I love the introduction to the revolver. Left on the table right on your path and the moment you pick it up, 4 dudes attempt entering the room. Their last mistake.
Half-Life 1 came out in 1998 when I 22 and worked in corrections. Years earlier I was going to college for law enforcement. I grew up with rifles, not handguns, so when I needed to qualify, I found out I couldn't hit crap with one. My instructor eventually gave me a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver a lot like the one in the game. He had a trick to teaching your tales and by the 2nd reload I instantly knew why I couldn't hit anything. Went from tied of 68 to be the worst shot to tied with #1 in less than a month. As satisfying as that was, shooting the revolver felt so great in the game, and even better in HL2. I'm 48 now and own a S&W model 686P, 7 shot .357 which is by far my favorite handgun to shoot. Just as it is in the game, when you shoot it you know it, and it's easy to imagine not wanting to be at the other end of that barrel. Valve nailed it.
I think the citadel is the best designed part of the game, it really makes you feel like the combine aren't supposed to be here. Like it's nothing you would have expected. Seeing all the "things" being carried around in the pods, being enslaved, is just crazy.
I heartily disagree. Citadel looked okay, but was in no way comparable to Xen. I also hated that they took away all weapons except that stupid gravity gun. And the end was just plain boring. Everything else was okay but it has not blown me away as expected.
24:47 The oxygen meter being an aux power always confused me when I was a kid. So I just head cannon that The HEV Suit has a Helmet that Gordon can wear, and that is how he's able to breath underwater temporarily. Also if you notice once you run out of oxygen you don't immediately start to drown it takes a couple seconds, so I imagine that that's where Gordon has to start actually holding his breath. This would also explain how he is able to not get taken control of by headcrabs when they hit you.
It's not a headcanon, the HEV suit does in fact have a helmet, you just never see it because Gordon's godly jawline makes it invisible so you can gaze upon his handsome face
Bro said HL2 is a "cult classic" - game that sold 12 mil copies by 2011, 39 GoTY awards, well talked about, hyped & received at release (I would know I pre-ordered it!), 10th best selling PC game of all time, might be a fun video but cant take someone seriously who says something like that
Welcome. Welcome to city 17. You have chosen, or have been chosen to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers. I thought so much of city 17 that I elected to establish my administration here. In the citadel so thoughtfully provided by our benefactors. So if you are here to stay or passing through on your way to parts unknown, welcome to city 17. It's safe here.
Fun fact: Mossman's monolouge during the elevator scene has its intentions. Usually games will force you to sit there and listen to all the boring stuffs she said, but Half-Life 2 shows multiple floors with vortigaunts' activites, so your attention will divert to those floors with chefs and shits, not whatever Mossman is yapping about. This reinforces the idea that Mossman is an unlikable character, and later on *spoilers* we can see her working with Dr. Breen.
Saw in another video that if you no-clip into the Vortigaunt kitchen and look beside one of the dead head crabs in there, you can find the Half Life 1 head crab model with it.
25:18 fun fact: while the game heavily implies that this town on a hill IS in fact Ravenholm, it is impossible, as Ravenholm actually goes to the left of Black Mesa East, with the blocked off gate thing. that also means that the Coast (Highway 17, Sandtraps) is actually UNDER THE CANALS (Route Kanal, Water Hazard). like seriously, if you thought the overlapping areas in Half-Life 1 were bad just take a look at Half-Life 2.
Simply, the canals seem more on level with the Sandtraps and Highway 17. That could be an oversight, considering the game was rushed THANKS TO A DATA LEAK AND PEOPLE STILL HATE THINGS THAT NO ONE WILL SPEND A SECOND THINKING OF.
The Half-life 2 episodes are essentially The Lord of the Rings films of video games; They were way ahead of their time, they’re basically perfect in how they got everything so right, a series to such an immaculate standard hasn’t really been replicated since, they set the bar in how game changing they were and influenced everything that came after them in their industry and gamer/film culture respectively. The only way that they aren’t similar in that respect is that the subsequent projects in the Half-Life universe have lived up to the same standard, can’t wait to see your playthrough of Half-Life: Alyx 😁
48:50 It makes me happy to see the bridge scene get a minute long section. They crafted that level so well, it instilled a fear of heights for the duration when I played the game the first time. Definitely a memorable experience.
Well you know how they say "don't talk to me until I've had my coffee"? Gordon Freeman was running late for work, so he didn't have time to grab some on his way to the test chamber. And then the resonance cascade happened, and he definitely didn't have time for coffee, and the moment it was over he was put in stasis. He never gets the opportunity
After many weeks in development, the half life 2 video is finally done. We hope you enjoy it. Kelski Software™ (Can't wait for the movie session that this video is lol.)
5:38 Bro, I cannot BELIEVE you referenced Combine Project Dancin. I loved working on it with the creator Apex, and I really enjoyed this video as well!
My favorite part about the intro to half-life 2 is that the opening sequence was psychedelic and very dream-like. It makes you question whether you were dreaming on that train or placed there. The first NPC you see then says "I didn't see you get on." It's all part of that "show, don't tell" design philosophy.
53:04 funny enough, their screams also really close to the Russian phrase "ебать больно" ("fuck it hurts"), which is also pretty convenient considering the fact, that the City-17 located somewhere in the Eastern Europe
Bro, I'm 34 years old I played hl2 when it came out. Your honest admiration for the game seriously brought tears to my eyes at various points throughout the video. U are a fucking legend man. I'm glad I found your channel
That’s awesome man, I can’t even imagine how many minds this blew when it first came out. Its quality truly still stands toe to toe with the current giants. Thank you for watching dude 🙏
@@kel_ski I was also there when Half-Life 2 came out. My dad told me about a game where you could interact with/do almost anything. I was still playing Call of Duty 1 (2003) on my PC. When Doom 3, Far Cry, and Half-Life 2 came out, that was it for me. Half-Life 2 looked like real life simulated on a Pentium processor and an ATI Radeon card.
@@av3nger3 I will never ever forget this time. It was bat shit insane man. I still struggle to explain how crazy cool that was back in the day. And then crysis1 happened. I used farcry1 cryengine that came with the game for the years between farcry and crysis1. Then I used the crysis1 editor to mod the game. Nice to find a fellow gamer. Do u think we can get kelski to play farcry1?
