Half-Life's Often Overlooked Details

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2018
  • Patreon: / leadheadyt
    Discord: / discord
    Second Channel: / porkbrain
    Twitter: / leadheadyt
    We all know Half-Life is a revolutionary game, but there are a lot of tiny details and human touches that I feel like go under discussed. This videos the first of a double feature about the two main Half-Life games.
    For the section about the cockroach AI, I used footage from youtuber MarphitimusBlackimus. All his videos are worth a view. / @marphitimusblackimus
    The music in this video is from MF DOOM's "Metal Fingers Presents: Special Herbs"
  • เกม

ความคิดเห็น • 682

  • @ethanlivemere1162
    @ethanlivemere1162 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1276

    "The HECU are pretty smart"
    HECU: puts grenade at his feet, yells "FIRE. IN. THE. HOLE." as he stands still

    • @therealbubble4696
      @therealbubble4696 4 ปีที่แล้ว +77

      Hey, dont blame the man! He's just got 100 Hev and is trying to do a grenade launch like gordon. Its a legitemate tactic.

    • @Nevermore2790
      @Nevermore2790 3 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      "The HECU are pretty smart."
      [Watching Freeman's Mind, and soldiers even try to blow themselves up or blowing each other up, or doing stupid things.]
      HECU #1: "Squad, quiet down."
      HECU #2: "Negative."
      Gordon: "Squad, quiet down. Negative. Alright! Works for me! I am to happy to know where everyone is!"
      [Later, as he killed an HECU Marine as he puts down a grenade that gibbed that soldier upon being dead.]
      Gordon: "Did that guy ran into his own grenade? Or someone in the shadows THROW one AT HIM? OR, was he charging me suicide bomber style and get his timing wrong? Is this HOW WE TRAIN THEM as SUICIDE BOMBERS? So many questions..."

    • @Snotnarok
      @Snotnarok 3 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      @@Nevermore2790 Well, to be fair that's Half Life: Source. Which is notoriously buggy. It's insane how bad that remaster is.

    • @Nevermore2790
      @Nevermore2790 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@Snotnarok The squad, quiet down one is in Half-Life: Uplink.... done on Goldsrc.

    • @Snotnarok
      @Snotnarok 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@Nevermore2790 I'm referring to Freeman's Mind. It's entirely made in Half Life Source as far as I know. Ross Scott had specific reasons for filming the Source version vs the OG one

  • @aplix747
    @aplix747 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1580

    Community: The soldiers in this game don't even sound real. They sound like scary space cyborg people who are trying to take over the world
    Valve: Interesting.....

    • @marcusfraser2790
      @marcusfraser2790 4 ปีที่แล้ว +101

      Valve: Wow. It's almost as if the fan base see the combine the way we intended. How about that?

    • @WingMaster562
      @WingMaster562 4 ปีที่แล้ว +63

      @@marcusfraser2790
      Shepard : "What's a Combine?"

    • @Aereton
      @Aereton 4 ปีที่แล้ว +105

      German community: Wait they were human soldiers??

    • @replytothisifyouhavedumb7250
      @replytothisifyouhavedumb7250 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      aereton *excuse me*

    • @brigittestembergar2594
      @brigittestembergar2594 3 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@marcusfraser2790 No, they were talking about HECU soldiers not Combine soldiers

  • @henrikaleksandernilsen6388
    @henrikaleksandernilsen6388 3 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    It kinda bothers me when someone say it's Gordon's fault for causing the resonance cascade. Yes, he was the one who pushed the sample into the beam, but someone higher up was making the decision, and they said the risk would be low. Plus, he was just doing his job so he could support his family in the end of the day.

    • @cometojesus1187
      @cometojesus1187 ปีที่แล้ว

      Uhh

    • @osalty4181
      @osalty4181 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      YEAH LIKE, Gordon literally just did what he was told to do, how could him know that shit was bout to happen

    • @rsho3472
      @rsho3472 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yeah, it is what I thought from the start, it really bothers because it really isn't Gordon's faulth, like it isn't a developers faulth that TAKE TWO DON'T WANT TO UPDATE RED DEAD ONLINE, or Valve not wanting devs to pour resources in old games.
      How did I end up talking about developers when I was talking about a resonance cascade? I don't know

    • @vibaj16
      @vibaj16 ปีที่แล้ว

      It's really G-man's fault, but it is in some part Eli's fault for not aborting the test

    • @fireknight2888
      @fireknight2888 ปีที่แล้ว

      if you were told if you push a button and it ends world hunger byt instead it kills 6b humans are you yo blame or the man who told you to do it

  • @ayeitburns1
    @ayeitburns1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +520

    The fact that there are no cutscenes or transitions is so great. Narratively we are Gordon, as you say, but also there is no taking the controller out of the player's hands and forcing them to watch a cutscene - there is no break in the gameplay.

