addiction(squared)::: Half-Life 2

In the second half of 1999, my brother and I spent dozens of hours in front of our computer screen (we were dealing then with an amazing Pentium II machine running at 233 Mhz), completely absorbed by what resulted a complete revelation in the world of computer gaming: Half-Life.




As the game began, we gazed with open mouths at the astonishing graphics that depicted the "Black-Mesa Laboratory", while we travelled on a hard-to-forget train in which we acquired the bizarre personality of Gordon Freeman, MIT PhD in Theoretical Physics. The gripping storyline took us through the opening of a portal between this world and another, to combating thousands of ugly aliens, to fighting against the elite members of the army, who whishes to erase all traces of the lab and its inhabiting life forms. Half-Life made us excel in our capacity to coordinate eyes and mouse-clicks, filled up our arteries with more than a drop of adrenalin, and left us with the disappointment of never being able of finishing the game. Time passed, and so did our addiction. But Half-Life remained in our memories as the most exciting game we had ever played.

Now, six years later, thanks to the geek, I have been re-introduced to the world of Dr. Freeman.




Half-Life 2, released in November 2004, presents the most advanced graphics and sound that I have ever experienced in front of a computer. The so-called "Source engine" renders the world of Half-Life to unexpected levels of detail: reflections on water, textures, shadows and lightning, face expressions and movements are more realistic than ever before. Impressive too is the way in which objects within the game behave: the "Havok" physics engine ensures that boxes, bodies, stones, vehicles and weapons behave according to their mass and volume. Sound effects do not stay behind: there is environmental echo and reverb, the sound of breathing and passing birds, even the wind shifting in stereo. A couple of screenshots do not suffice to convey what the programmers and animators at Valve have done:



(While driving an airboat over the radioactive cannals of City 17... note the soldiers waiting on the rim of the tunnel.)


(The face of Alyx, fellow member of the resistance forces, who might (or might not) have a crush on Dr. Freeman... notice the smoothness and detail of the animation.)

After little more than a week of new-addiction, I have reached Chapter 11 of a total of 14. If I didn't make it in the original, I hope the sequel will leave me a chance.

Bottom-line: I recommend Half-Life 2 for anyone who has a little free time and who wishes to experiment in first person the advancement of computer software at the beginning of the 21st century. And master pi, I hope this gets in your hands some day!!!


escucho: Dish, Deep Dive Corporation