Ah, personal definitive moments from the Half-Life games. Whether it be the 'Test Chamber' sequence that spawned the original Freeman adventure or Barney chucking you the crowbar in Half-Life 2 which sent a little shiver down the spine, we all have our most favourite sequences from Valve's first-person shooter series.
But what's the developer's? Well, it may surprise you to learn...
"I think when you're playing catch with Dog with the gravity gun. That was where a bunch of things came together", Valve head honcho Gabe Newell told PC Zone when queried about the one moment that represents where the dev completely nailed it in the series.
Newell said Valve was just really happy about how that particular part of Half-Life 2 turned out. "Even though there's no big explosions and nobody getting shot, you're still having a great experience", Newell added.
He also skipped on to the forthcoming mind-bender Portal, describing its ending as "probably the strongest... we've had yet with any of our games".
You can read PC Zone's full interview with Gabe Newell in issue #186, out this Thursday, September 14.
If i had to i would have to say my fave bit in Hl2 was either right at the beginning getting chased by combine with nothing but a pistol (and realising how great this game was going to be as i put about 5 rapid fire shots into a combines gasmasked face) or any of the sandlion/mad max buggy bits.
BRING ON HL2:EP2, i might even get orange box on 360 as well, just cuz valve et al deserve it!
im gonna be spending most of my time this year with the orange box... which says alot considering all the other great games coming out.
my favourite half life moment, would be the "we've got hostiles" level in the original half life. i couldnt count how many times i replayed that level.
Best moment in the modern Half Life is definitely the super-powered gravity gun near the end. Much fun.
Overall, though... I loved the Surface Tension level of the original, just coming out into the sunlight after navigating the warrens of the Black Mesa facility gave me goosebumps.
My favourite moment is the short skirmish in HL2 that ends with Dog flying off hanging from a carbine drop ship. The first time I played it I wasn't expecting a car to be thrown over my head taking out the combine I was shooting at. Great gaming moment.
Best bit for me was in HL1 where you are being hunted down by a chopper and you have to crawl between rocks trying not to get snipered. When i got to that bit i couldn't work out why i couldn't just kill the helicopter and after a while i realised that it didn't expect me to beat the chopper merely survive the chopper. Very tense moment one of my favourites.
my favourite half life moment, would be the "we've got hostiles" level in the original half life. i couldnt count how many times i replayed that level.
Ditto, that level showed some of the best AI ever, some games can't even match it nowadays.
My fave moment in HL2 was probably the first level, the whole thing dripped atmosphere, being hunted by the combine through the city was an enthralling experience.
I'm in total agreement with Keyoke and starvinbull - the Surface Tension level is one of the best levels I've ever played - it's so satisfying when you finally get the rocket launcher and get to blow it out of the sky! The prison level in Half Life 2 was my favourite out of that - getting to use the Antlions against the guards is great fun!
havent Valve got some big announcement soon/today?...i was hoping they were gonna remake HALF-LIFE
theres a mod thats remakng Half-life with half-lfe2 style textures and haracter models, the scoe they've written for it is excelent as well (i think its called black mesa source)
my favourite moment in hl2 is when you meet the two guys sat on a rck just after the lighthouse, and how one of them screams about the other being "the best mind of his time" excellent.
im not sure about hl1 though, so many good bits...
Hmmm... Favoutire Half-Life moment. I think playing the game for the first time ever would grab that from me. After such a great introduction - the tram ride, then walking around the facility and being just one of the scientists then being thrown straight into the s**t was fantastic. I was absolutely terrified of the head crabs, I've never been so scared of a game since. If I could just remove that memory from my brain, so I could play through for the first time again, I'd be a happy man.
Oh, and 'using' the dumpster with the scientist in was pretty great too.
I loved the bit in the HL when you walk in with the three tentacled creature in the pit. I didn't know what to do for a week. And then when you got past it you had to pass it again several times! I was terrified of it. I'd save it before entering the room each time and leave it 'til another day. When I finally got back up to the control room and fried the sod I was over the moon.
Favorite HL moment for me (other than watching Alyx climb that ladder) was the whole Father Gregori thing at Ravenholm. There was just something about that guy that really made me care about him. From his traps to his maniacal laughter and the look on his face that told you "this guy has been through some majorly traumatic s**t", he was such a perfectly executed character and some of the set pieces with him were ace. From the moment you first see him and he tells you he will keep an eye on you I was sold. Right up to the battle in the graveyard using the Grav Gun to toss cinder blocks at the zombies that were getting up close and personal with him, and it's horrific fiery conclusion at the mausoleum, which is a scene which really upset me and that I will never forget as long as I live (man I REALLY hope that he managed to get out of that, but I can't see how *sniff*) he was a totally fascinating character. The s**t he would say was hellish funny sometimes like shooting a zombie in the face and then coming out with "you meant no harm" or "I remember you when you had a face" (or something). Bring back Father Gregori Valve, I don't care how you do it, just make it happen!
He also skipped on to the forthcoming mind-bender Portal, describing its ending as "probably the strongest... we've had yet with any of our games"
Hmm... maybe it'll turn out the portal place is where they train g-men... you always wondered how they get around the place so quickly and out of dead ends and stuff
favourite mo in half life 2 when your forced to navigate the under side of the old bridge.the atmosphere as the train passes over head and the wind whistling round your ears was and still is superb
One of my fav parts of HL1 was when you first realise the marines are coming... and not to save you., That message comes over the PA system, a scientist runs forward saying 'we are saved' (or something) and gets blown backwards. You slowly walk around a corner and a soldier and his turret are waiting to blow you away.
Also Forget about freeman was awesome, as was surface tension, and the capture when you walk into the dark room and bam... oh man HL1 was so great.
my fave bit in half life is when the experiment goes wrong at the beggining of half life one. so scary and exhilarating. up till then it had been so good with the tram ride and walking round the science installation. i was really dissapointed after that when it just turned into an ordinary fps.
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