Are Hunters the Best Half-Life Enemy? | Cascade

[@liamblasko3164]

One thing that i really love about Half Life's is their alien enemies actually look like aliens, most sci fi franchises have bipedal human looking creatures, but the Hunters really look out of this world

[@faceless2302]

Makes me wish he got a peak at more heavily augmented Combine humans, something past Elites that start to do away with the human body layout entirely

[@pyrus2814]

@@faceless2302 The stalkers sort of touch upon this. However, the combine isnt about completely erasing the human template, but rather modifying it to suit their needs.

[@TheTophatterOfTophatsOfficial]

that is really true

[@user-tzzglsstle585e38]

Tbf, it's the same game with humanoid aliens like Vortigaunts and Alien Grunts but at least they're much better than "human but blue".

[@faceless2302]

@@pyrus2814 Stalkers are just meat robots, it doesn't make sense to augment them much more beyond ensuring they can push buttons really good and do whatever other mindless tasks they can be programmed for. But considering that the Combine are in a constant struggle against resistance groups (and other humanoid Combine are demonstrably pretty ineffective from Freeman's perspective), I'd think they'd be looking into other ways of turning the indigenous population into more fitting crowd control and weapons platforms than what we see in the games. Why stop at the limits of what 2 humanoid arms can carry when you could surgically install a 3rd crane-like arm and another leg or tail to provide stabilization for some of their bigger pulse guns? Or do away with the vulnerabilities of having the human head on top of the torso exposed to the whole world and stuff it down into the abdominal cavity, replace vision with some body mounted cameras that allow for 360 degree view. There's probably a ton of ways to make take a humanoid body and better adapt it for combat operations when you reach the tech level of the Combine. I want to see some people flying around with Strider cannons for heads and jet thrusters for legs

[@Gulliblepikmin]

The reason why there's an enemy Hunter in Entropy: Zero is because it's being controlled by Vortigaunts. It even has Vortigaunt sounds mixed into its vocalisations.

[@Awfulfeature]

Wait I entirely forgot about an enemy hunter in that game, when does it appear?

[@Gulliblepikmin]

@@Awfulfeature It appears during the final chapter, (called Bad Cop) in City 10's Citadel-like structure. Because you've been killing their kind, some Vortigaunts bring a Hunter out of some kind of stasis presumably and turn it against you, where it stalks you for a good chunk of the chapter. You get to fight it twice, in two different arenas throughout the chapter, killing it the second time.

[@Awfulfeature]

@@Gulliblepikmin oh yeah, why the hell was I thinking of the sequel, thank you.

[@benbot0733]

Also, brilliantly enough, the game's level design basically forces you to use up all your AR2 alt fire before the fight to prevent you from instakilling the hunter.

[@blueberrimuffin6682]

@@benbot0733 Which, honestly, I think sucks. It's easy to cheese if you stand in the doorway of the last pellets, the fight breaks if you use them against the hunter, and they could have just made it... not immediately kill the hunter.

[@xdnt4877]

Fun fact: The Magnum is hard coded to deal more damage to Hunters because playtesters thought that it would be the most effective weapon against them

[@GojoGunning]

Source?

[@Man-lt9hc]

Valve play testers at their finest

[@rogerphone481]

@@Man-lt9hc magnum is a super fun weapon tho so i see why

[@rogerphone481]

@@GojoGunning no, goldsource

[@mrtrolly4184]

@@rogerphone481 ha

[@Dimeinurear]

Ted Backman said for HL:A (he was consulted, didn't work on it), that Striders' base creature is "scanned" by the Combine and then is "built," so they are 100% artificial, just based on a living creature. My guess is that this is the case for ALL Combine synths

[@Helperbot-2000]

ah thats interresting

[@Fenrize]

@7EMP3ST Also the dropships appear to be like some aquatic space animals as in they kind of look like they swim in air

[@unluckycatfish6866]

@7EMP3ST I like the idea that they scanned them and then repurposed their organic matter to build a better fleshy template to slap machines onto

[@AdrianRojasF]

Yeah I think some organic components work better than machine replacements. Bodies are complex.

[@FeniXMinerva]

So synths are essentially 3D printed killing machines.

