I really have the feeling it's a poor 2nd part of HL2. The levels are often already played and are just a bit retouched. The storyline is poor and a good part of it is boring. Add to that a really short play time and you understand why I think it's really a pure commercial addon. Episode 2 is really better and worthy.

Its half-life 2 expanded... a little bit. some new ways to play, some new graphics. but it is way too short, leaving you at a cliff hanger after about 2-3 hours of play. For 20$ this should have been much much more.

I've just played through this game, so here are my fresh impressions. Positive: - a lot of new puzzles and ideas - some new enemies - I kind of liked the zombie chapter for finally giving some real use to the flashlight. Negative - No strong atmosphere/immersion, at least for me. HL2 was way better in that respect - Story can be summed up in about three sentences - Music doesn't do anything to create an atmosphere either, and is just used to underline dramatic scenes. That was a problem in HL2 as well. - Alyx praises you for every lame and obvious solution you come up with - Important areas with gates feel confining. If you're worried the player will miss something important, just use a cutscene! What's the use in "don't take control from the player" if you then confine him to a small room and want him to look at a specific thing?… Expand

dont think im hateing, i think the beggining of half life 2 ep 1 is dazzleing and amazeing (and a great way to experience the organic grave gun if you havnt gotten up to that part in half life two) and i think the ending is brillaintly epic, but everything inbetween is just a bland blur and is mostly just rehash of the latter parts of half-life 2 (follow freeman), that and i personaly did not enjoy bogging through the darkened underground before getting to city 17 topside, good start, epic finish, bland middle!… Expand

This Game Was Complete Cr*p and not just that, the graphics on this game could be done by a 12 year old, im not joking, my son is making a mod for half life 2 with better deatil then this game, please valve, steam and all that, give us a game we can ENJOY!

Like Half-Life and even better, Half-Life2 & Half-Life2:Lost Coast ,yes, Episode One is easily as good or better than all 3 of its' predessors! You will love Half-Life2:Episode One as much or more. VALVE HAS DONE IT AGAIN STEALING ALL THE #1 GAME OF YEAR THUNDER FROM EBGames ElderScrollsIV:OBLIVION. Half-Life2:Episode One Rocks PERIOD!

Souhlasím s Honzou, haha. Mno, HL2EP1 is the first wave of continuing HL story and I think episodic format is good turn. Players won't have to wait so long for next episode and VALVe will dynamicaly improve game/s based on players' ideas. Yes, 20$ is enought, but in compairing with selling cost [distributor's -> EA <- part] it isn't bad.

Corker! ...all the aspects that made HL and HL2 exceptional games plus some extra eye candy thrown in. I do agree that the episode concept is kinda new and weird but hey, it's better than waiting 6 years for the next release. Play this game, you won't regret it.

As i started the game,i expected to be the same in animations,terrain and characteristics.But when i saw Alyx,Dog,The Combine soldiers and everything else i was astounded,altho it took me 2h30min+ to play the whole episode wich proves that it's not that big.Everything is much more realistic,wich proves that as half life progresses it starts to imitate more and more the attributes of the real world.One of best effects i ever seen are looked here like the Citadel Core or the Citadel explosion.… Expand

Well game play, what there was of it is a 9.5-10 I believe the price tag is too high as im sure many others do (as ActionTrip says). I am going to try and get friends to pay me $5-10 to get my user/pass, so they can play it w/o being ripped off for $20. It was fun to re-enter the HL2 universe, but i think from now on I will be the renter, not the original purchaser.

I am sort of disappointed when I played the game. The multiplier of HL2 SUCKED compared to hl1, since the Tau Cannon gun was gone. WTF is with the weapons? Exact same weapons... no change. Why not add a few more. I looked at wikipedia and it showed that they deleted like 15 weapons! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_weapons_in_Half-Life_2 I did feel at parts it was repetitive. The game was really too short. I can't really tell any difference from the graphics of HL2 to HL2 episode 1. HL2 and HL1 took me like weeks to finish.... I finished this game in less then a day. They really, REALLY need to add more weapons, and add more variety. Why weren't there any boat/car scenes in HL2 episode 1... Those were like the funest part of HL2.… Expand

The game was far shorter than I expected. For $20 I expected more than 2 hours of gameplay. It was nice to see the introduction of HDR into the game but there really wasn't much else here. The game was too easy, too short, and at the end of the day felt quite empty conpared to the origional. Hopefully Episode 2 will actually we long enough to make an afternoon out of.....

