Half-Life 2: Episode Two Playthrough

2007, PC, PS3, X360. Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars

Much of Episode Two’s memory is tied to its shocking—and infamous—ending, which is a shame. Take that aside and you have one terrific first-person shooter that achieves a great deal despite its relative short length. Episode Two does an excellent job of continuing Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance’s odyssey after the events of the original. The game itself can be broken into three distinct chunks: Saving Alyx, getting to White Forest and the defense of White Forest.

Each section is a strong mix of action, puzzles and different settings. The opening section might be the weakest because it’s a bit of a fetch quest, but it still works quite well with the puzzles and different environments. The gravity gun continues to get good use and the puzzles do a fine job requiring the gamer to understand and use the environment to their advantage. There aren’t too many new ideas or weapons until the end and they mesh quite well with the situation.

The game’s story has a darker, more ominous tone right from the start and it never quite lets up. There’s a definite foreboding throughout that reminds one of the original Half-Life. Even with Alyx as a constant companion, there is a definite foreboding and it is complemented by some shocking swerves in the story.

The game’s ending, though, is what most remember. It led to a bunch of theories, questions and memes about developer Valve’s inability to count to 3. That’s a shame because this game, unlike Episode One, stands very well on its own and is an exciting ride from start to finish and showcases Valve’s knack for brilliant game design and gameplay.