Half Life 2

Tim,
I haven't given it much play yet as I need to update my computer but from what I have seen I agree with what you are saying.
Doom 3 is looking rather poor in comparison.
Cheers
Simon

I wish that you hadn't mentioned this as I cannot afford to upgrade my PC to be able to run this game properly. But I have drooled over the many movies floating around the net, the physics engine looks so far advanced of anything I have ever seen it's frightening.

It is simply stunning. You don't need an absolute beast of a PC, but it does help.

Best game I have played in a very long time, puts everything else in the shade.

The physics are great, you just end up trying different things with it to see what happens

Music should be 'original' and played 'live'. No more overpaid Karaoke singers.

Folks, what would you consider to be the spec for a machine so you can have a good game and what extra is needed for a top rate game of Half Life 2?

I have an idea of what is says on the box but it is always better to hear from real world users.

I just bought a nice quick PC and since I've not bought a game for several years I'm tempted with Half Life. Generally I find games which involve collecting various bits of equipment and having to complete set tasks pretty dull though. Is HL2 really so different?

..or do I really just want a brainless blow-them-up gore-fest like Doom?

Bruce

Bruce,

As a GP shouldn't you be spending your Wednesday afternoons playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005?

Matthew

PS Half Life 2 >>>>> Doom 3 but you really need a recent 3d graphics card to get the most from it. And, bells and whistles aside, the best PC Shooter in gameplay/story terms is still arguably Half Life 1 and it has none of the hardware complications.

PPS You might also consider Call of Duty which is an excellent WW2 Shooter and on budget release now ahead of the new version later this week.

I can't play Half Life. I get motion sickness. Funny that - I have never been travel sick in my life. Why this game does this to me is a mystery.

Well I've just ordered Half Life 2... I do enjoy playing these type of games having just finished Far Cry which was absolutely fantastic. On saying that I've just had a huge upgrade on my PC....

Geforce 6800 Ultra
Athlon FX 55 CPU
1Gb Corsair Dual Channel XMS Pro Memory
Abit AV8 Motherboard (early Xmas presents)

So I'm looking forward to Half Life 2 running in the highest possible spec

Regards
Clive

Bruce, you might find it pretty dull.

I bought HL2 the day it came out and it's only gotten a few hours of play. I find it rather bland, particularly after coming off the aforementioned Call of Duty and its expansion.

HL2 is unmatched technologically, but it's just not exciting and visceral. HL2 is a round earth game and COD is a flat earth paradise, let me put it that way

Mike -

CoD is a very good game (especially multiplayer). But for a single player it feels pretty limited to a kind of 'blast the enemy on a map' in the same way thta Doom 3 does. HL2 on the other hand has a sense of scale that I've never encountered in a first person shooter.

Also, worth mentioning that there are some pretty exciting and visceral bits as you get going. That prison really is a hellhole...

Tim

I agree with Tim. CoD is a great game but HL2 ooozes atmosphere and does a mcuh better job of bulding a sense of being somewhere else. Does it without cutscenes or much in the way of plot either.

"That prison really is a hellhole..."

Which reminds me -- Chronicles of Riddick (on XBox only I believe) is an absolutely cracking game and one of the best Action/Adventures you'll play on any platform. Hugely underrated and seems to get little press compared to other more famous games. Best Film tie-in game ever.

Matthew

I'd not touched any of these sort of games for years until recently, when I got Doom 3, which I think was a bad choice - really can't be bothered to play it, apart from in multiplayer mode. Also got to play Halo 2 last weekend - very dull indeed. Sounds like HL2 is the one to get.

Anyone have any suggestions on graphics cards for these sort of games? I've got a flat panel monitor, so I guess it's not worth spending huge amounts, but I'd like to improve on the one I've got which is a lower spec GeForce card.

David

David,

HL2 is still a First Person Shooter so if you don't like the Doom3 and Halo2 at all then it's probably not for you. It's a better game but fundamentally it's very similar.

For an excellent introduction to graphics cards and a reasonably plain English guide to the issues see the Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Buyers Guide.

As to what to buy. For an occasional gamer you are looking for value and the golden rule is to buy the top card from the previous generation which probably points you at something based on Radeon's 9800XT or 9800 Pro chipsets.

You can get an 128MB 9800XT for under £100 which is a DirectX 9 capable card and will only really suffer in comparison to new £300 cards on games like HL2, FarCry, Doom3, etc. Another £45 gets you the 9800 Pro which was an Object of Lust not 6 months ago although if I wasn't playing lots of games I'd be inclined to keep under £100 personally.

(Note these are examples and you might find models at better prices and/or with better software bundles, etc. with a bit of digging around).

HTH,
Matthew

V sound advice on graphic cards.

It is all to easy to get into a pissing contest when it comes to latest games, cards & frame rates but when you then start to factor in the sound of your hard drive, the sound of the fan on your graphics card you have then imho started upon the migration to another planet

I'm impressed so many have so much time to play games... wish I did

John (Athlon XP1800+/512Mb/9800SE/80Gb - so not up to it probably)

Sod the games just look at the kit . . . . . . . .

Matthew,

Thanks for the advice - I only recently got a new PC, so hadn't played any first person shooters from beginning to end since the original Doom 1 and 2, which I remember finding much more addictive.

I'd probably set my limit at around £150 - sounds like it may be worthwhile waiting 6 months before taking the plunge.

David

I am waiting for PCI-e capable SLI motherboards for AMD CPUs to become available and then I am making one serious PC upgrade.
Simon

I think you'll find the 9800XT was the object of lust 6 mos ago and the 9800pro was the cheaper card.
I use a 9800pro and it's been perfectly capable with D3, HL2, et al.

The stock fan of the XT model is quieter, though.

Look into the Arctic Cooling line of near silent replacement fans for ATI cards if you're so inclined...

Yes, you are quite right, Mike. My links were wrong as well as the first one points to a 9600XT not a 9800XT.

But basically, unless I was a hardcore gamer, I'd buy a 9800Pro or XT depending on budget.

Matthew

Hmmmmm

I've not had much time for gaming last few months, have been waiting for HL2 to arrive and I'll make time.

I broke my moboard the other day, will procure a replacement this week (ABit NF7S v2.0). So with my meagre 512MB RAM, XP2000+ (Thermaltake silent boost cooler), and trusty Ti4200 128MB am I likely to get any kind of real frame rate - or is that newer video card pushing its way up the upgrade list ahead of the mobile 2500 processor (for serious overclocking at low cost), new grunty silent PSU, and the 200GB Barracuda HDD?

i liked the post about upgrading/migrating to a different planet. Anyone who still recalls what a noisy HDD is really should try a Seagate Barracuda. Silence is golden.

Rico - SM/Mullet Audio

It's been a long wait but worth it for the sheer atmospheric realism in this game.
i upgraded recently to AMD64 3500/ASUS A8V Deluxe/Leadtek 6800gt and the results on my crt(Iiyama 19") are spectacular.
haven't played m/player yet so's not to be TTO embarassed when going multiplayer online!.

dennis