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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $9.29
You Save: $10.70 (54%)
New (7) Used (12) from $6.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 6155
Platform: Windows
ESRB: Mature
Media: DVD-ROM
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 17 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.1
MPN: 9845
Model: 71608
UPC: 014633098457
EAN: 0014633098457
ASIN: B000CQIDTC
Release Date: June 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Half-Life II: Episode One (Hour) August 22, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Back in 2004 I was eagerly awaiting Half-Life II along with many other gamers. I heard so much about it that I put it on my "must buy" list. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I can't say I was disappointed. The graphics were even better than those of Doom III's, and everything else seemed to be about right. Like the original Half-Life, the game was very engaging. I made up and posted in a gaming forum a list of my own personal "2004 games of the year," and Half-Life II topped the list. Although I mentioned that I didn't consider Half-Life II to be a great game, I liked it nevertheless and said it was the best new game I played that year.For some reason I didn't get around to playing Episode One, the expansion to Half-Life II, until recently. Maybe the considerable system requirements kept me away for awhile, or perhaps I was busy with other games or even busy with work if any of you know what "work" is. In any case, Episode One just didn't seem to be compelling enough to try right away. Now that I've played Episode One, I can see that one of the most common observations about the game is correct: It is indeed "short." I rarely feel a game is short, but with Episode One I cannot escape that conclusion. The first time I played it, it took me maybe seven hours to finish. What goes on during that seven hours? Simply put, much of it is rehashed Half-Life II. Alyx and "Dog" are back, and you'll see more of them in Episode One. Alyx, for instance, will be by your side for almost all of the adventure. Both indoor and outdoor areas look much the same as they did in Half-Life II although the graphics have been "enhanced" to allow for more robust lighting. You'll be peering down a narrow flashlight beam in some dark areas, but fortunately you won't need to swap your light for your weapon like in Doom III. You'll need to solve a lot of puzzles along the way, and much of the seven hours of the game you'll be engaged in finding solutions to those puzzles.Will you like Half-Life II: Episode One? I think most shooter fans will like Episode One. It looks good, has very good gameplay, and it follows in the footsteps of the older Half-Life games. Some gamers might gripe a bit about the short length of the game, but if quality matters more than quantity, the length should not bother you too much. Did I like Episode One? I think it's a decent game. For the $10 I paid for it, I can't complain too much. My biggest gripe might be the incessant attacks of the ant lions, a holdover from Half-Life II. I didn't like the ant lions attacking in Half-Life II, and I don't like them in Episode One either. Once I discovered how to prevent the attacks of those annoying beasts, though, it didn't matter that much. Sometimes the less likable parts of a game are good in that it's a relief once those parts are done. Once Half-Life II: Episode One is finished, though, I can say that in some ways it's very impressive. For better or for worse, we need to live with the decisions of the game developers, decisions that lately seem to be poor decisions in many cases. In Episode One, I'd say those decisions were more often "better" rather than "worse."
 Excelent Game August 13, 2007
Excellent Graphics and continuation of Half life 2 story, (excellent story) the only issue is that is too short WE WANT MORE!!!!
Great Game, Great Series July 18, 2007
For a price tag under $10 this game is a must have for any Half-Life fan. My only problem now is waiting for Episode 2 to be released. If you've played Half-Life 2 do yourself a favor and get this expansion pack. It may not be as long as HL 2 but it still has plenty of action in it.
 Excellent game June 27, 2007
It's awesome. What more needs to be said, when you know the people at Valve made it? Every game in the Half Life saga has distinguished itself in the realm of first person shooters, and this is no exception. Awesome graphics and sound, and physics so realistic that you can hardly believe its just a game.
Yes, it's short. There's a good reason for that. It took Valve 6 years to make Half Life 2. They didn't want to make all the Half Life fans wait over half a decade for the next HL release, so guess what? They decided to do it in smaller bites, that cost the consumer less and gets it to them sooner. So be happy you have the chance to buy this game now :)
Make sure you check out the system requirements before you buy it. You'll have to register the product and download the updates before you can play it (which takes a while on dial-up, but is worth the wait). On a side note, the game is kind of claustrophobic for my tastes, but makes up for it with extra ammo and zombies to shoot. Nope, no vehicles in this one. Sorry.
We'll see...about THAT. May 27, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Just where does the G-Man get off? After dropping you--Gordon Freeman, scientist-turned-soldier--into the decayed, oppressive metropolis of a Combine-controlled City 17, letting you slug your way through it and its environs for a week, coming face-to-face with Dr. Breen, the Combine's public face, and breaking the stranglehold they had on Earth's remaining population...he comes along and rips you out of time and space to be "preserved" once again, leaving Alyx Vance--your best ally, a young woman who's both easy on the eyes and tough as nails--at ground zero of a massive explosion at the tip of the Citadel.
Not a word of thanks, no congratulations, no empathy toward Alyx, nothing. You've done your job, now get back in your cage until I need you again. Where does he get off?
Well, I'll tell you: Less than a minute after EPISODE 1 begins. And you have the Vortigaunts to thank for not only that, but for your unexpected freedom from the G-Man's clutches, and for also saving Alyx's lovely hide as well.
In fact, if you like Alyx (and who wouldn't? I'd rather have the pleasure of her company than that of Lara Croft and her Amazing Flotation Devices any day), then this is the game for you. Aside from a few brief separations, she's by your side throughout this game, and believe me, you'll be glad to have her. She's a crack shot with that machine pistol of hers, and I swear, it never runs out of ammo. With her EMP device, she can hack into Combine locks and computers where you can't. She's not constantly underfoot like the Rebels were in HALF-LIFE 2. She'll even make the occasional bad joke to break up the tension.
And believe me, there's plenty of that. While this isn't a long game, 5 chapters, 4 to 6 hours at the most, Valve didn't skimp on the action or the atmosphere. From the rapidly-disintegrating Citadel to the forgotten underground to the streets of City 17, you'll find that while the Combine lost a major battle against Humanity, they're not giving up the war. Far from it; you and Alyx find something at the Citadel that MUST reach the Resistance, and the Combine want to make sure that doesn't happen. Nearly the full might of the Overwatch is gunning for the two of you, so expect some intense combat.
The Combine isn't your only worry, unfortunately. You also have to deal with the wildlife, such as Antlions. Yeah, they're your enemies again, since you don't have access to the Pheropods you used in Nova Prospekt. They also spawn endlessly from pits you'll come across, but a little ingenuity will solve that problem.
And there's a new type of Zombie in town, the result of what happens when a Headcrab latches on to an Overwatch Soldier--the Combine Zombie (or "Zombine," as Alyx puts it). How's it stack up to the other versions? He's a little faster than the Regular Zombie, but not as quick as the Fast Zombie. He's tougher than the Regular, but not as tough as the Poison Zombie. And he also has this annoying habit of whipping out a grenade, pulling the pin, and coming straight at you. Nothing ruins your day quite like a face full of exploding undead.
That's also the only new thing you'll find in this game, compared to the original. There are no other new enemies, no new weapons, just a few more inventive uses for what you're already familiar with. But I don't mind; this world and its story are so compelling that it's all good. Besides, the new lighting effects Valve cooked up for this one more than make up for it.
And once again, it ends on a cliffhanger. I don't mind that either. If Valve had done this kind of episodic content with HL2, then the first part of that game would've ended with you entering Ravenholm, and we all know what a fun place THAT was, don't we?
Now, after a lot (and I mean a LOT) of delays, we may be getting the continuation, EPISODE 2, this October. Between the new environments, the ratcheting action and suspense, and this new PORTAL game that's included with it, it'll be worth the wait. We may even finally be getting some answers to questions that've plagued us all since 1998. Such as:
Why did the Vortigaunts save Alyx and yourself? What is the Combine, and what's in the parcel you retrieved that's so important to them? What's this "Project" Dr. Mossman mentioned in her message? Who are the G-Man's "employers?" For that matter...what is the G-Man? Is he even a human being?
We'll see about that.
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