George Lucas made us wait 14 years for a new Star Wars movie called Episode I, and it sucked like the eternal vacuum of deep space itself. And not just because of that idiot Jar Jar Binks.
Valve Software only forced gamers to cool their heels for 18 months between Half-Life 2 and its mini-sequel called Episode One, and the new game is nearly as good as the original. And not just because of that hottie Alyx Vance.
Episode One is the first in a trilogy of Half-Life 2 followups that are each the length and price of your average expansion pack. It's available either through normal retail outlets or as a trouble-free download from Valve's online service, Steam.
(Be warned! Some spoilers follow. If you want to be surprised, read no further. Just know that if you loved Half-Life 2, you'll really like this game.)
Episode One picks up literally the instant Half-Life 2 ended, with geek pinup girl Alyx Vance seemingly vapourized by the energy released in the explosion atop the Combine force's Citadel, and our hero Gordon Freeman whisked off to the Twilight Zone for a chat with the creepy old G-Man.
Luckily, both our heroes are safe from harm (thanks, Vortigons!), and both are deposited at the base of the now-crumbling Citadel. Survival is their primary objective, first by delaying the structure's catastrophic meltdown and then by escaping the Combine-overrun City 17.
Far from being an easy cash grab, Episode One has all the quality hallmarks of Half-Life 2: Fantastic visuals, great storytelling, clever enemy A.I. and those memorable scripted moments that are the Half-Life franchise's calling card.
The earliest of these sees Alyx's pet robot, Dog (who does more genuine emoting than 90% of video gamedom's so-called human characters) helping to get our heroes back inside the massive structure in a manner that would make Peyton Manning proud.
From there, the game is a fairly predictable but engaging mix of shooting and puzzle solving, shifting from the bowels of the Citadel to the streets of City 17, where Combine soldiers are desperate to stop Gordon and Alyx from getting some startling secrets into the hands of Eli Vance and the rest of the Black Mesa resistance.
In the original Half-Life 2, the easy-on-the-eyes Alyx served mainly as an occasional tour guide and source of plot exposition. Here, she's a near-constant and formidable ally, as you take on a familiar array of Combine soldiers, head crabs, ant lions and zombies (including the new Combine zombies, or "Zombines" as Alyx dubs them.)
Her rapid-fire pistol has unlimited ammo, which is especially handy given that you spend the first chunk of the game armed with only the gravity gun. And even once you've got an arsenal of your own, her keen aim and sound advice will save your hide more than once.
Unlike most linear and heavily scripted shooters, Half-Life 2: Episode One begs to be played through a second time, thanks to a developer commentary option that causes dialog bubbles to appear above objects in the environment. Click on them, and you glean insight into what went into some of the design decisions and technology driving the game.
Episode One doesn't go out of its way to tweak Half-Life 2's successful formula, and it doesn't introduce new weapons or any meaningful twists.
But given that we gave Half-Life 2 one of our very rare five-star ratings, it would be pretty tough to improve upon perfection. The mere fact that Episode One comes close to matching the greatness of the original is impressive.
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BOTTOM LINE
This budget-priced mini-sequel will only give you five or so hours of gameplay, but the quality is as high as you'd expect from the original. Bring on Episode Two!
WHAM! Rating: |
9 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
M (Mature) |
Official Web Site: |
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