miffy495 Posted June 5, 2006 yeah, it's too bad you lose it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marek Posted June 5, 2006 Just finished it and I'm really happy with this game. I love the commentary feature. Anyone complaining about the length of the game (i.e. a fair amount of Shackers) needs to stop. The length is perfect. Also this just in: Alyx has several things she does in the dark! In my case, Reveal hidden contents she grabbed Gordon causing the camera to jolt backwards, and then she said something like "gotcha" but I just read she also Reveal hidden contents makes zombie noises which is also awesome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eljay Posted June 5, 2006 I need to play it through again with commentary, that'll happen some time this week. I didn't know that Alyx did the first thing, but she did the second thing with me. It's abundantly clear why they chose to focus on Alyx in their promotional material, she is just brilliant in the game. A really nicely done companion that totally changes the feel of the game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted June 5, 2006 The steam servers are STILL busy. Am I ever going to be able to play this? This happen to anyone else? Maybe I should hire someone to sit here and click to find a moment of non-busy-ness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted June 5, 2006 Why haven't I bought this yet?? Oh yeah, I'm leaking money like I've been stabbed in the wallet already Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marek Posted June 5, 2006 Erkki, maybe something is wrong with your connection or account. I bought the game around the time you first posted that and my download started immediately at 400~500kb/s. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erkki Posted June 5, 2006 Turns out I had a broken install or something. I tried every fix listed at Valve's support site, but nothing helped. Then deleted all files in the Steam folder and reinstalled Steam. Now it's downloading. Yay! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thrik Posted June 5, 2006 A stalker has its wicked way with Alyx, much to Gordon's dismay. :innocent::innocent: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpiderMonkey Posted June 5, 2006 Marek said: Anyone complaining about the length of the game (i.e. a fair amount of Shackers) needs to stop. Those guys' taste in games confuses me a lot of the time. They break out the pom-poms for something as bland as Sin Episodes, but then heap on the bitching about something as awesome as more Half-Life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted June 5, 2006 eljay said: I didn't know that Alyx did the first thing, but she did the second thing with me. Same. I thought that's what he was referring to. Oh well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Tingler Posted June 5, 2006 What I want to know is, does the G-Man make any of his patented 'Where's G-Man?' appearances in the game? I certainly haven't spotted him yet, apart from the cutscene at the beginning of course, and his briefcase at the entrance to the train station. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrHoatzin Posted June 6, 2006 The Tingler said: What I want to know is, does the G-Man make any of his patented 'Where's G-Man?' appearances in the game? I certainly haven't spotted him yet, apart from the cutscene at the beginning of course, and his briefcase at the entrance to the train station. Reveal hidden contents Freeman has been ripped from G-man's clutches this time around, as the opening makes very apparent. The G-man stays in the netherworld surrounded by the Vorticons or Vortigaunts or however you spell it. He is no longer just sortof looking over Freeman, he might very well be looking for him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted June 6, 2006 See, that's a big part of what I don't understand. Reveal hidden contents Why does Gordon need to be ripped from the G-Man's clutches in the first place? Are we all just automatically assuming that the G-Man is bad and the Vortigaunt are good? Gordon's always just been a tool, and not just of the G-Man. I'm not sure if I can believe all that easily that the freed slave race are simply happy to be free now, as their revenge could be just as ugly. If it were me in that situation, I'd be pissed and there'd probably be some regrettable unnecessary bloodshed. I think it's too early to believe at this point either that the G-Man is the enemy or that the Vortigaunt don't have an ulterior motive. This IS Half Life we're talking about here... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrHoatzin Posted June 6, 2006 miffy495 said: See, that's a big part of what I don't understand. Reveal hidden contents Why does Gordon need to be ripped from the G-Man's clutches in the first place? Are we all just automatically assuming that the G-Man is bad and the Vortigaunt are good? Gordon's always just been a tool, and not just of the G-Man. I'm not sure if I can believe all that easily that the freed slave race are simply happy to be free now, as their revenge could be just as ugly. If it were me in that situation, I'd be pissed and there'd probably be some regrettable unnecessary bloodshed. I think it's too early to believe at this point either that the G-Man is the enemy or that the Vortigaunt don't have an ulterior motive. This IS Half Life we're talking about here... Reveal hidden contents At the end of HL2 Breen tells Gordon something to the effect of, "I know your services go to the highest bidder." That leads me to believe G-Man is Gordon's interuniversal pimp. Or somesuch. Maybe the Vortigaunts only had so much capital to hire Gordon for destroying the citadel, and then had to kidnap him for the rest of the conflict. EDIT: Maybe the Vortigaunts are the step children of the universe, and they were abused in the first HL game to test Gordon for the G-Man's purposes, in which case the Ninthalith (or whatever) was G-Man's punching bag. One day they, the Vortigaunts, just said, "Fuck you guys, we're going home." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Tingler Posted June 6, 2006 I would love to see the Xen race returning to wage war against the Combine for control of Earth. Where are their Warriors, or those floating brain bastards? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eljay Posted June 6, 2006 The populace of Xen were multiple races, and I believe that most of what you saw in HL1 were combine altered versions, like the altered humans that make up the overwatch... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redwall Posted June 6, 2006 Xen was not under the control of the Combine at the time of HL1 (as suggested by the dissimilarities between the two and, more recently, Valve's own direct confirmation). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eljay Posted June 6, 2006 Erm.... really? What about all the dialogue from the Vortigaunts in HL2 about how they were enslaved, and their great leader the Nihilanth was tricked / enslaved too?? Seems a bit odd for it to be NOT relevant... where / when did they confirm this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oath Posted June 6, 2006 To the best of my recollection the Vortigaunts were enslaved by the Combine in HL1, thus the weird things they had on their necks and the fact that they were labeled "Alien Slaves" at the time. The actual enslavement would have happened before the game, obviously. Kingzjester said: Reveal hidden contents At the end of HL2 Breen tells Gordon something to the effect of, "I know your services go to the highest bidder." That leads me to believe G-Man is Gordon's interuniversal pimp. Or somesuch. Maybe the Vortigaunts only had so much capital to hire Gordon for destroying the citadel, and then had to kidnap him for the rest of the conflict. EDIT: Maybe the Vortigaunts are the step children of the universe, and they were abused in the first HL game to test Gordon for the G-Man's purposes, in which case the Ninthalith (or whatever) was G-Man's punching bag. One day they, the Vortigaunts, just said, "Fuck you guys, we're going home." Reveal hidden contents While no one outside of Valve is exactly sure of the relationship between Gordon and the G-Man, most people would agree that he is, as you describe it, his pimp. It is also pretty certain that Gordon's involvement was accidental at first; that his actions at Black Mesa drew interest from the G-Man and it all went from there. The Vortigaunts were captured by the Combine in the same way the Overwatch and the Stalkers have been. Before Episode One launched someone from Valve, I think it was Gabe Newell, commented that we would see the rise of a third force in the expansion. Probably, he meant the Vortigaunts. I guess we'll see what they have in mind in the expansion, but the Episode Two trailer hints that the Vortigaunts are not exactly "evil", though they may have motives that don't fall in line with humans nor Combine. Everyone who is interested in the HL story should check this out (I'm guessing most have seen it by now, but you never know): The Half-Life Saga Story Guide It's an excellent resource, even though it doesn't answer all the questions, because that's impossible at this time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
schepton Posted June 6, 2006 SPOILER PIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrHoatzin Posted June 6, 2006 Chepito said: SPOILER PIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quite obviously the mysterious third party to this conflict are the ewoks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SoccerDude28 Posted June 6, 2006 Marek said: Reveal hidden contents makes zombie noises which is also awesome. That was the most awesome moment in the game, when I completely knew that this game is special. Reveal hidden contents I was there completely in the dark, looking for a way out, when I hear a muffled zombie sound behind me. I turn around like a freak and point my flash light towards Alyx, just to see her laughing her ass off and saying "Gotcha". That was just awesome I also love how if you stay in the dark for a while, then point your flash light towards Alyx, she puts her hand towards her face to block away the light. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redwall Posted June 6, 2006 The Half-Life Saga Story is crap. It hasn't been updated in forever and lots of recent information contradicts it. Yes, the Vortigaunts were enslaved in HL1... by the Nihilanth. The Nihilanth was a tinpot dictator running from the real big bad, the Combine. Its massive organic power over teleportation apparently allowed it to hold back the Combine portals... but once Gordon killed it, the Combine were free to invade Xen and then Earth. (Note that HL2 mentions that the Combine have lots of problems with teleportation, to the point where they can't teleport locally, only between universes, which is clearly not the case of the Nihilanth's minions in the final levels of HL1.) And of course I can't find the reference now. It was just in some interview or other. They give lots of them. Admittedly, I much preferred the idea that the Combine were on Xen, as it would explain the slave Vortigaunt at the beginning of HL2, along with a myriad of other things... but they said it. But hey, maybe they'll change their minds. They've also said something to the effect that if it wasn't in the game, it isn't certain. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SoccerDude28 Posted June 6, 2006 Redwall said: The Half-Life Saga Story is crap. It hasn't been updated in forever and lots of recent information contradicts it. Yes, the Vortigaunts were enslaved in HL1... by the Nihilanth. The Nihilanth was a tinpot dictator running from the real big bad, the Combine. Its massive organic power over teleportation apparently allowed it to hold back the Combine portals... but once Gordon killed it, the Combine were free to invade Xen and then Earth. (Note that HL2 mentions that the Combine have lots of problems with teleportation, to the point where they can't teleport locally, only between universes, which is clearly not the case of the Nihilanth's minions in the final levels of HL1.) From what I understood, Nihilanth was like Breen, a traitor to the world it lives in. It was collaborating with the combine to keep the Vortigaunts on a leash through mind control(and thus they were fighting you in the original Half Life). Once you kill it, you remove that leash and free the Vortigaunts, but the combine don't like that, so they invade both Xen, and then (through the portal Freeman has opened to earth in the Dark Mesa incident) earth. At least that is how I understood the story Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