I’m glad he had a little part in the video focused on the bridge scene. As scary as ravenholm was, durring my first playthrough i honestly just went through and got it done and never really focused on the story telling of ravenholm. But the bridge genuinely scared me so much just from the atmosphere just like he said. The part where you are just alone and have to slowly inch across it knowing one wrong move will kill you, along side all the background noise genuinely scared me more than anything in this game and i will always find that one small part of the game more scary than ravenholm just because of how i had my first playthrough.
I remember the release day of Half-Life 2. I was maximum 5 years old that day. I had my big brother, who was 17 at that moment. We were camping for the opening in our local game store. Our parents hardly let us skip school that day just for the release of the game. It was incredible and I enjoyed every second of it. You are very late to Half-Life franchise but still, you managed to play it. Also I would like to you see your documentry on both episodes like you said in the end of the video.
I actually did have a section about that, but the video was already an hour long 🥲 Kinda falls in line with what I said about Xen. The game severely was missing some more organic alien monsters
@@kel_skioh, it's ok though, it turned out to be an astonishing video after all and yeah sorry I kinda forgot about that. btw thanks for the great effort kelski, your content is amazing
bro I've been watching Kelski since his first video about TF2, almost 2 years later he is close to 200k subs, high-quality videos, editing, production, and streams and this video is the best one so far in my book, congratulations Kelski, I'm taking your cooking license away, and promote you to certified chef. keep on cooking!!!
I was 12 when I've played this game and I remember it just simply blew me away. I haven't played HL1 at that point, so this was my entry to the franchise...and what an entry it was. I always loved the little details in games - opening taps and flushing toilets, opening cabinets, seeing the empty pistol clips and bullet shells on the floor, playing minigames, destroy environmental objects (From Duke Nukem 3D and Resident Evil 2 through Serious Sam, Metal Gear Solid 2, Red Faction and Max Payne) I was in LOVE with all of them. But I never thought about how important difference Physics actually make in games. Half- Life 2 showed that to me. I remember in my first 2 hours or so I was just messing around with boxes, cans, hitting shapes and drawings in the wall with my crowbar, playing with water, and then the freakin gravity gun came into play... Ever since I was 5 I loved videogames. But Half-Life 2 was that beauty who just took my world by storm. I wish that the Source engine was utilized better in other games such as Vampire: Bloodlines (which came out the same day as this powerhouse), because I think the best games are from this era.
@@kel_ski It is an absolute master piece ! If you love the level design and atmosphere in HL2 then HL Alyx will litterally blow your mind just as badly~! I would also recommand checking out black mesa, HL1's remastered counter part. There's also an insane amount of godlike community made mods that introduces full on custom campaigns, some even playing as the combine ( entropy zero ) and more! HL2, the base game, scratches the surface of what the source engine creator suite is capable of and with two decades rest assured this community created absolute gems! I am so thrilled that you get to experience all of them for the first time! Looking forward to all your future half life content KelSki !
hes gonna have a love hate relationship with half life alyx. i loved my first playthrough but man that game is easily the worst half life game. they put so many limitations in that game because its VR. he should play hl2 vr mod after he plays alyx because man valve kinda dropped the ball when making that game. the worst offender in hla is the way ammo works in that game and there only being 3 weapons and no melee function.
Your journey through Half Life 2 was seriously one of the most entertaining and genuinely funny times I've had watching someone else play a game. The fact that I just happened to stumble upon your channel at the exact time you started playing was like one of these rare times when the universe aligned for a single brief moment. I will almost certainly go back and rewatch the whole thing at some point in the future, which is kind of insane to think about. Your personality plus the chat wove together it's own story that naturally and very organically grew and expanded out. I hope you do feel the need to tackle the episodes in this same format. Episode 2 is something I have kept returning to sporadically since it's initial release, just to have fun experimenting with and setting personal challenges. Much love, mate.
man I will never stop preaching about “We Don’t Go to Ravenholm” out of every game I’ve played, that chapter alone tops any other sections I’ve ever played in any game. That chapter alone is my main motivation for replaying the game 5-6 times at this point.
@@kel_ski You did mention how much more terrifying this would be in VR. The kicker is, it exists. I guess the Half Life drain just doesn't want to run out of water.
@@thiccjerry5232 It felt like playing it for the first time. That intro section in VR, G Man right up next to your face, getting off the train and slowly looking touching listening to every single little detail, walking up to each NPC and touching them to hear dialogue, I spent a good amount of time there. Also one of the times I played it I must have had some VR seated boundary setting messed up so I felt very low to the ground, it felt like I was playing as a feral cat in City 17, pretty damn awesome
10:30 this part was done on purpose soo that u would look at the thing happening instead of listing to mossman soo that u would care more about alyx since She dosen't have stuff to discract u during the elevator
49:45 - what I love about this moment is the lack of a greater challenge proves to the player that just traversing it is enough challenge; even though you are attacked by an helicopter, but at this moment you've dealt with that many times, it's just standard gordon life by now, so in the end everything is about the place.
The ability to kill friendlies was taken out pretty late into the game, I think it was because they couldn’t find a reliable lore friendly way to keep it
I played this game when I was 7, and I've lost count of how many times I played through it. The fact games now don't do their homework makes me so mad. This game wasn't lightning in a bottle, it was a meticulously crafted masterpiece from start to finish, it is a masterclass of game design
Dude. I saw your video and I thought "ok... 1 hour. I can watch it as I do the dishes and stuff". I often watch videos when doing house chores. But with your video I couldn't... It's just so well edited and funny that I had to watch it without distractions. Congratz! :)
I have never been able to get Half life 2 and now, more than ever due to having GMod and understanding the amazing physics of Valve, I want to be able to experience this game.
What’s crazy is this game is TWNETY YEARS OLD and I just played thru the campaigns of HL2 and HL2 Ep 1 with the HL VR mod (unleashed, of course) and holy shit it’s BETTER GAMEPLAY than almost any other modern VR game. Timeless masterpiece
Fun fact, when you find combine soldier standing with his back to you, not noticing you, you can oneshot him in the back of the head with pistol. (only pistol) and magnum of crouse , but the pistol offers unique execution mechanic that not many players know about, but some mods use as gameplay twist...
