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Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2 Aftermath is the first of a series of episodic expansions
for the popular and acclaimed Half-Life series. This episode takes place
right after the events in HL2, and you and Alyx will flee from City 17,
fighting against creatures who were previous blocked from entertaining the
city The Citadel you assaulted in HL2 is tumbling into chaos, and this
event will have catastrophic effects on the surrounding area, prompting
your escape.
The Half-Life series valiantly returns in Half-Life 2: Episode One
that
continues from the previous game after the Combine tower is destroyed.
Gordon once again returns as the hero with his extremely sexy sidekick Alyx whose
undergone some remarkable changes, graphically since her first
incarnation. With that said, Episode One has received an amazing
facelift that truly takes his series to the next level and gives us a
great insight into the next incarnation of the series.
As opposed to the previous game, Episode
One is considerably shorter and will take the average gamer around 8
hours to complete but bare in mind that this title only costs around
$36AUD which although a little steep is still worth every penny,
considering the evolution of the series.
The gameplay of Episode One is virtually identical to all first person
shooters where the gamer must engage in a variety of different missions
and submissions in order to successfully complete the title through a
plethora of firepower and strange otherworldly creatures. As opposed to
the previous game, Episode has an intensive claustrophobic feel as the
majority of levels are now based indoors that really lends itself to
genre.
Probably the most new aspect of gameplay is
the novel of idea of Gordon using his flashlight to assist Alyx aim her
weapon and fortunately for you, your sexy revamped sidekick has
virtually unlimited ammunition. The enemy of Episode One is based from
the previous game (Vortigons) that contains all the stock standard foes
and weapons of the previous game but considering that this takes place almost
instantly from the previous game, it makes perfect sense.
Both graphically and soundwise, Episode One
is an amazing title that features state of the art graphics that has
received somewhat of a face lift. Although the gaming environments
appear to be somewhat familiar, the characters (if you can believe) look
considerably more realistic, especially Alyx herself.
Whether its the
realistic lighting or reflective surfaces and the special effects, the
developers have also added some professional voice acting and a very
Hollywood sounding musical score to immerse you into this wonderful
universe. With that said, I would suggest a high-end computer to
thoroughly enjoy this title.
In conclusion, Half-Life 2 Episode One is a
well made add-on that I would recommend to all fans of the original
series that contain an engaging storyline, amazing graphics and that
famous Half-Life universe that is sure to draw you into this stunning
computer generated
world. My only complaint is the game is rather short but needless to
say, it's a great sneak peak of the next Half-Life installment. Check it
out! |