    • @thetrashmann8140
      @thetrashmann8140 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      There is 1 cutscene when Gordon gets captured but it was most likely to show off how the engine Half-Life uses (GoldSRC) could have in engine cutscenes other wise it probably wouldn't be there and move the narrative forward.

    • @NotASpyReally
      @NotASpyReally 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      The same happens in Portal 1 & 2 and that's why these are my favorite games ever (Half Life and Portal)

    • @EnigmaGameMaster
      @EnigmaGameMaster 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Devs: *Are literally too lazy to program and animate cutscenes.*
      Valve fanboys: OMG THIS IS REVOLUTIONARY, NOBODY HAS EVER DONE THIS BEFORE
      DOOM (1993): bruh

    • @joshgab7827
      @joshgab7827 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      @@EnigmaGameMaster yes but the story here is presented and told, doom has the mentality of you man, you shoot

    • @joshgab7827
      @joshgab7827 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@EnigmaGameMaster yes exactly half life was this cool exciting thing because at the time it was a game that told a story which made some sense, doom is the polar opposite since the first Doom had the intention to show that story isnt needed in a game where half life then did the opposite by showing story as one of it's strong points

  • @fart4192
    @fart4192 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1386

    this guy speaks in lowercase

  • @LambdaHidden
    @LambdaHidden 4 ปีที่แล้ว +97

    What Half-Life did that made it so legendary was basically take new (already existing, but not well known or implemented) ideas, concepts and tech and mix them together in a perfectly executed performance. Every key component of HL1 had already been introduced in other games before, such as System Shock, but it was Half-Life that brought them together and showed the world their true potential.

    • @AdamBartholomew
      @AdamBartholomew 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Hi, I'm haven't played Half Life but I've played a fair amount of System Shock. I'm curious, what were the ideas that were carried over? If you don't mind me asking.

    • @jaxm3584
      @jaxm3584 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Halflife to me was the game. Might be biased because it was my childhood. But I still feel like it set the bar and was way ahead of its time

  • @juzzapm3252
    @juzzapm3252 4 ปีที่แล้ว +343

    “An exercise in tactical combat that’s hardly been matched sense!” Proceeds to shoot stationary soldier in the back for 2 seconds

    • @parknplay8328
      @parknplay8328 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      since*

    • @okie9025
      @okie9025 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@parknplay8328 huh?

    • @parknplay8328
      @parknplay8328 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@okie9025 he misspelled 'since' as 'sense'

    • @ArtificialDjDAGX
      @ArtificialDjDAGX 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      since, not sense!

    • @QuintessentialWalrus
      @QuintessentialWalrus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Yeah... I like Half-Life as much as the next guy, but the word "perfect" should never be anywhere near this game. This whole video sounds like it was written by Leadhead while Gabe Newell was pointing a gun at him.

  • @jebise6656
    @jebise6656 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1072

    youtube recommending me this after 2 years is the best thing that happened to me all day

    • @dewhiterabbit1337
      @dewhiterabbit1337 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Same

    • @koona1992
      @koona1992 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep same here...

    • @zoma7506
      @zoma7506 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Was going to say the exact same thing.

    • @georgerobinson4654
      @georgerobinson4654 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      It's only been a year?

    • @jebise6656
      @jebise6656 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@georgerobinson4654 look at the upload date

  • @fireaza
    @fireaza 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    I think Half-Life: Alyx improved on the headcrab vulnerability in you mentioned. By having them take a tumble when they miss, it's clear they're in a vulnerable state, vs seeing them land normally, but they have to slowly turn around. It's also pretty funny!

  • @BazilRat
    @BazilRat 4 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    No game has ever felt like that first Half Life run.

    • @SemperSmash
      @SemperSmash ปีที่แล้ว

      @@aproe610 Too confusing? Half-Life is one of the most linear games of all time. You literally just follow the path laid out for you and blast everything you come into contact with. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

    • @bruhsauce644
      @bruhsauce644 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      second run was my most enjoyable run, cause i had a hang of things and used every tool to its fullest potential

  • @user-tzzglsstle585e38
    @user-tzzglsstle585e38 4 ปีที่แล้ว +370

    One another overlooked thing about hl is the fact that you aren't Doomguy, you're Gordon, just a scientist trying to survive and with that, there are many parts of the game where you're supposed to think things through if you don't want to die and not just charge like a tank.
    Also, Gina and Colette is also responsible for the resonance cascade for sending Gordon the crystal.