The game itself is entertaining enough. Not as good as the first two, but decent. What seems to be one issue is having to sign on to the Steam website to play a stand-alone game. It takes time to get in, you get programs loaded that you may or may not want, and just the simple fact that it takes time to get in to play. Another issue is the constant crashing. I have a decent system (2.4ghz w/1gb RAM) with all new drivers, new video card (ATI Radeon 9800) , new sound card (Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2ZS), yatta yatta, and it still freezes up with the only way out, turning the computer off physically and then bringing it back up. I really enjoyed Half Life, and all its incarnations, but this is getting to be too much. I may never buy another Valve game again. Clean up your act.… Expand

I saw here that some wrote "you won't be disapointed"..... well... they were wrong. this is the biggesty waste of $20 since.... um... there never has been a bigger waste of $20! Come on! it only has ~5 levels! there is nothing new. no new guns, no new enemies (except the zombines) the only thing new was the levels, which mostly sucked. who wants to just use the gravity gun for the whole first level! i got enough of that in HL2!… Expand

I became a fan of Half Life2 the minute I played with it the first time only two months ago! Discovery of Half Life1 after V2 made me realize the progress made by the team at all levels in a few years. I'm am now under the deep shock to have prepaid for Episode One and found myself with an unplayable game as it does crash on a "cannot read memory" at every start attempt (V2 works just fine). Done all that is recommended by Valve on their FAQ with no avail. I don't see the Valve commercial service to a customer here, in saying a game user should flash his Bios and the like in order to play the sequel of a working previous version. Fact is: I paid, it does not work, I am a dissapointed customer and a frustrated player. I will say this everywhere until I get a decent reply to my mail (with system description attached) to Valve. At this moment no answer from them. Located in Bellevue it looks like some Microsoft habits leaked on Valve customer services. My 5 is not for the game (which I'm sure is again a masterpiece I can't judge today). It's for the lousy customer support. A FAQ is not sufficient guys! You need to address all customers issue. Or pay me back.… Expand

Ok, so it costs 23 dollars for us brits but still it's worth the money. It's 4 - 6 hours as other people have stated to complete. It's a triology. Just wait for the others to come out. Coulsd have been longer but they really have gone to town with the physics and graphics. Damn it's still good after 2 years.

half life 2......EXCELENT GAME!!! CANT WAIT FOR HALF LIFE 3!!!! half life 2 episodes........oh, ok well um, this should be good. More games and more time. half life 2 episode 1 for £20.....WHAT A RIP OFF!!!!! YOU GET AT THE MAX 3 HOURS ON PLAY FOR THIS GAME. COMPLETE AND UTTER TRASH. DO NOT BUY IT NULES U R A MORON!

Episode 1 was a great continuation of the Half Life story. I really enjoyed having a companion through most of the playable game. One glaring issue instantly smacked this reviewer's rating down from a perfect 10 to a mediocre 7. My jaw hit the floor when the game ended. Friends down the hall wondered why I just yelled "That's IT?!" I'm excited that Valve wants to continue working on the Half Life universe, but for the next episode, they had better lower the price if all they are going to release is 4 to 5 hours of gameplay. Definitely NOT impressed for the $25cdn. that I paid for the "Special pre-relase pricing". Otherwise, loved it.… Expand

Its a truly amazing game. Its makes use of a well balanced technique whereby gordon must solve puzzles and fight monsters accordingly. The phyics is amazing and the graphics is astonishing especially the game is programmed so well that lower end users can still experience good graphics! The only let down was that it was so short.

This is a truly brilliant game which takes the Half Life 2 formula and refines it with varied and constantly enjoyable gameplay. The characters are brilliantly portrayed (Alyx especially) and i really started to feel attached to them by the end of the game. It is short but i feel its to be expected considering its named EPISODE 1. There is very little to critisise about this game... its totally bug free, runs well on most hardware and has HDR which looks very nice indeed if you have the hardware to enable it... I could only wish for a few more weapons, enemies and perhaps a vehicle scene. Buy this game!!!… Expand

By far the most intense game I have played in a long time, a major step away from the Half-Life 2's signature "it's just around the bend" half-hour vehicle sequences. Makes fantastic use of the source engine to produce fantastic visually rewarding landscapes and cityscapes. The panic and urgency of the rather unenlightening plot is reflected in the fact that the action doesn';t seem to stop. When it does, you can be sure an interesting puzzle is ahead of you... and not one involving piling bricks on a see-saw as a means of getting to a higher ledge. It is fairly expensive (you should have preordered!) for the 5-6 hours experience that it provides but you can be sure that it's replayable many times over. Listening to the commentary (which I recommend you do after you play the game through at least once) makes it very obvious how much work, editing and fine-tuning has gone into making this fantastic game. I look forward to episode 2!… Expand

What is the use to vote here if you don't publish real clients opinions? I don't see my comments about the dreadfull "memory could not be read" error I posted days ago. I know I did: Prepay, wait for 2 weeks, download for hours, play none! Now have done all that is suggested on the Valve FAQ including flashing a more recent Bios with no avail. I can't even be critic, positive or negative, about EP1. I simply can't play it (while I can play HL2 without probs). 20$ in the bin. Thanks Valve. Will remember.… Expand

Very great game sure its a lil short, but its only $20 all you people are say what a waste of $20. so what a waste of an hour of work...yeah right all you people giving it 2s should shut up and go away HL2 Ep1 is a great game.

