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Good points. I'm not sure how HL2 slipped my mind. In addition to graphics, HL2 was more or less the game that ushered in truly modern physics. Even today, som

by rl3 12y ago

Good points. I'm not sure how HL2 slipped my mind. In addition to graphics, HL2 was more or less the game that ushered in truly modern physics. Even today, some AAA games don't have physics systems as good. Likewise for facial animation. There was also Doom 3 that year, though arguably it lacked the same level of fidelity. However, it was really ahead of its time in the years leading up to release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj3dPyk7hPI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj3dPyk7hPI (Doom 3 at MacWorld 2001)

angersock 12y ago
FEAR and Doom 3 were the most impressive from a graphics standpoint I'd say--HL2 made a lot of progress with animation, but Doom 3 was really quite notable for its unified lighting model, some cool animation tricks (IK) for grounding characters in scenes, and its pervasive use of render-to-texture for things like cameras and interactive displays. That said, Farcry and FEAR were probably the most impressive games from an AI and gameplay standpoint. The physics in Farcry were waaaay better than in HL2.
- rl3 12y ago
  Updated original post to add FEAR, can't believe it also slipped my mind. Definitely starting to appreciate the ten years more. As far as Far Cry, I'd say it was the one game in 2004 that pretty much had it all in terms of raw technology. Heavy use of complex shader materials, dynamic lighting and shadows, foliage, terrain, water, physics, vehicles. Though, I would also argue that, despite Far Cry's physics being more robust in a technical sense, the physics in HL2 definitely felt superior when it came to actual gameplay. Probably the result of careful polish more than anything.
- funkyy 12y ago
  Agree with Farcry - its world and gameplay was really good. Also Black for PS2 was amazing feast for such an old console imo...
  - ekianjo 12y ago
    Black was overrated I think. The particles effect were cool but did not add much to the gameplay, and then it was a pretty boring shooter.
on_and_off 12y ago
I replayed Half Life 1 & 2 recently. While Half Life did not age very well, Half Life 2 and its episodes could be slightly refreshed graphically and released as a 2015 game, it would probably be the FPS of the year. I don't know whether it is a compliment for HL2 or a shame for the slow evolution of this genre but it does many things better than most modern FPSes (long and very varied campaign, some very interesting weapons, ...) and has very certainly been an huge influence in the last decade. It is not perfect of course, for example in a game where you spend all the time shooting at things, the game take away this mechanic at some key points, especially when faced with a traitor that many would be inclined to shoot at. It is hard not to lose your immersion in this situation. The silent protagonist is also slightly aggravating IMO, sadly Valve seems very committed to it.
- jamesgeck0 12y ago
  Iirc, Half Life 2 has actually recieved a few graphical updates since it's initial release. I'm almost positive it got a Source engine update a couple years back, but I can't find any announcements about it.
  - ekianjo 12y ago
    Yeah, that's for sure. I played it again recently and there's no way it looked THAT good 10 years ago. They have clearly refreshed the engine.
- Svenstaro 12y ago
  Well there's this: http://cinematicmod.com/ http://cinematicmod.com/
  - ikurei 12y ago
    Oh... how beautiful... much darker and more interesting look... http://cinematicmod.com/images/cm_11/environments/cm_11_18.jpg http://cinematicmod.com/images/cm_11/environments/cm_11_18.j... Wait, why the hell is Alyx dressed like that? Was there anything wrong with pants? It's so incredibly out of place...

by rl3 12y ago

angersock 12y ago

FEAR and Doom 3 were the most impressive from a graphics standpoint I'd say--HL2 made a lot of progress with animation, but Doom 3 was really quite notable for its unified lighting model, some cool animation tricks (IK) for grounding characters in scenes, and its pervasive use of render-to-texture for things like cameras and interactive displays. That said, Farcry and FEAR were probably the most impressive games from an AI and gameplay standpoint. The physics in Farcry were waaaay better than in HL2.

rl3 12y ago
Updated original post to add FEAR, can't believe it also slipped my mind. Definitely starting to appreciate the ten years more. As far as Far Cry, I'd say it was the one game in 2004 that pretty much had it all in terms of raw technology. Heavy use of complex shader materials, dynamic lighting and shadows, foliage, terrain, water, physics, vehicles. Though, I would also argue that, despite Far Cry's physics being more robust in a technical sense, the physics in HL2 definitely felt superior when it came to actual gameplay. Probably the result of careful polish more than anything.
funkyy 12y ago
Agree with Farcry - its world and gameplay was really good. Also Black for PS2 was amazing feast for such an old console imo...
- ekianjo 12y ago
  Black was overrated I think. The particles effect were cool but did not add much to the gameplay, and then it was a pretty boring shooter.

on_and_off 12y ago

I replayed Half Life 1 & 2 recently. While Half Life did not age very well, Half Life 2 and its episodes could be slightly refreshed graphically and released as a 2015 game, it would probably be the FPS of the year. I don't know whether it is a compliment for HL2 or a shame for the slow evolution of this genre but it does many things better than most modern FPSes (long and very varied campaign, some very interesting weapons, ...) and has very certainly been an huge influence in the last decade. It is not perfect of course, for example in a game where you spend all the time shooting at things, the game take away this mechanic at some key points, especially when faced with a traitor that many would be inclined to shoot at. It is hard not to lose your immersion in this situation. The silent protagonist is also slightly aggravating IMO, sadly Valve seems very committed to it.

jamesgeck0 12y ago
Iirc, Half Life 2 has actually recieved a few graphical updates since it's initial release. I'm almost positive it got a Source engine update a couple years back, but I can't find any announcements about it.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  Yeah, that's for sure. I played it again recently and there's no way it looked THAT good 10 years ago. They have clearly refreshed the engine.
Svenstaro 12y ago
Well there's this: http://cinematicmod.com/ http://cinematicmod.com/
- ikurei 12y ago
  Oh... how beautiful... much darker and more interesting look... http://cinematicmod.com/images/cm_11/environments/cm_11_18.jpg http://cinematicmod.com/images/cm_11/environments/cm_11_18.j... Wait, why the hell is Alyx dressed like that? Was there anything wrong with pants? It's so incredibly out of place...