Half-Life 2: Episode One

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,622 out of 3112
  2. Mixed: 334 out of 3112
  3. Negative: 156 out of 3112
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. nemix3d
    Sep 10, 2023
    10
    Despite some possible system freezes, this game absolutely rocked. I will play it again and again. Hopefully an update will be available soon.
  2. Richard_dias
    Aug 14, 2023
    8
    They kinda dropped the ball with this one as far as I'm concerned (compared to HL2 and HL2:EP2 it is not as good), but still a pretty good game. Besides that, you need to play it before you go to Episode Two, which is one of the best games ever made.
  3. The_D4RknesS
    Jul 21, 2023
    1
    What a **** DLC! It's full of puzzles and still has a horrible setting, it's totally the division offered by half life 2004
  4. mawwex
    Jul 19, 2023
    9
    Really good but has the same style and architecture so it gets kind of boring, some of the bossfights feel drawn out and it doesn't have that same story-building that draws you forward automatically in other VALVe titles and the other Half-Life 2 parts.
  5. Pewiss
    Jul 11, 2023
    7
    I just don't see myself replaying this in the future unless it's for a Half-Life marathon or something. Still good though and I'm excited to hop into episode 2.
  6. armadonpower
    Jun 11, 2023
    10
    Episode One's intense action, seamless storytelling, and improved AI make it a worthy continuation of the Half-Life 2 saga.
  7. vova22379
    Jun 10, 2023
    5
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  8. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    8
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  9. Mastereed
    Mar 31, 2023
    9
    THE BEGINNING OF THE END

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: Half-Life 2: Episode One is a continuation of the story after the ending of the base game, deepening the rivalry between Gordon Freeman and his allies against the Combine forces. Episode One was developed by Valve Softwares in 2006 and is their first game to take advantage of the power of HDR technology, previously tested with Half-Life 2: Lost    THE BEGINNING OF THE END

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    Half-Life 2: Episode One is a continuation of the story after the ending of the base game, deepening the rivalry between Gordon Freeman and his allies against the Combine forces. Episode One was developed by Valve Softwares in 2006 and is their first game to take advantage of the power of HDR technology, previously tested with Half-Life 2: Lost Coast.

    ODD VISIONS:
    The game, being a continuation of a cliffhanger, begins abruptly, seeing Gordon Freeman and Alyx escaping from the Combine tower due to the events seen in Half-Life 2. The player starts off with only the energy manipulator, which soon transforms into its electric version. Being a stand-alone game, the beginning is built to be playable even by those who had not played the first one, offering the typical Valve learning curve.

    RUN FREEMAN RUN!:
    The gameplay of the first episode of Half-Life 2 is divided into two focal points. The first is the level design, i.e., everything including the puzzles and the approach to the game map, which is extremely superior to the first title. The introduction of several new mechanics brought a breath of fresh air that the first title needed. The second point, on the other hand, is the lack of new weaponry, which certainly brings boredom to anyone who played the first title and was already a limitation of Half-Life 2 compared to the first one. New enemies have also been added with this chapter, leading to new uncomfortable situations and consequently different approaches to combat. Finally, the plot turns out to be simply a continuation of the combat against the Combine forces, not leading to particularly interesting intrigue and ending with another cliffhanger that will introduce the second episode.

    RED SKY AT NIGHT, SHEPHERD'S DELIGHT:
    Aesthetically, apart from the addition of HDR, and thus improved in-game lighting and shadows, the graphics and models turn out to be identical to those of the first chapter.

    “WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT”:
    As with the graphics, the audio part turns out to be the same as Half-Life 2, with the addition of several new original OSTs.

    BUT WHY 9?

    PROS:
    The pros of this title are numerous. The level design has been enhanced and improved a lot compared to the first title, but most importantly it has been thickened so as not to create boring void zones, which were present in the first title. In addition, there are numerous interactions and surprises in the puzzles that are very surprising. In addition, the game areas are, at least personally, much more interesting than those in the first one, even adding more frightening and anxiety-provoking areas based entirely on the use of the flashlight being completely immersed in darkness.

