Columns Halo 3 and The Art of Repetition

Thankyou.

Repetitive gameplay is fine if the gameplay is good. Ninja Gaiden was the exact same combat, sprinkled with a few new moves here and there, but with loads of new enemies and environs. That worked. You got better and better, without feeling like you were doing the same thing over and over.

 

I agree with the praise lavished by the bit-tech review on HL2 Ep 2 , its game play diversity is its strength.. so many good ideas. When listening to the bubble voice commentary options by everyone involved, you realise what a smart dedicated team they have working on that title. The only minor gripe for me is the headcrab zombie model which by now is overused, but after what was an lacklustre Ep 1, I'm sure EP 2 has left most HL2 fans feeling reinvigorated. Ep3 really does need completely new foes,however, as well as existing ones.

Bioshock is saved by the great story- start and ending ,the more general baddies are repetitive and the big daddies needed better individual fighting characteristics. Towards the end it feels like constant enemy re-spawn deja vu and the game has little replay value, it was still easily a good purchase though, anyone thinking about getting it should.

 

Repition sucks so badly when done wrongly, but repitition is also very very awesome when done correctly, games like Mario Kart + Super Mario come to mind.

 

Amen to that. We need more than Combine in ski masks. The same AI with new models would be enough.

 

Writing the story for HL2E3 is going to be a challenge because they relly need to bring a lot of elements together and hopefully bring some small amount of closure to it. Granted, we may never figure who / what the G-man is, but it would be nice to actually see an alien and find out WTF was up with the boss in the original HL. The danger for Valve is that they will try to string it along until all semblance of a plot thread is lost and they ruin the greatest game franchise in history.

(who, me? a fanboi? )

 

I can tell you whats up with the final boss of HL.

Ready?

Spoiler

Nihilanth. Nihilanth is Breen's counterpart - his equivalent on another planet. The Combine, a species which is dependant on the technology originally created to improve its quality of life, has become efficient at invading other cultures and draining planets of resources.

The Combine invades the Vortigaunt homeworld, which we know is where Antlion also come from but NOT where Headcrabs originate. The Vortigaunts, unable to oppose the Combine, fall before them. Many of them become slaves, are shackled and used as enemies in HL1 where the accident gives The Combine a chance to invade Earth. The Combine had previously invaded the headcrab homeworld too and has redirected the evolution of the species to become a biological weapon - something hinted at in Raising The Bar and confirmed by the use of Headcrab missiles.

Surviving rebel Vortigaunts flee into Xen, the borderworld which is home to a number of different species but not a planet in a real sense. Xen, where HL1 ends, is a kind of interdimensional pitstop or no mans land according to Valve. Rebel Vorts go there and Nihilanth - an administrator just like Breen was, who is working for the Combine (but still a slave, hence noticeable shackles) - is sent in to try and stomp them out with the help of grunts and headcrabs. Nihilanth is kind of the local commander, co-ordinating troops and keeping the enemies coming. When Gordon kills him, the game ends because the scientists think they can fight back. What they don't know is that the portals are outside Black Mesa too.

GMan, who is most likely a rebel leader of a different, vastly powerful race (speculation) saves key members of Black Mesa - Adrian Shephard, Alyx, Eli and Gordon - who he thinks he can use later to combat The Combine. Others, like Kliener, Magnusson and Barney, escape on their own. The Seven Hour War decimates Earth and Combine rule is installed when Breen surrenders on behalf of the humans. Breen takes the position that Nihilanth had, but acting as administrator of the humans and not the headcrabs. GMan then drops Gordon into the mix so he can do what comes naturally and fight back against The Combine. GMan wants Gordon to weaken and distract The Combine so that his own people/forces can then attack The Combine in full (speculation).

This all goes a bit wrong when Gordon is freed from the Gman by the Vortigaunts, who are aware of the GMan but are more interested in personal survival and saving Gordon (who freed many of them by killing Nihilanth and breaking the psychic control held over them, though some Vorts are clearly still slaves such as the sweeping Vort in the trainstation at the start of HL2) who they see as a savior. What was originally intended to be a mere distraction organised by the GMan then rapidly becomes a legitimate threat to The Combine as Gordon and Co. work to save Earth. As such, GMan allows Gordon to continue on his mission while still manipulating him subtly via Alyx.

Jesus, the number of the times I have to tell people that. Valve did a great job of making a story that was both deep and shallow and you can get as much or as little out of it as you want. If you're a fanatic like me then you can uncover all this. Try the link below for more details.

http://members.shaw.ca/halflifestory/

 

Bookmarked for when it isn't 3 in the morning. Can't wait to read it!

 

wow i didnt get none of that! i think i may need to play catch up?? lol