Recent reviews by Empyrean

Great rhythm game. Hopefully they fully support modders so this can really blow up. It has lots of potential.

Didn't really like it. It looks good, and its free, but there's performance issues, the story for a "prologue" is non-existent (there's not even any context), and the feedback for combat is not good.

I hope they improve on this game.

I get around 40-50 in and finally get a game over. I would assume, at this point, that it's going to take me back to the last withered tree or the start of the section, but I am confronted by a character post-death. It offers me a way to come back to life, but the way it describes it, I don't trust it and choose to deny it. Then, I am killed.

It then proceeds to send me to the start of the game.

I'm not going to spend time repeating the exact same puzzles all over again. Roguelites get away with it because they constantly swap things up or introduce something new with each run. Other games don't. The era of "restart from the very beginning" is long gone for a reason: It isn't fun. I have better ways to spend time than going through the exact same puzzles again for another hour or two.

It seems really really cool and I'm sure the twists and story are great. Music is awesome. But I'm not playing a game that's going to either make me take a bad ending over something that will likely happen again and again, or send me all the way back to the beginning.

Does everything a remake should do. Well worth playing.

Sony is greedy. Sky is blue.

One of if not the best horror game I've ever played. Highly recommend it.

Amazing game, hands down. Such a great story and the gameplay is phenomenal. Fighting the Combine in VR is absolutely cathartic and intense, and there are plenty of funny, scary, and awesome moments.

Gameplay: Gameplay in Half Life 2 is absolutely perfect. Each weapon is extremely fun to use, and offers different playstyles. You can be a long range sniper with the crossbow, an up close and personal monster with the shotgun, an explosive deviant with the Rocket Launcher or Grenades, or you can just walk up and smash a Combine Soldier's head in with a crowbar. Gameplay is smooth, flawless, and the power of the Source Engine makes it feel like a real battle. Easy mode is easy, Hard mode is hard. Then, Valve does what revolutionized gaming back during Half Life 1, with a perfect blend between story and gameplay, OBLITERATING the use of Cinematic cut-scenes as they mold them into the game itself. Verdict: 10/10

Story: Half Life 2's Story, is VERY good. You wake up, twenty years after the Black Mesa Incident, and the entire world is taken over. Wait, what? You beat the Nihilanth, you SAVED Earth, what happened? Don't fret, Half Life 2 brings a PERFECT reasoning for it. You walk out of the train station, after witnessing the brutality of the Civil Protection that inhabit it, only to come face to face, with the monolithic Citadel, the symbol of the Combine's power. It stands far up in the sky, and you can see it from most out door areas in the game too! The story puts in a sense of urgency as you have to do the impossible, defeat the Combine Empire. Verdict: 10/10

Music: Music in Half Life 2 is phenomonal. You see, a problem in a lot of games is that they try to be TOO good with their music. They make the music so independent of the game, that it almost seems like a different part of it, a droning tune in the background while you slaughter demons or conquer a City. Half Life 2, on the other hand, perfects it. Ambience is a HUGE part of the soundtrack. The music isn't just music, it's the game itself. For instance, there comes a point where you must traverse under a huge bridge, trains roaming over head. With each train comes the rattling of the metal supports you climb over, a tense moment, and then the ambience kicks in, a slow overtone as it heightens your senses, making you pray that you don't fall to your death. But of course, ambience isn't the only part. There come plenty of moments where the music is active, action packed, and with high intensity as you fight off Headcrab Zombies, or mow down Overwatch Soldiers. Verdict: 10/10

Bugs/Glitches: Bugs, are always existent in games. Some games have more than others, and some are harder to find, or may require exploitation to discover. Half Life 2, like all games, has its bugs and glitches. However, you can go throughout the entire game without experiencing a single bug. Now, there is only ONE bug that can be quite a problem, and that is simply because the game is not exactly optimized for modern software, which includes a graphical error which removes a lot of lighting details. This is easily fixable. Verdict: 9/10

Graphics: This game was made in 2004, and yet, at the Highest Setting, this game still looks VERY nice for 2016. It has aged very well, and it has good graphics in the first place! While they aren't phenomonal compared to now, they are certainly good for their time. Verdict: 8/10

Summary:

This has to be one of, if not, THE BEST game I have ever played. It revolutionized the FPS genre and DESTROYED the challenge of being a worthy sequel.

Final Verdict: 10/10

This game is an awesome game.

Pros:

-The story is marvolous.

-The scripted events that happen are really cool and interesting.

-Combat is pretty cool as you unleash amazing powers and such.

-Characters Development is amazing as you find out who they are, what they did, and what they want to do.

-Very cool levelling system and abilities.

-The power of choice to go to the Light Side, or the Dark Side...

-Very long game with well thought out level design and dialogue.

-Due to the multiple endings and multiple actions you can do in each quest, the replay value is perfect.

-Cool music that fits the theme.

Cons:

-Kind of confusing at first, may not know what certain things do.

-The first level is "Okay" at first, but after you replay it, you wish to skip it as it becomes boring.

-The game is either REALLY hard or REALLY easy, there is no medium.

-If you want to go down a certain path but want to use the opposite powers, prepare for one hell of a challange.

-Game can be glitchy at times.

-Almost incompatible with Windows 7. This is the main problem. For some users you can only get to certain parts while some users can't even start the game. The same may be said for Windows 8. If you have Windows 7 or 8, you might as well not buy it. Patches may work to get you started, but will only take you so far until it freezes again. I havn't heard of one person with Windows 7 or 8 that beat this game.

I played this game on the Xbox mostly, so I got to experiance it.

Rating:

Story - 9.5/10

Gameplay - 9/10

Character Quality - 10/10

Stability for PC - 1-8.5/10 Depending on Operating System.

Graphics - 9/10 (For it's time)

Dialogue - 10/10


Overall Rating - 9.5/10

Conclusion: If you are not using a Windows 7 or 8, YOU SHOULD BUY THIS GAME! It is a fantastic game and easily worth the money. However, if you do use a Windows 7 or 8, do not buy it. It will crash on startup and if you patch that, it will crash at later parts. If you have an Xbox, buy it for that, if not, get an older computer that is able to run it. Otherwise, you are out of luck.

Were the orginal games good? Hell ya! This game? Hell no!

What happened? This looks like the previous one but with a slight graphics update and a new story which is absolute ♥♥♥♥!

The story is bland and horrible as you just complete some petty objectives and you get no sense of accomplishement. This looks like a horrible downgrade from the last good one.

Not worth it.