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Overview-
HL2 is an amazing revolution in gaming. It combines amazing graphics and physics. HL2 uses a gaming engine called the
"Source Engine," specifically developed by the Valve corporation. This engine uses extremely life-like physics that
allow the player to immerse him/herself in a world that is very believable. Along with the physics, the source engine provides
visuals like no other. A human can have over 40 "muscles" inside his/her face. This allows for life-like facial
expressions. The textures are also very realistic. There is also a new breakthrough with lighting. The programmers can fit
over 120,000 polygons into 1, solid polygon, and still keep the lighting effects of the 120k (you can see this in the "Wall
Video" on my Media page. So, by combine graphics, physics, and amazing audio, HL2 gives the player an amazingly real
experience. Half-Life 2 will always be known as "the game that moved the industry into the future."
The Genre-
HL2 is a game type called a "First-Person Shooter." FPS means that the player sees through the eyes of the character
he/she is playing as. A game doesn't have to be a shooter to be in the First Person, but since Half-Life 2 is a shooter, it's
considered a First Person Shooter. It also encompasses driving mechanics and game play. HL2 can really be called a multiple-genre-game.
Why is Half-Life so good?-
The original Half-Life was released in 1998. Since then, gamers have been pining for a sequel. Half-Life was actually
a very long game and had MANY plot twists. There were no cinematics. Instead, all of the "cinematic moments" were
in real-time. Also, Gordon Freeman never spoke, and you never saw him, giving you an even more feeling for him. The overall
story is one of survival. HL2 is no different, survive, no cut scenes, no talking/seeing Gordon. Half-Life 2 was due for release
in September of 2003, however, due to some hackers; the game was delayed several times. The current release date is September,
2004. Thank god those bastards were caught. The hackers evidently stole the Source Code from Valve, setting the game development
back.
System Specs and Requirements-
Minimum System Specs
Windows98/2000/Me/XP
700MHz processor
128MB RAM
DirectX 6.0 or higher compatible graphics card/accelerator
3 GB free HDD space
Recommended System Specs
Windows98/2000/Me/XP
3.0 GHz CPU
512 MB RAM
DX9 compatible video card
4 GB free HDD Space
My Recommended Video Card:
I think either an NVIDIA 6800 or Radeon x800 would be the best choice.
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