Episode 2 or Portal

GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">Which first?</div>I'm curious as to which one people here will play first. If you haven't played previous HL2 titles and will play them first, I'll just count that as Ep 2 first.

This thread assumes you've pre-ordered the Orange Box and have already played TF2.

So, which one first?

Comments

  • enf0rcerenf0rcer intrigued... Join Date: 2003-03-16 Member: 14584Members
    episode 2. I doubt I'll finish it all in one sitting even if it is only like 3 hours long. In that case then I'll probably do some portal in between.
  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    Stupid steam servers won't give me this choice <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> So portal it is...
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    Episode 2, since I have the last 10 minutes of Episode 1 ready and waiting; I'll just play right through Ep1 into Ep2.
  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    edited October 2007
    gonna have to be Portal, because it's something different. when do they get unlocked again? midnight tonight (PST)?
  • EpidemicEpidemic Dark Force Gorge Join Date: 2003-06-29 Member: 17781Members
    edited October 2007
    Episode 2 definitely, because it's the meat and potatoes of the orange box. TF2 was the appetizer and Portal will be the dessert. I hope Episode 2 is longer than episode 1 though, if only because I crave it.
  • XythXyth Avatar Join Date: 2003-11-04 Member: 22312Members
    I hate you guys so much. My gaming laptop is dead, and I can't replace it until next month. Im stuck on an integrated graphics computer right now that can hardly play HL1.
    ):<
  • RuByRuBy Join Date: 2002-12-12 Member: 10732Members
    I decided not to upgrade my computer for another year or so, so I've still got my crappy old Radeon 9600XT. It runs TF2 decently and I expect Portal to look okay, but it will definitely not do justice to Episode 2. I'm going to try as I can to resist playing Episode 2 until I can do so on an acceptable computer... So the answer is Portal.
  • KungFuDiscoMonkeyKungFuDiscoMonkey Creator of ns_altair 日本福岡県 Join Date: 2003-03-15 Member: 14555Members, NS1 Playtester, Reinforced - Onos
    edited October 2007
    An hour of Portal then Ep2 till I finish, then Portal till I finish.

    I want to see Portal because it's probably unlike most games I've played and to support Them
    Ep2 since I just finished HL2 and HL2:Ep1 again in preperation for it

    I'm planning on taking a nap then waking up in time for it to be released then playing until I have to go to class.
  • RoverRover blargh Join Date: 2003-09-23 Member: 21139Members
  • schkorpioschkorpio I can mspaint Join Date: 2003-05-23 Member: 16635Members
    edited October 2007
    i think p0rtal first, just to see what the teleport gun can do - it'll hvae instant excitment, where ep2 will take a while to ramp up i bet <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /> so a few mins p0rtal and then its time to get serious with ep2!

    i really hope they eventually import the p0rtal gun DM or even ep3

    you know its funny, but i remember about 10 years ago (or more) thatn quake (the first one) had a mod, which had a p0rtal gun <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
    you could shoot a wall with it, and as you walked in it you popped out the other side. you couldnt actualyl see thru the wall or anything though, but it was a cool idea especially back then.
  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    Personally, as much as I think I'll enjoy EP2. I think I'll start with Portal.

    Though that means I'll start by doing a lot of travel through sphincters.
  • SkulkBaitSkulkBait Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13423Members
    I have no interest in playing HL2 or any of its episodic sequels, so definitely Portal. I'll probably also be picking up TF2 based on what I've heard about it, depends on how well I manage to get Portal to run on my system and the difference in minimum specs between TF2 and Portal.

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I decided not to upgrade my computer for another year or so, so I've still got my crappy old Radeon 9600XT<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Cry me a fricken' river. Your card is a whole year newer than mine <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Portal, I think. Since I'm terrible at puzzle games I'll probably cut off halfway through a level, swearing at it's impossibility, and going to play ep2 instead. Or I could study for the exams next week.
  • NEX9NEX9 Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44299Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1654935:date=Oct 9 2007, 06:00 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Align @ Oct 9 2007, 06:00 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1654935"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Portal, I think. Since I'm terrible at puzzle games I'll probably cut off halfway through a level, swearing at it's impossibility, and going to play ep2 instead. Or I could study for the exams next week.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Ep 2, and it better be longer than ep one, and if i have to put up with alyx crap or some other npc i ma be pissed.
  • locallyunscenelocallyunscene Feeder of Trolls Join Date: 2002-12-25 Member: 11528Members, Constellation
    Ep2, unless portal loads first. I want to know what happens next.
  • GwahirGwahir Join Date: 2002-04-24 Member: 513Members, Constellation
    you take a short ride on a train of course.


