noiseredux wrote: 
OMG. All those saw blades I was passing. I don't think I would have realized that on my own, haha. Thanks!
Not even that, there are places where you can use the gravity gun to push saw blades that are mounted on a fan like apparatus to make a spinning wheel of death! There is an achievement in the game to get through that whole level with using JUST the gravity gun...that was challenging...but fun!
I am glad you are enjoying the game so far. When you talk about the claustrophobic atmosphere of Half-Life 1 and how it helped create tension, you will soon understand the decision to open things up and how that inevitably creates a lot more tension and atmosphere. I won't give a thing away, but what you are experiencing is only a small portion of what the game offers. Your journey still has a loooooong way to go.
As for your opinions on the much talked about boat stages, I understand the feeling, but I don't completely agree. I see what they were going for with it and kind of went along with the ride. The whole struggle with the helicopter gives you a feel that it was a character in and of itself, constantly chasing you, always around the corner. It created a lot of tension that I enjoyed, making defeating it all the better. I think that the point of the more drawn out portion of the levels is to give you a cinematic sinking in of the situation.
When stumbling upon a cabin or gate you get a feeling of curiosity and accomplishment. You will see this much later throughout the game as well that makes each discovery raise your heart-rate in anticipation of what is going to come out of it.
