Half-Life 2

Essentially, the more linearity, the more narrative potential and vice reversa.

So what do you want? An engaging story that is well told? Hell, I love that, both in films, books and games. But then more or less all "freedom" in the game will have to be a disguised cattle track.

Somebody opted that the graphics in HL2 were substandard? :-? Excuse me? What games are better then? And atmosphere? If that isn't 90% art/graphics then what is it?

Quote from -Stratesiz-

Some sort of freedom would be appreciated, for example, the city is too linear which makes it feel less like a city. The areas where you can fight the striders are too restricted. It felt mostly like a box with striders.Maps with more A and B objectives before you can continue give a sense of freedom. Think of the area with the tentacles in HL1 or the building with the generator thingiesin HL2 . Too linear areas break the illusion of a fully functional world.

More things like that would have been nice, but that isn't to say they don't exist in HL2. The bit where you have to use debris to cross the dangerous sand gives the player tons of choice, and it's the physics that not only allow this to happen, but also make the world seem much more 'fully functional' that HL1 could ever manage.

I should have said "linear levels". Stratty knows what I'm talking about.

As for the graphics: Look at Doom3, look at FarCry, look at Painkiller ...

I think HL2 was a great game, exceeded doom3, as of doom3 didn't really give me anything, sure it was pretty and I was dripping drool just by thinking the possibilities with modern day computers and engines, from the graphics designers point of view.

HL2 had quite good story, and some of the levels were nice, like ravenholms platform jumps, and it brought more to HL than I could have imagined, tho this made the transition from HL1 to HL2 like a jump where you were looking over your shoulder for that part of the story that was left untold between HL1 and HL2, sure they explained the gaps in behind the scenes book, but I must say that the way valve did it was just complete bullshit.

Example. Take warcraft, a rich world where they games are based on a world that have evolved through every game, there are jumps between the games, but none of them are left un explained, in some part of the game the story unfolds backwards, telling the happenings which lead to this situation. Now and after that there are books published where the same stories are told with precision, telling the names of the people involved in to the conflicts and how did they do the things mentioned earlier in the storyline of the game. The purpose is to not mislead the player, but to give him enough information for him to sort it out, and then if he wants to know more about it, he reads the books.

And for linearity, think of freedom fighters, I think it easily goes over HL2 with it's story and action, not in any part of the game I felt like it was done like a technology demo for a new engine, like I'm sorry FarCry and HL2 were done, not to mention Doom3 oh god! I was crying blood the last few levels of HL2 when I realized that the blue gravity gun IS my only way of wanton destruction, god it felt like Painkillers stave gun all over again, whoopdedoo, we have physics, take a hold on your self for farcrying out loud, we hare headed for our doom3 at this rate we get there faster than plutonium half-life.

My opinions may seen harsh but let me remind you that they are only opinions, but I'm not satisfied to the results I have had from the megahits like doom3, farcry or HL2, they just don't do it to me. I'm much more looking forward to games like Fallout 3 and less to games like stalker (tho I'll check that out just because I'm a huge fan of european games) and duke nukem: forever. Hell many of the players of Vampire bloodlines and HL2 said that they liked vampire much more and I think I'll agree with them, the game was made much less like a techdemo and much more like a real game.

Thanks for reading. Now be a man and stop crying.

:edit: oh yes had to add that I just ordered Sid Meier's: Pirates one of the games worth waiting

Quote from -Stratesiz-

Maps with more A and B objectives before you can continue give a sense of freedom. Think of the area with the tentacles in HL1...

Yeah, but I hated that part of the game.

I don't see the big fuzz about linear games. Most of the greatest games of all time are linear.

Quote from Kosmo

:edit: oh yes had to add that I just ordered Sid Meier's: Pirates one of the games worth waiting

Me too! To all those senseless "what is the best game ever" questions I usually answer Sid Meier's Pirates! on the Amiga. Damn, can't wait!!!