First time going through RavenHolm: Gets the achievement "We don't go through Ravenholm" , easy, enjoyable, gravity gun goes phaum, saw goes brrrr(Free playtime is over, thanks for letting me play for free on 2020 uncle valve) Second time trying to go with guns and full awareness: Screams in español Good vid, as usual. Excellent quality
Just finished watching the Vods, wish I could have seen it live! Just discovered your channel as I recently got back into half life and am replaying the games. Love your channel dude!!!
You should try out community made Half-Life mods. Like Entropy: Zero, where you play on the opposite side of the conflict, or Black Mesa, a complete remake of the original Half-Life.
The other 2 episodes are honestly such an amazing continuation of the HL2 storyline and adds so more to the world of HL that wouldnt expect. I highly recommend you carry on the with the 2 episodes
Oof, every so often i find a new hour long video about half life 2 being the bomb diggity, the cats ass, the ultimate game of all time. I then look at the calendar and see that its been 20 years since it came out and then i realize that i got to experience half life 1 & 2 as a middle schooler and now there people in their 20s who are just getting to experience it for the first time. My first video game tattoos were a head crab and the combine clamp and that was just 3 years after it came out. Im glad i can watch people play this game for the first time and enjoy it just as much as i did 2 decades ago.
YOOOOO. I remember seeing all the HL2 streams, you DID do some stuff, people with dozens of hours didn't know were even possible or in the game (like the Gman sighting right after Ravenholm). The video is amazing, truly. No wonder you had to delay it, it's peak. And yes, definetely cover the episodes please!
I personally like the Half Life 2 weapon Sandbox a lot more, because every weapon always feels useful. In Half Life 1 you just get 5 billion different weapons, which just aren't useful at any point in the Game. Like yeah, Snarks are fun, but especially for newer players, no niche in combat is filled better or at all by any other Weapon than the Smg, Shotgun, pistol, Grenades and sometimes Satchel Charges
Watching you playing that masterpiece for the first time threw me back so much, your streams kinda felt like you gave me a chance to experience it like I never played it 20 times already, I enjoyed every second of you fucking around in this world with random shit, had as much fun watching you through your journey (even tho its not over yet) as you did. You are amazing Kelski
"It makes me sad that I will never play something like this ever again" Entropy : Zero 1, 2 and Uprising: *Dr. Livesey Phonk Walking to Kelski's house* Oh and that includes Half-Life Alyx, Minerva Metastasis, Dark Interval, Raising The Bar: Redux, Coterminus, MMOD, Any good quality Half-Life mod in all honesty.
Man, this is the rare case where I caught you streaming this playthrough (or very recent recordings at a time), watched them with just some occasional skips and watching this vid wasn't at all overlapping with what I've seen, such a well done edit, we MUST get another one for the episodes! And Portal... and Portal 2 as well, no doubt
I remember in 2004 I was in 8th grade. Playing HL2 was incredible back then. Specifically I remember traversing under the massive bridge. I was confused on where to go and thought there’s no way it wants me to traverse the beams under the bridge?? It seemed so different than other games I had played. When I went thru under the bridge I was blown away. There’s much more that blew my mind all those years ago in this game. It has been my comfort game ever since. I replay it at least once a year and currently playing it handheld on the steam deck is pretty awesome (Also plz cover episode 1-2)
@@kel_ski yoooo you're a real one! Your video was amazing and hilarious! And I'm glad you got to enjoy a first time half life 2 experience! I'll make sure to watch the unedited videos later on. But I really enjoyed this! Thanks for making it
Kelski watching you play my favorite game series is an absolute joy, and I would love to see from you a video about the episodes, because the ending of episode two is a core part of the experience while waiting for Alyx.
What an absolute classic of a video, you really outdid yourself with this one Kelski! The streams were an absolute blast as well, just an overall fantastic experiance!
while half life 1's story was "get the fuck out of black mesa as fast as you can" half life 2's story is just an average day in eastern europe a quote by Kelski
btw in 2021/2022 there was a leaked project of ep4 i think, projects name was return to ravenholm and you get to play as adrian shepard ,the creators of the project saw that the fans liked it so they asked if we wanted to play it as a demo or dlc or smthn but sadly it got only 2000 (or 20,000 dont remember) votes and they thout that the fans didnt wan it as a real thing for some reason and it wasnt worth the truble, so they abandond the project
hell yes, please cover the episodes. Going through this journey with you has been a lot of fun so far, even if I have played these games to death already since 2007 with the orange box. Super glad I got recommended your channel, man! Gonna check some of your other game reviews/ video essays out now!
Something I realized on a playthrough recently was that one of the reasons that the game feels more modern than it is is that the art is just so good (and so much better than most games) that it makes the graphics look smoother than they are
54:20 I am convinced that all poison zombies were retired hard mode human grunts from Half-Life 1. Think about it, how they throw the poison headcrabs like how they throw grenades and their insane @$$ HP.
I haven't played Half-Life 2 in over a decade. I first played it not long after release - though I didn't know that at the time. Between 2005 and 2012ish, I must have played through the campaign 3-5 times a year. After episodes 1 & 2 came out, they got tacked on. I have Half-Life 2, Episode One, and the Orange Box all separately as physical media. I remember when Steam was *green* and the store didn't exist yet. It was the formative gaming experience of my life. In the years since, every game I play has been measured against Half-Life 2. Many have done well. Halo, GTA: San Andreas, Skyrim, and Fallouts 3 & NV. But none have had the same effect. Half-Life 2 has shaped the way I read books. The way I watch TV and Movies. There are entire genres of music that give me Half-Life 2 flashbacks. When the music hits at 43:00, I get a chill, and a deep creeping unease. The world of Half-Life 2 is so bleak I can't revisit it. But, it makes it possible to look at the world about me, and see the silver linings. For most of my life now, I have been touched by Half-Life 2. I cannot explain it. And, I am so glad to see that others are finding it. If anyone has the originals, they would do the world a favour by uploading Goose Goose's commentaries on Half-Life 2 and its episodes. They are existential in a way I have no words to describe.
