I adore this series. I especially have very fond memories of the original. I did not play it on release (I was still a toddler then), but I got it through the Valve Bundle on Steam and played it through at least 5 times. I’ve had multiple times in my life were I didn’t have access to a powerful computer, but similar to DOOM, Half-Life will run on about anything. I remember one of my playtroughs being on a horrible windows 8 tablet, and still it looked and played amazingly :).
Half-Life 2 then just perfected an already strong original. There is something just so satisfying about the environmental design and linearity of the levels. You just push through and know that you will find enough in your surroundings to make it. I find it strange that there haven’t been that many clones since (first person exploration action games). Most games either are to linear (COD) or completely open world or become a full-on immersive sim.
If you have any recommendations, please share them. Dishonored gave me similar vibes, but I miss the simplicity of Half-Life.
Black Mesa is an obvious recommendation, since it’s a modern take on the original Half-Life. Another game that I thought was similar to Half-Life in progression and physics emphasis was Prey (the 2007 Native American one)
I was a huge HL fan back in the day. I recently bought Black Mesa… and had it refunded pretty quickly. I played the demo… ten years ago? And enjoyed it then. But imo it just doesn’t hold up at all.
Too much new stuff. I think the fact that Xen existing was the difference between the free version and the paid version pushed them to pad Xen out way too far for fear that snappier pacing would feel like a ripoff.
Xen was really rushed and shorter than originally intended in HL1 though, and part of the idea with BM was to flesh it out properly. Might have gone a bit too far, but it was also one of the few places in the project where they could truly come up with something new and unique, and not just redo what Valve had made before them.
Mass effect is one of my favorite series ever! I’ve played through the trilogy at least half a dozen times now. It’s my cozy game I always have a playthrough going in.
Mass effect 1 was incredible for its time, and still pretty good today. The biggest mistake I see people make is not talking to everyone on the ship in between missions (this is true for the whole series); if you don’t you’ll miss the best part of the game. Also make sure to pick an interesting class, probably something with biotics. Infiltrator and soldier are boring to play compared to sentinel or biotic.
Mass effect 2 was the game that shifted the series from an RPG to a cover shooter. The mechanics were much better, but it removed some of the fun. I remember the first time I played it I was heartbroken the citadel was so much smaller than in the first game. I’d say 2 has the best DLCs of the trilogy (Shadowbroker is unrivaled). I love the structure of 2 as well, but there’s definitely a few gotchas where if you do a mission too soon it’ll lock you out of finishing important side quests if you want a good ending.
Mass effect 3 is great, the mechanics are more mature than 2, the story and “omg” moments are the best in the series; and (especially with the DLCs) it really fleshes out the backstory of the galaxy and races in a way the first two games didn’t. I do wish the team on the ship was a bit bigger, but the citadel dlc is definitely a close second best in the series; and makes up for it imo.
As for the ending of 3 (mild mood spoilers):
spoilerI like my games to have a happily ever after ending, and that there really isn’t one kinda bums me out. I get why the writers did it, and I don’t fault them for it; but I’m looking forward to my current playthrough using the happy ending mod for a non cannon ending that won’t leave me kinda sad after finishing the game haha
So all in all, I think the trilogy is incredible, and everyone should try it. That said you’ve gotta go in with an idea of how to play it (this is true for all the games, but especially 1), because the games will let you miss a lot of stuff (like crew interactions, important side missions that affect the ending of the game and encounters in later games, etc.). It’s definitely a trilogy that’s better the second time through bc of it, or just find a good non spoiler guide/video for tips.
I love Telltale’s stuff, but they’re a bit hit or miss for me. I really liked The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands, but really didn’t care for The Walking Dead sequels and Batman. A lot of companies tried to replicate what they had but they never had writing as good.
That said, Telltale really needed some alternate endings. There’s only so much “X will remember this” I can read before I realize how little my actions matter.
I have Tales from the Borderlands and Poker Night in my library, but I just can’t bring myself to play them. Knowing they’re just basically limping along really makes me not want to get invested in characters I know probably won’t get the resolution they deserve.
Tales from the Borderlands is a finished story, and it’s amazing! Please at least try the first episode, it has some of my fondest and over the top gaming memories!
I totally agree with you. They had something special with the wolf among us. I was very excited when they announced the sequel, but sad to hear your news about firing the team.
Tales from the Borderland would be on second spot for me. Following the Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Batman. But for the for the last three, I really don’t remember much anymore.
They went bankrupt but got picked up by another company years later. They got a big chunk of the original team back on board, then they made The Expanse game, then they fired most of the team again.
It’s a game that kinda sprung up out of nowhere and exploded in popularity, but the popularity was well deserved it is a pretty good game. The younger fanbase being a bunch of over excited and obsessed turned off a lot of people, but I feel like it’s a little silly to hate something because kids were acting like children.
And originally created by a university design team with a female design lead, at that.
Even as Portal 2 adds male characters, one is greedy and responsible for all the conflict in the franchise, acting as something of a caricature for masculine stereotypes, and the other’s only defining trait is that he’s an easily corrupted idiot.
Portal is perhaps the best example of, and should be held up as the golden standard of, feminism in gaming.
I don’t always pay attention to the deep lore in games, and that sometimes hits me all at once. I’ll find myself thinking, “Wait, why did I come all this way down a giant tree full of monsters to kill this lady? What the heck did she do to me to deserve that?”
beehaw.org
Ważne