Half-Life 2 completed- Finally!

Freeman striking a pose.

Yesterday I was finally able to complete Valve's awesome Half-Life 2 after restricting myself to 30-minute-a-day time limits. It only took me 11 weeks- no wonder my brother Mark finished both Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 before me. I fudged the time restriction at the end just to finish, but I wasn't disappointed in the least- what a brilliant follow up to the original.

The graphics were sharp and detailed, the framerate was smooth and the improved AI made it even more interesting. There could have been a more challenging ending along with a more satisfying resolution but I'm sure all questions will be answered in Half-Life 3 (I hope). As a side note, I thought it was interesting that other players were experiencing the same type of motion sickness that I was, especially when driving the hovercraft in the Water Hazard level.

In regards to the missing Hydra, PrimaGame's behind the scenes book, Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar has this to say about it. Apparently it was a game design decision to leave it on the cutting room floor.

Now that I'm finished I should have more time to concentrate on learning Valve's 3D level maker, Hammer, as well as perfecting my poly-modeling skills in Maya. And somewhere in between I have to finish my normal map blog and Half-Life 2/Doom 3 technology comparison.