• Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      44
      ·
      27 days ago

      In terms of storyline, it doesn’t really matter too much.

      I still think you should play through the first one. If you need something that feels less 1998, Black Mesa is a remake of the original Half Life and it is very fun.

      • brsrklf@jlai.lu
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        26 days ago

        Maybe it’s because I played them too late, but while I mostly had a blast playing HL2, the first one never clicked for me.

        I know, it’s been very influential and new when it released, but it was still quite straight a FPS game. Whereas HL2 is like a crazy theme park of different ambiences and mechanics.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          26 days ago

          Playing the original Half-Life is like a formative gaming memory for me… It had been such a massive leap from your DOOM 2s and Dukes Nukem. I was super young though, so I don’t know how much I cared about the narrative.

          HL2, on the other hand…Now that I remember vividly. I remember having to use five CDs to install it because Steam had literally just been invented (for HL2). Having to create a Steam account and log into a service to play a game was so foreign at the time lol…

          Might be time to re-play.

    • Masta_Chief@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      32
      ·
      27 days ago

      Imo the best enjoyment to time ratio is:

      1. Black Mesa (the Xen level at the end was redone and extended compared to in HL1 and it’s cool but if it starts to drag just move on)

      2. HL2 (main game)

      3. HL2: EP1 start it but maybe skip and watch a playthrough if you get bored

      4. HL2: EP2

      5. HL Alyx, if you can play it on a decent headset. DO NOT MOD IT TO PLAY IT WITH MOUSE/KB it will be extremely boring since it’s designed for VR

      Have fun, there’s simply nothing else like Half-Life games

      • arglebargle@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        26 days ago

        I disagree. Black Mesa is Black Mesa. It is no Half Life 1. The atmosphere in one is completely lost with Black Mesa. Start with Half Life and play to Alyx. Go back to Mesa for a second way to view 1.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          26 days ago

          This might only be true for people who played the original when it first came out (or at least, were playing video games at that time, and are used to the dated graphics).

        • Masta_Chief@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          26 days ago

          Interesting, I haven’t actually played HL1 but I enjoyed BM a lot, and figured it’d be the better reccomendation for someone just getting into HL.

          What parts of the atmosphere do you think BM missed? When I watched videos of HL1 gameplay it seemed that BM did a great job having a graphically updated but similar vibe

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        26 days ago

        Also, to add to this: if you haven’t played Portal and Portal 2, then you need to do that now. Like possibly even before HL

        • Masta_Chief@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          26 days ago

          Was thinking of adding those but wanted to keep it HL specific. But yes the Portals are must plays. Pretty much perfect games. I remember watching the ending of 2 over and over because it was so dope.

          • Quazatron@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            26 days ago

            Both end songs are on my playlist, I love it when the randomize function picks them up. You could say it is a triumph.

      • Klear@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        26 days ago

        If you can play Alyx on a decent headset, you’ll probably want to play Half Life 2 in VR too. The port is amazing.

    • Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      26 days ago

      If you start with the second one you won’t know what’s going on and feel like you’ve missed a bunch of important story.

      This is how it felt after playing the first one as well. Half Life 2 is almost an unrelated game. The plots of the two barely line up.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      27 days ago

      Hl1 and hl2 are not really connected plotwise and can be enjoyed separately. There’s some small references and a couple characters you wouldn’t necessarily know even if you played HL1, because HL1 didn’t have much of a focus on that kind of story-telling.

      The series is certainly a must play because of how much it influenced the industry. Going back to it now may not seem like it’s all that great; but you gotta keep in mind, it was one of the very first FPS games designed this way. Before Half-Life, FPS games were all just basically Doom clones.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      26 days ago

      If you’re gonna start with 1, I recommend playing Black Mesa as the updated graphics and qol stuff make it easier to tolerate in modern times.

      But that’s just me. There is probably some crucial reason why Black Mesa is not the definitive version, and I’m about to hear why

      • mint_tamas@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        26 days ago

        I’m with you, but probably one good reason to consider Black Mesa “wrong” is the reimagination of Xen. Even though Xen is the weakest part of the original and BM did an excellent job at it.

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      27 days ago

      They each stand completely on their own. Start with 1 if you want the whole lore and like 90s PC games. Start with 2 if you want a slightly more modern experience.

    • Blackmist@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      27 days ago

      The first is a bit rough. It got a remake with Black Mesa which used to be free, but I don’t think it is any more.

      I’d honestly just start with 2. It’s a better game all round. You can always go back and play Black Mesa later if you like it.

      If you have a VR headset and a decent rig, Half Life Alyx is well worth it. I’d definitely play HL2 plus Episodes 1 and 2 before heading into that one.

      • Ferrous@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        27 days ago

        Sheeiit I absolutely loved the first one, even only having played it for the first time last year. I was blown away at how well it holds up. I do recommend trying it if you have even a morsel of interest. Just my personal 2 cents tho.

      • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        27 days ago

        Yes, Black Mesa costs money but it’s absolutely worth it, they put a LOT of effort into restoring the original as faithful as possible but with more modern graphics (Source engine based). I played the original Half-Life when it came out and Black Mesa definitely gave me the same amount of awe and wonder. One of the best fan remakes of any game I’ve ever seen.

        Also, I see that it’s currently on sale for only $5 (75% off), at that price it’s a steal and absolutely worth it.

    • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      26 days ago

      If you cant play 1 or Black Mesa because of the clunkyness, just watch a story recap and play 2.

      The story of HL 1 is like a paragraph long.

    • LambdaRX@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      26 days ago

      I played Half Life first time few years ago, and it has aged really well in my opinnion. I enjoyed it more than Black Mesa. Also I don’t think of Black Mesa as a substitute for hl1, but as a good game you can play after beating og.

    • morphballganon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      27 days ago

      Start with HL2 on normal difficulty. Then do 2E1 and 2E2 on normal difficulty.

      Then repeat all of that on hard.

      Then you’ll be where I am. Never bothered with 1.

    • Mwa@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      26 days ago

      Start with 1, So you can understand what is happening.