Activision Half Life Platinum 2

I'm a latecomer to the Half Life...

Strengths: Strong atmosphere, VERY smart AI, Great sense of relism.

Weakness: Graphics are pretty creaky compared to newer games.

I'm a latecomer to the Half Life way of living. So far, it's been as good as the hype has indicated. I don't think I've ever seen a 1st person shooter create such a convincing atmosphere. Rooms and areas are set up in a logical and highly realistic way. The Black Mesa research facility looks like it could be a real place, and this is a huge benefit to the gameplay. It is also MASSIVE. I've been...
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I'm a latecomer to the Half Life way of living. So far, it's been as good as the hype has indicated. I don't think I've ever seen a 1st person shooter create such a convincing atmosphere. Rooms and areas are set up in a logical and highly realistic way. The Black Mesa research facility looks like it could be a real place, and this is a huge benefit to the gameplay. It is also MASSIVE. I've been playing the game for a good 20 hours, and have yet become bored with the surroundings. The enemie creatures aren't particularly challenging, but they move fast and look appropriately grotesque. The human opponents are another story. Half Life has been praised for it's marine AI, and it deserves it. The marines you face in the game attack and retreat, flank, throw grenades, seek cover, and are a general pain. They are a real challenge, and their intelligence is one of the most striking things about the game.

The graphics are solid, but pretty far from state of the art, being that the game is five years old and based on the Quake II engine, which has been obsolete for quite a while. Everything has a highly angular and geometric look to it, and the environmental and lighting effects, while adequate, are pretty underpowered. This is mainly nitpicking, though. Overall, this game is one of the tightest and most engrossing packages in the history of 3D gaming. Very highly recommended, and the Platinum Collection can usually be found for less than $30 now.

By dentj - Sep 8, 2004

Steam-free Half Life

Strengths: Very good value for the price. Has nearly all the single and team player Half Life content prior to Half Life 2. The best part is that you DON'T HAVE TO INSTALL STEAM TO PLAY THE SINGLE PLAYER GAMES!

Weakness: Does not include the single player game Counterstrike: Condition Zero.

The notorious hassles with Valve's Steam made me give up on Half Life 2, and purchase this collection instead. If you're like me, and just never got around to playing Half Life, this is an excellent collection and allows you to avoid Steam altogether. Also, the included Blue Shift has the High Definition pack which improves the visual quality of 3 of the games (more so than the Source engine...
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The notorious hassles with Valve's Steam made me give up on Half Life 2, and purchase this collection instead. If you're like me, and just never got around to playing Half Life, this is an excellent collection and allows you to avoid Steam altogether. Also, the included Blue Shift has the High Definition pack which improves the visual quality of 3 of the games (more so than the Source engine conversion of the original Half Life).

By David_OSU - Nov 15, 2005

This is my all time favorite...

Strengths: Great story and graphics.

Weakness: None

This is my all time favorite gaming pack. Can be played from Three different points of view as Gordon, a Marine, or a security officer. The puzzles are challenging but not to hard.
The online play is legendary.

By Ducalv - Aug 31, 2004