Disappointing! * the game was a 1 day game , too short *The game got no shoot action, I know action is not the point of the game but lack of it nakes it nothing * it is not as smooth as I expected it to be, it is not polished enough. By that, I mean the game got quite a lot of flaws in the design * Valve gave up :( , can't u c. Valve is making episodes cause they want money and all they do is say at the end of the game " oh, what happens next...BUY THE NEXT EPISODE AND FIND OUT" * 20$ = RIP OFF, C'MON ITS WORTH 8-12 $ well, Valve forgot about the true meaning of the game. It is GRAPHICS ADVENTURE ACTION but replaced it with GRAPHICS ADVENTURE ALYX All this is is a rip off, the truth can be sad HL1 = 10 HL2 = 8 HL2 episode 1= 6 see where this is going the game lost its replayability quality, and shooting action and if its 4 more episodes they are making, get a life cause that is 4 days of gaming for 100$ and probably 2 years of waiting People should start making something good and long like HL2 but not rush and make a worse game such as the aftermath… Expand

Where are all these 10"s coming from? I can only guess they are a bunch of preteens or hired fanboys, cuz this game sucks! Extremely linear, cover the antlion holes with cars ad nauseum, if there is a valve to turn you are going to be attacked b4 you can finish, EVERY level is a "logic" puzzle, and youre stuck w/ the gravity gun for half the game. too short finished on difficult in<2hrs.

Absolutely fantastic. Carries on the Half Life story supberbly. At first wasnt sure how episodic gaming will go, but if this 1st episode is anything to go by then bring on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th...well you get the idea! Good ending aswell, makes you want to know what happens next to Gordon and Alyx, can't wait.

I liked it, it was one of the hardest games I have played, I got though it in a little under 3 hours. Same type of ending as Half-Life 2....come on, give Gorden a break now and then, you guys are gonna throw him in knee deep next episode, so give him a break for once.

this game is just awesome. as i got it over steam, only cost me £12.80 (conversion rates r0xors) its well worth the money, and hardcore hl fans shouldnt be so annoyed just because its about 6 hours long, just over £2 an hour, cheaper than some adult phone lines. and well worth it

If anyone tells you that HL2 was "awesome" then they don't know HL. HL was the best game ever - all three versions. Fans wanted more - and nothing was delivered. The plot was incredibly thin - run here shoot things and repeat. So what are the fans raving about? The engine. That's it. Ok, the engine is the (current) best. But technology aside, there is no story, there is no drama, there are no puzzles... it's empty. And this does not make a game. I've played some pretty cheap, low budget games that were MUCH more fun than HL2. E.g. Duke Nuke'em - cheap 2D graphics, but a game I still haven't forgotten about. HL2: EP1 aka "the rip-off" continues. -LD ______________________________________ my faith: http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/jbc33/… Expand

Just funushed Ep 1, so here's my im[pression while it's still fresh: gameplay wise, it's excellent, especially the final sequence in Nova Prospekt. Very tight, very well paced, and the dose of humor was a welcome addition. All that said, I have two major problems, the first being that as tight as the gameplay is, the programming is not; load times were egregious and the graphics made my computer chug at levels Half Life 2 never did. Second, obviously, is that it's much too short for a twenty dollar price tag. Ten dollars, fine, fifteen maybe, but at twenty bucks I'm shelling out five dollars an hour for gameplay, a ratio no reasonable gamer should accept. I also wasn't crazy about the ending, it works dramatically, but it's not nearly the level of payoff I was expecting. Was The Agent's VA off sick or something?… Expand

Valve did it again! A expantion pack to HL2 was released and it IS GOOD!!! The graphix use the most out of your video card. You will enjoy the gameplay from the beginning to end. If you truly like gaming, this is the perfact game. The only problem is that the game is too short, but what else do u expect from a game thats $20. P.S. YES the AI of the enemies are good, you WILL get a challenge.

Very short but very nice. They did improve the engine added effects and tweaked and expanded the npc interaction. But those things are not visible enough for most players i guess. IMHO new weapons and mobs would not have greatly improved the gameplay. I praise valve for sticking to the storyline and not making just another addon like some ppl think it is.

I loved half life 2 it was a good length and the only disappointment was the ending which left me quite bewildered (having completed EP1 i can now sleep easy:) ). Considering the shortness of this new game and the closed in feel of the levels i think the price tag was a bit too high and development time too long perhaps to tease that bit extra cash from the eager public. There was nothing like the wonderfully long canals in HL2 the path was extreamly rigid in this title. Some of the visuals were breathtaking but there was no chance to explore at all. As many have said far to linear. The next episdode is looking far more promising as teasers are showing woodland. Please valve let us take a stroll this time. Just to see whats there.… Expand

Awesome game. the graphics are just as good as the lastone, but the expansion to the story is why i really wanted to play it. The ending was very good, and I can't wait for Ep2 to come out. The fact that it is short doesn't really matter to me, because of the fact that it is an expansion to HL2, not a stand alone game.

Nothing new, quickly completed, spoiled by Alyx (sp?) constantly chattering away (seems to be just a ploy for easy filler), poor value. The 'puzzles' are pretty weak - one 'stacking boxes' thing and one 'turn the lights out with monsters' thing. Episode 2 will need some *good* reviews from the public before I hand over another 20 bucks to Valve / Steam / whoever.

