For new players i would probably recommend Black mesa, HL2,Ep1/2 ,portal 1/2, entropy zero 1/2 ,epistle 3 (if able Alyx ) then OG Hl 1, blue shift, opposing force, decay solo mission (solo mod port coming out soon) or an emulation of it If your wondering why I included mods, The writer of HL1,2,EP1/2 epistle 3 said there no such thing as canon . So they can be Conan but that’s up to you.
Since I already knew the story for both games what I did was swap between each when I either got bored or stuck with one. 2 and the episodes were definitely a lot easier. They make for a truly amazing first experience but sadly don’t have much replayability due to the heavy scripting, lack of weapon/enemy variety. It’s a great game that has a massive impact on the gaming industry, but was a bad sequel (if the beta actually had a clear vision for how the story would play out with chapters being connected, were to scrap the repetitive weapons/enemies that were just slight variations of each other, and be properly fleshed out I’d say that would be the better game. Sadly, it’s heavily flawed. Luckily Dark Interval and Raising the Bar Redux seem to be fixing these issues). 1 certainly has it’s flaws, but it’s more replayable. I love the experimental weapons, aliens, and overall atmosphere. The expansions feel far more connected to the original than 2/episodes do (mainly due to the fact that they all take place in the same facility, share the same enemies/weapons, and were made around the same time). Black Mesa is kind of a mixed bag where it manages to both carry over and fix various problems from both. One thing I think we can all agree on is Half Life has some really good music, but for whatever truly bizarre reason they don’t use it nearly enough. Certain sections where you should have music are just silent. I know that they wanted certain areas to have environmental sounds, but they could’ve had the music be used just a little bit more. Personally the old graphics don’t bother me. In fact I think they add to the overall charm of the games. I would prefer things to look super detailed and realistic. But it’s not that important. Having a good art style is more important. Although, I will say the alpha version of HL1 was objectively hideous where the scientists and security guards looked like drug addicts, the headcrabs had a butt, and the bullsquid scored a physical projectile instead of the retail sprites.
I agree with what you have said. HL2 is more accessible gameplay and even story wise for newer players, since the storytelling is more "in your face", but as I say in the vid by starting with HL2 a lot of plot aspects are hard to understand, starting from the very beginning with the GMan intro. (Like u wouldnt know who the gman is or the test chamber in the background would mean nothing). I am glad the artstylr changed too from the HL Alpha and HL1, it looked way to wacky as if the models are Warner Bros characters. Which doesnt fit the serious tones of HL at all
Yeah, I can get behind that. HL1 would probably be better for a newcomer who wants to understand the story. While HL2 would be better if they aren’t used to hard shooters. It’s funny how bad the game looked originally. I agree that it would be hard to convey the same tone if it looked like the alpha. In a way it makes me think of how Sega tried to make Sonic dark and edgy but it just ended up looking ridiculous (Shadow wielding a pump action smg with Mickey Mouse gloves and fighting aliens comes to mind😂. From what I hear the newest Sonic is a mixed bag, but both sides agree that it’s a solid foundation and a step in the right direction. Sonic has the potential to be truly great, but as long as it’s headed by the current leadership it will keep stumbling). Something needs to have an art style to match its tone. The Zelda games have been all over the place in terms of visuals and tone, but they usually find something that works for what it’s doing. Thinking about the old look is definitely an interesting what if. There’s a mod called Signal Lost that recreates cut chapters of HL1 and uses the older visuals for certain things. It’s a really cool mod that I need to play sometime.
I prefer HL1, and the fact Black Mesa exists kind of exasperates this, because it's basically what I wanted out of Half-Life 2, except it's still Half-Life 1, but I think the best mods are for Half-Life 2. Half-Life 1 has a lot of good mods, but I feel they don't evolve on the formula it had as much as HL2's mods did/continue to do.
About HL2 I would just be happy if it had more weapons and enemies, it feels like a downgrade from hl1 now. Tbh I have only played hl1 mods (aside from EZ2) cause of bhop, but I get what you are saying
In my opinion hl1 is just better hl2 is kinda boring but surely it is fun to play hl1&mods.
HL1 is the better game 100%
@@supertuna123 Personally for me, half life 2 is the better game. But I can totally see how hl1 can be better.
