Half-Life 2 is the game of the DECADE!

[Scoobes]

Mazty said:

Scoobes said:

Games that used these features before:

1) Rise of the Triad (1994) had a weapon limit (not two though; 3 bullet weapons (pistols & MP40, and 1 extra magic or missile weapon). Rainbow 6 had a 2 weapon limit (1998).

2) Duke Nukem 3D (1996) had a quick shortcut for Duke's boot. I'm sure their are others but this is the first that came to mind.

3) Like I said, this one is an innovation introduced in Halo.

4) I believe quick grenades were in Team Fortress Classic (1999) and Soldier of Fortune (2000).

5) Delta Force and Hidden and Dangerous (1998 and 1999 respectively) had iron sights.

As for your question, the reason people don't answer you directly is because we disagree with you. The story is neither thin or cliched, especially when considering the comparative quality (or lack of) video game storylines. The characters follow established tropes, but that doesn't automatically make them cliched. Alyx who you say is a play on nerd fantasy is one of the few female characters in video games that actually portrays natural emotions, wears normal clothes and isn't just put in for eye candy. She doesn't even flirt with Gordon, just treats him as a friend and ally, but apparently, that constitutes nerd fantasy.

I've already tried to explain to you why the story isn't thin. Yes, aliens attack Earth, but all the events are being directed by someone in the background. It isn't just a simple and generic alien invasion as in most sci-fi games (even Mass Effect simply constitutes preventing an alien invasion). Everything that occurs in the events of HL1-2 are all being influenced and setup by the Gman. The resistance/revolution is only a small part of a larger whole. Episodes 1 & 2 expand on this and show the Vortigants helping Gordon and Alyx to escape. The Gmans control of Gordon starts to wane. There is nearly as much depth/detail in the world and story as Mass Effect, you just choose to disregard it. It's arguably less generic in the grand scheme of things. You even choose to disregard the Gman who gives those who like the story a sense of intrigue and mystery.

Really, most video game storylines are so ridiculously cliched, generic and bland I don't see why you think Half-Life 2 is so bad.

However in Raindbow Six the emphasis was on realism hence the limit. Halo was finding a half-way between realism and infinitely deep poclets. 
How is the story not thin?  Compared to most RPG's the story is incredibly thin and it is cliched by your own admission some posts back about the characters. You lead a resistance against an alien force that has taken over the world - there is no twist, it is as black and white as that. That is a cliche. 

How is falling for a rambo scientist who hasn't said a word "natural" in any way? The only word that pops to my mind is "absurd". 

Someone in the background who isn't explained whatsoever....Why not have it all as "just a dream"?  ME has the history of an entire galaxy and numerous races as well as wars, and you think that is the same as some dude in a suit doing some stuff (no one knows) and a bunch of aliens spilling through a portal? RIiiiiiiiiight. The problem is you want to see HL2 as a great story regardless of what is actually there. To compare it to ME which has pages upon pages on story to one which can be summed up in a few measly paragraphs is just illogical. 

Don't you think it's contradictory how you argue that HL2 has a great storyline and then seem to confess as the end that all game storylines suck? Saying "oh all video game storylines suck" means then that you shouldn't be praising ANY game for it's story. Plus it also shows you haven't played games like Mass Effect (ignoring 3). 

When I said they suck, it's that they suck in the same way you think Half-Life 2's storyline sucks. I can take nearly any game with a half-decent story and using the same logic you use with Half-Life 2, find major fault (with possible exception of Deus Ex and Planescape Torment). The vast majority of storylines in video games follow the same basic structure, use the same tropes and plot points that are typical of the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

I can reduce the plots to each of the 3 ME games, that have pages and pages of information, into some pretty basic and generic plot sturctures:

ME1: The racist Saren goes rogue, Shephard wants revenge (he can save the galaxy as a bonus, yay!)... what's this alien entity that controls him? Kill Saren... Reapers are coming.

ME2: Shepard dies, gets revived, teams up with his saviours to kill the collectors. Kills Collectors. Reapers are coming.

ME3: Reapers come. Shepard gives brings everyone together (happy days!). Reapers lose (kinda)

This is exactly what you've done with Half-Life 2. You took the bits of the story that were in front of you and came up with what you term is a thin and cliched story. Nevermind the extra layers of depth that others have noted, the intrigue and mystery that has large groups pining for Half-Life 3, the detailed dystopia that has its own history or the subtle nuances of the main characters that makes them stand out beyond their video game tropes.

I'm just going to end up repeating myself on the silent protagonist thing; the only reason you seem to suggest that Alyx is a cliched and unrealistic character is because Gordon is silent, but having Gordon talk would ruin the game as he's simply an avatar of yourself. You don't like it, personally I think you're missing out on a layer of immersion that's just not possible with voice acted main characters in the FPS genre. And whilst it's implied she's falling for him, it doesn't really even go into the flirting stage. For the most part it feels like a friendship born of surviving crappy situations and her being told stories of Black Mesa by her father.

And whilst it's not an RPG, considering the genre it does a pretty damn good job in terms of storytelling. The fact that I've managed to write posts and posts on Half-Life 2's story really does suggest it's not as thin as you make out (and I could do the same for Mass Effect btw, I've played each through at least 5 times). The main difference is the story in ME series is told directly. You ask people stuff, you have a codex/Journal and the story presented in a relatively traditional way. Half-Life 2's storyline/backstory are told indirectly through the world and in many ways are hidden in plain sight.

@ Rainbow 6, whilst that's true, I'd still count it. The FPS genre has for the most part evolved from pure twitch shooters into realistic, semi-realistic and outright action games. There's a lot of crossover between the design philosphies. After Rainbow 6, Bungie probably saw that having two guns would work better on consoles.