Half-Life 2: Episode One (Windows)
common sense media says
Maintains quality, brutality -- adults only.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that players navigate a dark storyline featuring an apocalyptic alien invasion and the potential end of the human race. Action is fast and furious, featuring graphic violence and incredibly creepy situations. Players use grenades, machine guns, a signature crow bar, etc., and blood splatters, bodies fly apart, zombies catch on fire, and more. While this is the next installment of the Half-Life 2 series, you don't need the original game to play this chapter.
Educational value:
Not applicable.
Violence:
Not as gruesome as its predecessor, but still very violent. Players use grenades, machine guns, the signature crow bar, etc. Blood splatters, bodies fly apart, zombies catch on fire, and more.
Sex:
Not applicable.
Language:
Occasional, incidental strong language.
Consumerism:
Part of a series.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not applicable.
More on Half-Life 2: Episode One
Review It
Most useful reviews by all members
Every Six-year-old needs to play this game.
I urge all of you six-year-olds out there to play this game. It has a compelling storyline, one that is certainly appropriate for someone of my age. So, in conclusion, all of you parents out there that are unsure about buying this game, just buy. Don't think. JUST BUY IT.
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BeyondBD
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
Important, but not as good
Not as good as the first Half Life 2, and is quite short. But--it has an important part of the story clinging onto it. Still pretty good.
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spidy0001
adult
adult
Very good, if not very short
One thing you should know before you dive into Episode One, is that if you have not played the original Half life 2, you will be very very lost. This game plays just like a continuation of the story in the original, and to say the least, is amazing. It takes all the intensity and creativity of the HL2 and kicks it to high gear. It may go by quick, but it might just be the most exhilirating 4 hours of gaming I've ever had. Content wize, it has the same amount of violence as the original. Blood splaters when someone is shot, disfigured zombies roam in the dark, and youll come across the occasional dead-guy-with-messed-up-face. Still, this game is no where near the violence of other M games like Resident Evil 4, FEAR, or Doom 3. But what this game does have that those do not, is an overwhelming sense of doom and dread. The visuals here may disturb even though they are not particularly violent. The characters are well-developed and add a sense of humanity to the game. Other then that there are a few dirty words (nothing beyond a few s-words). On a good note, there are strong female and minority characters and the puzzles require some high critical thinking and logic skills. Play away my fellow gamers, here is one true work of art!
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Curbspaget
adult
adult
Better, but still boring.
This was much shorter than Half-Life 2 (obviously), but it was still a much better play. Again, no puzzles, but not as much violence. There's still too much running, shooting, and killing.
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gordonfreemansson
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
a teen game in the guise of an adult one
great series, and great game. the violence is moderate, blood does splatter, but it is unrealistic. the swearing is relatively toned downb for an m-rated game, just sh*t, h*ll, b*tch, no f-bombs at all.
the great story line details alyx vance and gordon freeman trying to delay a massive reactor from exploding long enough for the just-liberated citizens of city 17 to escape into the surrounding wilderness. alyx is a very nice and caring person, and while gordon never talks, he IS a quantum physicist. this is a really fun game for mature tweens to adults, but <10 year olds shouldn't play it.
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5w4g 0v3rl04d
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
Great for kids and adults who don't have a problem with violence or language.
I'm 12 and I loooove the Half Life series. I played the original and loved it so much that it compelled me to buy Half Life 2 and Episodes 1 & 2. Some parts of this game can be challenging like puzzles and some enemies. But there are walkthroughs and cheats to use if you're stuck. The scariest part of the game is the zombies. Luckily they move slow and can be killed fast. There are some fast moving zombies call "Leapers" but they usually die pretty fast. Overall it's a great game. I hope this review enlightens you on Half Life: Episode 2.
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Joseph9261
teen, 16 years old
teen, 16 years old
This is one game that mature gamers can't miss
First of all it is a challanging innovative game... It is as fun as the origanal!It has alotta blood and gore obviously... A couple swear words split out in the game.There is a strong female role... Its the save the world story... It is a great game and so was the origanal... Speaking of the origanal why did it get NO stars? They probably rate it cause of content...
14+
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cheeseandcrackers
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
An underrated classic
This is a great expansion to what may be the greatest game ever. Too bad when I ask anyone about they assume it sucks because "Halo is cooler!". Halo is a good game, but not nearly as good as this. If you are looking to buy a great FPS, any game in the Half-Life series is they way to go. This game is kind of bloody, but this isn't an extremely violent game like Mortal Kombat or even God of War. A sh** is said once, but goes by quick anyway.
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gamingisgood
kid, 12 years old
kid, 12 years old
what would you do
what would you do if you were under attack by aliens and they wanted to kill your children and turn you into a mindless soldier? violence would be the only way out of that situation.
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Hl2man
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Good for mature Tweens and older. GREAT GAME!!!
Lots of blood and violence, but a compelling, fun story, even though it's kind of short. Played it at 12 years old and loved, but I was a mature 12 year old and it may not be suitable for all Tweens.
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