Gameplay
Right, now we’ve covered that, let’s get on and find a crowbar to bludgeon stuff with, yeah? The anticipation as I hit ‘New Game’ after setting all the options how I wanted them was immense. I’ve read the previews, seen the movies that were being released regularly and really wanted to get into the game and see if it was as good as it was promised to be.
From the off, Valve once again prove their story-telling worth by kicking off the story right from the very start. I’m not going to go into details here as I don’t want to spoil it for you, but I’ll just say that the G-Man from HL is here and gives you a little hint as to where you’ve been for the last few years. Yep, that’s right… years have gone by since Gordon was at Black Mesa and Gordon hasn’t been ‘around’. I’ll say no more, other than you’ll find out more, a little at a time as you play through the game.
In a homage to HL, you again start the game on a train, this one arriving in a place called City 17. It rapidly becomes clear that this is some sort of Police state run by something called ‘The Combine’ with everyone checked, moved and herded around as the powers that be see fit. As before, you have no weapons and pretty much no idea of where to go or what to do. All you know is that the masked soldiers of the Combine are pretty scary and you either do as they say or keep out of their way.
The beauty of this first level is that you get plenty of time to get used to the world you’re in as well as pick up more threads of the story. All over the place there are TV screens showing statements from a guy called Dr Breen, who appears to be in charge. A little later, you see signs of alien technology, and it becomes clear that… well, I’ll let you find out for yourself on that one. Having no weapon leaves your hands free though, and this encourages you to try and interact with the game world. The level of interaction here is simply superb, with you able to pick up and move pretty much everything. I’ve yet to see a better implementation of physics modelling. What goes on in here surpasses Far Cry easily. Tin cans, chairs, bottles, boxes, oil drums, TVs…. if it isn’t nailed down, you can pick it up and hurl it. The way items react when you interact with them is modelled brilliantly too. A tin can thrown at a box might make it wobble a tiny bit. Chuck a brick at it and it’ll move though. You’ll have to stand a lot closer with the brick though, it’s heavy and you can’t chuck it that far.
Giving the objects weight and density is a masterstroke for the gameplay. Now, instead of having to find a switch or replace a bit of machinery to be able to progress, you need to think about how things act in the real world. One part sees you needing to make a plank tip up to get onto a ledge, so a pile of bricks on one end should do it. In another area, you have to float a ramp up out of the water, so you fill a cage underneath with blue plastic drums. A flaming fuel barrel rolling down a slope hit a post and spins convincingly off to one side. When it explodes, the pile of rubbish it hits spins off in all directions from the shockwave. Yep, the physics is certainly the best out there at this time.