    Has anyone else wondered why Valve likes trains so much?

    Hl1, HL2, HL2: ep1, and HL2 ep2 all have trains of some form that you ride in them...
  • SkulkBaitSkulkBait Join Date: 2003-02-11 Member: 13423Members
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Johnson:</b> 'Dis here where the blues began. Right here where we standin' Blind Harlan Davenport killed his wife, bury her in that chicken coop right there. That night he recorded "Wife Gone on a Funeral Train Blue." Next mornin', the po-lice shot him in the eye 52 times...

    <b>Johnson:</b> This is where Smokey Toe Brown was savagely beaten for sleepin' wif his neighbor's wife, shortly before he recorded "Train Leavin' This Station Blue". They say his ghost come back to life and kill his neighbor, pitchfork his intestines and hung them on a tree...

    <b>Johnson:</b> Everybody knows Shorty Turlingtop made a deal wif the devil. He was hit by a train at this exact spot. As his head traveled in the air, he wrote "Blues Train Blues".

    <b>Skwisgaar:</b> Alls they sings about is trains!

    <b>Johnson:</b> Is there anything else really to talk about? Heh heh. Come on...

    <b>Johnson:</b> This here's where Mustard ###### the Murder Master Brown slaughtered 22 men just for bein' ugly, heh. He went on to record "Here Come That Train A-Comin' Blue"...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
  • puzlpuzl The Old Firm Join Date: 2003-02-26 Member: 14029Retired Developer, NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    For me the decision is easy. I'll be playing portal first, and then going back to TF2. I set it to not even bother preloading EP2.
  • X_StickmanX_Stickman Not good enough for a custom title. Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15533Members, Constellation
    My unis network is crap and they can't manage it at all. It's been going on and off for a solid week, and now it's on, and I can open steam, but it can't update. They're blocking random things randomly, it seems. So I won't be playing either of them for a while <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />

    Probably fire up portal first though. It is apparently quite short, and I really want to hear more of those messages from that seemingly insane robot voice.
  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    I'm at the last battle of Ep2.

    I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, Episode 2 is the best thing to ever come out of Valve. The combat is nothing short of brilliant, the progression of your own skill as time goes on is amazing(as you can see/feel it yourself- your first Hunter encounter makes just 1 Hunter look like a hell of a fight. 2 hours later, you're taking 3 at a time(granted, it STILL isn't easy), and they're ambushing you an hour after that- and you're truly getting better at taking them down.

    The amount of raw emotion that gets you tied to this one is massive- knowing what happens, you ######ing want to kill certain things. Often.

    Great level design, too. Never got lost, was never bored, Alyx was always helpful if I was wondering what to do next, and the fights were fun and inventive.

    Heres to hoping the last one is as good as the rest.


    ...my only real caveat thus far, is that after you <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>get Alyx back</span>, you never want to <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>leave her again</span>. I had no love before, but I have a real connection now.
  • NEX9NEX9 Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44299Members
    I went ep 2 the whole stats thing is fun adds another demention slightly, alot of pyshic breaking bugs have been fixed ' altered in some way, and my bunny hop seams off i might have to pull out a macro, but the storys been pritty good so far, not to much spray paint giveing things away, hamage to area creators, but theres enough variaty in the suroundings and or markers if you will, that hint at things. *Basicly finding a exsploding barrel to take out that nasty is easy. loved the DYI senttrys and hopper mines. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />

    oh well time for my processor to do some rendering.
  • X_StickmanX_Stickman Not good enough for a custom title. Join Date: 2003-04-15 Member: 15533Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1655069:date=Oct 10 2007, 01:36 PM:name=NEX9)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NEX9 @ Oct 10 2007, 01:36 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1655069"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I went ep 2 the whole stats thing is fun adds another demention slightly...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    That is either a simple and honest misspelling of "Dimension", or the <b>greatest</b> play on words ever.