    • @thetrashmann8140
      @thetrashmann8140 4 ปีที่แล้ว +118

      In Blue Shift the story isn't as great nor is the gameplay but I believe it was on purpose to make you feel not important as you are just a security officer, you took no part in the incident nor were you sent in to stop it; you just happened to clock in on that day and everything went to hell.

    • @user-tzzglsstle585e38
      @user-tzzglsstle585e38 4 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      @@thetrashmann8140 whoa, that's very interesting

    • @BazilRat
      @BazilRat 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@thetrashmann8140 yes! I loved that.

    • @nexusshark
      @nexusshark 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      But it was G-Man who brought the crystal to Black Mesa.

    • @greenhowie
      @greenhowie 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@nexusshark G-Man helped them discover Xen initially but the crystal was brought back by the Black Mesa recon team.

  • @Jell-o-cide
    @Jell-o-cide 4 ปีที่แล้ว +323

    Talks about how well combat with HECU works.
    Shows them standing in place and doing absolutely jackshit while under fire.
    I agree with the point but it threw me off.

    • @Zmeeed01
      @Zmeeed01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      When I see enemies in HL1 just standing there and doing nothing when I shoot them I just assume the pain shock from your attacks keep them stunned. Not a big deal for me considering HL1 puts a lot of stress on the player's imagination,

    • @thetrashmann8140
      @thetrashmann8140 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      They can do 1 action at a time, therefore it most likely due to the game either not registering the hits (but is doing damage to them) or they are repeatedly doing an action which isn't happening or rather registering.

    • @RayGarraty1985
      @RayGarraty1985 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      That must have happened because of an update that Valve released for "Steam version of Half-Life which ended up "breaking" the game and turning it into a mess.
      I own the original "Half Life: Platinum Collection" and the original "Half Life: Blue Shift" games that came out for PC in the early 2000's and i have to say that the HECU soldiers in those games are some of the meanest, most challenging enemies that i have encountered in a video or computer game.
      The way they managed to surround and put me in a world of hurt always ended up making me nervous, whenever i walked or ran down a corridor and heard their radio chatter from a couple of feet away before turning a corner and facing them.
      These guys were a real challenge for me. They even appeared to have auto aim on at all times and could take the same amount of punishment(if not more) that you could take. And that was on the "Easy" difficulty.
      I even began to suspect that my game was broken at some point, when i originally played it due to how difficult they were to take down.
      Half-Life came out in 1998 but i didn't manage to get my hands on it and play it until 2001 or 2002. I still remember that in the FPS games that i played before playing Half-Life, human enemies would die from 2, 3, 4, 5 shots and not 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 like in the original Half-Life game.
      Hell!, the human enemies in HL 2 are easier to take down than the HECU in Half-Life and that's saying something.

    • @Jell-o-cide
      @Jell-o-cide 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@RayGarraty1985 Nah

    • @OpenMawProductions
      @OpenMawProductions 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Yeah, unfortunately the later releases of the original Half-Life are broken. The grunts in Half-Life used to be quite the force to be reckoned with. If you load up an unpatched version of Half-Life off the CD it's pretty incredible.

  • @TheAlienGangster
    @TheAlienGangster 4 ปีที่แล้ว +846

    Am I the only one that never uses the HD models? Retro models for life.

    • @kiyoumarou
      @kiyoumarou 4 ปีที่แล้ว +90

      I think most people use the retro ones

    • @morganrohlen8154
      @morganrohlen8154 4 ปีที่แล้ว +96

      No the game is not called life, you should have written “retro models for half-life”

    • @thescruffinator8830
      @thescruffinator8830 4 ปีที่แล้ว +43

      same, i never liked the newer models

    • @discochickvevo4118
      @discochickvevo4118 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      He meant it like “retro models for the rest of my life”. Douche.

    • @PebsBeans
      @PebsBeans 4 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      @@discochickvevo4118 r/woooosh

  • @deanzamboni7286
    @deanzamboni7286 4 ปีที่แล้ว +85

    The HL Soldiers were good, but I think they had too many hit-points for being human enemies.

    • @narrowgauge0727
      @narrowgauge0727 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      remember that they have a PCV, and actual armor and stuff

    • @alimertc
      @alimertc 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@narrowgauge0727 still too much hp

    • @scanbbb
      @scanbbb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@alimertc what about Gordon freeman? He is literally almost invincible.

    • @user-s9eu8ce9fw
      @user-s9eu8ce9fw 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@scanbbb HEV suit makes him a juggernaut.

    • @calyxman
      @calyxman 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@narrowgauge0727 I think that only Shepherd got the PCV.

  • @MadamWarper
    @MadamWarper 4 ปีที่แล้ว +219

    It’s a shame that this video isn’t as popular on your channel, it’s such a good video!