I thought it was a exellent continuation of the Halflife saga. Although it was really short it had exellent lighting and the grafics. I also liked the commentary add in, the surprises (like the airship crashing in the cididel in the very begining) , how you had to use ur brain to solve the varies tasks, and to combat the varies enemies that u faced. I didn't like how we had to use a flashlight most of the begining and that we had to rely on Alyx for protection so many times. I think that u should also give us guns earlier because the gravitygun is kinda useless because i ended up having to fall back several times and having to turn on my flashlight like in dark places so Alyx could fire and protect me. But the AI system is very creative and the addin of Alyx jokes is hillarious, but sometimes gets pretty annoying. Plus the game would be more interesting if u added in a voice for Gordon Freeman like other games have done in the past like Duke Nukem for instance. But overall I thought it provided a great storyline and I can't wait for the next one to come out.… Expand

Best game ever!

The best expansion pack I have ever played for any game. With most packs, you get a lously game with nothing new, just a few more places to run around. But with EP1, you get your new maps, but it's jam-packed with enough story and excitement to make it it's own game. And for the babies complaining about it being too short: Great things take time to make. For example, a giant redwood tree takes 200 years or so to be elevated to it's giant stage. Not everything in the world has to be fsat and rushed out of a factory. Great things take time, and are worthwhile in the end.… Expand

I can't even get the game to run for more than 10 min. without it hanging/audio loop. My system is new and meets all hardware requirements. I can play other non-valve games with no problem. I've contacted Valve support and their response is extremely slow and they don't offer any solutions. Many other users on steams’ support forum have complained about the same problem. Don't waste your money purchase something else.… Expand

Finally got a chance to finish this game and I'm stunned at how much fun it was. The underground parking garage levels were absolutely amazing...And the NPC AI has improved significantly. I loved all the puzzles in the game, EXCEPT the antlion holes having to be covered over by cars. That got old quick. Overall, an amazing game. Can't wait for episode 2!

Half-Life 2 was a huge disappointment for me. Only 2 1/2 hour i finished this game. Why the valve created this game such a time like this? The game chapter were quite few, there is no new weapon at all, and theres only one new enemy creature, which is call Zombine. Yes, i like that enemy. The gameplay is your typical Half-Life 2 but there were only a few exciting and nervewracking moments to be found. Anyway Episode One is worth a rental.… Expand

[Minor Spoilers] Good addition to story? Yes, even though it was basically a movie version of Doom 3. Sure they introduced a new enemy, but it was almost exactly like the Command Zombie in Doom 3, fighting it even felt the same. The "Hospital" level seemed almost completely ripped out of Doom even. Better Graphics? Yes, slightly. Not once did I notice the "hard" edges around charactesr that HL2 had, and I'm still using the same brand new computer as I did a few hours ago for HL2. Other graphics enhancements? Didn't notice any. Ally AI? Sure, a lot of it was pretty good... except that within the first 5 minutes of having Alyx as a teammate she was stuck not 3 inches below my level, trying to run _through_ a stair instead of up it. Besides that I wish I had some of the moves she does, i.e. busting down zombies by beating them with my shotgun. Largely because it takes so long to get anything but a pistol, shotgun, or gravity gun. Advances to plotline? Yes, actually. [lots of spoilers for this part] You have to watch for it, instead of be sucked into the shoot-shoot-shoot-turn crank-shoot part of the game. I.E. Alyx starts hitting on you (Gordon) at one point. Also there's the message being sent out, yours, Alyx's and Barney's escape routes, so on and so forth. [end spoilers] The problem with all this is that it was released in an Episode for too much. Half-Life 2, takes say 20 hours (I know not for us more experienced gamers, but on average if you're not just trying to rip through it). Now if you paid 40 dollars for HL2, that means it's 2 dollars per hour. Episode 1, took me under 3 hours (and I had issues with some of it), but say 5 hours. Taking that same ratio, you should only pay 10 dollars for it. The way they're going now, the entirety of the "Episode" will be a 60 dollar game, that lasts 9 hours. Bit of a problem. Ultimately I'll still buy Episode 2 for the story (I see it as starting to bloom, and answer things, although at this rate very slowly). If Episode 2 isn't overall worth it, like Episode 1 wasn't worth it, then that's where I end the HL story for myself and I'd recommend others to do as well. Note [and spoiler]: They actually introduced 3 new enemies, but you only get to fight 1 of them; for those who weren't paying attention. Episode 2 is where you get to fight one of them more often.… Expand

I enjoyed it a lot. You play almost the entire episode with Alyx, which I considered refreshing. She’s a great character and it makes the game less monotonous. It also had a variance of play styles. Some pure gravity gun stuff at the beginning, a few puzzles here and there, some mission style objectives, a good chunk of solid FPS and a couple instances of “take down the big thing” (one was an airship… one was a stalker). It also looks fantastic. I believe it looks better than Half-Life 2. I’m not quite sure about HDR though. Sometimes it’s amazing… other times it tends to distract. My only other gripe is that the enemy AI wasn’t that strong, which is unusual for a Half-Life game. HL1 and its add-ons had some of the strongest AI I’ve ever seen. In Episode One, they seemed to rely less on cunning and more on surprise. I tend to get annoyed by that. It is, without a doubt, a good deal for $20. In fact, I would say that it could pass for a short game if they had character intros and a bit more to the ending. Considering games are easily $50 these days, I’m pleased. I balked at the $20 at first, but no more. (I can still wish it was $15 though, right?)… Expand

I'm sure it would be a very good game if you could get it to load. I have had it for 3 days know, spending hours on it tring to get it to load. All I keep getting is an error saying, "hl2.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." I'm ready to try and return it today!

