I'd like to share a video with you that are very close to my heart.

Think back in the days where Halo CE and Halo 2 were as popular among 12 yearolds as Call of Duty is today. Back then I didn't care much about the story of a game and mainly played them to blow aliens and/or my friends to smithereens.

I eventually downloaded Half-Life 2 to add to my collection of cracked Xbox games (don't judge me). I played it all the way through and though "Meh... The gravity gun was kinda cooland the chapter Ravenholm scared the living shit out of me", but other than that it didn't seem like something extraordinary.

A year or so later I stumbled upon a series of videos made by a man named GooseGoose. These videos completely changed the way that I look at storytelling and the share amount of details that Valve and other developers put into their games. It blew my mind and I immediately replayed the entire Half-Life 2 story, which to my amazement had a ton more to offer than the main storyline and the gameplay itself.

Well, I'll stop raveling on about my experience with the thing and just link you the video. It's no longer up under GooseGoose's name, but luckily other people got hold of the videos before they were removed. One guy actually remade the entire Half-Life 2 video in HD format, so I'd recommend watching that one.

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I know what you're going to say next: "What the fuck Logic, it's 2 hours long!". Yes, I know, but I promise you that it's worth watching!

I guess i know what im doing tonight...

So I'm only about 5 minutes into the video and I'm reminded of a comment that someone (zero punctuation I think?) made about how modern games are only just now catching up to Source's character expression / facial animation in a way that makes us as the player care about characters. I'm also reminded of something that egoraptor said in some video of his, about how games have the ability to be more than just simple entertainment... but the problem is that they haven't yet earned that right since most mainstream games are total trash.

Logic wrote:
Think back in the days where Halo CE and Halo 2 were as popular as Call of Duty is today. Back then I didn't care much about the story of a game and mainly played them to some aliens and my friends to smithereens.

I eventually downloaded Half-Life 2 to add to my collection of cracked Xbox games (don't judge me). I played it all the way through and though "Meh... The gravity gun was kinda cool chapter Ravenholm scared the living shit out of me", but other than that it didn't seem like something extraordinary.

Also, you are what's wrong with gamers tbh.

EDIT
So, I'm only 15 minutes into it now, and I'm having a hard time believing someone would play HL2 and not notice these things, about how the atmosphere of the opening trainstation area tells the entire story of what is going on without having to spell out a single word. I mean, when HL2 came out I was like 16 or 17? And I picked all of the storytelling elements up even then. It's not like they're exactly hidden or being really subtle. I guess I've been giving gamers far too much credit for longer than I've realized.

I really enjoyed the vid, and he pointed out a lot of things I never noticed. Mainly because I bhopped everywhere and generally sped on ahead before actually noticing the events that may have occurred. I never noticed that Alyx got taken by the combine or that an airship took your jeep.

With Breen talking to the advisor, this was never clear that he was doing so until the episodes. How a giant ugly blob could understand english anyway?...

But whoever didn't explore HL2 should be shot. I loved the architecture, liked going to each person in the "Follow Freeman" chapter to see what their dialogue was, and always explored every possible nook and cranny before continuing to the next area. The one bit in the citadel with 'the fishtank' he calls it I liked so much I had to put it in a HL2DM map I made once.

I want to play HL2 again... anyone up for Synergy?

EDIT: The whole did you throw the can or put it in the bin interests me as well. I want to start a poll to see who did what on their first play of HL2.

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
Also, you are what's wrong with gamers tbh.

EDIT
So, I'm only 15 minutes into it now, and I'm having a hard time believing someone would play HL2 and not notice these things, about how the atmosphere of the opening trainstation area tells the entire story of what is going on without having to spell out a single word. I mean, when HL2 came out I was like 16 or 17? And I picked all of the storytelling elements up even then. It's not like they're exactly hidden or being really subtle. I guess I've been giving gamers far too much credit for longer than I've realized.

Thank you... I was 12 at the time I played through Half-Life 2 for the first time. Call me stupid if you want but don't tell me that every single 12 yearold would appreciate the mature and detailed storyline that is Half-Life 2 the first time playing through...

If you're upset about the cracked Xbox games it was my dad who bought the the cracked chip and put it in my Xbox. He didn't like buying me games as a gift. Also, my "collection" only included Half-Life 2, Serious Sam 2 and Black. I've bought The Orange Box and Portal 2 twice (for the PC and Xbox 360), so I think that evens things out.

chickenmobile wrote:
EDIT: The whole did you throw the can or put it in the bin interests me as well. I want to start a poll to see who did what on their first play of HL2.

I threw it in the trashcan. Always wondered why the guard isn't suspicious of a man coming out of a door that only leads to a dead end though.

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
So I'm only about 5 minutes into the video and I'm reminded of a comment that someone (zero punctuation I think?) made about how modern games are only just now catching up to Source's character expression / facial animation in a way that makes us as the player care about characters.

