First, reminisce. Okay, done. As a child, I was first brought to a cyber-cafe (cc) by my cousin brother. My first experience there was Starcraft, which is until today still one of my favourite game. It was proclaimed to be a trial, a first-time or an exposure. But, visiting a cc became more occasional, more frequent and then, at last we cut it into 1 word - daily! Well the issue here is not about addicted to gaming nor to going to a cc. It's not even about Starcraft too.
In a cc, its LAN-ed. I can play against other players whom I may or may not know. Each game is different from the other. Some players are stronger, some are weaker while others are completely NOOB/NEWB/newbie. From my first experience into Starcraft, which I found extremely exciting especially with new glitches along the way (cheating made me a loser xD ), I slowly turned my interest to another game called Half-Life. This game is hell of a memory to me.
As I've mentioned, in a cc, it is LAN-ed. So we can play with other players which make it more lively and interactive rather than versus boring-and-routined-sometimes-godlike-AI.
Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter game developed by Valve. As we know, game lives and dies. Starcraft's era began to regress as Sierra Studios released Half-Life somewhere in end-1998. Half-Life is divided into two parts: single player and multi player game play. Multi player is where I shoot whoever's arse blocking my way to get the highest score. One very interesting map I couldn't forget is Crossfire. In this map, players can actually hit a button to activate some sort of bombing. Players outside the plant will be blasted into pieces unless the know the glitch (xD).
The multiplayer parts is enough to keep me addicted to it for a long long long time. Believe me this. HAhA. Well after Half-Life was Counter-Strike, which originated and was modified from Half-Life. After that, Counter-Strike Condition Zero, Counter-Strike Source, back to Team Fortress, Half-Life 2, Warcraft 3
Again, of all the shooting games existing, Half-Life is sought to be one of the big players which has influenced the first-shooter game arena. At the same time, notice the Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Left 4 Dead is developed by the same person - Valve. See my point now?
Of course, when I was still a punk straying my early life off in CCs, Half-Life is just running and shooting around. The multiplayer is simply too fun to play. When things got bored, I decided to complete the single player. I found that this game is really really brilliant. The graphics, the design, the setting, the storyline, the layout, the guns, the creatures, the rooms, the buildings, the ideas, Black Mesa and its incident, Xen, G-Man, Lambda Complex, Gordon Freeman, the resonance cascade, etc. The game is a masterpiece. With things in place, they sound logic, fictional, scientific and futuristic especially with aliens and the settings. I'm just too impressed with the Lambda building, the Xen world and other places. The pictures are so detailed. When you have robotic arms to move large boxes around and in the middle of a tram ride you see a hole which reveals the whole satelite plant. Creative yet logical but surreal, mystical and adventurous. Play and complete the single player to understand further. (I bet most teenagers my age have tried this game out =\ )
[ps: Until today, the identity of G-man is yet to be revealed. This is pure genius. There should be a Half-Life 3. Wish I can live long enough to know who the hell G-man actually is =) ]
GO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-Man_(Half-Life) to get to know this man better and understand how and what makes it so mysterious.
In 2008, after 10 long years, and in conjunction with Half-Life's 10th anniversary, Valve acquired and officially launched Left 4 Dead. Personally, due to my "retirement" from CCs, I was aware of this game through a friend 1 month ago, and have tried the game yesterday. And it was a BLAST. The game rocks. Same concept as Half-Life - first person shooter. However, different setting, different storyline, different characters and most important - different gameplay and in-game effects.
Setting - aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic which simply means a place filled with zombie like mutants with rabies-like virus.
Storyline - 4 Survivors with immunity to the virus trying to fight their way off to safe house/location/rescue (Campaigns: No Mercy, Death Toll, Dead Air and Blood Harvest)
Characters - Francis, Bill, Zoey and Louis as the Survivors. Boomer, Hunter, Smoker, Tanker and Witch as the Infected.
Gameplay - Co-operative/Teamplay. In Left 4 Dead, you can't be a lone ranger/solo. Because zombies are coming out from every direction of your 360 degree view, you just can't shoot them all alone. Furthermore, if you're pinned down by a Hunter, it indicates that you are dead unless another teammate helps you out, vice versa. Many cases, you need to work along side your teammates to complete the round. Sharing is also encouraged, as they limit health aids and pain killers.
In-game effects - this is the best part. From Half-Life with little or no significant effects (from what I see) to Counter-Strike where the players experiences a slight decrease in movement speed after a jump to Left 4 Dead where effects are wonders. While being a survivor, throughout the game you can hear spooky sounds. At particular times, you can hear the voice of a woman crying which is the witch. You hear screaming voices as "Hordes" approach. Recommend to play using head phones. The haunting voices, sometimes suddenly shouted. It scared me off. See what it will do to your.
Other than that, other effects are awesome and kinda "new". For example, if you are being "spit-on" by a Boomer, your screen or rather your character's vision is being blurred by green coloured gas and slimes.. something like that which makes it hard for you to see. Likes wearing glasses stained with green coloured liquid. When being hit by infected, your screen kinda vibrate as if you're being hit. As an infected, a hunter for instance, although you have limited attacks or skills, the leaping effect is way too cool. Plus there is an auto-combo once you're successful in snatching a survivor. If you wanna fly, try getting hit by a Tanker. Makes you feel like Superman. Haha.
What ever happens, try this game out. This game managed to make my friend who doesn't go to CC or play computer games now doing the opposite. And its getting popular. So you might not wanna get outdated and miss all the fun, would you?
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