The Genius of Half-Life 2's Weapon Design

[@Mach-2-Fishbed]

The greatest compliment to HL2's weapons design to me is that no matter what, the firing and reload sounds of each gun, the hum of the gravity gun, the swing of the crowbar, the squeak and splat of the bugbait, and the beeping of the grenades are forever engraved into my memory.

[@lrobin-is8dg]

same

[@DaRealBruner]

I can verbally recreate the revolver reloading sound from memory.

[@AmBush2048]

That's not design, that's nostalgia

[@RK800Connor]

"Mm soup" aka the gravity gun sound is my notification sound because it's just too darn good

[@balelei]

The pistol and the smg feels like ass to shoot, the pistol sounds like a shoe hiting a thin metal sheet at light speed, the smg feels like a nerf gun shooter

[@ashtonthefirst]

right clicking on some combine with a shotty is always feels awesome

[@maxparkinson]

So satisfying when it’s the last two shells on the last enemy and you reload in complete peace.

[@audiovisualcringe]

so satisfying giving combine shotgunners a taste of their own medicine just one tap of the right click and they cease to exist

[@asdawasda]

i think left clicking up close is more satisfying to not waste ammo

[@teopazdrijan1008]

@@asdawasda You are right, two shots are overkill, it is more satisfying when you are precise and shoot them in the head or in the chest

[@Stribog1337]

Design was really bubbly in the 00's That looked so futuristic... remember the sound systems and the cars and the PC mouses?

[@dabmasterars]

I can't imagine a bubbly 00's design without thinking of _frutiger aero_ (google it, you will not be disappointed)

[@xxraptorsc0pezxx]

@@dabmasterars Glad to see this term/aesthetic getting more popular

[@newlandpencilnut4754]

@@dabmasterars Only aesthetic to taste of something, it literally tastes like mint.

[@fireaza]

@@dabmasterars I see you watch the same kinds of KZbin videos as me.

[@moderndemon84]

Yeah.

[@godgaveyouhands2848]

I like how most weapons have some kindof glowy bits so even when in pitch black you can tell what weapon you're holding

[@randomcamera746]

those are tritium illuminated gunsights

[@browning2471]

@@randomcamera746 fucking nerd

[@kaibowman4803]

Ah yes, tritium sights on the gravity gun. I know what you meant, but that only applies to the revolver, pistol, and shotgun. The smg has a red dot sight, the pulse rifle has the glowy bits on the inside, the gravity gun has glowy bits, and the crossbow has the rebar. Of the seven glowy bit guns I can think of, only 3 have night sights. Less that half. Be more genuine and less pedantic

[@nostur4984]

You've made me realize how unusual HL2 must have been for its time. Unusualness seems to define Valve's design philosophy. It's a great one.

[@newlandpencilnut4754]

I mean the guns make no fucking sense, I love them, but they're borderline cursed, that mp7 is NOT shooting grenades, and Freeman literally uses telekinesis to reload the magnum, its such piss.

[@Rockpusher69]

@@newlandpencilnut4754 Mp7 has an under barrel directly below the primary barrel which is identical in almost every way outside of shooting Grenades that’re too large for said barrel, and freeman has extensive experience with firearms so he might’ve just made his own technique for quickly reloading the magnum. That or the gloves of his HEV suit are magnetized, given it was created for alien environments

[@someguy1894]

@@newlandpencilnut4754 no" he reloads rhe magnum very clearly

[@newlandpencilnut4754]

@@someguy1894 He holds like 6 cartridges with an invisible speedloader?

[@someguy1894]

@@newlandpencilnut4754 buddy i can say the same for all the guns? he holds like rockets in his pocket? he holds pistol cartridges invisibily?? he holds smg grenades in his pocket and not reloading them?? and so on.

[@jdub2003]

In regards to HL2's weapons I always felt like they lacked compared to other shooters, even released around the same time frame. A weaker spot in a game that's fantastic in nearly every other way besides that and arguably enemy variety. I do agree on what you said about their models and the timing of when you get each gun, but I always felt like their usage doesn't stand out as anything other than average besides the Gravity Gun, as they either overlap each other a bit (SMG and the Pulse Rifle, or the Revolver and the Crossbow) or felt like a downgrade compared from HL1 (the pistol being way less accurate, the shotgun holding less shells before needing to reload, etc) and that's not mentioning that both of the energy weapons were cut and there are far less explosive options than HL1. I also felt like the impact of the guns needed work, as the animations are very stiff and the sound effects are just okay, which is why Source mods like MMod or Entropy Zero 2 replaced the animations and sounds to make them more exaggerated and smoother. I don't really think it's as much of a problem as some snobby dipshits that just wanna spout hot takes for clout would say though, as I always saw HL2 as a game focused more on its level design and setpieces than its combat. If I wanted FPS combat there's countless games I could be playing instead of HL2 that's harder or faster or with more weapons or more strategy or whatever, but I go to Half-Life 2 for it's worldbuilding and for it's seamless and believable campaign and for its iconic setpieces in which the majority of those other FPSes can't really compete with in that regard.

[@migueeeelet]

Agreed. The clearest demonstration of this is how quickly you want to get a weapons mod for Garry's Mod - the HL2 weapons work but they're too weak, and HL2 relies on the whole package which Gmod can't afford. Funnily enough, modding HL2 weapons to be more "realistic" and meaty wouldn't work that well.

