Post by Attero Dominatus on Oct 8, 2009 20:40:10 GMT -5
I do not really care for Steam, which is needed to activate and play the game, but the game itself is worth it (and Steam is preferable to copy protection that is potentially dangerous to your computer like StarForce or hindering like SecuRom and its reinstall limitations).
It picks up 20 years after the first game (which is about a quantum teleportation experiment gone wrong and the US government's efforts to contain the extra-dimensional invasion and silence all witnesses). By this time, most of Earth has been ravaged by an inter-dimensional empire known as the Combine.
The game is heavily inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four and can be seen in the game's dystopic environment, the way every television screen repeatedly plays messages recorded by Dr Breen (who was originally Gordon Freeman's boss in the first game and is now a Quisling), the way everyone wears the same navy blue overalls, and the way human sexuality has been suppressed. The game differs from Orwell's work in several places though, most notably in the form of an active resistance and advanced technology, and the presence of weird and dangerous alien creatures.
For all of its immersion, all the interactive NPCs, for all of its story, the game is on rails and does not offer much in the way of choice in accomplishing objectives. A game like this would have been better if it was more like Deus Ex where you have multiple options for completing objectives lots of side quests. Still, the game is pretty long and will keep one entertained for awhile. I have yet to get the extensions (Episode 1 and 2).
It picks up 20 years after the first game (which is about a quantum teleportation experiment gone wrong and the US government's efforts to contain the extra-dimensional invasion and silence all witnesses). By this time, most of Earth has been ravaged by an inter-dimensional empire known as the Combine.
The game is heavily inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four and can be seen in the game's dystopic environment, the way every television screen repeatedly plays messages recorded by Dr Breen (who was originally Gordon Freeman's boss in the first game and is now a Quisling), the way everyone wears the same navy blue overalls, and the way human sexuality has been suppressed. The game differs from Orwell's work in several places though, most notably in the form of an active resistance and advanced technology, and the presence of weird and dangerous alien creatures.
For all of its immersion, all the interactive NPCs, for all of its story, the game is on rails and does not offer much in the way of choice in accomplishing objectives. A game like this would have been better if it was more like Deus Ex where you have multiple options for completing objectives lots of side quests. Still, the game is pretty long and will keep one entertained for awhile. I have yet to get the extensions (Episode 1 and 2).