Majority of my deaths in Half Life 2 were from me rushing into a room or an area, getting shot and dying because i wasn't paying attention. Then i actually start thinking about how i can approach the fight
Mostly shows me the edits and, how just...flawless they are. Like, genuinely. This is some of the best content i've seen in years. Like, absolutely perfect humor, while still keeping the tone of, well, a review. Keep it up man, I'll be sure to consistently watch when I can.
Yes. Please make videos on the episodes! I am starving for more quality long form Half-Life content! I think I have watched every decent Half-Life retrospective, deep dive, and iceberg video out there, I require more!
Get 20% OFF + Free international shipping @manscaped with promo code KELSKI20 at manscaped.com/kelski20! #manscapedpartner
My guy got a sponsor, proud of you o7
play enterpoint zero plz it is basicly half life 3 it is amzing
You need to play "Black Mesa" and "Xen" in the end, they are probably the best remakes ever made.
Do you Support LBGT, Kelski?
@@dootdootigoinboot-i8r indeed he NEEDS to play it, its rlly good
The fact that modern single player games are struggling with things that a 2004 game did perfectly is mind-blowing
Mind blowing? Bruh it nuked my mind that's a compliment btw
This game was, and still is in some cases, decades ahead of its time
@@kel_skilike crysis
the only difference is that there will be a crysis 4 but no half life 3-
😭
Please list those struggling SP games from an FPS genre, mate.
@@diamondhamster4320 I'm saying some, not ALL sp games.
Point being hl2 was waaaay ahead of its time. That's it.
I love the introduction to the revolver. Left on the table right on your path and the moment you pick it up, 4 dudes attempt entering the room. Their last mistake.
Flipping the table for cover and crouching behind to ambush them was one of the most badass real feeling moments I’ve had in a game.
Half-Life 1 came out in 1998 when I 22 and worked in corrections. Years earlier I was going to college for law enforcement. I grew up with rifles, not handguns, so when I needed to qualify, I found out I couldn't hit crap with one. My instructor eventually gave me a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver a lot like the one in the game. He had a trick to teaching your tales and by the 2nd reload I instantly knew why I couldn't hit anything. Went from tied of 68 to be the worst shot to tied with #1 in less than a month. As satisfying as that was, shooting the revolver felt so great in the game, and even better in HL2. I'm 48 now and own a S&W model 686P, 7 shot .357 which is by far my favorite handgun to shoot. Just as it is in the game, when you shoot it you know it, and it's easy to imagine not wanting to be at the other end of that barrel. Valve nailed it.
It's a shame the metrocops didn't have Magnums themselves. Imagine how tough they would be as enemies!
@@francischambless5919That’s a cool story :o
@@Anubis424242 One metrocop actually drops a magnum in the same level, but idk if he uses it.
I think the citadel is the best designed part of the game, it really makes you feel like the combine aren't supposed to be here. Like it's nothing you would have expected. Seeing all the "things" being carried around in the pods, being enslaved, is just crazy.
Such a cool moment too. I loved the path you take to get inside the Citadel too!
@@kel_skiit def made me think the citadel has an entire world in there, almost being a gigantic Tardis.
I heartily disagree. Citadel looked okay, but was in no way comparable to Xen.
I also hated that they took away all weapons except that stupid gravity gun.
And the end was just plain boring.
Everything else was okay but it has not blown me away as expected.
@@achimdemus-holzhaeuser1233 nobody was comparing it to xen that was kind of random
@@kel_ski same
24:47 The oxygen meter being an aux power always confused me when I was a kid. So I just head cannon that The HEV Suit has a Helmet that Gordon can wear, and that is how he's able to breath underwater temporarily. Also if you notice once you run out of oxygen you don't immediately start to drown it takes a couple seconds, so I imagine that that's where Gordon has to start actually holding his breath. This would also explain how he is able to not get taken control of by headcrabs when they hit you.
Sounds legitimate to me
retractable helmet that goes up when near water
It's not a headcanon, the HEV suit does in fact have a helmet, you just never see it because Gordon's godly jawline makes it invisible so you can gaze upon his handsome face
You GOTTA do episodes 1 and 2. This series has been so fun to watch
those titles are very unfortunate, I thought it's just the base game split into 2 parts
Bro said HL2 is a "cult classic" - game that sold 12 mil copies by 2011, 39 GoTY awards, well talked about, hyped & received at release (I would know I pre-ordered it!), 10th best selling PC game of all time, might be a fun video but cant take someone seriously who says something like that
@@formbinah 3 different games. Essentially the episodes are just more hl2 tho.
@@hobosnake1 yeah, I know that now
and alyx! i just started it after finally playing all the other HLs (in order), and HOLY SHIT it is GOOD
I may have added an extra 10 minutes of content last night. I hope you guys enjoy! I put my sweat and tears into this lmao
You are my favourite TH-camr.You are funny entertaining and overall a good person.Thank you for making my life a little better. Thank you.
tragic
its fine...
you are sentenced to 1h of halo 3 teabaging
@@josephbj6237 ruh roh
F€ck you for adding that moan my whole family's is here
Welcome. Welcome to city 17. You have chosen, or have been chosen to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers. I thought so much of city 17 that I elected to establish my administration here. In the citadel so thoughtfully provided by our benefactors. So if you are here to stay or passing through on your way to parts unknown, welcome to city 17. It's safe here.
It's safer here
its not safe when gondon freman is here
Don't drink the water. They put something in it to make you forget. I don't even know how I got here.
Why is Breen still yapping
Doctor Breen again? I thought I saw the last of him in City 10.
Fun fact: Mossman's monolouge during the elevator scene has its intentions. Usually games will force you to sit there and listen to all the boring stuffs she said, but Half-Life 2 shows multiple floors with vortigaunts' activites, so your attention will divert to those floors with chefs and shits, not whatever Mossman is yapping about. This reinforces the idea that Mossman is an unlikable character, and later on *spoilers* we can see her working with Dr. Breen.
In fact, I was more careful to see the floors
Saw in another video that if you no-clip into the Vortigaunt kitchen and look beside one of the dead head crabs in there, you can find the Half Life 1 head crab model with it.
Spoilers:
except for the fact the double crosses the combine aswell
Clearly you haven't finished the game.
@@Herobrine100x what?
