Valve's Half-Life 2 was a show stealer this year, as it's closed door demonstration rivaled Doom 3's groundswell last year. The slated October 2003 release has me nibbling my fingernails after seeing the amazing technical demonstration. By using the new Source engine, Half-Life 2 allows some of the most realistic graphical backdrops and character animation I've ever seen. I had my qualms about the title, but I was put at ease when I found that the handles on the door to the small demonstration room were none other than classic crowbars.
The demo began swiftly, as the G-Man himself showed off realistic facial expressions. He used his forty articulated facial muscles to speak in English and Japanese (the engine is language independent). His eyes, which glint according to local light sources, are programmed to follow you as you walk around. His attitude is reflected in a wide emotional range developed with the help of a real life psychologist. This was only the beginning.
Full surface displacement was next, showing terrain that deformed in real time. The revealing of the matter system immediately followed. Glass breaks like glass, concrete sounds like concrete, and wood can actually splinter into pieces. When it lands in water, it even floats around. This system absolutely astonished me, and I never felt more immersed in a game than right at that moment.
As the demonstrator showed off the giant pachinko machine made from barrels and poles sticking out of a wall, I realized that the empty barrels were also floating when they hit the water. They were also causing real-time ripples and splashes. He then tossed a wooden box into the water and draped a fully bendable mattress on top of it. I would certainly say at this point that wood is quite good. Surfaces were next, with a full showing of fire, water, and realistic stained glass. The water reflects and refracts properly, while the stained glass glows with just the right hue. The fire is about as realistic as it comes, even when your enemies are set ablaze. They showed off the texture engine by showing that they could make people out of water. A Predator-like figure stood in front of us, only visible due to the fire behind him. I seem to remember my mouth gaping at this point.
What followed was a barrage of new features. AI that reacts to your movements and attempts to find you after you've blocked a door with a nearby table. After dispatching this searcher, a scene unfolded as Gordon overlooked a group of enemies. A simple go-ahead approach would have been suicide, but shooting out the wooden supports that held up an I-beam did just the trick, as bad guys were flung about when it swung down on them.
Soon the hydras showed up, shaking and slithering just as they should. Little flying robots followed. Their blades were located on the front of their bodies, and they used them as weapons. Gordon tried to hide behind a box to no avail as the little heli-bots crashed right through, reducing the box to splinters. After slamming a gate behind him, Gordon made his way to the street, where the power lines were waving in the wind of a passing aircraft. He then found a case of Bug Bait, a new feature that allows you to send aliens after your foes. After knocking over a few Aliens-style turret guns, he was off to hop into another new feature.
Vehicles were the last thing I expected them to put in Half-Life 2, but the physics engine makes them seem like they belong there. Crashing through barrels and launching off ramps feels like it should be a fun addition to this already intriguing title. After the jeep sequence, I was treated to a new rocket launcher that allows you to paint a target with a laser after firing. As the ship he took out came crashing down, anything in its way was flung aside (cars, railings, Gordon). Then came the strider demonstration.
Massive striding enemies are certainly pretty impressive in any game. Here, they can destroy buildings that are in their way. Gordon attempted, quite unsuccessfully, to take out the strider with a dresser. It broke and fell to pieces, leaving the strider unscathed. Just then, the AI alerted him to another enemy by screaming "STRIIIIDDDEEEERRRRR!" A nearby chair found its way up to the strider, with similar results as the dresser. Finally, the demonstrator looked up at a nearby sign that read UMF. Immediately he grabbed the "F" and tossed it at the strider. The "U" followed suit.
Even for just a technical demonstration, I left the booth amazed at what I'd seen. Granted, the system was running on ATI Radeon 9700 boards, but the result was absolutely stunning. What Doom 3 did to last year's crowd was mirrored by Half-Life 2 this year. With fully reactive AI, fantastic facial expressions, and an incredible graphics engine, Half-Life 2 deserves every bit of recognition it receives. I look forward to purchasing it in October and I can't wait to see what the modding community does with this extravagant engine.
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