This structure allows for stories to take the form of crises, rather than more straightforward globe(s)-trotting adventures. The same approach is in Super Metroid: Zebes is loosely divided into different sections, connected by lifts, but not in such a straightforward way that you could speak about levels. Instead it has episodes, which all take place within a single, contiguous world, the Black Mesa facility. Unlike other action games at the time, Half-Life isn’t split into easily defined levels. The most important similarity though, and it’s one of Half-Life’s most impressive features to this day, is story. You want me to get the hell out of the space station, gotcha. There’s no dialogue necessary when everything goes nuts around you and a timer suddenly appears on the screen. But Super Metroid is more extreme than most in that it almost never takes control away from the player. Of course it’s hardly a surprise given the SNES’s capabilities – hardly any cartridge-based game had anything we would recognise as a cutscene today. The most obvious is the lack of cutscenes in both games. In particular what struck me was how you only have to go back a few short years to 1994’s Super Metroid to find many of those same elements that made Half-Life stand out in 1998. Part of the novelty with Half-Life is how a lack of cutscenes seems at once forward-looking and influential (particularly in the FPS genre – Portal, Bioshock, etc), and on the other hand backwards-looking and retro. There’s evidence too of how heartless the Black Mesa staff are – I’ve deliberately jumped to my death in the presence of guards and scientists and no one said anything, let alone tried to stop me. I like it plenty – no one even blinks twice at the most bizarre antics. Whenever there’s character interaction you still maintain control. Your on-rails vehicle, for instance, bursts through a wall and falls two floors into water, with you still in it. With setpieces, you have control of the character practically all of the time, but out of the ordinary things are frequently happening, be it to you or the environment. There’s also a bonus at the end…but you’ll have to see.Īs many will no doubt recall, one of the “innovations” in Half-Life was a complete lack of cutscenes at a time (1998) when cutscenes were quickly becoming ubiquitous. In place of cutscenes, the game relies heavily on setpieces to create drama. Obsessing over storytelling in games is nothing new for this blog and I’m afraid that’s where I want to go with this post too. Alongside the entertaining (if at times infuriating) gameplay, there’s the story. After several years absence from the Black Mesa facility it all feels very fresh. Replaying the original Half-Life recently has been fun for all kinds of reasons.
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