25:18 fun fact: while the game heavily implies that this town on a hill IS in fact Ravenholm, it is impossible, as Ravenholm actually goes to the left of Black Mesa East, with the blocked off gate thing. that also means that the Coast (Highway 17, Sandtraps) is actually UNDER THE CANALS (Route Kanal, Water Hazard). like seriously, if you thought the overlapping areas in Half-Life 1 were bad just take a look at Half-Life 2.
Simply, the canals seem more on level with the Sandtraps and Highway 17. That could be an oversight, considering the game was rushed THANKS TO A DATA LEAK AND PEOPLE STILL HATE THINGS THAT NO ONE WILL SPEND A SECOND THINKING OF.
The Half-life 2 episodes are essentially The Lord of the Rings films of video games; They were way ahead of their time, they’re basically perfect in how they got everything so right, a series to such an immaculate standard hasn’t really been replicated since, they set the bar in how game changing they were and influenced everything that came after them in their industry and gamer/film culture respectively.
The only way that they aren’t similar in that respect is that the subsequent projects in the Half-Life universe have lived up to the same standard, can’t wait to see your playthrough of Half-Life: Alyx 😁
The reason they never made an episode 3 was because valve felt like they couldn't add anything to make it feel new or live up to those standards.
48:50
It makes me happy to see the bridge scene get a minute long section. They crafted that level so well, it instilled a fear of heights for the duration when I played the game the first time. Definitely a memorable experience.
The moment the train started passing overhead, mixed with the music and ambience, I knew this was something special
dawg that section with low fps is hell
i fucking spit coffee on my keyboard when you got rekt by that poison zombie in ravenholm, 10/10 it was worth it
First timers being absolutely sprung by the poison zombies/crabs is basically a requirement of the original experience..and the trauma it deserves.
I was genuinely speechless hahaha, I can’t believe that happened
i still get jumpscared by that
I was speechless aswell lmao
Which time lol
"Triage at Dawn" absolutely bangs. It's a shame it's just one small little part where you hear it, but man. It's so good.
That is an actual fact, confirmed by science: the music of Half-Life slaps
slow light better
You don’t even wanna know how mad I was when I looked up the song and there wasn’t a longer version 💀
@@kel_skihey man, I have some information that I think you will like :)
Search “Path Of borealis”
Love you, I hope you will have good listenings
@HandsomeTissue there's also a somewhat orchestral cover by Ursine Vulpine, composed for "The Final Hours of Half-Life Alyx"
i love father gregory. encountering him feels like running into the protagonist of an entirely different game
ITS GRIGORI! PUT SOME RESPECT ON THE FATHER'S NAME!
48:18 Have you heard of this game called Black Mesa? Its a source engine fan remake of the first half life. And it does just that, and then some
He already mentioned that in the HL 1 video (Not the expansions)
Freeman has a best voice lines
" *Crowbar hit* *crowbar hit* "
You mean *konk konk*?
@@DontTouchMahPie YES
Gordon actually has the worlds longest mewing streak
No wonder how he defeated doctor brain
Well you know how they say "don't talk to me until I've had my coffee"? Gordon Freeman was running late for work, so he didn't have time to grab some on his way to the test chamber. And then the resonance cascade happened, and he definitely didn't have time for coffee, and the moment it was over he was put in stasis. He never gets the opportunity
After many weeks in development, the half life 2 video is finally done. We hope you enjoy it. Kelski Software™ (Can't wait for the movie session that this video is lol.)
Kelski Software 💀
5:38 Bro, I cannot BELIEVE you referenced Combine Project Dancin. I loved working on it with the creator Apex, and I really enjoyed this video as well!
It’s such a banger video haha, cheers to you guys for doing fantastic work!!
My favorite part about the intro to half-life 2 is that the opening sequence was psychedelic and very dream-like. It makes you question whether you were dreaming on that train or placed there. The first NPC you see then says "I didn't see you get on." It's all part of that "show, don't tell" design philosophy.
53:04 funny enough, their screams also really close to the Russian phrase "ебать больно" ("fuck it hurts"), which is also pretty convenient considering the fact, that the City-17 located somewhere in the Eastern Europe
Also sound exactly like "Hjælp mig" ("help me") in danish
EIther easter egg that it sounds like multiple different, "im in fucking distress" in different languages. or valve actually planned it out
It's located in Bulgaria so that's spot on
Lol - to me it sounds a lot like "Hilfe Feuer" in German (not in reverse of course)
Bro, I'm 34 years old I played hl2 when it came out. Your honest admiration for the game seriously brought tears to my eyes at various points throughout the video. U are a fucking legend man. I'm glad I found your channel
That’s awesome man, I can’t even imagine how many minds this blew when it first came out. Its quality truly still stands toe to toe with the current giants. Thank you for watching dude 🙏
@@kel_skiyou know you miss the first vort appearance. It was right at the start of the game when u get off the train. He was sweeping the floor.
@@kel_ski I was also there when Half-Life 2 came out. My dad told me about a game where you could interact with/do almost anything. I was still playing Call of Duty 1 (2003) on my PC. When Doom 3, Far Cry, and Half-Life 2 came out, that was it for me. Half-Life 2 looked like real life simulated on a Pentium processor and an ATI Radeon card.
@@av3nger3 I will never ever forget this time. It was bat shit insane man. I still struggle to explain how crazy cool that was back in the day. And then crysis1 happened. I used farcry1 cryengine that came with the game for the years between farcry and crysis1. Then I used the crysis1 editor to mod the game. Nice to find a fellow gamer. Do u think we can get kelski to play farcry1?
I would recommend Doom 3, Star Wars Republic Commando, Far Cry, and the HL2 episodes
wake up mr kelski
all streams were epic
And smell the ashes
@@Gordon_Freeman_crowbar hey mr santa weapon guy, mental asylum
Rise and shine Mr Kelski
Rise and shine corporal kelski
For anyone wanting to know the banger song at 2:47. The song is "Apprehension And Evasion"
youre the best person i ever saw.
I’m glad he had a little part in the video focused on the bridge scene. As scary as ravenholm was, durring my first playthrough i honestly just went through and got it done and never really focused on the story telling of ravenholm. But the bridge genuinely scared me so much just from the atmosphere just like he said. The part where you are just alone and have to slowly inch across it knowing one wrong move will kill you, along side all the background noise genuinely scared me more than anything in this game and i will always find that one small part of the game more scary than ravenholm just because of how i had my first playthrough.