    • @bugjams
      @bugjams 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      I hate to sound critical, but he’d probably be more popular if he’d put more effort into sounding enthusiastic. He sounds pretty bored.

    • @bugjams
      @bugjams 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @Moolinyan
      No, I like this kinda stuff. But his voice sounds like he's reading off a script. Which to be fair, most youtubers do. But they at least make it sound like they aren't.

    • @PebsBeans
      @PebsBeans 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Leadhead's Often Overlooked Videos

    • @ForeverMan
      @ForeverMan 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The music is too loud

    • @jsncrso
      @jsncrso 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      The music is wayyyy to loud

  • @iameternalsunshine
    @iameternalsunshine 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I didn’t even understand the story the first time i played half life 2, I just played it because it was mechanically interesting to me.

  • @TheMrSeagull
    @TheMrSeagull 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Eh, gonna have to disagree with that whole "It's gordon's fault" statement. He wasn't the one who set the parameters for the test. Even if you don't take into account additional details from HL2, it's clear that the "administrator" provided the sample, and pushed the team to get results - which lead to the "105%" boost to the anit-mass spectrometer. Of course, the administrator was Breen, and we know Gman was involved as well.
    Gordon was acting more like a technician following procedure, he is no more at fault than the cart that held the sample.

    • @pyraffin
      @pyraffin 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Exactly. Everyone is always blaming Gordon, but we literally see the equipment break on the way there and the scientist say it wasn't designed for these levels. We hear them talk about the parameters and contemplating whether it's safe to continue. We learn that the administrator was the one who ordered them to push the limits and ignored safety standards despite scientists warning. We learn Gman provided the peculiarly "pure" sample.
      Hell, in the chamber before everything goes wrong a scientist points out odd fluctuations and brushes them off, telling Gordon to continue with standard insertion procedures.
      Gordon just did what his higher-ups said and pushed the cart into the beam. He wasn't the one to crank the machine up to 105% against saftey regulation, to keep going despite malfunctions, or provide the crystal.

  • @uddhavsrivilasan8460
    @uddhavsrivilasan8460 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    0:53 Oh, sweet foetal Jesus, he coaxes an HECU agent to throw a grenade and then tricks him into running into it

  • @downstream0114
    @downstream0114 4 ปีที่แล้ว +28

    Doesn't Thief (1998), released a month later, have literally those "must've been the wind" barks?

    • @atespeach5672
      @atespeach5672 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Shall we gather for whiskey and cigars tonight?

    • @youmukonpaku3168
      @youmukonpaku3168 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Metal Gear 2 already has (written rather than voice acted) barks and it was released in 1991.

    • @seanseanston
      @seanseanston 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@youmukonpaku3168 MGS1 was also released slightly earlier than Half-Life.

    • @humourousgaming6003
      @humourousgaming6003 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Another game I miss...

    • @QuintessentialWalrus
      @QuintessentialWalrus 3 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Yep. Half-Life did not invent "barks" by any stretch, and personally I don't think it did them well even by the standards of the time. The sentence mixing means you can barely understand the barks, which defeats the whole purpose of them.
      Plus, sometimes soldiers will awkwardly react to situations in total silence, e.g. shooting a stealthy SMG grenade at two oblivious soldiers who run away the instant you right click without saying a word. FEAR basically perfected the "bark" concept for a linear shooter and it makes Half-Life seem primitive in that regard.

  • @codaboi138
    @codaboi138 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    The HECU barks never felt unnatural to me. I always assumed the pauses between each word was so that they would hear each other clearly though the vocoder they use.

  • @becketclark9942
    @becketclark9942 4 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    So glad to have discovered your channel. Helping me through tough times. Watching it all now. Thank you for the great analysis and videos.

    • @JoinTheCyborgs
      @JoinTheCyborgs 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Do you need someone to talk to?

    • @becketclark9942
      @becketclark9942 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I am ok not suicidal or anything. The world is very depressing at the moment but i have family i love that i talk to when I'm getting really down. Great to hear y'all reaching out tho.

    • @JoinTheCyborgs
      @JoinTheCyborgs 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@becketclark9942 I'm glad you're doing alright. Family is really important during this time, especially since you're spending a long time with them inside. You seem pretty chill, wanna add me on insta or snapchat?

  • @goxy287
    @goxy287 4 ปีที่แล้ว +98

    Hard is really bulletspongy and artificially difficult. This is coming from someone who's played this game for last 10 years and knows every single thing about it.

    • @breadspy5974
      @breadspy5974 4 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      did you know there was a 2 watermelons cut from Half Life 2 Episode 2 because of lag issues?

