# Half-Life 2: is the whole thing on rails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384 "2005-04-02T08:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384/21 "2005-04-03T19:57:46Z")
> [@SPOOFE](#): > > I still think Half-Life is superior to the sequel. It just _felt_ different. It felt like a little nobody of a game that had some fucking awesome stuff to offer, for what it was. It felt like it materialized from out of nowhere, and was pure gold. Really? I remember a tremendous amount of hype around the original game. Not as much for as for the sequel, obviously, but it was still an “event” release. Sierra, which was still one of the major studios at the time, hyped the game up for months and months before it came out. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384/22 "2005-04-04T00:58:28Z")
> [@+MDI](#): > > Slightly off topic, but does anyone know whether Team Fortress 2 is still in production? Has there been any news? They kept HL2 secret fro ages, but there were videos released of TF2 in action years back, so I wonder if they’re going to make it with the new engine? I think TF2 will be released as an expansion pack to Duke Nukem Forever. In the meantime, maybe you’d want to give [ETF](http://www.etfgame.com/) a try. It’s a free Team Fortress mod that uses the free Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory game. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384/23 "2005-04-04T01:23:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Really? I remember a tremendous amount of hype around the original game. Not as much for as for the sequel, obviously, but it was still an “event” release. I seem to remember Quake 2 and Unreal getting a lot more exposure. I mighta just missed it. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384/24 "2005-04-04T02:01:24Z")
I wasn’t really reading gaming magazines then, just gaming websites. While I remember Half-Life being mentioned from time to time in E3 coverage and so on, I didn’t really remember much major excitement about it until Day One was leaked to the internet. So, in that sense, HL1 really was a surprise, at least in the circles I ran in in those days. HL2 obviously couldn’t replay that “diamond in the rough” feeling of discovery and novelty, but I still think it’s a great game: well designed, great level design, some innovative gameplay. It can’t stand out of the pack as much anymore because the field is much more crowded with good games and gameplay experiences, but it has it’s own charm. In terms of MP, HL2DM is definately a blast, and CS:S is great, and this is definately THE modding platform for the next two years, so all and all I still think it holds its own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/half-life-2-is-the-whole-thing-on-rails/297384.md?page=1)