Indeed.

Ben "Yahtzee" Crowshaw wrote:
Character animations [in id Software's Rage] are pretty amazing. Characters emote and gesture while talking in ways we haven't seen since Half-Life 2 - funny how innovation in today's industry basically means catching up to Valve.

Without having played Rage I struggle to think of a game that captures the same kind of genuine and realistic character animation the way the HL2 series does. The Crysis games come close, but while they have the veneer of realism that I'm talking about they still somehow feel fake under the surface (this might be because of some of the really apalling writing and mediocre voice acting in that series).

I see a lot of exaggerated animations from studios these days. Characters wave their heads and arms about as if they have Parkinsons or something. If you actually watch a real, living human being as they talk in casual conversation, the movements they make are usually pretty subtle. To this day im still convinced that Valve are the only ones who understand the nuances of human movement.

Actually, the poll should have an option of doing both throwing the can at the Civil Protection officer and putting it in the trash, since that is what I did.

I'm pretty sure I put the can right into the trashcan without hesitating. I tend not to "play" around in games doing that sort of stuff. In comparison, in Portal 1 when you destroy the Companion Cube and GLaDOS says "you destroyed your companion cube faster than anyone on record" I didn't realize that was the only dialogue option until another playthrough. As soon as I was supposed to destroy it I did without hesitating.

Logic wrote:
Thank you... I was 12 at the time I played through Half-Life 2 for the first time. Call me stupid if you want but don't tell me that every single 12 yearold would appreciate the mature and detailed storyline that is Half-Life 2 the first time playing through...

I think saying that 12 year olds can't understand complex storytelling is undercutting the intelligence of most 12 year olds. I'd like to think that when I was 12, I was capable of understanding complex story elements and themes. 12 would have put me in 6th or 7th grade, and around that time I was reading a lot of my dad's old Soviet-era science fiction books such as Asimov, and I wasn't confused by them.

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
I think saying that 12 year olds can't understand complex storytelling is undercutting the intelligence of most 12 year olds. I'd like to think that when I was 12, I was capable of understanding complex story elements and themes. 12 would have put me in 6th or 7th grade, and around that time I was reading a lot of my dad's old Soviet-era science fiction books such as Asimov, and I wasn't confused by them.

Maybe I'm just retarded...

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
Also, you are what's wrong with gamers tbh.

...but this was a bit harsh in my opinion...

As a game developer and as a story teller, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather "blow up aliens in Halo" than enjoy a serious game. Going back to the egoraptor, you are why games don't deserve to be taken as seriously as they can be and should some day. And I don't care if that hurts your widdle feewings.

Anyone can play a video game, but a smart gamer can:
1) Understand the time and effort that's put into a game.
2) Find out things that people ignore (Ex: HL 2 in-game posters/overlays)

Msleeper mentioned Halo, but even that game (I'm assuming the first one) had it's moments in it. But yeah, if someone prefers killing aliens over playing a proper game, something's wrong with them.

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
I think saying that 12 year olds can't understand complex storytelling is undercutting the intelligence of most 12 year olds.

Different people have different brains, nobody thinks exactly alike. I'm kind of stuck in the middle on that.

My point was that 12 year olds aren't simpletons; you are capable of understanding complex story telling elements at that age. And for Logic to say that kids that age can't is doing a disservice to them.

Basically: just because you were dumb when you were 12, doesn't mean all 12 year olds are. Nor that we shouldn't hold them to a higher standard of maturity just because of their age.

MasterLagger wrote:
But yeah, if someone prefers killing aliens over playing a proper game, something's wrong with them.

Words cannot express how much I love the Half-Life series, and I still think of Half-Life 2 as the perfect example of how to orchestrate a video game narrative; the story itself being revealed in an interactive and immersive way that encourages and rewards player exploration of the game world. That said, one of my favourite things about the series is that it never lets the story get in the way of the joys of killing aliens and zombies in a variety of ways. Nothing wrong with that.

If people play Half-Life 2 and all they get out of it is that it was a cool game about killing aliens with some awesome weapons, then that's fine. That's what it is, at heart, no matter how brilliantly handled the story side may be. It might seem to me like they're missing out, but I'm sure they give as much of a fuck about my opinion as I do about anyone else's. I also disagree with the notion that a strong narrative is essential for a great game. I love Quake III every bit as much as Bioshock.

El Farmerino wrote:
MasterLagger wrote:

But yeah, if someone prefers killing aliens over playing a proper game, something's wrong with them.

Words cannot express how much I love the Half-Life series, and I still think of Half-Life 2 as the perfect example of how to orchestrate a video game narrative; the story itself being revealed in an interactive and immersive way that encourages and rewards player exploration of the game world. That said, one of my favourite things about the series is that it never lets the story get in the way of the joys of killing aliens and zombies in a variety of ways. Nothing wrong with that.