I remember the release day of Half-Life 2. I was maximum 5 years old that day. I had my big brother, who was 17 at that moment. We were camping for the opening in our local game store. Our parents hardly let us skip school that day just for the release of the game. It was incredible and I enjoyed every second of it. You are very late to Half-Life franchise but still, you managed to play it. Also I would like to you see your documentry on both episodes like you said in the end of the video.
addressing the fact that gun variety is small without saying anything about the tiny enemy pool is a crime
I actually did have a section about that, but the video was already an hour long 🥲
Kinda falls in line with what I said about Xen. The game severely was missing some more organic alien monsters
I feel this. I miss my Bullsquids and Houndeyes
@@kel_skioh, it's ok though, it turned out to be an astonishing video after all and yeah sorry I kinda forgot about that. btw thanks for the great effort kelski, your content is amazing
Depending on how you count, Half-Life 2 has the same number of enemies, or more enemies than Half-Life 1
I would say that the encounter variety made up for the lack of enemy variety in spades though.
bro I've been watching Kelski since his first video about TF2, almost 2 years later he is close to 200k subs, high-quality videos, editing, production, and streams and this video is the best one so far in my book, congratulations Kelski, I'm taking your cooking license away, and promote you to certified chef. keep on cooking!!!
I prophesise my man to get at least 3 million subs. I have been on on YT since 2005 when Smosh put out Boxman so i know.
thank you for being one of the OGs on the chanel deni 🙏
@@kel_ski You will achieve success, but only if thou playeth Furi.
Same here:)
I started with the tf2 video, and stayed for Kelski!
Dude FOR REAL, haven't not laughed or enjoyed a single video, all bangers and you can feel the damn passion.
22:58 can’t believe they got Dr. House himself to mocap for this game
I was 12 when I've played this game and I remember it just simply blew me away. I haven't played HL1 at that point, so this was my entry to the franchise...and what an entry it was. I always loved the little details in games - opening taps and flushing toilets, opening cabinets, seeing the empty pistol clips and bullet shells on the floor, playing minigames, destroy environmental objects (From Duke Nukem 3D and Resident Evil 2 through Serious Sam, Metal Gear Solid 2, Red Faction and Max Payne) I was in LOVE with all of them. But I never thought about how important difference Physics actually make in games. Half- Life 2 showed that to me. I remember in my first 2 hours or so I was just messing around with boxes, cans, hitting shapes and drawings in the wall with my crowbar, playing with water, and then the freakin gravity gun came into play... Ever since I was 5 I loved videogames. But Half-Life 2 was that beauty who just took my world by storm. I wish that the Source engine was utilized better in other games such as Vampire: Bloodlines (which came out the same day as this powerhouse), because I think the best games are from this era.
49:12 i love how he goes from funny stuff like barney getting in front of the exit getting him killed or something to sounding like a poet
19:27 wait till bro hears about Half Life Alyx
I've beaten hla and can confirm they look like chickens
He was literally referencing half life alyx
I’m dreading playing that 🫠
@@kel_ski It is an absolute master piece ! If you love the level design and atmosphere in HL2 then HL Alyx will litterally blow your mind just as badly~!
I would also recommand checking out black mesa, HL1's remastered counter part.
There's also an insane amount of godlike community made mods that introduces full on custom campaigns, some even playing as the combine ( entropy zero ) and more!
HL2, the base game, scratches the surface of what the source engine creator suite is capable of and with two decades rest assured this community created absolute gems!
I am so thrilled that you get to experience all of them for the first time! Looking forward to all your future half life content KelSki !
hes gonna have a love hate relationship with half life alyx. i loved my first playthrough but man that game is easily the worst half life game. they put so many limitations in that game because its VR. he should play hl2 vr mod after he plays alyx because man valve kinda dropped the ball when making that game. the worst offender in hla is the way ammo works in that game and there only being 3 weapons and no melee function.
Your journey through Half Life 2 was seriously one of the most entertaining and genuinely funny times I've had watching someone else play a game. The fact that I just happened to stumble upon your channel at the exact time you started playing was like one of these rare times when the universe aligned for a single brief moment. I will almost certainly go back and rewatch the whole thing at some point in the future, which is kind of insane to think about. Your personality plus the chat wove together it's own story that naturally and very organically grew and expanded out.
I hope you do feel the need to tackle the episodes in this same format. Episode 2 is something I have kept returning to sporadically since it's initial release, just to have fun experimenting with and setting personal challenges. Much love, mate.
I still remember half life 2 for GORGEOUS FREEMAN!
gone but not forgotten
Next installment when?
@@ShindlersPist never
@unoriginalperson72 i need more copium
Omg gorgeous freeman, the tragedy that there are no more episodes...
man I will never stop preaching about “We Don’t Go to Ravenholm”
out of every game I’ve played, that chapter alone tops any other sections I’ve ever played in any game. That chapter alone is my main motivation for replaying the game 5-6 times at this point.
The computers were literally exploding (iirc) before Freeman shunted that crystal in, I don' think he's (solely) to blame.
That hitting a bird with an explosive barrel shot gotta be an achievement called: Wait what? "Hit a bird with an explosive barrel"
The VR mod for this game was so good. The revolver felt even better.
I need to try it!!
@@kel_ski You did mention how much more terrifying this would be in VR. The kicker is, it exists.
I guess the Half Life drain just doesn't want to run out of water.
It's now my definitive way to play HL2, the level of immersion is honestly insane.
@@thiccjerry5232 It felt like playing it for the first time. That intro section in VR, G Man right up next to your face, getting off the train and slowly looking touching listening to every single little detail, walking up to each NPC and touching them to hear dialogue, I spent a good amount of time there.
Also one of the times I played it I must have had some VR seated boundary setting messed up so I felt very low to the ground, it felt like I was playing as a feral cat in City 17, pretty damn awesome
10:30 this part was done on purpose soo that u would look at the thing happening instead of listing to mossman soo that u would care more about alyx since She dosen't have stuff to discract u during the elevator
Jokes on the game, I already cared about Alyx more
49:45 - what I love about this moment is the lack of a greater challenge proves to the player that just traversing it is enough challenge; even though you are attacked by an helicopter, but at this moment you've dealt with that many times, it's just standard gordon life by now, so in the end everything is about the place.