    • @goxy287
      @goxy287 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@breadspy5974 no i didnt

    • @ZombieDeMierda
      @ZombieDeMierda 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Not at all, hard difficult activates some stuff, for example the behavior of assasin female, the time of the vortigaunts shocks, and other things that are subtle

    • @goxy287
      @goxy287 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@ZombieDeMierda I know but those a few and far between

    • @Pariahmary
      @Pariahmary 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Not if you aim for headshots, are you magdumping into their backs or something?

  • @Dmitrisnikioff
    @Dmitrisnikioff 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My dude, both SiN and Thief came out before Half Life and had enemies tell you their thoughts...

    • @defiraphi
      @defiraphi 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Sin underrated game

  • @CynUnion-ji9uj
    @CynUnion-ji9uj 4 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    "He can have any personality the players wants,"
    Well he could, but now, I can only think of Ross Scott's Freeman, i don't know when it happened, but at some point Freeman's Mind Gordon became what I think of when I think of Gordon Freeman.

    • @greenhowie
      @greenhowie 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      It weirdly fixes the dissonance of being a science nerd who zooms around the place destroying aliens with a crowbar.

  • @TARINunit9
    @TARINunit9 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I don't understand this notion that resources are "scarce" in Half Life 1. You are LOADED with ammo in that game! You can hold what, ten rifle grenades? Nine full reloads per gun? I didn't feel I was ever low on resources until 20 years later when Black Mesa Xen was released

    • @grammarmaid
      @grammarmaid 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      If you blaze through only the places in the game you're absolutely required to go, then resources can get tight in a few places. This is doubly true if: A) Your aim is lousy, or B) you're playing on Hard difficulty.
      If you spend even a few minutes looking for hidden paths, this becomes moot. So it's more a matter of playstyle that dictates the scarcity of ammo and health. I feel this is a testament to how good Half-Life is. The player sets their own pace.

    • @Beansman-gp3ws
      @Beansman-gp3ws 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@grammarmaid That, and using your other resources effectively. You're going to run out of ammo for your shotgun and SMG if they're the only weapons you use.

  • @DAClarkism
    @DAClarkism 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    What was mentioned about there not being a single time transition that Gordon doesn't perceive himself is part of the reason I think that Episode 3 never happened. The way Episode 2 ended painted the game into a corner where they would have had to violate that cardinal rule in some way, shape or form. Even though Gordon passes out at the end of Episode 2, what were the writers going to do? Have him wake up half way to where he was going next on a helicopter ride?

  • @MineMovieTR
    @MineMovieTR 6 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    your content is pretty good hope you keep it up

  • @seifsaad63
    @seifsaad63 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wait a goddamn minute there
    Gordon was the reason?
    The resonance cascade was a result of a miscalculation on one the purest but most unstable crystals brought from Xen to test it for teleportation
    Man hear the dialogues of the scientists before the accident it wasn’t Gordon’s fault IT WAS A MISCALCULATION

  • @matthewmagee6495
    @matthewmagee6495 4 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    "The second coming of Gordon Christ"
    Subbed.

  • @cupriferouscatalyst3708
    @cupriferouscatalyst3708 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love the part about the survival horror elements in this game. It's something I've noticed more each time I replay the game, and something I often bring up when people ask me why I like Half-Life (which happens a good amount since I work in game design). Arguably, all FPS games can potentially put you in spots of tension and panic, but I think there are many moments in Half-Life where you can really tell that it was intentionally conceived as a horror game. The enemy AI (which is also something that I'm really passionate about) definitely plays a huge part in that; facing a lot of these guys in large open spaces highlights how quickly you can get turned into minced meat from one wrong move, and even the headcrabs are terrifying when you're in a dark corridor and running low on health and ammo. The level design is the other half of what creates these moments: I think most areas would have a completely different feel to them if you just slightly increased the frequency of pickups and moved one or two walls around here and there to give the player more cover, a better overview of the area or more obvious spots where you could take advantage of the AI. This could easily make the player feel more like a bad ass action hero, or a very dangerous assassin (which is closer to the current experience, but those moments don't come too often).

  • @cusdu6349
    @cusdu6349 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    A timeless masterpiece. Back in the days, this is the game that made fall again into video games after 5 years without playing.

  • @dontworryhouston
    @dontworryhouston 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'm so sad they didn't use the same system for the Combine radio, it would've made even more sense, lobotomized soldiers trying to remember how to communicate

    • @bigstevie01
      @bigstevie01 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      That could have sounded so awesome and made complete thematic sense, it’s a real shame they didn’t go that route.

    • @flashpone7910
      @flashpone7910 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Tbf, the Combine still sound incredibly robotic. In fact, I think most of their dialogue is completely incomprehensible. I couldn't tell if it was human speech or text-to-speech for the longest time. The filter makes everything impossible to make out.