I just finished playing the game thought for the first time and I have too say that I was overjoyed on what I saw. I was happy with the game in that it keep true to HL2 in that it never got boring and keeps you on your toe's with new puzzles. Also new and fun ways too kill your enemies. and is it just me or has the AI gotten better. overall though the game didn't provide much in the way of a new expectance itself as much of what happen it Ep.1 is just quick redo's from HL2. it did provide to the story of HL2 and was a great continuation of HL2. One more big concern I have is will freeman lose his weapons at the beginning of each episode since they will be made as separate games or will each episode be and expansion of the last. I really don't want to have to be yelling at the beginning of Ep.3 saying that someone should get that man a back pack so he will stop losing his gun!!! also if I treat all the eps like one game losing my guns all the time would get really tedious. And one more thing. they did very well in the original with the creation of original weapon, monsters, and different types of battle conditions, which I saw little of in this game. Lets make these episodes like a real expansion not a VERY well put together fan scenario with only old enemies, weapons, and worlds. OK I might sound a little like I didn’t love this game and that is far from true. It is a great game and well worth the money, and I understand the need to keep the public’s interest by bringing out the series in episodes rather then bringing it out in one big game 8 years from now when everyone is like what is half life 2 again??? but I am just hoping that they let you keep your characters standing as he is at the end of each episode, rather then hitting that reset button on him every time. So as it stands I love the game. Love the story, and I love people who make it all come to fruition. I just beg that the story doesn’t suffer because it comes out so copped up.Overall keep it up!!!… Expand

An excellent game with amazing AI, story, and gameplay. However it was over before you noticed, and too similar to HL2. After seeing the trailer for the next episode I see that they've added a new enemies (or enemies) and hopefully a new weapon or two. If your a penny pincher, wait till these episodes get bundled.

Nice game, I enjoyed playng it. The only problem is that it was way too short (you could easily finish EP1 in an evening, and that is a little too fast for 20$). And playing at difficult level was still too easy (Half Life was much more challenging). But a part from this it is a very good game

This game is a puke* because its short, 20 bucks!!!! I did not like the ending cause gorden and alyx just drive of with a train, you could have made the player shot some combien during the ride and shot some of those crapie shopers. Where are new weapons??? Where are rebel Zombies??? and. those antlion holes are all over the map why not put a new monster in play? But still a good game, not worth the 20 dollars.… Expand

I have not yet played the game and so my 5 being my rating is somewhat biased, but the reason I have not yet purchased half life 2 ep. 1 is also do to the pricing. I agree 100% with Jon H. I have not doubt the game is an excellent one, but splitting an entire game into episodes really is a joke. Why not combine them all and call the collective episodes 'Half-Life 3'. Why valve thinks it has to exploit its fans in order to be successful boggles my mind. The half life series is one of the best, people will put their money into whether or not it comes in parts. I for one am also eager and willing to put my dollar down on any of valves new creations, except thats is, when its obvieous my whole dollar is only paying for a quarter of a game.… Expand

Well I was gonna buy it, but not after reading the reviews. 2-5hrs of gameplay isn't even worth $5 to me. For $20 I could eat a steak dinner and get shit-faced, and it would last longer than this EP based on the reviews. Oh well, I'll wait... in the meantime, I'm going to go fire up that grill and put some beer on ice! Cheers :-)

Yeah, the game would be great If I could ever get to it. I have installed the game, and spent the last 8+ Hours getting all of these stupid steam updates, and now the Half-life 2 episode 1 update.. What is this, 500mb update? I wanted to play this game 8 hours ago!!!! My estimated download time left is 12 hours, and Im on a T1... These designers should keep in mind that maybe people aren&#039;t looking to play online, and therefore do not need all these extremely massive downloads... They need to make a way around this steam piece of crap!… Expand

I was expecting more- There was no “to be continued” to really want me to buy the next installment (if there is one). It took me less than a day to beat this game. However: As short as the game was, it was still, for the most part, extremely entertaining.. I give it a low score because of the lack of emphasis on it being so small. I expected for this to keep me occupied for at least a week.

a bit disapointed to find this game onlt had 5 parts to it a far cry for hl1 which had 18 and hl2 which had 15 yes i know these episodes are all part of hl3 but why are we having to pay the full price for these episodes as we did for the full hl 1 and 2 games???? its a big con if you ask me i won't be buying episode 2 unless its cheaper than the full games.

Amazing continuation of the Half Life series, the graphics still look amazing and the new lighting system is breathtaking. Can't wait for episode two. It's a shame that there will be no Half Life 3 in the future but this is excellent regardless. Maybe when all three episodes are released then they'll be combined and then called Half Life 3.

Very good game.