[@JackFoxtrotEDM]

I NEVER THOUGHT OF COVERING A PROP IN FLECHETTES AND LAUNCHING IT AT THEM THAT’S FUCKING GENIUS

[@hatti...]

You get an achievement for doing it

[@ipherial2929]

I always thought that the hunters were supposed to be modified houndeyes because of their sounds being almost playful at times, their three legs, and their overall body shape being very similar to one.

[@christhefirst]

This is what I was thinking too. They keep making sounds like hound eyes. They also move in packs together

[@Xenomorthian]

​@@christhefirstwould be fd up if true

[@djcuevas1057]

That’s actually a really cool thought

[@plasmatic3223]

They look like they could be a sub-species to houndeyes, possibly from the same world they originated from before they came to Xen

[@codaboi138]

The thing about the flechette launchers not being eyes is wrong. Those things on the side are boils, and you can tell by the fact that one has popped on one side. Also, the Hunters eye dilate when a flashlight is shown at them. I believe the rig for the hunters even refer to them as eyes. I'm not sure where this idea that the boils are actually eyes started but this is the second video I've seen saying this now. Cool video over all though.

[@codaboi138]

@7EMP3ST I believe its both

[@Horny_Fruit_Flies]

The information about the "boils" being eyes can be found on the Half-Life 2 wiki and the Combine Overwiki, though it's stated there that they "appear" to be compound eyes. I suppose it was hard to image something shooting flechettes out of its eyes, and considering this is a genetically modified organisms it doesn't necessarily have to follow any regular rules of biology, like symmetry.

[@optimal8307]

Striders do something similar, actually, their lower Cannon darts around like an eyeball when it surveys it's surroundings.

[@NoNameTaken117]

@@optimal8307 Man I thought that was the di-

[@sockpuppermcgee7920]

Generally speaking, no matter the species, if you see 2 massive eye-looking shapes following you around whilst you move, it's probably an eye.

[@Syzoth2K]

I remember how the Hunter's introduction scared the hell out of me back in the day

[@Haxxer82]

I'm so glad the hunters are finally getting the recognition they deserve. They are my favorite enemies and it's just unbelievable how much they're slept on.

[@ICCUWANSIUT]

I sleep on them because they terrified me more than the headcrab zombies in ravenholm or whatever did The only exception being the skeleton looking one but that's still a damn tie

[@Dr.Freeman...]

they are fucking satan

[@awo4101]

I loved having one of these guys as a companion in Entropy Zero 2

[@MaximG.]

"Where have you been, boy? Nice to see you're still taking out the trash!"

[@Unkle_Genny]

Fr

[@sockpuppermcgee7920]

best part of the game. Winston was okay but he kept making me think about my actions, because he's an asshole. Hunterbro reinforced my actions by helping me atomize rebel plebs.

[@feathero3]

6:21 That wolf joke caught me off guard so much 😆

[@anamarti1800]

That's how America works

[@mohamednail1707]

I always enjoyed fighting the hunters every time I replay ep2, I love how they chase you nonstop even if you're inside a house.

[@TheEngieTF2]

The fact that you can't just one shot these Hunters with the Supercharged Gravity Gun makes them a more terrifying enemy to deal with without the use of the AR2 secondary attack

[@FurgusFungus]

you don't get the scgg in ep 2 I don't believe

[@jamestonjes8263]

@@FurgusFungus Maybe they mean with cheats idk

[@Leon0451]

Somewhere I saw you

[@FurgusFungus]

@@Leon0451 look on any valve video you'll find him

[@Leon0451]

@@FurgusFungus I just saw the engineer in the Noclick(a) video

[@narrowgauge0727]

Combine soldiers could be much better, they are actully very smart but their miniscule health pool compared to you and their terrible accuracy doesnt allow them to show off their cool AI. its even better if you use an ai_goal_standoff to have them do some cooler things too.

[@yansakovich]

Exactly. It is too easy to kill them and thus they don't have enough time to shine. I once edited config to make them bullet sponges. This gave them an opportunity to demonstrate how smart and cooperative they are, and made the game a lot more enjoyable. Usually I find bullet sponge enemies annoying, but definitely not in the case of Half Life 2.

[@narrowgauge0727]

@@yansakovich I am making a hl mod and ive done some fidgeting with their stats. they shoot better and half more health and npcs do more damage with their weapons combine soldier stand much more of a chance now.

