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28 of 32 found the following review helpful:
good gameNov 01, 2001
By clifford goldenberg
Let me tell you a little secret:I never finished half life on the PC.I know it's sacrilegious,but hey,it was the fall of 1998,and my consoles were calling to me with stuff like Xelda and Metal Gear Solid.Now,revisiting HL on the PS2,i'm reminded of just how amazing this game is.Although it's looking a little outdated in the graphics department {even with the upgraded PS2 visuals}, HL can still hold its own against prettier newcomers like Red Faction.The saving grace here isn't how good the story is {it's rather cliche actually},but rather how well it unfolds in the context of the game.You're never at a loss for where to go next.Sure, the lecels are ultimately linear in design,But none of the areas feel contrived or unnatural.It's also one of those games loaded with a ton of cool moments.Trust me,no amount of hyperbole on my part can prepare you for the shiver inducing stuff you'll see in some of the later levels.Believe it,HL's single player experience is unrivaled.In multiplayer,however ,HL is a disappointment.Decay,the two player co op mode is too short,and with its head to head and weapon modelsin two player head to head and weapon models in two player splitscreen only further hampers the deathmatch experience.Despite these heart breaking shortcomings,i can honestly say i had more fun playing HL on the PS2 this month than i ever did on my PC three years ago.And yes,i finished it this time.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 A good game-will ALWAYS BE a good game.Jan 10, 2002
Half-Life is unquestionably the best game on ANY platform ever made and no one can possibly deny it. It has gotten over 50 awards from a bunch of different publishers and companies, and PCgamer rated it "The best PC game EVER!" And I totally agree. When I first got this game for the PC I was inspired. Yes, the game is so inspiring in every way when it comes to graphics and fun factor and everything else that this game makes me wish I could create something this spectacular. I have a new urge to take on a career to make stuff like this, all because of this little CD by VALVE and GEARBOX.People new to the game need to get a better understanding of Half-life's wonderful factors, so I will tell some. This is one of the first shooters that was written by an author, which means it actually HAS an interesting story. In Half-Life, you do not just play the game, you FEEL it. Every event and "level" has some importance to the deep tale being told. The artificial intelligance is so spectacular that they will speak, help, and interact to you, and they always do at least something new, each time you play the game. I don't want to go too in-depth ABOUT the game because I'm sure some other people have already explained it, but I will tell you why it is very important to buy the Playstation 2 version over the PC version, even though it's a bit more expensive. Using the powerful Playstation 2 hardware, the characters are actually smarter than on the PC. I'm not lying, either. I have both versions and the difference between interaction is a million times better, plus your foes make better decisions to take you down. One time, I was playing the PC version, and ten military soldiers were gunning me down. I dove through a door and pushed a box in front of it. The soldiers just stood there and threw grenades at the door, doing virtually NO damage to me. Then, I tried the same thing on the Playstation 2, in the same spot. The military were SO smart that they actually ran up, kicked the door down, and ROLLED in with their guns blazing, immediately taking me down. At the same time, they were yelling, "DIE, GORDON! and one of the soldiers waiting outside of the dorr, was actually signaling the rest of his squad to come and help kill me. See the difference in artificial intelligance? You will when you play. I hope that was enough about AI to give you an idea. In addition to that, the graphics have gotten a major facelift from the original. Characters have completely articulating fingers, event-dependant facial expressions (if a scientist is running from an alien, he will actually look SCARED rather than having the lifeless robotic look like on the PC)and more detailed bodies, such as individually rendered walkie-talkies on soldiers and labcoats that breeze in the wind on scientists. Even med-kits and power stations have full, animatronic features.
Even the cars in the Black Mesa Research Facility have breakable windows, seats, and doors! In one simple phrase; EVERYTHING looks and moves better. There is even an aditional mode where you can pair up with one of your best friends in a multiplayer co-op game, called decay. Decay places you as two women hazard course trainers who partake in the horrible incident. You will have to work together as real people to stay alive. You can also try it on single player with a highly intelligant "bot" running the second player instead of a friend. This addition features new characters and many new levels, all included in this spectacular package. Speaking of multiplayer goodness, there is also a deathmatch mode, where you can battle another friend in custom-made deathmatch levels. Yes, this game is packed with 2 player goodness. Even the MAIN MENU of the disk is better, with some cool techno music playing in the background to set the mood while you fully configure your controls (by the way, you can hook up USB keyboards and mouses to your computer if you are the ultimate PC Half-Life god; that way you don't have learn new buttons on the PS2 pad)and adjust sound and video. If you have a widescreen TV, don't fret; 16:9 Letterbox video is also available for use. If you're a cheater, there are some very nice goodies for you. When you buy the game, enter these after going into options, and opening "cheat codes" section. 1.slow motion button enabled
Click "enter cheat" and press;
right, square, up, triangle, right, square, up, triangle. 2. Infinate Ammo
Click "enter cheat" and press;
up, triangle, down, X, up, triangle, down, X. 3.God Mode
Click "enter cheat" and press;
Left, square, up, triangle, right, circle, down, X. 4.Invisible
Click "enter cheat" and press;
Left, Square, right, circle, left, square, right, circle. 5.Play as an alien
Click "enter cheat" and press;
Up, triangle, up, triangle, up triangle, up, triangle. Of course you can only use these if you buy the game, so you have to grab a copy; some of these codes are exclusive to PS2.
