Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Half-Life

Written by Kyle Williams on May 18, 2001

First Impressions: The 1999 game of the year is coming to the PS2..2..two years later!

Every year, E3 brings us news of games to come. This year is no different, and one of the first games to be announced is Half-Life for the Playstation 2. The already successful PC and Dreamcast title will be making its way onto Sony's multipurpose console for another round of alien battling good times.

For those of you not familiar with the game, Half-Life is the first game to successfully combine great storytelling with the action oriented first-person perspective. This, combined with an impressive AI, created one of the greatest and most intense gaming experiences of all time. Even though it was originally created by Valve several years ago, Half-Life remains one of the best PC games of all time.

With the Playstation 2 outing of the title, Sierra promises to deliver the same classic gameplay of the original, including a deathmatch mode for 2-4 players. In addition to what we've seen before, we will be treated to a brand new campaign, Half-Life: Decay, which will feature a cooperative mode to enjoy with a friend.

The one thing about the announcement of this title that has me disappointed is the limited support for multiplayer. A maximum of four players tells me that this title will not support any type of networking capabilities, which is quite frustrating. As any PC gamer will tell you, the best thing about an fps is the ability to go online with 15 (or more) other people and play capture the flag, king of the hill, or have an all out deathmatch. If Sony wants to be able to stay competitive in the realm of console gaming, they need to figure out an online solution and get it into place. It would definitely help if one were to be running by the time that X-box launches.