[@narrowgauge0727]

@Hoovy Simulator 2 your saying that this mod makes combine soldier ((and vj base combine)) new AI? that sounds awesome can you send me the link?

[@narrowgauge0727]

@Hoovy Simulator 2 sounds cool i'l have to check it out

[@AmBush2048]

didn't Halo already establish that players judge enemy AI based of how much threat they pose to the player, rather than what the AI is actually doing?

[@NXTangl]

I love Synths. All synths. I wonder what they would be like if freed from Combine rule, left to wander. Gentle wandering Striders, excitable Hunters begging for nutrient fluid from their handlers, majestic Gunships wandering the skies. Stalkers being cared for by their families. That kind of thing.

[@reptile9512]

That is an interesting idea

[@kR-qj7rw]

i feel bad for them they are cloned built synthetical forms of past alien conquests. somewhere in the multiverse there was a strider gordon freeman

[@risso097]

that's actually really cool

[@-AAA-147]

I never even thought to use the gravity gun to constantly fight them. I always thought they were really fun to fight with just the guns alone.

[@nikibest23]

I am so happy you are still making Cascade. Honestly one of my favorite KZbin series!

[@skeletonking2180]

In Entropy Zero, the Hunter seemed to attack you because the vortigaunts reprogrammed or possessed it.

[@spartanwar1185]

I still can not get over how good the sound design for the hunters are They sound fast, but powerful in their movement noises Slightly animalistic and slightly robotic in their "voices" All while being _entirely_ alien-sounding Like, it gives you the feeling that humans aren't meant to comprehend those noises, cosmic horror having it's influence and all It's difficult to understand how those things work through their sounds alone, which is what pulls off that "alien" effect for me Hell, we don't even know how it makes those noises, if it has anything resembling a "voice" or if those are all just the resulting noises of mechanical objects in action

[@supertuna123]

You hit the nail as always. I've always thought HL2 lacked good Medium to High HP Enemy to kill and the Hunters in Episode 2 really fill that gap. Also their graphic and sound design is super cool as you have remarked

[@All4Tanuki]

I'm glad that you touched on them being the best monsters in HL2 purely because they're the only ones that are as fun to fight as the enemies in 1

[@primeboss2285]

I remember that goddamn rocket mission and it was so annoying. Both the hunters and striders combined were a deadly combination for sure. Took me forever to complete that mission. They're cool enemies but holy shit they were not push overs

[@soh1430]

Not to mention their looks were designed so good that it still holds up after 15 years. Example are the Blue Eyes short

[@Richard-iv3ii]

I will never forget entropy zero 2 for letting me fight with these guys. I just let him goof up some rebels while I guard Wilson's door unlocking tricks.

[@HarmonicaPresents]

I gotta admit, the Hunter's are definitely one of my favorite enemies in any FPS game-they'd feel right at home in any of the later Doom games. It feels like interacting with them is interesting with nearly any weapon. They can survive a lot of punishment, can rapidly run around, but their attacks can be avoided and they can flinch from some of your attacks... And, yeah, the way they're designed to interact around the Source engine is just perfect. It feels like every encounter you have with them can be really unique and expressive on your part, but they still provide a healthy challenge.

[@flyingpiggles1034]

Hunters were always my favorite half life enemy, so seeing them get some love is more than welcome.

[@gordonneverdies]

I love the eerie sounds they make. They're a little on the spongey side but if there's objects lying around for the gravity gun it's fun.

[@Wyattporter]

I think the spongeyness makes them fun. I love a good meaty sponge enemy

[@user-tzzglsstle585e38]

They kinda have to be spongy though, otherwise; everyone would jist be using a gun as that'll be more effective than using the gravity gun

[@gordonneverdies]

@@user-tzzglsstle585e38 Agreed. When I was a kid I didn't know I could use the logs and tires etc. When I figured it out a few years ago they were much more fun to fight. I think the first encounter in Ep 2 is my favorite.

[@sockpuppermcgee7920]

They were weirdly spongey. Easy/Normal/Hard still modified how much damage you dealt to them, and for all enemies it just makes them easier/harder to kill. That is, for bullets. Physics objects deal physical damage, which is not scaled by difficulty. This was a good incentive to use the grav gun on them whenever you could.