1:47 Man, I just realized that one of my favorite games of all time released just a single week before I was born.
That's wild man.
13:13 theres actually recorded lines in the files where the citizens shout: we trusted you
The ability to kill friendlies was taken out pretty late into the game, I think it was because they couldn’t find a reliable lore friendly way to keep it
@@TheFoolish727vorts where meant to fight during thr uprising aswell
@@denifnaf5874 I know, I so wish that was implemented into the final game
Bro I’m SO GLAD you finally covered hl2. It’s one of the games of all time and my personal favorite. I was SOOO ready for you to talk about it
I played this game when I was 7, and I've lost count of how many times I played through it. The fact games now don't do their homework makes me so mad. This game wasn't lightning in a bottle, it was a meticulously crafted masterpiece from start to finish, it is a masterclass of game design
Dude. I saw your video and I thought "ok... 1 hour. I can watch it as I do the dishes and stuff". I often watch videos when doing house chores. But with your video I couldn't... It's just so well edited and funny that I had to watch it without distractions. Congratz! :)
I have never been able to get Half life 2 and now, more than ever due to having GMod and understanding the amazing physics of Valve, I want to be able to experience this game.
1 hour, bro did not disappoint.
Hope it’s 1 hour of quality 🙏
@@kel_ski bet
PLEASE do EP1 and 2! I haven't played those since I was a teenager and I would love to see someone experience them for the first time.
What’s crazy is this game is TWNETY YEARS OLD and I just played thru the campaigns of HL2 and HL2 Ep 1 with the HL VR mod (unleashed, of course) and holy shit it’s BETTER GAMEPLAY than almost any other modern VR game. Timeless masterpiece
Fun fact, when you find combine soldier standing with his back to you, not noticing you, you can oneshot him in the back of the head with pistol. (only pistol) and magnum of crouse , but the pistol offers unique execution mechanic that not many players know about, but some mods use as gameplay twist...
"I'm sure the immense success will spawn many more games to continue this story and come to a satisfying conclusion" yeah about that
It is here
Enjoy
What are you doin dr kleiner
@@kel_skiHE COOKED
First time going through RavenHolm: Gets the achievement "We don't go through Ravenholm" , easy, enjoyable, gravity gun goes phaum, saw goes brrrr(Free playtime is over, thanks for letting me play for free on 2020 uncle valve)
Second time trying to go with guns and full awareness: Screams in español
Good vid, as usual. Excellent quality
something i also loved in this game is the combine soldiers talking, in french version their lines are masterpieces
Just finished watching the Vods, wish I could have seen it live! Just discovered your channel as I recently got back into half life and am replaying the games. Love your channel dude!!!
You should try out community made Half-Life mods. Like Entropy: Zero, where you play on the opposite side of the conflict, or Black Mesa, a complete remake of the original Half-Life.
The other 2 episodes are honestly such an amazing continuation of the HL2 storyline and adds so more to the world of HL that wouldnt expect. I highly recommend you carry on the with the 2 episodes
he already has played the episodes about a month or two ago, go to his live section
@@hibutima3 Oh damn thanks bro
Oof, every so often i find a new hour long video about half life 2 being the bomb diggity, the cats ass, the ultimate game of all time. I then look at the calendar and see that its been 20 years since it came out and then i realize that i got to experience half life 1 & 2 as a middle schooler and now there people in their 20s who are just getting to experience it for the first time. My first video game tattoos were a head crab and the combine clamp and that was just 3 years after it came out.
Im glad i can watch people play this game for the first time and enjoy it just as much as i did 2 decades ago.
It’s a great game really enjoying my time with it, I’m not finished it yet myself, think I’m into the final third of the game
YOOOOO. I remember seeing all the HL2 streams, you DID do some stuff, people with dozens of hours didn't know were even possible or in the game (like the Gman sighting right after Ravenholm). The video is amazing, truly. No wonder you had to delay it, it's peak.
And yes, definetely cover the episodes please!
Fun watching your stream playing this game bro, played it when I was 16yrs old in 2004, mind was blown, amazing how this game still holds
I personally like the Half Life 2 weapon Sandbox a lot more, because every weapon always feels useful. In Half Life 1 you just get 5 billion different weapons, which just aren't useful at any point in the Game. Like yeah, Snarks are fun, but especially for newer players, no niche in combat is filled better or at all by any other Weapon than the Smg, Shotgun, pistol, Grenades and sometimes Satchel Charges
Watching you playing that masterpiece for the first time threw me back so much, your streams kinda felt like you gave me a chance to experience it like I never played it 20 times already, I enjoyed every second of you fucking around in this world with random shit, had as much fun watching you through your journey (even tho its not over yet) as you did. You are amazing Kelski
"It makes me sad that I will never play something like this ever again"
Entropy : Zero 1, 2 and Uprising: *Dr. Livesey Phonk Walking to Kelski's house*
Oh and that includes Half-Life Alyx, Minerva Metastasis, Dark Interval, Raising The Bar: Redux, Coterminus, MMOD, Any good quality Half-Life mod in all honesty.
Black mesa
....Crack-Life
Those mods are great, but pretending they are on the same level as Valve's games is just setting him up for disappointment
@@ChimpPeensRevunge Crack-Life's gonna get him instant demonitized so that mod's off-limits.
@@johndexterzarate6663 us hat in time fans are sane and can be trusted with game reviews:
Man, this is the rare case where I caught you streaming this playthrough (or very recent recordings at a time), watched them with just some occasional skips and watching this vid wasn't at all overlapping with what I've seen, such a well done edit, we MUST get another one for the episodes! And Portal... and Portal 2 as well, no doubt
I remember in 2004 I was in 8th grade. Playing HL2 was incredible back then. Specifically I remember traversing under the massive bridge. I was confused on where to go and thought there’s no way it wants me to traverse the beams under the bridge?? It seemed so different than other games I had played. When I went thru under the bridge I was blown away. There’s much more that blew my mind all those years ago in this game. It has been my comfort game ever since. I replay it at least once a year and currently playing it handheld on the steam deck is pretty awesome (Also plz cover episode 1-2)
It's not just a masterpiece. It's the best game ever made and easily the best fps game ever made.
