Half-Life 2 Windows, X360, XBOX, PS3 game

took you 12 years to say that?

*I'm gonna do something stupid and disagree*

I'm sorry, but I'm really tired of Half-Life 2 fans comparing Beta (alongside the early concepts) and Retail. I mean, they are relatively equally good, all they differ in is the atmosphere (darker =/= better), while the story is pretty much the same (actually more detailed in retail, obviously, yet still not that great, if you ask me), but the Beta gets waaay too much appreciation among the fans, in my opinion.
Hell, just look at the ammount of Beta recreation mods around here on ModDB. (For God's sake, why can't modders just make one good, *complete* recreation, instead of 30 incomplete ones?)
That aside, I think Valve knows better than us what works best in their games and for their own developing abilities (not saying that Half-Life 2 wouldn't make use of some improvements, though).
As for gameplay and replayability of the Beta, we can't be sure about it, since we never got it. Takig for granted that Beta is better than Retail got very popular over the years, but it seems like the real reason for that is because people always desire what they can't have, I guess.

Again, sorry for the outbreak, but that's the effect of years of seeing people comment on how they "wish Valve kept the Beta stuff, yada yada yada" which really pulled me away from liking or enjoying Beta content in the first place :/

I don't find retail HL2 (and its episodes) boring. I still play them from time to time and I believe HL2 is a game that aged well.

That said, I think that it is for the best that Valve decided to change the beta game so much. The dark, horror atmosphere wouldn't really fit in the Half-Life universe so well. It would feel kind of off, especially comparing to the first one. And I am pretty sure that fans would complain that "this is not HL, this is a generic horror game, bah. Look of how bright, colorful and cool the other version is, just like the original".

The only thing that saddens me is that they have cut out a lot of interesting enemies, NPCs and locations from the final game. And the fact that they thought releasing the "sequel" as episodes was a good idea. Not to mention that they never released OF2, BS2 and/or Decay2.

I would really love to see someone releasing a full mod, representing the beta, for once, though. The fact that we haven't seen one yet seems to emit from the difficulties posed by working with a new game engine (bigger teams, more time). If beta HL2 was to be released for GoldSRC, we would have seen a dozen of full recreations by now. I still find it bizarre why all these teams don't work together though.

Xen levels of Black Mesa is the only thing I am looking forward to at this point that is HL related. I gave up on the premise of a new Valve title a long time ago.

Oh my god are you People really this Thick Headed and Narrow Minded?

He didn't say the Beta was better than the Final Version, he said he was disappointed that all those Enemies and Weapons got cut from the Final Version.

Did you 2 not get taught to read or understand English enough to throughly process what he said?

I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude or mean but argh God you 2, tearing him a new hole thinking he said the Beta is better than the Retail.

JuleRose I'm just easily triggered any time someone starts talking about Beta and comparing it to HL2 because of how many stupid people try to look original and edgy by saying that Beta was better than retail when it really (with a few exceptions) wasn't.

BigLez clearly says that he is "sad that Valve removed all these enemies/weapons and that we got a final product that has boring assets instead". Connecting this first sentence of his with the second one, (the fact that he ultimately got bored of HL2), makes someone think that he would have preferred the beta stuff in the final version, so maybe he wouldn't get bored, thus preferring a "beta" version altogether.

I am not flaming him or "tearing him a new hole" because he stated his opinion. I am merely stating my own thoughts as well.

The fact that you found the need to answer us in such a matter, instead of contributing something essential to our discussion, is beyond me.

We'll TBH Half-Life 2 isn't Boring, its just that it has very little to none Replay Value Compared to the first.

In HL1 I get alot of joy out of it no matter how mnay times I replay it, but in HL2 I don't really get that much outta it.

HL1 may look dated and have some Flaws (The Gunplay, which has always been terrible in every Valve Game IMHO, and the Xen Chapters were so awful that even Gabe Newell regretted them being in the Game), I still enjoy it and never get bored of it, and always Amazed me for a Game Released 2 Years after I was Born and getting to play it in 2001.

And Half-Life 2 wasn't really all that Revolutionary, sure the Physics were pretty great and so were the NPC Facial Animations, but honestly it still wasn't Mind Blowing compared to Half-Life 1.

If any Random Person is gonna reply to this then they better respond with a Bashful Mindless Hate Comment because I prefer the First Half-Life over the Second, I'm fucken' warning ya'll.

Compared to HL2, HL1 and its expansions are superb in every way. HL1 is always installed on my PC, and often launch it, just to play some chapters. I play HL2 from time to time, but, to be honest, the sum mustn't be more than 10 times at this point since release. I wonder why that is... I still can't pinpoint what exactly is missing from HL2.

And that's why I eagerly await for the full release of Black Mesa. Did you play it btw? The mod or/and retail version? I still haven't. Any good?

Played both Versions of Black Mesa, its really great (one of the best Remakes/Remasters I've ever played in my Life), I'm really stoked for the Xen Chapters.

I am REALLY forcing myself not to play it, until the full release is here. I simply can't wait though and I am eager to see what Crowbar Collective are cooking for us, regarding the Xen levels. Glad to hear you've enjoyed BM, and I am sure every HL fan, including me, will too. Not to mention that I believe BM will surpass HL2 in greatness.

It does already, in my opinion.