Beware : crashes your computer every five minutes of play !!! How would you rate a Mercedes that goes dead after every 5 miles on the freeway, it takes another 5 minutes to start it again, just to see its engine die after another 5 miles. Think if a computer on an airplane goes off every five minutes on your next flight, will you board such an airplane ever again ? Well, this is just what happens with Episode 1 and Valve's much hyped Source engine. No matter how beautiful is that Mercedes, or how touted is that Airbus 340, you don't want to buy such a piece of crap. Whereas this not true for a Mercedes or an Airbus plane, it's exactly what happens with this game. See for yourself at : http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=500297 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_engine#Common_issues… Expand

I thought it was a good game but finished it in a day really and the new combine zombies just annoyed me with the grenades, i did enjoy it and will be buying the next chapter but if its not longer and theres no new story il start to get bored. =D

ridiculously short, thats all i can really say, the reason its got any score other than 0 is because half life 2's game play and graphics, £20 for maybe two hours entertainment? and only a handfull of concentrated battle moments? aint worth the money, download it illegally if you can-what else do they expect with such a short script? at least games like opposing force had some substance to it, lets hope episode 2 has more to offer with the release delays so far.erm the reviewers of this comment-well dont include this part but you should really include everything people have to say about any game except abusive language, it gives game developers food for thought, and by screening every comment you seem a little like the 'overseers' from this game yourselves. thanks for your time, i hope they pay you well.… Expand

I want to know why people are giving this game a bad review, the most common reasons I've heard are 1) no new weapons 2) short 3)no new monsters 4) you don't get a gun till really late in the game 5) not a good value for money 6) valve is only doing episodes for more money &) I think everyone giving a good review is hired by valve to do so well, to start I was not hired by valve to give the game a good review, secondly, my theory for the "not much new" thing is that vavle wants these games to be as realistic as possible and as far as I know in episode 1 gordon wakes up like an hour after HL2, do you really think that the combine or the humans could have come up with any new weapons in an hour?!?!? or for that matter do you think the combine could have sent any new monsters within an hour?!?. next is the "the game was way to short, I beat it in two hours, no value to it at all" sure I agree it was short but why would you play a game to beat it as fast as you can, a game is supposed to entertain you and give you something to do other than use the infinite aux power cheat and sprint through the whole thing, and there is also the complaint of no story line, on one hand I agree having no story line was kind of a drag but in some games you really don't need one, in this case, the idea is escape the underground while avoiding zombies and death traps while trying to get a data pack to someone enough said right? and as for the value you ask? well think about it most good games cost like 30-50 dollars and some 50 dollar games are worse than a 20 dollar game. I bought HL2 plus all of the rest of the bundled games for like 20 dollars and the same with episode 1 so about 40 dollars total thats like 5 games for under the price of one 50 dollar game.finally, the only reason I am giving this review an 8 instead of a 9 or 10 is because of the late getting a gun issue and the too short issue.… Expand

Great game! very fun, must have played it hundreds of times, pre-order the orange box just for episode 2, the zombie level gave me a thrill! but was to short(if you know what your doing) and would have loved to use the super gravity gun in other levels. And piloting an air vehicle wouldn't have hurt.. ; )

Merely a decent FPS experience with obnoxious puzzles thrown in to lengthen the disappointingly short playtime. While the remarkably flawless inclusion of Alyx as a constant companion certainly added an interesting element to the gameplay, Episode 1 lacks the ingeniously designed fights and thrills of it's predecessor, and none of the new positive aspects are given enough time bloom.

An excellent sequel to legendary Half-Life 2, very worthy of exceptionally high praise. In my opinion, included in this episode are not only all the gameplay elements that have made the franchise so popular, but several new things. I really liked how all the characters (most noteably Alyx Vance) seem more developed and capable of expression to Gordon,eachother, and their environment. It makes them seem more human, thereby adding to the ever-increasing level of realism in the Half-Life universe. The improved facial animations and dynamic range graphics come a long way to enriching the gaming experience. I also found the cliff-hanger ending was very suspenseful and effective to suit the mood the game had imbued into the player up to that point. For those who have played Half-Life 2 and enjoyed it, and I believe that's practically everyone, playing Episode 1 should be your next gaming endeavour. If you like it a mere tenth of how much I do, I'm sure it will become one of your favourites. This game is truly superlative.… Expand

This series just can't go wrong. The characters are some of the best in any game, conveying emotion with facial expressions and body movement. You actually care about them as well as feeling supported as you perform heroic acts. The graphics have been bumped up a notch as well with the outside environments being a welcomed change. The new enemies, though few, do add to the mix. Also enjoyed the new car. Just had a whole lot of fun, especially at the end. WoW! The only criticism I have is that it occasionally felt a bit easy. However, I did only play it on normal difficulty.… Expand

This episode of half-life universe is a really great game. I understand why Gordon Freeman wont get any new weapon in ep1, becouse i'm sure all weapons available were used by the rebels, that's make it no new weapons in ep1. Great game I whould give it 92,5% becouse it feels so real.

