[kupoartist]

Originally Posted by Harry

What are the announced and previewed gameplay elements that attract you the most in Half Life 2?

without a doubt, the things that have most excited me so far have been strangely removed from action and combat. The complexity of the character models, including realistic animation both facial (lip synch, accurate looking emotions), their designs and the way they've been utlised to really "act" out the story is far and above anything I think people have seen before. My favorite scenes from the E32004 videos had to be in the "Trainstation" and "Tenements" videos, wherein, Freeman doesn't even have any weapons! Tenements particuarlly demonstrated it all - the way that a combine soldier stands to attention whilst his two collegues bust into a door and all you hear are some guy's moans. The way that the hungover guy looks at you forlorn and say "was that you knocking, I didn't even know we still had a door..." and the way that another citizen peers out of a window and glances at you, saying "I though you were caught - This is how it always happens". It was extremely cinematic.

Combat-wise, I can't wait to use that manipulator gun. One great scene from this years E3 showed the player picking up a grenade and throwing it at some soldiers, killing them instantly That and the bits where you fight alongside other people, hearing their desperate attempts to shout tactics and seeing their fear ^^