    CONS:
    The cons, on the other hand, besides the lack of new weapons, lies in some extremely boring game situations, such as the train part, where the player is required to go from point A to point B more than five times. Also, there are too many situations where the player is required to stand still to listen to dialogues, making those phases much more boring and lowering the tension and atmosphere.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 10+
    Music: 8
    Story: 9
    Level Desing: 10+
    _    … Expand
  10. threeoftendie
    Feb 5, 2023
    9
    Это одна из первых игр моего детства. И, несмотря на возраст и недостатки, о которых я сейчас узнаю от других, она не кажется мне плохой
  11. DonldTrump_45Th
    Jan 26, 2023
    8
    Hello, this is a default review because i'm forced to use 75 characters. I'll edit this review in the future talking about the game, don't worry ;)

    My final rate is: 8
  12. yggril
    Jan 26, 2023
    5
    This is the game you'd expect if you asked a much less talented team to imitate the original. It feels more like a collection of extra maps for HL2 than a real Valve game. There's none of the original's creativity. No new mechanics, weapons, or enemies. No interesting new puzzles.

    The challenge also feels less organic and more gimmicky. The original kept ambushes to a minimum. Here    This is the game you'd expect if you asked a much less talented team to imitate the original. It feels more like a collection of extra maps for HL2 than a real Valve game. There's none of the original's creativity. No new mechanics, weapons, or enemies. No interesting new puzzles.

    The challenge also feels less organic and more gimmicky. The original kept ambushes to a minimum. Here there's a horde of enemies waiting silently for you around every other corner. The original rewarded you for finding creative approaches. Here you just have to brute force fight your way through every encounter. The original gave you scenarios that Gordon was well suited for. Here there's a whole section that's pitch black, where the challenge comes exclusively from the deficiencies of Gordon's flashlight.

    Basically, the developers substituted trolling and spam for creative and organic challenge. It's not too hard or too easy compared to the original, but it'll leave you saying "oh come on" with some regularity.    … Expand
  13. Targaryen006
    Jan 21, 2023
    9
    Good Things(+)
    -main Story
    -gameplay

    İt Could Be Better

    Bad things(-)
    -play time

    on record:4h
  14. bakpak
    Dec 18, 2022
    8
    It still good since its half-life, but its not as interesting. Only 1 new enemy and you don't approach differently to other enemies but the dark gimmick is quiet fun.
  15. hileger
    Dec 3, 2022
    8
    это шедевр стрельба муа засасываю просто в десны гордона по физике ....
  16. Soullex
    Nov 29, 2022
    8
    Döneminde ilk çıktığı zaman oynamadığım için. Sonradan oynayınca, ikinci oyundaki mekaniklerin üstüne bir şeyler koymamış olmaları beni üzdü. Sonuçta bu bir ara oyun, demi?
  17. Hyperfailure
    Nov 27, 2022
    8
    (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
    ┻━┻ ︵ ヽ(°□°ヽ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ ＼( °□° )／ ︵ ┻━┻

    ┬─┬ノ( º _ ºノ)

    (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻

    ┬──┬ ¯_(ツ)

    ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

    ┻━┻ ︵ ¯(ツ)/¯ ︵ ┻━┻

    (╯°Д°）╯︵ /(.□ . )

    ʕノ•ᴥ•ʔノ ︵ ┻━┻
  18. Chemiker
    Sep 4, 2022
    10
    Без 5 секунд как посмертно награжденные герои и спасители земли от оккупации Альянса, реанимированы и готовы к следующему бою!
  19. Trollfacebuddy
    Jul 31, 2022
    10
    It starts with one thing I don't know why
    It doesn't even matter how hard you try
    Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme To explain in due time All I know Time is a valuable thing Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings Watch it count down to the end of the day The clock ticks life away It's so unreal Didn't look out below Watch the time go right out the window Tryin' to    It starts with one thing I don't know why
    It doesn't even matter how hard you try
    Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
    To explain in due time