Realy good game, but short only reason it is not a 10... most of you people say that you dont get a gun till late in the game well you start off with a grav GUN!!! and the best bart is you can kill people with it just like a GUN very good game just short P.S. it was funny seeing people rosting humans on a fire :)

Half-Life 2: Episode 1 is just what fans of Half-Life 2 itch for after finishing the game, it's plot driven, it's challenging and it's fun. Admittedly, without being a fan of the Half-Life series the game has little to bring to the table that can't be found in it's predecessor, however, for anyone who has played Half-Life 2, Episode 1 is plot-heavy, action packed and really gives more of a focus on everyone's favourite side kick, Alyx.… Expand

excellent balance of solo work and team work with alex. Never got confused on what am i doing or where am I going like the first game. Good ammo placement, never stocked completely but not hitting zombie's with a crow bar repeatedly. Didn't feel helpless or god like throughout. Keep it up Valve

The only problem with Half Life Episode 1 is the fact that it's unlike Half Life 2. What I mean is, having a sidekick is annoying. Especially one like in this game. She gets in the way and talks too much. If the developer had left her out, I would have given this a 10.

Lets start off with the original advertising campaign: "Half-Life 2: Adventures of Gorden Freeman and the Crappy Unnecessary Character" You think that there will be an exciting new storyline extension, enemies, and puzzles. Think again. With an amazing 2 new enemies, a hard to follow story line, and ridiculously easy puzzles, its pretty evident, if you bought our garbage with Half-Life 2 your sure to buy this garbage too. You think that Alex was annoying before, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Now you have to spend an entire game with this damsel in distress. With this game we hope to emulate the feeling of actual relationship in the Half Life environment. We did as good as a game developer could in making you feel uncomfortable in all situations and you actually have to ask yourself how much more lame and corny can it get? I'm sure that what real Half Life fans are after is.... no not anything that important.... Graphics and sound. Ha Ha you thought game play and level design, how naive. With the level design, we pretty much knew that all you will do is look at the landscape. So now its like your not actually playing a game you are walking in a park with minimal issues that arise. When all these good things combine ( ha ha, its a lame joke, our game is full of them) you get the masterpiece only truly understood by people that can't leave the house.… Expand

It's not that long nor is it much more than Half Life 2 but It has everything you loved about HL2. This time you are with Alex. She talks WAAAAY too much but she is a bit useful for fighting off the enemies. The story line will be very confusing to you if you do not first play Half Life 2. This not so much an expansion as it is a continuation of the story line, as it begins exactly where HL2 left off. the game though, finally makes use of the sprint thing early on. Personally i think that this is a great continuation of HL2.… Expand

To carry on with the GREAT Adventure is Bliss! Graphics and Gameplay still 100% A Big Clap goes to the Valve team, Imaginative, Storyline, Action, Thrill, With just a few Quid! Hope the trail continues, ESPECIALLY an extension to the Lost Coast, It's short and Sweet and would be a big Punch if there was a continuation to complete it's Adventure. Come On Valve, Give it a Kick Start back on trail.… Expand

They have worked 6 yrs to create HL2. I allready feared that is would take another 6 yrs to make new missions or HL3. But just 1 yr later.. New missions !! and more comming on next episode !

Greatest chapter EVER!

After what seems like an endless wait for new content, Valve present us with a big technical exercise and no substance. Perhaps they think we've all been playing Half Life 2 for the last 2 years (glassy eyed and dumb struck). Move on, and make a new game. I'm bored with this one. It's a decent enough add-on, but did we really have to wait this long? And pay again? If this extra content were priced realistically, there would be less of a problem.… Expand

Incredible game, took almost 7 hours, but I played on hardest setting and took my time to enjoy the scenery. Only thing I can ask for is...MORE!!!

The game was fun felt like a good mod. It took me four hours to finish this game, and I took my time to look around. For the price of $20 there should at least be six to eight hours of game play. I mean four hours. Give me a break. After buying sin I should have known better than to spent another $20 on this episode. Remember when they made expansion packs for nine dollars more that had twelve or more hours of game play. This episodic thing is a joke and rip-off.… Expand

Another winner... if only it weren't so short!

This game is not worth it. It is far too short. People beat this in 2:30. There are much better games. A must have is Guild Wars. Half-Life 2 is horrible and I am starting to wonder if Valve is till alive cause of a mod they aquired a long time ago????? CS... CS made Valve what they are today, and they sure have more to buy... By the looks of Half-Life EP 1 at 2:30, Half-Life 3 should be outsourced. 2/10… Expand

I am the first!! yupi!! I knew this game was going to be the best, cuz i ve played half life 1 and 2 andall the mods existence. Now lets wait episode 2 and 3 :D

Perfect game in all aspects. It is basically a continuation of HL2, with some graphical and AI improvements. Taking into consideration that HL2 was astounding, and that EP1 just gives us an improved version of what we already liked, this game is easily a 10/10.