@@VangleasenIII same i really liked hl2
For new players i would probably recommend
Black mesa, HL2,Ep1/2 ,portal 1/2, entropy zero 1/2 ,epistle 3 (if able Alyx )
then OG Hl 1, blue shift, opposing force, decay solo mission (solo mod port coming out soon) or an emulation of it
If your wondering why I included mods, The writer of HL1,2,EP1/2 epistle 3 said there no such thing as canon . So they can be Conan but that’s up to you.
EZ 2 is definitely a must play even for new players!
Since I already knew the story for both games what I did was swap between each when I either got bored or stuck with one. 2 and the episodes were definitely a lot easier. They make for a truly amazing first experience but sadly don’t have much replayability due to the heavy scripting, lack of weapon/enemy variety. It’s a great game that has a massive impact on the gaming industry, but was a bad sequel (if the beta actually had a clear vision for how the story would play out with chapters being connected, were to scrap the repetitive weapons/enemies that were just slight variations of each other, and be properly fleshed out I’d say that would be the better game. Sadly, it’s heavily flawed. Luckily Dark Interval and Raising the Bar Redux seem to be fixing these issues). 1 certainly has it’s flaws, but it’s more replayable. I love the experimental weapons, aliens, and overall atmosphere. The expansions feel far more connected to the original than 2/episodes do (mainly due to the fact that they all take place in the same facility, share the same enemies/weapons, and were made around the same time). Black Mesa is kind of a mixed bag where it manages to both carry over and fix various problems from both. One thing I think we can all agree on is Half Life has some really good music, but for whatever truly bizarre reason they don’t use it nearly enough. Certain sections where you should have music are just silent. I know that they wanted certain areas to have environmental sounds, but they could’ve had the music be used just a little bit more. Personally the old graphics don’t bother me. In fact I think they add to the overall charm of the games. I would prefer things to look super detailed and realistic. But it’s not that important. Having a good art style is more important. Although, I will say the alpha version of HL1 was objectively hideous where the scientists and security guards looked like drug addicts, the headcrabs had a butt, and the bullsquid scored a physical projectile instead of the retail sprites.
I agree with what you have said. HL2 is more accessible gameplay and even story wise for newer players, since the storytelling is more "in your face", but as I say in the vid by starting with HL2 a lot of plot aspects are hard to understand, starting from the very beginning with the GMan intro. (Like u wouldnt know who the gman is or the test chamber in the background would mean nothing).
I am glad the artstylr changed too from the HL Alpha and HL1, it looked way to wacky as if the models are Warner Bros characters. Which doesnt fit the serious tones of HL at all
Yeah, I can get behind that. HL1 would probably be better for a newcomer who wants to understand the story. While HL2 would be better if they aren’t used to hard shooters.
It’s funny how bad the game looked originally. I agree that it would be hard to convey the same tone if it looked like the alpha. In a way it makes me think of how Sega tried to make Sonic dark and edgy but it just ended up looking ridiculous (Shadow wielding a pump action smg with Mickey Mouse gloves and fighting aliens comes to mind😂. From what I hear the newest Sonic is a mixed bag, but both sides agree that it’s a solid foundation and a step in the right direction. Sonic has the potential to be truly great, but as long as it’s headed by the current leadership it will keep stumbling). Something needs to have an art style to match its tone. The Zelda games have been all over the place in terms of visuals and tone, but they usually find something that works for what it’s doing. Thinking about the old look is definitely an interesting what if. There’s a mod called Signal Lost that recreates cut chapters of HL1 and uses the older visuals for certain things. It’s a really cool mod that I need to play sometime.
I prefer HL1, and the fact Black Mesa exists kind of exasperates this, because it's basically what I wanted out of Half-Life 2, except it's still Half-Life 1, but I think the best mods are for Half-Life 2. Half-Life 1 has a lot of good mods, but I feel they don't evolve on the formula it had as much as HL2's mods did/continue to do.
About HL2 I would just be happy if it had more weapons and enemies, it feels like a downgrade from hl1 now. Tbh I have only played hl1 mods (aside from EZ2) cause of bhop, but I get what you are saying
Play the Half-Life 1 remake Black Mesa first!!
HL1 > HL2
You should try "Black Mesa" lol
There is nothing wrong with BM imo asode from the ugly scientists and guard models
No