[Spank-A-Thon]

Nice to see Half-Life 2 has totally lived up to my expections and is as highly regarded by me as the first one. Very enjoyable but obscenely over-rated, just like the first. It's good, but not the masterpiece it's proclaimed to be.

The biggest issue with HL2 that I have is simple; there is no possibility for replay.

After the splendidness of Deus Ex which provided a more free-form game mechanic, HL2's "on-rails" approach seems very dated. No matter how slowly I creep up on enemy characters, they have the amazing ability to see/sense me coming from miles away.

I have no options - I have to go in guns blazing. I am not given the option to stealthily creep around, taking guards out quietly and avoiding detection. Each sequence can only be completed in "one" way. Once you've been into each sequence, you know exactly what is going to happen and hence the element of suprise or excitement is severley derailed; it's actually in your benefit to "scout" the level first, die and restart it. No variety is possible with it being so heavily scripted.

Yes, the graphics are superb and the physics are tremendous - but the actual gameplay is severley limited. No scope for invention or guile, and as for the numerous "set-pieces"; they work... once. I can see HL2 being consigned to the "play-once" bin alongside MGS2 and the original HL - there's no way I'll want to sit through all those unskippable set-pieces again.

I just have to wonder what Valve have been doing for the past few years - whilst there is no doubt that the Source engine is top drawer, it would appear they forgot to develop a truly outstanding and innovative game to go with it.

And Steam is a pain in the ass.

- S