'Gears' is 2 less words than 'Gears of War'. We call it Gears around the office. 

is "Gears of War" that cumbersome to type/say?

y 

http://eu.blizzard.com/diablo3/ 

oh shit!

http://www.kloonigames.com/blog/games/tp 

I got through the first 12 levels, and then the game "encountered a problem" and I can't be fucked to start again from the beginning since there's no "load level X" or "continue". :p

Really nice use of simple physics and pathfinding to create interesting puzzles.

Jesus I hate him for using spacebar for restart though. Spacebar is cemented firmly in my brain as jump... 

I'm replaying HL2 this weekend and it's really as great as I remember it being during my first play through. It's cliche at this point to say it's one of the best games of the past 10 years, maybe ever but it's just really *fun* I've played a lot of games and the majority usually have at least an hour or two worth of gameplay that you just hate and you grind through it anyway. The thing that struck me about playing HL2 again is that at least for the first 5-6 hours so far, it's been nothing but pure fun. Being chased through the city at the beginning, then through the canals, then the boat ride through the canals, then blasting zombies with the gravity gun in Ravenholme, it's such a pure god damn joy to play this game. 

Still think HL1 was better . . . 

disagree on that. it was awesome at the time but i went back and played it after first playing 2 and found it incredibly frustrating in comparison. i just remember there being so many situations where you'd step out of line for as little as one second and die pretty much instantly..

i purchased EP2 on the day of release but still haven't had the chance to play it yet, kept crashing my pc. i need an upgrade :( 

.. makes no sense to me. OK one is so far better in gameplay, situations, etc... but come on, both have different engines performances, different texture set, etc... and have been released at different time, with many years of difference.
It is like comparing Doom and Doom3, or Commando with Quake.... and for this you can only have a personnal taste..
Game comparison makes sense when you are comparing games that have been released let's say the same year, and having more or less the same technology (e.g Doom3 s HL2, etc...): Let's try to compare apple to apple ;) 

I disagree, there's no reason not to compare games that weren't released in the same time frame, the gameplay has evolved, but not so much that you can't compare it.

I agree with rj about HL1, it's a great game, but there are really alot of instant death situations that are pretty annoying, they fixed that nicely in HL2.

Can't wait for EP3, want to see the Aperture Science tie in, and maybe eat some cake. 

It is like comparing Doom and Doom3, or Commando with Quake.... and for this you can only have a personnal taste..

i didn't imply anything else :)


it all boils down to personal taste at the end of things. 

Well, I'm just saying that I don't see the point in comparing a game that uis 10 years old with a nowaday game... not the same technology, not the same performances, not the same visual... so for me difficult to say yes, X was better than Y... when there is 10 years between each release... It is not the case for HL1 / 2 but, anyway, I guess it is more clear now ;) 

measure of fun ;)

i'm not looking at each game objectively here, just saying one was more fun to play than the other. 

We aren't really talking about tech/performances/visuals, we are talking about pure gameplay, and that to me is always comparable.
It's important that we do compare games, because new games don't always have better gameplay. 

because new games don't always have better gameplay.

Exactly, and in fact in recent years this is especially true because people keep over-complicating things and trying to pack too much into one game.

Reminiscing about (and re-playing) classic games isn't just for the sake of nostalgia. I think to some extent people like myself are yearning for the simplicity and purity of the game mechanics found in those older titles. 

I agree with you, kinda...

In a way I think the fact I like HL1 really god IS due to nostalgia! I just think that HL1 reminds me of when I started really getting into shooters! I remember playing Quake2 on my P133/16Mb, and being pissed off cause the coloured light's wouldn't work because I had nee 3DFX card. Then playing HL1 - first off it was the first game with a software coloured lighting renderer! (and one of the last)
And second - I think the most classic moments of my gaming career came from that game! The intro sequence, "we've got hostiles", and all of the stuff with the big aliens in the desert towards the end. AND the part's with the "assassins" - soo atmospheric with the footsteps and glowing eyes! And also I seem to recall HL1 having more play time that its sequels - the game is a truie epic!

But I also agree - there were plenty insta-death moments - like Distrans's last map!
I remember many occasions where I would be quick saving with 5% health, to try and take out 3 soldiers with a pistol and 4 shotgun shells...

But hey - like you say - it is down to personal taste, and nostalgia! In short I love all the HL games, and I'm really looking forwards to EP3!!! :D 

Is what HL wanted to be, but wasn't. 

Is Quake 1.5 

the HL engine maybe... 

Yeah. 

like HL2 and Doom3 before the cds turn to dust :)

But KoToR has taken up most of my last few weekends. I only this game had real time combat, it would be almost perfect (actually and skippable cutscenes). 

you might like Mass Effect then. 

I find more Lovecraftian themes in HL1 than in Quake2 - Colour out of Space, Walls of Xyrix.

The tenticles are a very Lovecraft creature, and the Alien Grunt factory had a strong similar theme. 

And yeah, quake's take on lovecraft is ... highly interpretive. Pretty much some borrowed names and maybe a creature description or two, loosely followed. The Cthulu mythos wasn't really on anyone's mind, except Petersen who probably exerted that influence with the occasional "oh hey what about". Given quake's chaotic development, there was probably plenty of room for influence like that.

Quake is no more lovecraft than doom, but the important influences in both cases are more atmospheric/characteristic than literal. 

Q2 isn't the sequel to Q1 - basically.