  • @plaidpvcpipe3792
    @plaidpvcpipe3792 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    1:39 Kind of like ARMA. "MAN, 300 METERS, WEST!"

  • @vxscarr
    @vxscarr 4 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    "overlooked details"
    instantly talks about HECU soldiers

    • @adamiadamiadami
      @adamiadamiadami 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      half the video he spends describing enemies.
      "headcrabs die in 3 shots with a glock on hard mode. they can overwhelm you when in group. blablablabla'

  • @sionfiction9566
    @sionfiction9566 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Good vid, but just to correct one point... Thief: The Dark Project was the first game to have NPC "Barks" be Player aware & I believe they were even more sophisticated than half life, it was certainly possibly for them to say things like... "Did that shadow move...", "there..." "by the staircase?". This is years before half life & was quite mindblowing & terrifying at the time. However Thief wasn't a huge seller & the feature remained largely confined to Stealth games until Half Life brought it to shooters [Metal Gear Solid certainly had it & I believe Splinter Cell]. However while I believe enemies "situational awareness" was higher in Thief than Half Life their actual in Combat AI was HOPELESS by comparison; Half Lifes flanking & cover aware enemies were groundbreaking. Only Unreal Tournaments Bots came close [although Bots are a very different type of tech - Oh how I miss Bots].
    Otherwise great vid. Thanks. Would like to see one about Thief series, or Bots!

  • @tedytarrify
    @tedytarrify 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Good appreciation for the game! Glad to be a part of such an enthusiastic community. Thank you for your video.

  • @HappyBeezerStudios
    @HappyBeezerStudios 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Pushing the lawnmower into the machine is the only real theoretical physicist part Gorden actually does.

  • @Rodan91
    @Rodan91 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is actually REALLY good!
    congrats!

  • @unfa00
    @unfa00 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I can never get enough of these Half-Life deep dives.

  • @simonmayled7830
    @simonmayled7830 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Got to say I wasn't expecting that MF DOOM beat to come on. Excellent video as well

  • @aleppo5398
    @aleppo5398 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Why am I getting this on my recommendation this late? I need more videos like this.

  • @thefunxion7693
    @thefunxion7693 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    DOOM instrumentals make this video a 10

  • @dan3a
    @dan3a 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    TH-cam algorithm brought me here, nice video btw, definitely subscribing

  • @chasny4588
    @chasny4588 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Great video!

  • @saisameer8771
    @saisameer8771 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    One of my favorite enemy behaviors would be the black ops assassins reacting to sound. I sometimes layout a bunch of traps, fire a gun and retreat back to cover. One of them would come to investigate and get blown up which would attract the remaining black ops. Then I use either the grenade launcher or magnum or shotgun or the crossbow to take them out quickly. I become an assassin to take out the assassins is basically what I am saying.

  • @ToxicBastard
    @ToxicBastard 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Imagine if the combine didn't miss on purpose, limit their aggression, have only 2 guys shooting and generally all the shit they do to let you win. Imagine them using medkits, secondary fires and suit batteries while playing to win.

  • @volvo145
    @volvo145 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The soldiers radio chatter sounds just awesome intimidating and just amazing those Marines are the best and I miss him and me first person shooter

  • @humourousgaming6003
    @humourousgaming6003 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I absolutely hated the Black Ops guys as a kid. I was so terrified of them. Looking at the clip, I didn't even know they could go invisible lol

  • @freddymurry9740
    @freddymurry9740 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I’m just gonna state but all the events in half life 1 and 2 and alyx are not Gordan freeman’s fault, it’s a mix between Wallace breen and the dude who is missing his legs
    Wallace breen increased the power usage past a stable amount even after he was told that was a bad idea and the dude missing his legs was warned about unforeseen consequences by the GMAN before the black mesa incident happened

  • @MillywiggZ
    @MillywiggZ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    RIP MFDOOM.
    Remember to keep your deathmatch chat on ALL CAPS.

  • @kgduder1231
    @kgduder1231 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Big ups for using a DOOM instrumental

  • @ThisIsAnAccount
    @ThisIsAnAccount 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm not the first, nor the last to say this: Half-Life is a lesson in everything from narrative direction, artistic direction, engineering genius and overall extremely high quality game design. Everything from the way the GoldSrc engine works under the hood, genius use of limitations to make brilliant playability decisions, great art direction even with limitations and well planned story. It's just so good. I think anyone and everyone, from the casual player to the war-torn dev can learn from Half-Life in some way or another.

  • @combatantlife
    @combatantlife 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Gordon lowering his firearms when facing an ally is indication that he does chose to side with the rebels.