HL2:EP1 is a step forward in FPS single player games. Both technologically and in level design, the main features that stand out are the commentary tracks (seen in lost coast) which explain in detail and the development process of the games. This gives the players a new insight to the game and all the stuff you didn't get to see that got cut out. If you find these annoying you can always turn them off. This episode focuses on alyx and unlike every other FPS you've every played (including HL2) they have explored her character in depth, so you don't get the feeling she is just there to shoot stuff. Lighting/AI/Objects and everything else have, as you would expect, been improved and are the most sophisticated to date. The story is continued and there is even more shooting than previously between your enemies, watching them battling it out is just as fun as taking part yourself. Other things to watch out for is the use of the flash light in places too dark to see and some new moves alyx has up her sleeve (or under her boot). The short list of negatives in the game are, it takes ages to get your crowbar and some aspects of the maps are a little repetitive. But before you can become bored the scene changes and your faced with yet another challenge in the fight for survival. Valve have done it again and taken Half-Life 2: Episode 1 up another level and ensured their dominance as leaders in First Person Shooters.… Expand

Better than HL2. I really loved Half-Life and Half-Life 2, but Episode One is by far my favorite of the series. Alyx is a great "side-kick", and is very helpful... I am looking forward to more gametime with Alyx at Gordon's side throughout the next two episodes, and Half-Life 3. This game is intense; however, does get a bit too excessive with all of the enemies being fought at one time. The graphics are enhanced (HDR), which makes it incredible. This is probably my favorite game ever.… Expand

Absolutely wonderful! Graphics, pacing, price...It's all here!

Great game for the $$$. Our ( all gamers ) expectations of full games might get the best of us and lower the score because of it, but understand its an episodic game.

Possibly the most fun I have ever had in a first person shooter. Though somewhat short, I found this game extremely impressive.

Exciting game, yes it's a bit short, but thinking of it as one of three episodes it's very good. 9/10.

Surpsingly very good.Obviously on the short side, but with the next 2 installments coming out within a year I think this just might work. The game is nonstop action and great character interactions. Some amazing animation work and voice acting really push this game beyond Half-Life 2. Once put together with Episodes 2 and 3 I think this could easily pass Half-Life 2.

The game was great it was cool to hear those poison head crabs they always freak me out. Great game and i hope they make another instalment soon.

It's an extension of Half-Life2 with only one mod that I could think of ( Combine rifle seems more efficient ) Very well made episodic content. Although smaller than I'd like, I have to force myself to remember its not a full game. Although it kind of sucks that this episode raises more questions than it answers, when everything is said and done, im sure we'll all wish it would have stretched out for another episode or 2. The AI is very well developed, especially Alex. She's not just some tag-along, she does her fair share of work. My only 2 gripes are that they haven't introduced a new gun along the lines of an m4a1-type, but they did partly make up for it with a more 'solid' feeling Combine Assult Rifle. The recoil doesn't kick in as fast, making the gun a lot more functional. Also, I wish Valve would make 'nade-cooking' possible on the Single player HL2 like it does in HL2:DM. Some things I'd like to see from the new episode ( since I know Valve reads these metascores since they direct people to this site directly from steam ): 1)a combine m4a1 2)nade cooking in single player… Expand

The game is quite short (about 5 hours), but that is the only complaint. The amazing graphics, physics, and story of Half Life 2 is improved in Episode 1 and is just breathtaking. Definite recommendation.

Nearly perfect game. Best Expansion ever.

Awesome game would have given a score of 10 if it was longer, much longer, heh ah well.

This is just BEST game ever. I love it.

People will complain it's short; but it's an Episode. It's one portion of a whole thing. And it's damn fantastic, the Source engine has stepped up a notch, and with a high-level DX9 card you'll be forever hitting F5 to capture it in all it's glowing, specular, HDRI glory. The emphasis on puzzle solving has stepped up a few notches and extends the gameplay through careful manipulation of the physical environment we've known and come to love from the original HL2.… Expand

One of the best single player FPS expiriences outside of the other Half-Life Games. In fact, its too good. It was so good I could stop playing it untill I beat it in one sitting with only a couple breaks. Each part of the game segways into the next so well theres no good place to stop untill its over.

A perfect example of what episodic gaming should be. After the release of the first episode of SIN on steam, I was slightly concerned that Half Life 2: Episode 1 would not be able to showcase all the new visual upgrades, incredible storytelling, and panic-inducing gameplay I expected from the Half-Life universe. I am more than excited to say, this game has surpassed all of my hopes and dreams. The Storyline is a perfect continuation from the rather enigmatic ending of Half-Life 2, and character development in games has been redefined once again. Sadly, due to its short length, not much of an appearance is made by the all-powerful G-Man, an element I was much anticipating after reading the pre-release hype. The graphic enhancements to the source engine are visually breath-taking. After playing through the game once more with the commentary enabled, I am much more impressed with the skill and art of Episode 1's creation. though I must say, the audio commentary enjoys placing heavy reliance on the term "vista." Not that I can complain, for these vistas are truly stunning. Gameplay is on-par with what should be expected from the Half-Life 2 universe. New tweaks, and npc animations, provide visual flair and definite moments of pure player shock. The first time I saw, in-game, Alyx deftly crack a zombie in the side wih her knee, pull back, and place a three-round burst into it's head-crabbed melon, I was amazed. Half-Life 2: episode 1 is well worth a buy at twenty dollars, and as far as I am concerned,it is the future of gaming.… Expand

Very cinematic! I loved the game, but just like the others I wish it was longer, oh and a bigger variety of different weapons! :-p

half-life is one of the best shooter series arround altough i miss the gameplay of half-life 1 sometimes, and what has happend to black mesa? il hope to see something about that in later episodes besides that HL 2 ep 1 is just great, i enjoyed it evry minute.