Half-Life 2: Episode One Review (Zer0)
Incredible Addition to HL2**
There is no way to undercut this DLC. It is absolutely phenomal and even a casual visitor (such as this reviewer) will likely relish every moment spent playing it, quirks and all. Any return to the Half Life universe is most welcome. This installment begins with the player loading in at precisely the moment HL2 ended. As you can imagine, this only helps deepen the immersion of the journey.
The story of Episode One is the driving force, and well it should be: storytelling seems to take on a new prominence, even for Valve. HL2 was one of the first games in recent memory that made so complete and compelling use of NPCs to really advance the story. The writing, direction and pacing of the story not only continues to be first rate: it actually gets better. That didn't seem possible given how utterly fantastic HL2 is, but Valve found a way to do it. Facial animations are unreal (remember, this DLC originally came out in 2005-6) and the voice acting is incredible. AND THIS IS A FREAKING SHOOTER. If this genre is supposed to inspire the feelz, shouldn't it be limited to excitement and anticipation? Not an emotional rollercoaster of tension, fear, relief, wonder and suspense?
Speaking of being a shooter, the level of difficulty is increased accordingly. While not insurmountable, those players who had been looking for more of a challegne should be pleased: Episode One returns players to a time when combat decisions matter. More use of the functions of the HEV suit (flashlight, oxygen, etc) and some good puzzles/lateral thinking help here, as well. Also, there is noticeably less ammunition. It's no longer possible to blast your way through EVERY problem encountered. A bit of finesse (or fleet-footedness) will be required.
**But for all these changes, there were some struggles. At times, it feels as though Episode One shines a spotlight on some of the things HL2 struggled with. It was very cool to learn more about Alyx and watch her character develop. It was far less cool to watch her do virtually everything of consequence in the game. As a player, it's frustrating to have nearly every action (for story or game play progression) require NPC input. At this point, we've watched Gordon Freeman (the only 'theoretical physicist' who can single-handledly take out entire teams of Recon Marines, Delta Force-level goons, previously unknown armored alien vehicles like Striders and more) solve every problem thrown at him. To 'need' someone else to open every door for him, or tell him where to go seems a bit... contrived. Forced. Less fun. Advancing the goals of humanity was, until this point, a task left almost entirely in the hands of one person. But suddenly, someone else is required to help. It also seems a disservice to Alyx, as she is strong and capable. Does she really need Gordon to do these things? No, and that makes the relationship seem insincere at times. In those moments, it's not about seeing Gordon and Alyx struggle and grow together; it's about having a semi-emotional vehicle that attempts to justify itself as a means to shoe-horn the story forward.
Regardless of the criticism offered in this review, it must be remembered that this content is still well worth the investment (in finances and time). That statement is true of any addition to the HL franchise, be it episodic, stand-alone or even only tangentially related (Portal, et al). Similarly, even with these few subjectively negative oberservations, Episode One is a part of one of the best, most powerful and enduring franchises in video game history. Not only that, but it is part of an amazing progression in storytelling, as well. Conceptually, the HL universe is compelling and completely engrossing. This DLC continues in that tradition beautifully... even if that beauty is marred by a miniscule, nigh-on microscopic blemish.
8/10. Incredible. Episode One is head and shoulders better than many of its peers in the FPS genre. Peers that are full-fledged, core/base games that take tens of hours to complete, not a DLC/add-on that takes a mere handful of hours to play through.
edit: 'not longer' is less awesome than 'no longer'. ;-)