[@obeezy69]

Hunters have always been the most dope synth. Attacking in packs, charging the player, and able to be taken down in tons of ways. This is pretty much what makes episode 2 so memorable for me

[@ezrabraman6437]

I wish there were more alien enemies, and not just more humans who backstab their own kind

[@WigglyStuf]

The adrenaline rush of a hunter charging at you as you deal a killing blow with your shotgun, causing it to fall just in front of your face is what made me realize how cool these guys are

[@The-Black-Death]

Back as a kid, these used to be my favorite Half Life enemies of all time, and before then it as the Headcrabs and Zombies.

[@onutrof1157]

I was absolutely terrified of them when I played Episode Two for the first time. The sudden change of pacing caught me off guard.

[@FalkyRocket2222]

thanks ill never look at a hunter the same way now

[@Edifer2020]

Combine Ai is great, problem is flat maps

[@CurtisJensenGames]

8:28 That’s honestly just what game development is like. The “finished” product is better than what was invisioned (if they get there) because cool things that aren’t obvious at the start become staples at the end

[@discordmemes1231]

This is easily the best enemy in the game ever.sound design and design overall is great

[@TheTuriam]

The thing that always sticked with me about Hunters was the sound of the projectile blowing up and sfx that it does. Until this day I'm eager to see if anyone can make an enemy so impressive as the hunter

[@TryingToImproveOnArtHere.]

Bro, I literally agree, sometimes I even think that the cutest creatures in this game😂😂😂😂😂😂🥰😭🥲🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤❤

[@proctifer9833]

Great video, I was skeptical of the premise when I saw the title, but you did remind me how gratifying it felt to fight them. It was one of the enemies that made you feel like you were fighting a competent match for your abilities. Great video!

[@Shotgunner515]

Some random lore about the hunter:the hunter is a baby version of the steider that can't grow up perfectly So they grew shells and other things when they are small they are more light so they move around fast

[@TML233]

Wrong

[@Shotgunner515]

Yea

[@eyesta1ker]

Without even watching the video: yes, they are. HL2 desperately needed a tanky, relentless enemy which can't be dealt with just with a shotgun alt-fire to the head.

[@VillagerMan2006]

Hunters had to have been used during the 7 Hour War, so far, Striders are the only synths confirmed to have been used (The "Earth Surrenders" headline with the smoking UN building) but I like to believe every Synth we've seen (Minus the Transhumans) were used, and they were much more destructive than the ones we see in game, my headcanon also is that all the cut synths (Combine Super Soldiers, Attack Synths, etc) were used in the 7HW, then once the Combine's control of Earth was absolute, they were pushed aside, leaving only Gunships, Dropships, Striders, etc. Those Crab Synths and Mortars seen briefly in the Citadel as Freeman is transported to Breen might also have something to do with how the Universal Union won, somethings amiss with their, presence.

[@genesisgaming3756]

YESSS CASCADE IS BACK love this so much, please be making more

[@yektaagra741]

Funny thing about the last encounter is that you can grab the legs of the striders you killed and launch it at the hunters to oneshot them

[@cosmiccynic2757]

Hunters are the reason why Episode 2 has the best gameplay out of the Half-Life 2 trilogy

[@berchead12]

hunters is like the stalkers from half life 2 beta seeing them watching you was pretty scary when i first played epistle 2

[@giacomo_9815]

No the best half life enemy is definitely the crabsynth which you see once on a conveyerbelt and then never again

[@missingindy]

You know I never thought to use the gravity gun to fight hunters, I kind of forgot about the gravity gun until the end of 2 and the beginning of episode 1

[@Combinechaos]

The Hunter always where cool to me, and they’re sounds are great and how the fight you make it feel like they are even in power with you (but no because rockets and AR2) they fit it with Combine monsters but stick out in way that’s fair and fun. Good video btw

[@dominicsouthern7672]

they can eat buckshot at point blank, are extremely fast and shoot darts that will stick onto you and explode, these things are absolutely terrifying

[@koryaiine7393]

oh my god that armed wolf at 6:23 xD 🤣😂😂

[@salt_97]

My guy used use an example of just 2 shotgunners rushing him down and bringing him to a third of his HP as an example of bad AI

[@Daburubareru]

Hunters will always be one of my favorite synth enemy in the entry I always find it how challenging they can be in combat I will always, remembers my first encounter with them back in the Orange box days.

