It is nearly over, finally we are beginning to reach the climax. We are all getting fed up with the wait. Yet I can assure you people that we only have a few weeks left to hold on for. But why play the FA cup final at Cardiff? Strange, oh yeah, there is also the little matter of a certain PC game coming to Dreamcast, and by heck, this certainly aint no port! Ladies and Gentleman, I present you the most highly acclaimed game of all time…’Half Life’.

That last sentence was crap…right? No it wasn’t, you see, Half-life has won no more than over 50 awards, not to mention a few magazines giving it “Best game ever”!

Take a look at some at what some publications had to say:

“The best thing to starring in an action movie” The Chicago Tribune

“11 out of 10” PC Accelerator

“Half-Life is as close to perfection as you will ever see” Maximum PC

“OH. MY. GOD” Avault.com

What the heck is it all about?

You are Gordon, a simple-minded fella who works at a disused missile base that has been converted to something very hush hush. Scientists have found a way of opening a portal that leads to another dimension, where there is some pretty nasty stuff on the other side. The thing is, as a scientist yourself, you have to do some very important work of studying a specimen that you have never seen before. They won’t even tell you what the big secret is. Suddenly, the air fills with screams, something awful has happened…

So your thinking it is one of those poor stories that gives you an excuse to shoot some alien scum? Far from the truth, because it’s the storyline that has made this game a ‘must have’ title. Valve wanted to keep this as real as possible and so they haven’t interrupted the story with FMV, but instead the story is told as you go along. Eventually the government sends in a group of tactical soldiers to make sure this mess doesn’t get out. Thing is, can you get to the surface to tell the world? You see, this is a story that has been crafted and told in such a way that you will believe that you are ‘part’ of the world.

This all sounds very good, but what makes this so different from all of the ports?

Look above, you see the picture on the right, that’s the Dreamcast version! You can clearly see the graphical detail that has been added compared to the original PC counterpart, but also they are adding a special Dreamcast exclusive level! The level is called “Guard Duty”. However, it gets very clever at this point, as you take control of a completely different character, better known as Barney. The thing that makes this so clever is how both Gordon and Barneys story intertwine with each other. Barney, a poor unfortunate security guard gets caught up in the disaster, but you get to see the disaster from a completely different location. We are told that this new section will take up about 30-40% of the game! So you know this isn’t a simple ‘add on’. Another point to mention is that  ‘Half-Life’ doesn’t have levels as such. Instead, you walk about in one huge level that is split up into sections.

Wow, this is sounding good, so what about the multiplayer then?

Now we hit a problem. We are told that the Internet multiplayer will not be implemented on the Dreamcast version, yet we are told that a later game will have this on! At the moment this is all sketchy, but one thing for sure is that the game got acclaimed for its one-player mode, not its multiplayer. Buy Quake if you want that! 

Anything else I need to know?

Needless to say, the graphics and motion of the PC version were outstanding. People were worried that there would be severe slow-down as seen on earlier versions of the game. However, Valve have promised us that this will all be rectified for the release. Also, I suggest for you all to fork out for a good sound system! Because this game is awesome! That really is all there is to say, but I assure you people, that I will be first to review this game out of DCS staff…so watch this space!

Craig Barber, craig@dreamcastsource.co.uk

>> Download some Dreamcast wallpaper

>> Download Dreamcast MP3s and screensavers

>> Read more Dreamcast game Previews

Previewer:

Craig

Which next-gen console will you support most? X Box Game Cube Playstation 2 I quit gaming!   Please visit our sponsors to help keep our site running

All copyrighted images and names are trademarks of their respective copyright holders.  All original work is copyrighted by Farooq Asif.  Unauthorised reproduction of any material from this site is strictly prohibited.         © 2001 DreamcastSource.co.uk