  • @Techhunter_Talon
    @Techhunter_Talon 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    6:29 Cute huh? Did you know there's a small version of these guys hidden away in plain sight in Half-Life Alyx?

  • @judsongaiden9878
    @judsongaiden9878 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    2:17 The HECU have better AI than Combine soldiers.
    4:03 Hi-def changed the Glock to a Beretta. Maybe someone at Valve thought Half-Life needed even more Die Hard in it. Or maybe it was because the Beretta 92 (or M9) is even more universal than the Glock and would have been more likely to be the sidearm of the HECU while still being a legit choice for BMRF security personnel. Still, I prefer the original version's Glock because it's iconic of the '90s, the era when it really started to become a standard-setter on the US market.
    7:55 "NEYE-hill-anth." Europeans might pronounce it "NEE-hill-anth."
    9:16 He could always use the excuse that he was "just following orders." Alphys could have done that too.
    9:28 Unforgiving resource management?! I've never had trouble with resource management in OG Half-Life, even on the hardest do0mficulty. Granted, I have a knack for logistics. In Half-Life 2, you can pick and move items, so I always establish "base camps" and build stashes that I can return to if needed. In Half-Life 2, that's not as necessary as it is in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. Resource management has always been one of my favorite things about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (and also Borderlands). You're free to organize yourself, your gear, and your journey as you see fit.

  • @lupaloops4166
    @lupaloops4166 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That MF DOOM beat in the background though.

  • @x7lbgamingx
    @x7lbgamingx 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love that you used that jetson song early in the vid

  • @ieatgarbage8771
    @ieatgarbage8771 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I also like the fact that Gordon is the perfect frame for the story. He’s a 27 year old with a doctorate from MIT working at an advanced government research center. While this does give him a certain level of skill and power, he also has to deal with huge amounts of debt, trapping him and forcing him to do exactly what he’s told to even if he’s forced into very dangerous environments.

  • @skazo4nick1994
    @skazo4nick1994 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    looks like someone didn`t heard about System Shock

  • @narrowgauge0727
    @narrowgauge0727 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    another cool detail about the HECU is that they dont actully want to kill the scientists, but are ordered too
    "monsters? sure, but civilians? who ordered this operation anyway?"

  • @Josh-ii7mg
    @Josh-ii7mg 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    i know this is a 2 year old video. you say that gordon is responsible for the resonance cascade but in HL1 we see the Gman messing with some equipment and one of the three 3 scientists involved in the experiment mentions the readings being off. At some point in HL2 in the chapter "our benefactors" we know that someone(or something/group) has "funded" all of this to happen and the gman is simply a middle man, while Gordon is simply a pawn in all of this. The plan was set in motion long before Gordon created the portal storm

  • @anythingbutmyrealname
    @anythingbutmyrealname 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    That MF DOOM sample is why this was recommended
    Edit: Gas Drawls song Operation: Doomsday album MF DOOM artist

  • @misterkefir
    @misterkefir 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video, thanks!

  • @thomashelsign7753
    @thomashelsign7753 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    i like how he is not unbiased, he literally just starts it with, we all know that half life is a great game

  • @dotnask0001
    @dotnask0001 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    This video is so good, why are there only 113 likes and 5 comments?

  • @fnytnqsladcgqlefzcqxlzlcgj9220
    @fnytnqsladcgqlefzcqxlzlcgj9220 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Any video that starts with an mfdoom beat is going to be a good one

  • @Unmarketable
    @Unmarketable 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    "Hypersuctor sensitiva" is the tentacle name

    • @alexanderwhite8320
      @alexanderwhite8320 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Me and friends called them dinosaur, giraffe-dinosaur or beak back in 2001 when playing the game for first time

  • @McStebb
    @McStebb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    5:53 I call them "Xentacles"

  • @robertcathles497
    @robertcathles497 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I agree with you on the survival horror. I remember when I first played a demo of Half-Life when I was probably about 10, roughly when the game came out. I was alright with the headcrabs, but I was terrified of the zombies.

  • @stuartzekaj1423
    @stuartzekaj1423 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The gas drawls instrumental was appreciated!

  • @moosecannibal8224
    @moosecannibal8224 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've never talked about it to anyone, but I very much thought that the whole games were entirely consecutive and fully experienced from gordon's perspective and realised it would sync up with my perspective of the game when I first saw and thought about those loading screens while playing

  • @drgnomeblox7785
    @drgnomeblox7785 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    First 20 seconds of the video I thought my display wasn't working 🤣

  • @jakubmroz4761
    @jakubmroz4761 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Saing Gordon is responsible for the Black mesa incisent is like saying a waiter bringing a poisoned meal is responsible.