There's so much else to say, but I don't want my review to turn out way too long. In a nutshell, half-life is barrels of fun, and it is even better on the Playstation 2 (WAY better) than it once was. Half-Life is a life changing experience, especially in one-player. If you are a serious first-person shooter fan, and you don't have Half-Life, you aren't a serious first person shooter fan. Get it NOW!
35 of 44 found the following review helpful:
A must buy Playstation 2 gameAug 22, 2001
By Lord Nikon
My brother works for Valve software (the people who made Half-Life) and I got to test this item myself. This is the best game for the Playstation 2 so far I would say. The controls are remarcable compared to the PC version. But, if you liked the original controls with the keyboard and the mouse, you'll love this. Half-Life supportes the USB ports. So hook up your mouse and keyboard and get playing! The graphics are also stunning on this game. They are enhanced very much from the PC version. And, if your concerned about the framerate, no fear, it runs as smooth as silk. There's also a multi-player mode and a co-op mode on Half-life, so you can compete against your friends in a deathmatch, or try and get place back to normal by fighting side-by-side. I gave this a 5/5 because... IT'S THE BEST FREAKIN' GAME FOR THE PS2 YET!!! If you liked the original, you'll love this one.With totally revised graphics, and new multi-player mode, this is a must buy for the playstation 2. (there's also a rumor around valve about online play)
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Great fun for a while, but gets old eventually.Jul 17, 2006
By SRFireside
"ZOOM!"
Keep in mind I'm writing this review from the perspective of somebody that played the game in the last six months, and not when it first came out. Back then first person shooters (FPS) weren't all the deep in the story department and most of the time players just saw the "storyline" as something getting in the way of shooting anything that moves Half Life came onto the scene with radically new thinking on several fronts.
The biggest one was intelligent enemies. There was more artificial intelligence put into your opponents so as they didn't just run up to you and attack like the monsters from Doom and Quake. They took cover, laid suppressing fire, tried sneaking around you, and all other sorts of tactics. Back in 1998 you didn't much of that in a first person shooter.
The second innovation is more what the fanboys say about the game rather than the truth, and that's a storyline. Indeed Half Life had a plot that you followed throughout the game that made shooting the bad have a little more depth, however it wasn't all that. Games like the System Shock series and Thief already gave you superior FPS storylines. Half Life was just the popular one.
And that's where we come to how this game stacks in the new millenium. I played it on PC back in 1998 up to a point, but never finished. I ended up finishing the game with the PS2 version. That plotline only takes you so far as much of the action in middle gets extremely tedious. If you don't mind just shooting and solving jump puzzles without much story to inspire then I guess that's not big deal. However these days more engaging plots on FPS games is the norm.
Gameplay is pretty good for a console FPS. The target lock system helps make up for the lack of the keyboard/mouse configuration and the rest of the controls fit fine with the PS2 controller. The graphics are supposed to be enhanced, but I couldn't see all that much of a difference from the original Half Life game set to high resolution on the characters. I believe the bitmaps for the walls, skies and such is where the major graphic improvements were. Either way the graphics are indeed dated.
In the end Half Life was a good game to play for the most part. Only there were some very long stretches where I wished the game would just end already due to lack of any depth beyond getting past the level. The "wow" ending left me a bit underwhelmed after all those boring levels (again you're talking to someone who played it recently... I bet back in the day it was awesome).
What's the verdict? If you can find it cheap by all means get the game and experience the highs (and lows). I hear this game is being redone with the new HL2 engine, so at that point I would say it's up to you regarding a revisit when this happens? As for me I don't regret paying the $10 finding out what was good and bad about this game.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Most thrilling fps on the ps2May 11, 2003
This game is awesome. It's the scariest shooter on the PS2-with a brilliant storyline. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
Great graphics(graphics really shine when you see the detail drawn to all character people models and weapons models)
Nice audio
Immersive Innovative creepy brilliant game-play system design
Most brilliant storyilne ever written
Tight add-on-decay provides quite a difficult but worth it cooperative experience
Good battle royale mode
Incredible AI
And more Cons: Frame-rate isn't that smooth throughout game-play
Doesn't include blue-shift
It came out on the PC first
no multiplayer online compability
And more So overall half-life is a unreal experience, and is truly worth it on the ps2. Bring the challenge on.
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