44:19
man i love *text*
text
@@kel_ski yoooo you're a real one! Your video was amazing and hilarious! And I'm glad you got to enjoy a first time half life 2 experience! I'll make sure to watch the unedited videos later on. But I really enjoyed this! Thanks for making it
i came here for text and I left happy
@@johnbd9765 same here, that's the best part
Kelski watching you play my favorite game series is an absolute joy, and I would love to see from you a video about the episodes, because the ending of episode two is a core part of the experience while waiting for Alyx.
1:10 KELSKI HAS PLAYED PIKMIN 2??? MY FAVORITE GAME OF ALL TIME???
Ngl putting all the funnys aside, G-mans speech after playing a HL game really works well, it reminds you of Gordons place in the series
Its funny how almost every early 2000s game looks like shit and then half life 2 comes out looking like a van gogh painting
yeah and also gamecube games look good
Ive watched all of those hl2 livestreams of yours and this one really did worth waiting.
YOU FORGOT CERRY THE CRANE FROM THE LIVESTREAM
OH MY GOD YOURE RIGHT
FFFFFFFFFF I loved that part too haha
What an absolute classic of a video, you really outdid yourself with this one Kelski! The streams were an absolute blast as well, just an overall fantastic experiance!
I’ve played a bunch of horror games, but every time I play HL2, the sense of relief I feel once I’m through Ravenholm is incredible.
while half life 1's story was "get the fuck out of black mesa as fast as you can" half life 2's story is just an average day in eastern europe
a quote by Kelski
Glad i was there to watch you play it live
based for watching it live
@@kel_ski i didnt know you existed but im watching the vod
3:39 "freeman you fool"
this video was the most hyped i felt all year please please make some videos on the episodes
haha I’m glad, hope it was worth it!
19:25
“I can’t even imagine what these would look like in VR.”
boy oh boy do i have a story for you
The fast zombies are the only thing to genuinely terrify me in a video game. Watching the ravenholm section of your video was chilling!
btw in 2021/2022 there was a leaked project of ep4 i think, projects name was return to ravenholm and you get to play as adrian shepard ,the creators of the project saw that the fans liked it so they asked if we wanted to play it as a demo or dlc or smthn but sadly it got only 2000 (or 20,000 dont remember) votes and they thout that the fans didnt wan it as a real thing for some reason and it wasnt worth the truble, so they abandond the project
:(
hell yes, please cover the episodes. Going through this journey with you has been a lot of fun so far, even if I have played these games to death already since 2007 with the orange box. Super glad I got recommended your channel, man! Gonna check some of your other game reviews/ video essays out now!
19:28 *Half-Life Alyx*
Oh yeah, he hasn't even gotten to that game yet and boy is he in for a surprise
31:16 “Vehicle section, brand new to the series.”
Hl1’s on a rail’s train car
Something I realized on a playthrough recently was that one of the reasons that the game feels more modern than it is is that the art is just so good (and so much better than most games) that it makes the graphics look smoother than they are
That is not lung capacity,that shows the amount of suit boost in terms of oxygen,when it empies,you start to actualy hold ur breath
Why would you take damage while holding your breath though?
@ic0nic707 you try to breathe water
54:20 I am convinced that all poison zombies were retired hard mode human grunts from Half-Life 1. Think about it, how they throw the poison headcrabs like how they throw grenades and their insane @$$ HP.
I haven't played Half-Life 2 in over a decade.
I first played it not long after release - though I didn't know that at the time. Between 2005 and 2012ish, I must have played through the campaign 3-5 times a year. After episodes 1 & 2 came out, they got tacked on. I have Half-Life 2, Episode One, and the Orange Box all separately as physical media. I remember when Steam was *green* and the store didn't exist yet.
It was the formative gaming experience of my life. In the years since, every game I play has been measured against Half-Life 2. Many have done well. Halo, GTA: San Andreas, Skyrim, and Fallouts 3 & NV. But none have had the same effect.
Half-Life 2 has shaped the way I read books. The way I watch TV and Movies. There are entire genres of music that give me Half-Life 2 flashbacks. When the music hits at 43:00, I get a chill, and a deep creeping unease. The world of Half-Life 2 is so bleak I can't revisit it. But, it makes it possible to look at the world about me, and see the silver linings.
For most of my life now, I have been touched by Half-Life 2. I cannot explain it. And, I am so glad to see that others are finding it.
If anyone has the originals, they would do the world a favour by uploading Goose Goose's commentaries on Half-Life 2 and its episodes. They are existential in a way I have no words to describe.
Kelly Bailey is one of the reasons I'm at school at Berklee studying electronic music and sound design
My favorite game. 3 playthroughs a year or so and it still kicks ass. Nothing else like it.
I’ve played through Ravenholm so much that it’s become less scary and immersive for me and it’s basically a theme park. It’s so fun.
I played this game for the first time too this year and HOLY SHIT THE GRAVITY GUN IS PURE DOPAMINE
Half life 2 has been my favorite game ever since the original orange box with portal and tf2
While everybody was obsessed with "FART-NITE'' i was playing Half Life 2 like a man
Majority of my deaths in Half Life 2 were from me rushing into a room or an area, getting shot and dying because i wasn't paying attention.
Then i actually start thinking about how i can approach the fight
The part where he plays APPREHENSION AND EVASION has led me to believe he should working at VALVe making gameplay trailers. 2:43
one must wish for episode 3
My boyfriend wouldn't stop referencing your videos, upon watching this one to completion, I now see why.
10/10, subscribed.
That's awesome! What exactly does he reference? I'm actually curious lol
Mostly shows me the edits and, how just...flawless they are. Like, genuinely. This is some of the best content i've seen in years. Like, absolutely perfect humor, while still keeping the tone of, well, a review. Keep it up man, I'll be sure to consistently watch when I can.
19:19 LAMARR MENTIONED 🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀
Yes. Please make videos on the episodes! I am starving for more quality long form Half-Life content!
I think I have watched every decent Half-Life retrospective, deep dive, and iceberg video out there, I require more!