    Accident or design, it's awesome.
  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    well, it was Portal for me.

    I had 10 mins to play before work so I went through the first few levels of Portal.

    when I get home (only 7 more hours) I will play EP2 probably.
  • NEX9NEX9 Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44299Members
    I love G mans comment about the gungadars first glimps of humanity, and why they were so hostile tobegin with.
  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    Gungadar? Vortigaunts. Or alien slaves, though they aren't slaves anymore.
  • Corporal_FortierCorporal_Fortier Join Date: 2005-03-22 Member: 46079Members, Constellation
    I started with EP2, and then Portal. Both done within 24 hours. and both were GREAT!!

    <!--quoteo(post=1655068:date=Oct 10 2007, 08:34 AM:name=Quaunaut)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Quaunaut @ Oct 10 2007, 08:34 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1655068"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I'm at the last battle of Ep2.

    I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, Episode 2 is the best thing to ever come out of Valve. The combat is nothing short of brilliant, the progression of your own skill as time goes on is amazing(as you can see/feel it yourself- your first Hunter encounter makes just 1 Hunter look like a hell of a fight. 2 hours later, you're taking 3 at a time(granted, it STILL isn't easy), and they're ambushing you an hour after that- and you're truly getting better at taking them down.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Great level design, too. Never got lost, was never bored, Alyx was always helpful if I was wondering what to do next, and the fights were fun and inventive.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Exactly. I didn't find anything redundant nor boring! The first hunter scared the heck out of me, and I played it only at easy so far (I wanted to know what happens without working too hard ^^), and they still need 7-8 shotgun shells to die, can't wait to try that on hard! Oh, and that last battle (or anything from the point where you <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>start driving this awesome muscle car</span>) was a blast!! The one thing I disliked about the Half-Life series is that the last challenge wasn't fast paced enough... but hell that changed!

    I also like the mix of seriousness (<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>save Alyx and all that</span>) and humour (<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>race against Dog, Eli's "you should start making babies with Alyx"-like comments, etc.</span>), and it feels great not to have to run through corridors and chambers for hours like in the earlier releases...

    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The amount of raw emotion that gets you tied to this one is massive- knowing what happens, you ######ing want to kill certain things. Often.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    <!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->...my only real caveat thus far, is that after you <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>get Alyx back</span>, you never want to <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>leave her again</span>. I had no love before, but I have a real connection now.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    #####ing want to kill certain things? Hell I feel you man... You probably ended the game by now and there's probably some more people on your death list. I can't wait for EP3 to make some people pay -_- ... I find EP2 to be way more emotion-packed than just some "Ahh Gordon, thank god you're alive!" The game is taking more and more control of the player for little cutscenes, which feels a little weird (although I like it)... I mean to be Gordon, THE Gordon Freeman, and be powerless in front of such aweful situations.... argh!! I just spammed my keyboard to draw my .357 out and whipe the crap out of those damned <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>advisors killing people right in front of my eyes!!</span>

    Oh, and.... <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>WHERE THE HELL IS BARNEY?<img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" /> IF HE'D BEEN THERE AT THE END I'M SURE HE'D SAVED THE DAY!!! ok ok I guess he couldn't have gone against the will of our.... mutual friend... but still, thats pretty much the only thing I found bad in the EP ^^</span>

    As for Portal, it was real fun but a little easier than I expected (I guess I'll have to play it again with some more challenging settings). I like the link between Portal and Half-Life seen in both EP2 and Portal. I hope it'll develop a little, although merging both could become quite a headache. Oh, and... moist cake > all.
  • Zor2Zor2 Join Date: 2005-01-13 Member: 35341Members, Constellation
    edited October 2007
    Just finished Episode 2!

    <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo DAMN THOSE FLOATING BLUE SLUGS! DAMN THEMMMM :unhappyface : unhappyface</span>
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