  • @rey4874
    @rey4874 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    You, my good sir, are underrated as frick

  • @deaconblues_
    @deaconblues_ 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    3:43 I hear that MF DOOM beat with the Steely Dan sample lol
    “Gas Drawls” By MF DOOM, from “Operation: Doomsday” released 1999

    • @octakhan4673
      @octakhan4673 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same lmao. Btw that Steely Dan clip comes from their song "Black Cow"

    • @thirddifficulty7132
      @thirddifficulty7132 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I was thinking I was crazy because everybody talks about the content in the video so I just searched for an MF DOOM comment

  • @antondavidovic3996
    @antondavidovic3996 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I always felt the way they would say "Fire. In. The. Hole." had an element of sadism to it, kind of like Animal Mother from Full Metal Jacket...

  • @ingwersengrady
    @ingwersengrady 4 ปีที่แล้ว +55

    literally none of this is "often overlooked"

    • @c.b780
      @c.b780 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Its just a title bro

    • @leftory684
      @leftory684 4 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      @@silentfilms7459 Yes.

    • @szipuden9616
      @szipuden9616 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@silentfilms7459 who hasnt?

    • @smailchali5102
      @smailchali5102 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@szipuden9616 me

  • @pianochannel100
    @pianochannel100 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Video sounds like a university application essay mashed together with a blog post.

  • @burntcorn1432
    @burntcorn1432 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for the intro music, always good to hear some Metal Fingers Specials Herbs and Spices 😌👍

  • @SuperGeneralCuster
    @SuperGeneralCuster 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    And here I am watching another lead head half life vid

  • @CocoTheMii
    @CocoTheMii 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    On my latest replay of Half-Life, the HECU soldiers repeatedly did one of two things:
    1. Stood still and did nothing after watching me blow several of their allies to pieces with grenades
    2. Threw grenades directly at each other or themselves

  • @stairwaytoholiday
    @stairwaytoholiday 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    The 20 years was only a second for him concept reminds me of when I realized from Halo CE to Halo 3 was 3 months

  • @its8oclock543
    @its8oclock543 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    All of the Doom in the Background Made me feel different

  • @predeterminedmeat5024
    @predeterminedmeat5024 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    In mg1and mg2 there is barks some soldiers can say things like I'm sleepy or if a guard is intrigued by noise or other stuff you hear a sound effect

  • @seancondon5572
    @seancondon5572 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    1:35 - yeah. And then there was "Squad." "Neutralize." "Freeman."

  • @infamoushacker4chan883
    @infamoushacker4chan883 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    What is that godawful recorder music in the background?

  • @Althemor
    @Althemor 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    3:31 Oh thank god, I was about to turn the video off because of the music.
    3:50 ... ffs

  • @clawzx1195
    @clawzx1195 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I'm pretty sure this was my first vid from this friggin artist

  • @leon6777
    @leon6777 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wonder why I started dancing to the instrumental. Ah, Metal Fingers

  • @user-mm3we3hr5b
    @user-mm3we3hr5b 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    “To my knowledge, Half-life invented the modern bark”
    I guess someone’s knowledge doesn’t extend pest the Half-life series

  • @blackmesacake5361
    @blackmesacake5361 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It blows my mind that Half Life, let alone the Black Mesa remake, is not available in some form for modern consoles. This is a must play game for everyone.

  • @petergambier
    @petergambier 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    A good description on this awesome, groundbreaking series, I also liked your background music thanks Leadhead

  • @IICQBII
    @IICQBII 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I heard DOOM's sample to Gas Drawls and instantly subbed.

  • @fergus247
    @fergus247 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have a theory that gordon freeman is the grim reaper. He never says a word and accidents and even death happens everywhere around him.

  • @s0nnyburnett
    @s0nnyburnett 4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Excellent video, could have done without the background music.

  • @germantarnoski7130
    @germantarnoski7130 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I don't understand what you say in the beginning. MGS was already doing the "Whose footprints are these??" (the literal example you give) in the same year as half life was released. I don't think Kojima was inspired by a game that was released at around the same time

  • @zebitus5731
    @zebitus5731 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    this video reminds me of when i had a unexplainable but great feeling of uneasy and intrigue.

  • @CoolSmoovie
    @CoolSmoovie 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I can only think of one thing whenever someone says Half-Life 1.
    It involves the science team watching porn together...

  • @BIG_CLARKY
    @BIG_CLARKY 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Thanks for using the HD models lol.

  • @dextergrif1052
    @dextergrif1052 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    I would love more stories with Adrian Shepard, Gina Cross, and Collette Green. Overlooked characters that I think could be used really well again.