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Half-Life 2: Episode One
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About this game
Developer: Valve Corporation
Content Rating: Mature
Summary
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first of a series of stand-alone episodes based on HL2, the popular and acclaimed shooter epic. This episode takes place right after the events in HL2, as Gordon and Alyx flee from City 17, fighting against creatures who were previous blocked from enetering the city. The Citadel you assaulted in HL2 is tumbling into chaos, and this event will have catastrophic effects on the surrounding area, prompting your escape. Secondary characters Alyx and Dog will have a much more significant role in this follow-up.
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7 Reviews8.38
Episode One features many of the same locations featured in the sequel but a new dynamic lighting feature makes the environments even more spectacular than before. You can actually see multiple light sources highlighting different angles as well as large outdoor areas that feature various sun-shaded regions. It helps to make things more realistic than ever.
Visually, Episode One introduces a lot of subtle improvements and enhancements in the Source engine, keeping it in line with video-card developments over the past couple of years. The new high-dynamic range lighting technology (seen only if your video card supports it) makes a big difference, as the outdoor scenes look a lot better, while indoor scenes feature impressive shadowing and atmosphere at times. Some of the textures in the game have been increased considerably, notably on Alyx and the other main characters, and the game looks incredibly sharp.
When it comes down to it, you should like Episode One if you liked Half-Life 2. Despite the fact that it isn't as adventurous or dramatic as HL2, Episode One still offers quality that's a cut above the rest. Its humanity (in the face of strange, masked soldiers and sometimes grotesque creatures) makes it more than a rote experience, and the Citadel is still an imaginative and interesting setting. In retrospect, HL2 appears to be a very difficult game to follow up on, and Valve does a very capable job of keeping the fire going.