[@pantuternik]

If there ever is a HL3 or whatever other way of continuing the series, I'd love to see more interesting enemy designs like this guy, and of course see a return of the Hunters.

[@BrickBusterVideo647]

I feel like they might be called ministriders in episode one because maybe the combine genetically modified striders to be more mobile and be taken to places of resistance much faster

[@backyarddad4198]

entropy zero kind of creates a neat gameplay arc of the hunters if you treat it and its sequel as two parts of a gearbox style expansion set that takes place alongside the hl2ep3 we never got. Ep1: You're introduced to them in a semi-mysterious way Ep2: You fight them in increasingly more complex setpieces EZ1: You fight a vortigaunt hacked miniboss version of them EZ2: You get to team up with a Hunter as your combat ally and reenact that scene from Episode 1 It feels like a good escalation and turn when you stack them all up like that.

[@BruhImmaBrokeAight]

10:33 The reason why you fight the hunter in entropy: zero was that the hunter got possessed, by a vortigaunt (that's why its green then a shiny blue)

[@orrode2]

They were the toughest foe in Ep 2, but the funniest one too

[@alienpl107]

Just realised hunter are similar in appearance to houndeyes Three legs, head merged with torso, big round things on head resembling an eye/eyes Maybe some subspecies modifies by combine?

[@noclick]

welcome back!

[@empty5013]

i think ep2 also improved striders greatly, i like them in hl2 and ep1 but the strider buster truly makes them fun to spar against, and combined with hunter support the final fight really is a great finale for the series.

[@Likon]

Half-life pre-release moment intro never gets old.

[@eyesack6845]

The Half life 2 enemies are actually extremely smart and coordinated. They just seem stupid because gordon is a bullet sponge and they are super innacurate. They actually use real squad tactics and have more advanced AI than every modern day shooter I've played.

[@AmBush2048]

This, so much this. Players percieve AI intelligence based of how tough they are, not what tactics they use. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZXEaKWwatZ5qqs

[@blacktemplarbrotherlucius1935]

Its been years since i played HL2 but i remember hating hunters for how bullet spongie they where

[@sparejaguar6007]

When I first played ep2 I missed the hints that you where being stalked by the hunters and I thought Alyxs injury’s came out no were but on second play through I finally noticed them and it was really cool

[@csaver]

I think there was a mod called "MAHM" or something that had you working with a friendly hunter. It's short but very cool in my opinion.

[@CoolSs]

finally they getting the recognition they deserve

[@coolgamer553]

Hunters are literally combine dogs change my mind

[@SplatMack]

Those things scare the crap out of me

[@brassholee]

hunters are the cutest little tripod balls

[@vizthex]

something else i like is that you can use their own attacks against them - which i didn't even think of until i noticed it was an achievement (too used to modern games not really utilizing physics lol). it's kinda hard and not all that effective, but it's still neat. I love when games do stuff like that.

[@nzinvader4526]

i played half life as a kid, i was tramatised by their gallop and the noises, they were so fast

[@mrolio8169]

This video really changed my view on the hunters design. It neven crossed my mind that you could use the flechette's agianst them with a physics objeckt. But it seems obvious now, they even have a timer untill exploding. Most of the time the grav-gun is just used for style in my yearly playthroughs. To my own fault maybe, but using the other rifels seemed like the path of least resistance. Now i see that the weapon that was always in the fore front of the enemies design. Great video, makes me appreciate my favorite series even more.

[@gm_fun]

My favourite enemies to kill probably are the zombies, because they are really fun to fight in Ravenholm because of the gravity gun. You can pull of really cool gravity gun fires and kill them in a variety of ways. Awesome.

[@meestersoupcan]

I remember having to step away during one of their battles to do something IRL. I stepped into a bathroom to pause the game, and JUST as I paused it, a hunter stood itself in the doorway. Imagine something completely foreign, and a bit taller than your doorframe, staring you down, with full intent to atomize you with flying needles in an enclosed room.

[@donkeldoothedapperdog]

Glad the Hunters are getting the attention they deserve. Dapper!

[@4m0d]

I didnt even know you could use their explosive darts against them using objects and the gravity gun, I just ran around shooting them with magnum pistol and double barrel shotgun.