I was responding to msleeper's Halo comment. I like destroying the bad guys as much as anyone does, but my point is that combat alone doesn't make a game good (but it is a important factor). I was referring to the crazy people that are drawn to violence, although I should have been more specific earlier.

A lot of my friends do not understand why I appreciate HL sooo much. Now I have something to convince them . Thanks.

Also putting the can in the bin part introduced the game physics and interaction with world objects(well there was jumping on the crate to get to the window part) - a technical thing presented in a realistic way. You can see the citadel tower throughout the game from all angles. The best part really was Dr. Kliener getting startled when portal out of the room near the window.

Game of the decade

MasterLagger wrote:
I like destroying the bad guys as much as anyone does, but my point is that combat alone doesn't make a game good (but it is a important factor).

Well, my point was that I disagree - there are plenty of games that are pretty much solely based on combat that I loved, such as Quake III, Counter Strike, Serious Sam, Painkiller, Hard Reset... (I realise those last few have sort-of narratives, but ones that can and should be ignored for the sake of general sanity). I don't think games based around pure combat mechanics are somehow intrinsically worth less than plot, character or theme driven pieces, or that Logic should be chided for his preference of the former - a sensibility that has clearly changed since, at any rate. It annoys me that gaming these days is so often held up to the same standards as film and literature, when it is clearly a whole other beast entirely (what would be the literary equivalent of Tetris?) I do kind of agree with the notion that the industry's obsession with violence and explosions is to its detriment, but then Half-Life is as guilty as any in that regard - simply being the best at it is no absolution....

A far more detrimental problem with the industry right now, IMO, is the seeming need to push narrative content over and above gameplay in a lot of big titles; for every Half-Life 2 there are about 10 Metal Gear Solid 4's - games with interminable amounts of badly written cutscene exposition shoehorned in at the expense of gameplay time and any kind of pacing. The most irritating word tossed about in game development these days, for my money, is 'cinematic', because what it really means is static and non-interactive. The beauty of HL2 was that its story wasn't told to you; you discovered it for yourself, and the more you put into the game the more you got out. That's exactly how it should be done, and I don't think it's been done better before or since.

El Farmerino wrote:
I don't think games based around pure combat mechanics are somehow intrinsically worth less than plot, character or theme driven pieces, or that Logic should be chided for his preference of the former - a sensibility that has clearly changed since, at any rate.

Thank you.

I WAS stupid not to realize the piece of gold I had standing by my Xbox for so many years. I didn't think about video games that way back then, but I really, really appreciate a good storyline today, much thanks to this video. That's what I wanted to share.

Most 12 year olds today are stuck in the Call of Duty swamp and maybe I was stuck in the Halo swamp back when I was 12. But if missing a great storyline on my first playthrough or changing my mind on something makes me the worst type of gamer out there then I don't know how the world thinks...

I'm not sure how many different ways I can reiterate my point without literally repeating myself or copy and pasting my responses, so whatever.

Well, I kind of got sidetracked with ML, but going back to this:

npc_msleeper_boss wrote:
As a game developer and as a story teller, I have zero sympathy for people who would rather "blow up aliens in Halo" than enjoy a serious game. Going back to the egoraptor, you are why games don't deserve to be taken as seriously as they can be and should some day. And I don't care if that hurts your widdle feewings.

I do see what you're saying, and as an avid gamer myself it is sometimes frustrating that certain people look down on the medium as just a form of entertainment without artistic merit, but then that's a problem with those people and their ignorant mindsets; I don't lay the blame at the door of gamers who like their games big and stupid. Similarly I don't believe Michael Bay fans are killing the film industry, or that Lady Gaga fans are a drain on the music industry, or that Dan Brown readers are really the spawn of Satan himself (well, maybe the last one). The thing is, even though I absolutely fucking loathe the output of all the 'artists' I just mentioned, I don't think their existence is somehow causing everything else that gets made to somehow lower in quality, or stopping people from appreciating all the fantastic stuff that is produced, all the time. They're popular because most people like stupid shit. This is true of everything, everywhere, and has been and will be forever. But as long as there are great games being made and I'm allowed to have my opinion that all of the above is a huge pile of gash, I don't care. As Marie Antoinette said - "Let them eat their shit, if they like it so much".

And there is fantastic stuff being produced all the time. Last year was an amazing year for games, and this year is shaping up to be the same. I also think that in an era where videogames have their own set of BAFTA awards we're kind of past the 'games are for kids' stage. Furthermore, sometimes I really like to kick back and blow up some aliens. Not in Halo, though.

Anyway, let's just agree that Half-Life is awesome and if you play it and still don't think so you should just go eat some more shit.

Half-Life is awesome. Who's Marie Antoinette?