HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE ONE

GAME DETAILS :-

Developer : Valve Corporation

Publisher : Valve Corporation

Engine : Source Engine ( incl. HDR )

Genre : Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter

Release Date : June 1 , 2006

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS :-

Operating System : Windows 2000 / Windows XP

CPU : AMD Athlon XP 2100+ / Intel Pentium 4 Processor

Memory (RAM) : 512 MB

Graphics Hardware : DirectX 9.0c Compatible Video Card with Memory 128 MB

[NVIDIA : GeForce FX 5900 Series
ATI : Radeon X700 Series]

Hard Disk Space : 4.5 GB

GAME FEATURES :-

Episode One begins after the explosion of the reactor from which Gordon was extracted by the G-Man and where Alyx Vance was left behind. Time suddenly freezes, and several purple Vortigaunts appear and rescue Alyx from the blast. After she is rescued, the Vortigaunts appear before the G-Man and stand between him and Gordon. They teleport Gordon away from the scene, much to the G-Man's displeasure. Gordon wakes up outside the Citadel, and reunites with Alyx, who is relieved to see him. Alyx contacts Eli Vance and Isaac Kleiner, who have escaped the city, and is informed the Citadel's core is at risk of exploding at any moment. Kleiner states the explosion could be large enough to level the whole of City 17, and the only way for them to survive is to re-enter the Citadel and slow the core's progression toward meltdown. Eli reluctantly agrees when he sees no other option. Alyx and Gordon re-enter the now-decaying Citadel to try to stabilize the core and are successful in re-engaging the reactor's containment system, which delays the explosion. Alyx discovers the Combine are deliberately accelerating the destruction of the Citadel to send a message to the Combine's homeworld. She makes a copy of the message, which causes the Combine to prioritize them as targets. Alyx then locates and downloads a transmission from Dr. Judith Mossman describing a certain project she has located, before being cut off by a Combine attack. Afterwards, Alyx and Gordon board a train to escape the Citadel. The train derails en-route, forcing the duo to proceed on foot. As they fight through the disorganized Combine forces and rampant alien infestations, Kleiner appears on the screens Breen once used to pass out propaganda, and gives out useful updates to the evacuating citizens about the latest turn of events as well as reiterating the Citadel's imminent collapse. Alyx and Gordon eventually meet up with Barney Calhoun and a group of other survivors who are preparing to move on a train station to escape City 17. Alyx and Gordon provide cover for the passengers as they board. To keep the survivors safe, Alyx and Gordon opt to take a different train. They manage to escape just as the reactor begins to detonate; the energy sends out the Combine's message. Several pods containing Combine Advisors are ejected from the Citadel as it detonates. The resulting shockwave catches the train, derailing it. The last thing the player hears is the twisting of metal and Alyx whispering Gordon's name. The fate of Alyx and Gordon is revealed in the sequel Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a new trilogy of episodes that are scheduled to be released over the course of the next year. (You don't need to own Half-Life 2 to play Episode One, as it's a stand-alone product, though it would definitely help if you did.) And Episode One is a memorable romp through the Half-Life universe, with gameplay that's even more satisfying than that of Half-Life 2. The only downside is that, due to its episodic nature, it's over far too soon.

Half-Life has always been a mix of combat and puzzle-solving, but the formula feels honed to a razor's edge in Episode One, as Valve seems to have designed content that's geared toward Half-Life veterans. The puzzles and battles seem even more complex and challenging. The versatile gravity gun gets heavy use through the episode, and it's invaluable to solving the many environmental puzzles in the game, but other than that, you're packing the same assortment of pistols, rifles, and grenades as before. It's also worth noting that there are no vehicle sequences in Episode One. That's not exactly a bad thing, though, as the vehicle sequences in Half-Life 2 felt fairly linear and dragged on for too long. In terms of opponents, you do get glimpses of challenging new foes that are coming up in future episodes, but for the most part, the enemies remain the same from Half-Life 2, including the head crabs, zombies, Combine soldiers, striders, and so on. The Combine troops do seem to have some new abilities, such as the ability to rappel down buildings right in front of you. The only memorable new opponent is the zombine, a Combine zombie, and these guys quickly become your first target when they appear on the scene, thanks to the fact that their favored tactic is to charge you with a live grenade in hand. Visually, Episode One introduces a lot of subtle improvements and enhancements in the Source engine, keeping it in line with video-card developments over the past couple of years. The new high-dynamic range lighting technology makes a big difference, as the outdoor scenes look a lot better, while indoor scenes feature impressive shadowing and atmosphere at times. Some of the textures in the game have been increased considerably, notably on Alyx and the other main characters, and the game looks incredibly sharp. There are only four to six hours of gameplay, and veteran first-person shooter fans will definitely find themselves at the lower end of that range. Episode One does ship with the two existing Half-Life 2 multiplayer modes, but if you own Half-Life 2 already, you already have those. Finally, the game does include a developer commentary system of sorts, similar to the one used in the PC version of The Chronicles of Riddick, and that does provide some interesting insight into the development of the game. But apart from that one unique feature, the only thing truly new in Episode One is the single-player story. Before you know it, you've escaped from City 17, the credits are rolling, and you're left wanting more. So in a way, Valve has teased us once again, though the bright side is that we don't have to wait long for the next set of answers to be found in Episode Two, which is due out around the end of the year.

GAME REVIEW :-

9/10

Half-Life 2: Episode One Trailer :-