[@capybaradave]

When i played episode 2, i had no clue about the physics object thing working on hunters lol

[@PantMal]

Hell yeah. Hunters are my favorite enemies too. I even have an artwork of them as my wallpaper.

[@Laxhoop]

Half-Life LOVES three-limed creatures.

[@mrzoozilla971]

That passed out alyx model is absolutely outrageous 😂

[@chickennuggets8685]

They could be related to striders, another species from whatever world they're from

[@theylivewesleep.5139]

I found Alyx to be really annoying in the episodes so the hunter shutting her up for a brief time was nice.

[@drrobotnik3628]

Wow I never even though about using the gravity gun against the hunters like that. I think you should do a video about the Tentacles, they have a whole chapter dedicated to them and they appear in Opposing Force and Alyx (according to the wiki, I can't find any video and I don't have the game) yet they are barely talked about.

[@m136dalie]

Man I can't wait for you to review Half life 3 when it comes out. Will be good entertainment in my retirement home.

[@hammerdmx982]

I really wana have a Combine hunter as my pet. Also speaking of combine hunter pet, i know a half life 2 map from a 2015 or 2016 called MAMH (Me and my hunter) where you resque a defective Hunter from the combine and both fight together against the combine, its short, but nice.

[@StefanH]

The hunter is so much fun to play against. Most enemies in HL2 are either too easy to kill and hard mode just makes them feel unforgiving. There's barely any strategy to fighting combine. The hunters have enough health and speed to keep you on your toes. The flechettes' exploding effect also makes them able to flush you out of cover. It's such a well designed enemy

[@scarletcrusader5431]

8:09 Alyx just brained herself

[@SurfbyShootin]

They made up well for not keeping in the Hound Eyes.

[@autistichades5552]

I didn’t know you could attach their flechettes to an object and then lob it back at them. I feel like this problem wouldn’t have existed if they just made the gravity gun a button that you press, without it being a full on weapon in your arsenal. I think this can be prevalent in the entirety of Half-Life 2 and the fact that physics don’t really contribute to the combat like Bulletstorm or to some extent Quake 3 does(I say that cuz you can hit the opponent with a rocket which suspends them in the air and then you can hit them mid-air to deal crazy amounts of damage). The physics are the biggest part of Half-Life 2 so I don’t understand why they’d restrict it as much as they did.

[@sigmanation6957]

I gotta scream about this, the Combine soldier AI is actually pretty excellent, it's just that the level design doesn't accommodate their strengths at all in most parts. They will actively try to distract you and flank you in the rare segments that the environment works in their favor, especially the houses on Highway 13

[@PurpleColonel]

Everyone always says this but then I've never ever played a mod or anything where they're fun unless they're heavily scripted like they are in lost coast or the best parts of episode 2

[@gobbleygourdiscursed6782]

Easy question: they are big dogs so yes

[@HL1_EP1]

I always liked the Hunter death sound

[@determination2294]

Pretty nice, but how is no one talking about how hunters seemingly laugh at Gordon when you have low HP? I always found that an amazing detail about them compared to all other Combine enemies.

[@Loch_Ness_Lachster]

An immaculate enemy, there those little f**ks you love to hate. And running them over with the car is just way to fun!

[@irishkiwi477]

I genuinely felt like an idiot when I found out that the ar2 alt fire one shots them as soon as I finished the white Hill forest fight.

[@BBP-OMO]

I hated fighting the hunters, i found them a bit of a bullet spunge, and an unwelcome contrast visually to the rest of the combine enemies. That and how wonky the gravity gun can feel under pressure while being the only consistent option against them had me groaning with pained boredom by the climax of episode 2

[@Mroziukz]

From what I believe, combine grunts operate a lot better in open areas rather in close quarters. Atleast that's what I think from my experience playing this game.

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

also you get a companion hunter in entropy zero 2

[@a_dead786]

i first played through episode 2 this summer, literally in the same sitting as episode 1 and the hunters were absolutely terrifying. Especially for their sound design. No other sounds can make me feel so uncomfortable the instant i even think about it coming. (also this video just taught me i could have been using the gravity gun to kill them, ngl i was just killing them by switching weapons like it was fucking ultrakill)