    All I know
    Time is a valuable thing
    Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
    Watch it count down to the end of the day
    The clock ticks life away

    It's so unreal
    Didn't look out below
    Watch the time go right out the window
    Tryin' to hold on, did-didn't even know
    I wasted it all just to watch you go

    I kept everything inside and even though I tried
    It all fell apart
    What it meant to me will eventually
    Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard

    I tried so hard and got so far
    But in the end it doesn't even matter
    I had to fall to lose it all
    But in the end it doesn't even matter

    One thing, I don't know why
    It doesn't even matter how hard you try
    Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme
    To remind myself how I tried so hard

    In spite of the way you were mockin' me
    Acting like I was part of your property
    Remembering all the times you fought with me
    I'm surprised it got so far

    Things aren't the way they were before
    You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
    Not that you knew me back then
    But it all comes back to me in the end

    You kept everything inside and even though I tried
    It all fell apart
    What it meant to me will eventually
    Be a memory of a time when I tried so hard

    I tried so hard and got so far
    But in the end it doesn't even matter
    I had to fall to lose it all
    But in the end it doesn't even matter I've put my trust in you Pushed as far as I can go For all this There's only one thing you should know I've put my trust in you Pushed as far as I can go For all this There's only one thing you should know I tried so hard and got so far But in the end it doesn't even matter I had to fall to lose it all But in the end it doesn't even matter    … Expand
  20. KapralDominik
    Jul 20, 2022
    9
    Прямое продолжение, вышедшее в виде отдельной игры, хотя тянет максимум на небольшое дополнение. Все также держит темп оригинала, добавляя схваток с новыми противниками, челленжами (одна пуля) и представляя новый взгляд на измененный Сити-17, через который нам и предстоит совершать последний забег. Итого: 9.Прямое продолжение, вышедшее в виде отдельной игры, хотя тянет максимум на небольшое дополнение. Все также держит темп оригинала, добавляя схваток с новыми противниками, челленжами (одна пуля) и представляя новый взгляд на измененный Сити-17, через который нам и предстоит совершать последний забег. Итого: 9.
  21. BenzoSt
    Jul 12, 2022
    7
    (I played this game with MMod.) A continuation of the excellent Half-Life 2 story with a few new levels. The levels are well constructed but feel very much like those in the main Half-Life 2 game. The star of the show is your sidekick Alyx, who is a superb AI partner with a genuinely likable personality. Unfortunately, the grievances I had with vanilla Half-Life 2 remain, which include too(I played this game with MMod.) A continuation of the excellent Half-Life 2 story with a few new levels. The levels are well constructed but feel very much like those in the main Half-Life 2 game. The star of the show is your sidekick Alyx, who is a superb AI partner with a genuinely likable personality. Unfortunately, the grievances I had with vanilla Half-Life 2 remain, which include too many checkpoints (which makes dying inconsequential) and the fact that explosive stuff is disproportionately dangerous.… Expand
  22. Goorman1996
    Jun 23, 2022
    7
    A good one another HL chapter, but, as for me, against the backdrop of other HL chapters — the most faded one.
  23. Tomle1202
    Jun 1, 2022
    8
    Episode One's biggest problem is its short length, but that same downside is the reason for a more focused game with better pacing than the original.
  24. mariavkj
    Apr 19, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pika, e gostei d+ que a Alyx tá por perto a maior parte do tempo, só foi meio curto… Expand
  25. Kuzya_Zeleniy
    Apr 18, 2022
    7
    This game is truly incredible for its time and I fully respect the fans of this game. But I was bored. In this episode finished more puzzles and nothing more. But I liked the finale.
  26. jelikey
    Mar 19, 2022
    8
    A short little story, but I explained allegedly happened after the explosion of City 17. Back to the Same, ie same graphics, same characters and same gameplay. This does not prevent is good because if it's the same this never bored
  27. yangfanhong
    Feb 9, 2022
    8
    It is kind of dlc of that time? Anyway it is a great game, though the name EPISODE ONE is a little weird.
  28. JJ2FAS4U
    Dec 28, 2021
    9
    For Xbox 360
    Atmosphere: 9
    Enjoyment: 9
    Gameplay: 9
    Graphics: 8
    Music: 8
    Story: 9
    Total: 8.67
  29. petrkozak13
    Dec 12, 2021
    8
    Not as good as the original Half-Life 2 but still an awesome game. Must-play for every Half-Life fan.
  30. PublicNuisance
    Nov 25, 2021
    8
    Half-Life 2: Episode One is kind of the black sheep of the Half-Life 2 games. It is a good game in it’s own right but it lacks the innovation of Half-Life 2 and it lacks the story of Episode 2 which is by far the best story arc of the whole series in my eyes. So we are left with a good game that is sadly forgotten in the mix by many because it is the middle child. All of the same greatHalf-Life 2: Episode One is kind of the black sheep of the Half-Life 2 games. It is a good game in it’s own right but it lacks the innovation of Half-Life 2 and it lacks the story of Episode 2 which is by far the best story arc of the whole series in my eyes. So we are left with a good game that is sadly forgotten in the mix by many because it is the middle child. All of the same great game play is back in Episode One. The story in itself is good and enjoyable. City 17 is now a war zone and the game revolves around trying to escape it. The graphics are just as good as Half-Life 2, no better but no worse. The game doesn’t have any of the driving sections of the original. There is however a great level taking place in a hospital which was almost as creepy as Ravenholm.

