This section plays as a tower defence in which Antlion hordes charge through several paths, you are given mines and turrets to play with to stop the Antlions as well as your own arsenal.
Episode 2 is longer than its predecessor, weighing in at around six hours, but this length is made slightly artificial through the game’s use of repetition and set pieces that can last a little too long.įor example, part of the game sees you holding off Antlions while the Vortigaunts heal Alyx who has been gravely wounded by a Hunter. Episode One used its spaces very well in its constrained length of three hours whereas Episode 2 has a much more diverse setting, with different things to do in each area. However, it is not the setting which improves a game it is what the developers do with the setting.
Where Episode One focussed on the horror aspects of the series a little more based in an urban area and enclosed spaces, Episode 2 opens the world up a little more – particularly in the latter part of the game – with its setting found in the outside world. Like Episode One, Episode Two is shorter than the main game (hence, episode) and follows on the plot, building on the narrative from the original Half-Life 2. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 is the third chapter of the Half-Life 2 saga, and as such it plays the same as the other Half-Life 2 games.
