I just wrapped up Episode 2 a few minutes ago, finishing it only a scant eight months or so since its release. I am nothing if not topical. They really pulled through with this one. Half Life 2 and Episode 1 felt more like a single package unto themselves, like the entire “escape from the core” scene should have been the real finale to HL2 in the first place. It was sort of the glorious end to City 17 and all that. Episode 2 then was sort of like your Empire Strikes Back. Decent plot developments, a couple of good twists, and some action scenes that rival the original material without trying to simply copy it or make it bigger and better. I’m pretty well convinced that the boys and girls at Valve know how to competently create a scene and direct the player and create a really well-structured narrative, that’s pretty much a given. They seem to have a good story all down and taken care of too. I’m just sort of waiting for the action and the shooting itself to catch up to the post-Gears of War world we’re living in right now. The combat just doesn’t feel sticky enough, like you’re just shooting at really dangerous sandbags. They did a good job with the hunters by making them move around and climb on things, but outside of their scripted events they just sort of felt like your average Combine with more health and an extra leg. Not that they should go entirely with the duck n’ cover Gears style of shooting, but something has to be done (other than a little gore, that helped) to make it feel more memorable with each enemy that you take out.
I guess I can’t fault the game for being too predictable either, but really, when every piece of machinery you encounter is out of power, low on reception, in need of service, under attack by enemies, or whatever it gets a little old. Yes Gordon Freeman is the go-to guy but it’s getting to the ludicrous point. He’s like young warrior fleet of foot in all these RPGs, just taking on whatever task must be done (and there are always tasks to be done). I guess they did one right by making the payoff for all these diversions a direct advancement of the plot instead of just getting a new set of pauldrons or whatever. And really, the vistas are fantastically designed to create exciting moments with characters you care about, so I can’t really blame them if the reasons for moving me from awesome locale to awesome locale are a little lame.
So just for reference here all of the things I want to read/play/watch over the summer:
Episode 2
Marathon (Durandal, then Infinity, then Marathon?)
Earthbound
No More Heroes
Smash Bros Stuff
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 3
Etrian Odyssey
Bully
Persona 3: FES
Shiren
PN03
Dragon Quarter
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Neo Contra
Gungrave
Everblue 2
Maximo
Ico
Rez
Front Mission 3
Suikoden
Thief
Spartan: Total Warrior
Mistake of Pythagoras
Minerva: Metastasis
Any other bullshit you have on your HD
READ A BOOK
Illuminatus
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea
Invitation to a Beheading
God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater
Catch 22
The Things They Carried
Bradbury collection
Invisible Man
Poisonwood Bible
Things Fall Apart
Gravity’s Rainbow
Some Joyce
Finish the rest of Kafka stuff
TS Elliot collection
VIDEO
The Jerk
Fargo
Mighty Wind
Thunderball
Goldfinger
Good Night and Good Luck
Murderball
Kwaidan
Raising Arizona
Batman
Mind Game
The Tick
The Wire
Brick
History of Violence
The One
2046
No Country for Old Men
Bourne Trilogy
fearless
Knocked Up
Live Free or Die Hard
Simpsons Movie
Ratatouille
Black Lagoon
Fulltime Killer
GURREN LAGANN
Mindgame
Mushishi
Twin Peaks
Wild Zero
Castle of Cagliostro
COMICS
Agent X
Batman: Dark Victory
Blame
Deadpool
Desolation Jones
Doom 2099
any and all Dr. Strange
Earth X
Ectokid
Ex Machina
Fear Agent
Formerly Known as the Justice League
Flex Mentallo
Hellboy
Silver Surfer Requiem
Jojo
Animal Man
The Invisibles
The Filth
Doom Patrol
Peep Show
Punisher Max
Shaolin Cowboy
Sin City
Udon Street Fighter
The Authority
Iron Fist
TMNT
Transmet
Universe X
Vagabond
YKK
Black Dossier
BUT NO SERIOUSLY GET
Two-lane Blacktop
Chow Yun Fat – Full Contact
Jackie Chan – Wheels on Meals
THEY LIVE
HARD BOILED
Electric Dragon 80,000V
Tokyo Zombie
Mayonaka no Yaji-san, Kita-san
Brazil
Holy Mountain
Snuff Box (TV SHow)
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (Mifune again)
Ran
The Bad Sleep Well
8 1/2
The Killer
Adaptation
Paranoia Agent
Oh sure, I can handle this no problem.
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