    I played Episode One on Linux. It never crashed on me. There are once again some AI issues. This time what happened to me was on a mission where I have to lead civilians to a departing train some of them got stuck in a wall corner and wouldn’t proceed making me have to reload a previous save. Outside of the AI issue I noticed no other bugs. There were 4 AA settings; 6 AF settings; a V-Sync toggle; 9 other graphics options and an FOV slider that went from 75-90. You could change the difficulty level at any time as well as manually save at any time. Performance was fantastic which wasn’t surprising given the game’s age.

    Graphics Engine: Source
    Graphics API: OpenGL
    Disk Space Used: 1.05GB (not counting HL2 base game)

    Graphics Settings: All Highest; 8x AA; 16x AF; blur off; V-Sync on; multi core rendering on; HDR full; 90 FOV; 1920x1080

    GPU Usage: 16-52 %
    VRAM Usage: 1022-1398 MB
    CPU Usage: 5-20 %
    RAM Usage: 2.7-3.3 GB
    Frame Rate: 137-144 FPS

    Overall I can’t say too many negative things about Episode One. It does it’s job well which is to further the Half-Life story. It doesn’t innovate but it also doesn’t make anything worse. I finished the game on the hardest difficulty in 3 hours and 48 minutes.

    My Score: 8.5/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 21.2.5 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 21.2.0 | Mate 1.26.0 | Kernel 5.15.2-2-MANJARO | AOC G2460P 1920*1080 @ 144hz    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2006
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
82
#82 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 61
  3. Negative: 0 out of 61
  1. Eurogamer
    90
    Just like the original Half-Life 2, Episode One keeps the player entertained almost the entire time through perfect pacing and by being inventive, surprising and getting the basics absolutely right. It's a wonderful advert for the excitement that true episodic content can generate when approached the right way.
    Read full review
  2. GameSpot
    87
    Episode One is a memorable romp through the Half-Life universe, with gameplay that's even more satisfying than that of "Half-Life 2." The only downside is that, due to its episodic nature, it's over far too soon.
    Read full review
  3. IGN
    85
    A brief, stylistically claustrophobic experience whose polish and personality manage to keep things moving.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »