Poll: Half-Life 2 or FEAR?

[torpid]

Originally posted by: archcommus
No one else notices the difference in pure fun factor with FEAR over HL2?

***SPOILERS***

No, because FEAR was not even in the same ball park as far as fun goes. It was like one scene from HL2 extended even beyond the lengthy repetition that was in some parts of HL2.

HL2 is hundreds of times better. It is really not even close. Might as well make a poll asking which is better between $10,000 and $10.

FEAR was graphically impressive, and the physics were great. That is it. The game was absurdly repetitive and the writing was really weak. The way the writing was presented was good, but ultimately that can only get you so far.

As repetitive as spots were in HL2, it didn't feel like the game was jerking you around just to make the game feel longer like it did in FEAR. Suddenly doors are locked and you have to go through this absurd labyrinth of offices that have no real sense to them. When was the last time you were in an office building where the stairs are scattered in random places and only go 2 or 3 floors?

Even if there were some moments like that in HL2, it wasn't the entire game like it was in FEAR. HL2 had some outstanding moments in it, and the gameplay was extremely varied.

Didn't like the weapons? What? Did you even play HL2 beyond the pistol? Nothing comes close to the enjoyment of the rocket launcher that tracks your movement or the bug pods that summon limitless antlions. Let's not even get into the gravity gun (both regular and superpowered). The only interesting weapon in FEAR was the plasma rifle thing. That was a lot of fun.

Plus, the story unfolds in HL2 in a much more interesting manner. In FEAR it's some guy squawking in your ear and emails. In HL2 it's scenes with people looking at you and speaking, or an evil overlord's voice on video screens.

There are actually interesting characters in HL2 as well. In FEAR it's just a bunch of people with random names who have no personality, plus your brother and mother. Really only your brother is interesting at all, and that's really only relative to the other characters. Barney is about 10 times more interesting than any character in FEAR and you see him for maybe 3 minutes of the whole game in HL2.

 

[hooflung]

Neither... Quake 4 ftw!

 

[Sureshot324]

HL2 by far. Fear had a poorly coded engine and really didn't look that good for how much of a system hog it was. HL2 just had a much more interesting game world in every way. Far Cry owns them both though

 

[DefRef]

While FEAR had the best AI since the first HL, the story didn't hang together (I knew where it was going from the jump) and the level design got repetitive. Sure, it looked nice, but a tunnel is a tunnel is a tunnel.

The facial animations between HL2 and FEAR are no contest. You can look at a screen shot from HL2 and know what the characters are feeling. Compared to this, all other games are like ventriloquist dummies. Check this shot out. What is Alyx's emotional state?

It's too bad that some people are unable to appreciate the subtle realism of the HL2 graphics and demand the plastic-looking glitz of D3/Q4/FC. "OMGZ! teh sh4d0wS!11!!"

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: SpunkyJones
I liked both very much, but would put HL2 above Fear.

Pretty much agree. It's hard to choose because both are really good games, but for better variety of Gameplay HL2 edges out FEAR. Add-in CS:S into the mix and HL2 looks to be the better investment over time, assuming Multiplayer has any importance to the purchaser and that CS has any attraction to them as well.

 

[archcommus]

HL2 does have amazing graphics and realism, but after getting used to Q4 and FEAR I really dislike the pre-rendered lighting.

 

[Noema]

Half Life 2 is far superior as a game, in terms of gameplay, story and atmosphere. FEAR looks awesome and it plays great, but that's about it. It's otherwise an average shooter (albeit very polished and technically stunning).

They aren't even in the same league, to be honest. However, I do agree that HL2's lighting looks dated compared to newer games like Oblivion or FEAR. The Lost Coast shows how awesome HL2 looks with HDR, and hopefully the upcoming Episodes will have HRD lighting fully implemented.

 

[DeathReborn]

I just had to vote for FEAR as it was less of a let down than HL2 was to me. It also doesn't use Steam (which I don't like) which is another plus to me.

 

[fireontheway]

HL2.

 

[secretanchitman]

both, but HL2 gives me a headache for some reason. i have absolutely no idea why.

 

[MetalMat]

FEAR sucked

 

[Litchfield285]

HL2 hands down.

 

[fallensight]

fear. I had problems really getting into hl2. It just seemed like most of hl2 was "omg its freeman, send the whole army, helicopters, tanks, all of it for one man!!" Having lots of different surroundings didnt bother me in fear, just making levels for the surroundings to be different is even more lame. I also didnt care for the various vehicles in hl2. Im sure people think im nuts for not liking vehicles, but I play a shooter for a shooter, not to haev some half thought out racing-like levels, make this jump make that jump.

 

[SonicIce]

I'm going to have to make my own inequality :
Half-Life 2 = FarCry > Quake 4 > Doom 3 = FEAR
Quake 4 has the funnest deathmatch out of those, though.

 

[0roo0roo]

i played fear through to the end. hl2.. i stopped caring. plus it had cs source which was more interesting.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: archcommus
how can you say the graphics in HL2 equal or are better than FEAR's? I think nothing out there looks better than FEAR right now, period. It looks amazing. HL2 definitely looks dated due to its lighting.

I have not seen anything in FEAR terribly impressive, compared to HL2.

what are you playing on?

HL2 looks really dated compared to FEAR . . . FEAR "effects" are 10 times better . . . as is the AI [100 times better]

that said, i liked HL2 better

theres a high resolution textures pack for hl2.

 

[TheVrolok]

The only saving grace of FEAR is the awesome AI. Other than that, I'd have to say FEAR was terrible. Storyline was terribly layed out, for an engine that could support impressive graphics it was truely underutilized - are the levels grey enough? The coloring is just beyond drab.

 

[Oakenfold]

Still haven't finished HL2 to this day.
Believe it or not I got bored.
FEAR FTW imo.

 

[conlan]

HL2, but HL was better

 

[BFG10K]

Fear even if for no other reason than it didn't have Steam.

 

[VIAN]

my vote goes to fear because it had more action than HL2.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

HL2 was probably the best out of the two

graphics and story were pretty good, physics too. but ill agree, got a bit monotonous. FEAR was pretty fun to play, yeah it was linear and easy, but i loved the bullet time thing, and the range of weapons, and the cool pixel shader effects . and although predictable, it was actually decently scary with the little girl taking over your vision, and those wierd stealth enemies that pop out of no where in your face. caught me off gaurd more than once, and i liked it, though i did have a SLI set up to enjoy it on

 

[VIAN]

FEAR isn't nearly as easy and neither is it as linear as HL2.

 

[skace]

Edited to clarify my points.

HL2 was a better game only because FEAR hurt itself too many times. First off, FEAR's engine was about the worst running FPS engine out of the last generation of FPS games (D3, HL2, FEAR, etc) and gave little in return for the performance degredation. Second, FEAR suffers from every place looking identical, even more so than Doom3. Third, FEAR relies on scripted encounters for scares, such that after a single playthrough you know exactly where you will and won't get hurt. They could have improved this if all the Alma meetings had a possibility of hurting you (would have made a WAY better game, sort of like Eternal Darkness). All of the guns and monsters in FEAR lack variety, combat never evolves.

I'm one of the few people who admittedly enjoyed every last generation FPS for varying reasons, so don't think I hated FEAR either. But don't be surprised when you try to pit it against HL2 and the poll destroys it.

Originally posted by: DefRef
It's too bad that some people are unable to appreciate the subtle realism of the HL2 graphics and demand the plastic-looking glitz of D3/Q4/FC. "OMGZ! teh sh4d0wS!11!!"

I'd say far fewer people could appreciate the true lighting of D3/Q4 in comparison to FC and HL2. Just look at how badly Doom3 gets slammed in nearly every thread in this forum.

 

[0roo0roo]

i dunno about that engine critique. the dynamic lighting made the whole experience more realistic. such lighting is costly. the static hl2 enviroments could look pretty decent but still there was just something missing. its subtle but its there and made me enjoy emersion in fear much more than hl2