Do You Have Any Unpopular Gaming Opinions?

[isiolia]

Eh, I wouldn't agree, but I think it'd be fair to say that they're games where you had to be there. I mean, the first game has its 20 year anniversary in a week or so, and came out in a period of time when FPS games were evolving rapidly. Quite a lot of what it stood out for doing at the time is taken for granted now. Same for the second game 11 years ago.

That said, it's also slightly how the games were designed. A (largely) unbroken flow between areas, never breaking from Gordon's PoV means that you're not just getting dropped into action and pulled back out. There are going to be slower sections at times.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I would also add that designing a game with atmospheric storytelling is a style where you get more the more time you put into it and it is easy for a person to be too busy and just keep moving forward... And that is okay. For me I eat up these types of games and feel that half life 2 stands up still as one of, if not the best fps ever made.

I am curious to know what about it bored you? I could see how it would if you compare it to a game like doom or serious Sam that focus heavily on twitch shooting and not much else.

[marurun]

I could see how the Half-Life games could bore you. One thing Half-Life does better (or more, depending on your view) than almost any other FPS, is focus on down-time. It constantly gives you breaks and quiet stretches to admire the scenery and take in the ambient storytelling. Now, most good FPS games give players breathers between waves or battles or big staged set-pieces, but Half-Life 2, especially, really steps that up to a massive degree, often giving you minutes of quiet time. If the story or ambiance hasn't particularly caught your interest, those slow periods could feel particularly plodding. For the story and tone Valve was going for, I think their design decisions on this front make perfect sense and really help balance the action of an FPS with the story they are trying to tell. But again, if that story and the way it's told aren't particularly matched to your tastes, it's just going to feel like there's long stretches of boring nothing.

[Forlorn Drifter]

I think it mostly comes down to the fact that everything that the Half Life games are known for, what made them big, has been done again, but better, or at least in a way more palatable to me. Might not be the best way to put it, I don't know.

I also generally prefer twitch/fast paced/old school FPS games, so it might just be that. Dunno, they just didn't do it for me.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I think it mostly comes down to the fact that everything that the Half Life games are known for, what made them big, has been done again, but better, or at least in a way more palatable to me. Might not be the best way to put it, I don't know.

I also generally prefer twitch/fast paced/old school FPS games, so it might just be that. Dunno, they just didn't do it for me.

And that is totally okay. I do feel that few games do atmospheric storytelling in general which is why I would rule that out. Were there sections you did enjoy? My guess is moments like Ravencroft or the prison standoff were more to your taste that seemed more fast paced and twitch oriented. I am positive the riverboat sections bored you to tears and rightfully so. That part is a bit of a slog hahaha.

[Gunstar Green]

I think it mostly comes down to the fact that everything that the Half Life games are known for, what made them big, has been done again, but better, or at least in a way more palatable to me. Might not be the best way to put it, I don't know.

I also generally prefer twitch/fast paced/old school FPS games, so it might just be that. Dunno, they just didn't do it for me.

I think this is a textbook case of Seinfeld Is Unfunny.

Both Half-Life games redefined what we thought of the FPS genre at the time and really showed what more could be done, especially with the narrative and atmosphere but also with gameplay.

I remember talking to some random guy in K-Mart when Half-Life came out and he was saying, "On hard mode the enemies feel like real people!" Now of course they absolutely don't, but at the time the way the human soldiers acted was such a leap over the target practice enemies we were used to.

[Ack]

I remember talking to some random guy in K-Mart when Half-Life came out and he was saying, "On hard mode the enemies feel like real people!" Now of course they absolutely don't, but at the time the way the human soldiers acted was such a leap over the target practice enemies we were used to.

That takes me back. I remember the first time I encountered the Marines. I holed up behind a box, and they used a grenade to flush me out. I still remember thinking, "Oh, shit!" as I saw that pineapple land next to me.

[Forlorn Drifter]

I think it mostly comes down to the fact that everything that the Half Life games are known for, what made them big, has been done again, but better, or at least in a way more palatable to me. Might not be the best way to put it, I don't know.

I also generally prefer twitch/fast paced/old school FPS games, so it might just be that. Dunno, they just didn't do it for me.

And that is totally okay. I do feel that few games do atmospheric storytelling in general which is why I would rule that out. Were there sections you did enjoy? My guess is moments like Ravencroft or the prison standoff were more to your taste that seemed more fast paced and twitch oriented. I am positive the riverboat sections bored you to tears and rightfully so. That part is a bit of a slog hahaha.

You essentially got my biggest likes and dislikes right there. I think it's like the Fallout series is for me, where the story and lore interest me, but the games themselves don't do much for me.

[Xeogred]

The Marines are still scarier than the Combine, for sure.

Anyways, Half-Life 2 is a 10 for me. I played Half-Life 1 a lot probably somewhere around 1998-1999 when it dropped... will never forget the first time I played it at a friends house of the parents, with a flight stick. That was a thing back then...

If you guys haven't played Black Mesa in awhile, I played it last year and it's utterly amazing at this point. They still haven't done Xen but I hated that part anyways, so it doesn't really matter... but perhaps they can make it cooler.

[pook99]

I'm resurrecting this old thread to give a newly formed unpopular opinion:

Motion controls > Dual analog controls for shooters and I wish modern consoles would implement them in more of their games. The fact is, in every shooter I have ever played, the right stick just feels slightly off, I am constantly going in and out of the options playing with the sensitivity and I can never quite land it the right way. Sometimes I tap the stick and it doesnt move so I tap it harder and the cursor zips across the screen.

I have never felt as precise as I do when playing wii shooters, motion control aiming is just spot on, easy, and extremely precise. While I don't think many people want full on waggle controls back, pointer aiming is something that needs to be brought to modern consoles.

I know the joycon has this capability as there is an option in resident evil 5 to aim with the motion controls and it worked great but joycon drift stopped me from fully enjoying it.

Am I totally alone here? Forget every annoying thing about motion controls and just focus on using them for aiming and does anyone else agree they are vastly superior to the dual analog set up?