite Half Life entry is probably HL2:Episode 2.

 

But overall I think I will go with Half Life 1 and its expansions. There are parts in base Half Life 2 that are too dragged (the boat part for example) and Episode 1 has a chapter called "Lowlife" (that chapter where everything is pitch dark) which I didn't enjoy at all.

[seed]

7 minutes ago, TheNoob_Gamer said:

I disagree. HL2's Combine Soldiers are as dynamic if not more advanced than the HECU. The problem is many combat setpieces are just too overscaled for their close-quarter oriented intelligence.

 

Indeed.

 

HECU troops from HL1 will never survive the streets of City 17, it worked fine within the confines of HL1, but in HL2 they're doomed.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

I rolled HL2.

I've tried to play HL1 and it's a seriously outdated jank fest with some really sub-par level designs. I know that's a really unpopular opinion but since I didn't grow up in the 90's (albeit I DID play several 90's games in my childhood) I personally think HL1 just hasn't aged well. Blue Shfit and Opposiing force do at least improve on the base game somewhat fro ma gameplay perspective.

 

Than again HL2 is not that much better with some really unfair moments in terms of difficulty (hello Nova Prospekt and that god damn train) and both of the episodes were a snore-fest to say the least in some parts. (the Zombines were a cool addition though.)

[NoXion]

They're both great games. Very atmospheric and pitch-perfect gunplay.

I'd say that HL1 just about beats HL2, with the massive selection of mods being the tie-breaker. HL2's modding scene never felt as big or as rich as the previous instalment.