[@Kacpa2]

I myself dislike MMod and Black Mesa's weapon animations and always adored how weapons in valve games are modelled and animated, including lack of iron sights, which is main focus for all the sweaty people online. I love L4D2's animations, cs style hip firing in all the games. It makes valve games unique, instead of the same as every other stupid unreal engine shooter made in a shed by 2 devs and/or CoD. Its not to say i wouldnt touch them up but it would be rather subtle fixes, keeping motions the same, but fixing misplaced positioning for hands(like SPAS 12 reload being a bit too far forward making gordon put the shells in the wrong place) or missing bullet casings on USP. Entropy Zero 2 is much better than both black mesa and MMod, and it tries to stick to og animation style but make it a bit more mall ninja edgy to fit Aiden's personality. AR2's alt fire is just gorgeous thing both audio and visual wise, and well room cleaning wise. It's just satisfying. What i would change is to add more of a reaction of enemies to being shot by small arms fire, so combine soldiers flinching as they get shot(i mean even terminator in original Terminator movie does flinch from gun fire at times, and combine are still untill they die and comicly ragdoll.

[@blackraptormoses6838]

The animations might be restrained for a reason. You don't want the player to be distracted by an over animated reload when they're supposed to be paying attention to level design and the enemies trying to kill them.

[@starwarsgamer388]

@@Kacpa2 that valve charm. Its an acquired taste lol

[@SockEater4293]

Yeah, I also think that Half Life 2's weapons are probably the weakest spot of the game for me. I love nearly everything else, but many weapons did feel weak. The only ones I liked were the Gravity gun and the MP7, and the MP7 was more because of how it sounded and that I like MP7s in games. The pistol felt more like a pistol in the style of Doom where it didn't feel like it was meant to be used outside of the first few areas and even though I like the shotgun's damage, it's sound was weaker than I think a shotgun should be, especially when it shoots from both barrels. I think they could've took a few notes from Halo CE in terms of making satisfying weapons, as those weapons are still some of my favorites in fps games while keeping that round look he was mentioning.

[@Mahagion]

How does one lad come up with so many epic intros and cool, well-edited entertaining videos? I don’t know. But it’s cool as all can be! You rock, sir!

[@DearAnem0ia]

After you lob enough rats, your creative mind can go places.

[@Spiderella3959]

While great at the time where things haven't been figured out yet I think nowadays many HL2's guns feel rather underwelming. The pistol is completely outclassed by the magnum and has no additional uses during the game whatsoever the second you get any other ranged weapon, the SMG is completely outclassed by the pulse rifle as well, and then even the stronger weapons get pushed aside a little because the gravity gun counters almost everything the game can throw at you and is insanely fun to use, so coupled with barely noticaleable visual impact of those weapons and sometimes underwelming sound design it makes combat kinda mediocre overall. Especially if you compare this game with more combat-focused games like Doom Eternal and Ultrakill, where every single gun has its uses, with new ones being introduced as the game goes on and has to be used for the entire game to achieve effectiveness. But regardless of that, nice video :3

[@Hewasnumber1]

I disagree very much, especially on the whole: every gun in Doom Eternal is equal bit. The super shotgun dominates Doom Eternal, and most others are situationally useful at best. Just spam the hook and shoot when you get close and you basically win the game. Half-Life 2’s weapons feel a lot more useful, powerful, and varied. The pistol is weak, that much is true, but it’s ammo is extremely common, it has a high fire rate, and is perfect for blowing up explosive barrels without wasting rarer ammo; the SMG is good for mid-range encounters because it’s less accurate than the pulse rifle, it excels in packed, crowded fights and the alt-shot decimates large crowds of enemies that removes the trickiness of timing grenades; the shotgun is perfect, one-shotting most enemies with the alt-fire, has decent range considering it’s a video game shotgun, and has plentiful ammo; the RPG is very rare, but you get loaded with missiles whenever you need it to progress and it’s handy for quickly dealing with far away groups of enemies; the crossbow is also on the rarer side of ammo distribution, but it’s exceedingly powerful and has great range and accuracy; the pulse rifle is basically an upgraded SMG, but with less ammo capacity and a more situational alt-fire. Half-Life 2’s guns are on the better end of FPS weapon design, and all of them feel useful. Yes, some are more powerful than others, but that’s only one part of the equation. Weapon range, ammo scarcity, enemy types, and the time you unlock the weapon are all crucial in determining a video game arsenal’s viability and fun factor. Let’s bring up Doom again: the basic shotgun DOES get outclassed by the super shotgun because the super shotty has the meathook, is way stronger, and uses the same ammo type. There are very few situations where the base shotgun is better to use than the super shotgun-if any at all. The ballista is also very situational, and though more useful than the base shotgun, you still have to try extremely hard to find places it could be used with any sort of efficiency. The machine gun too (or assault rifle, forgot what it’s called exactly) is pretty much only useful for shooting off enemy weak points. I never ran into that issue in Half-Life 2: I’d use the pistol to blow up barrels or unload it into a combine soldier’s face at point blank in a close quarters fight; I’d use the revolver for enemies too far for my other weapons to reach, or to go for headshots; I’d use the SMG to mow down groups of three to five enemies, or to alt-fire guys that were on the move; the pulse rifle was well rounded, and good for everything that didn’t require the other weapons unique talents; the shotgun was great for indoor shootouts, and for taking down zombies. I could go on and on and on about the weapon balance, but I think that should suffice. Half-Life 2 good, Doom Eternal is extremely overrated.

[@Zarrlpg3d]

@@Hewasnumber1bro you cooked up a whole ass meal with that counter, I agree with you, although some weapons are way better than others, weaker weapons still have lots of uses, especially the Pistol, its’s great for falling back into when you’re out on ammo, using it to blow up barrels, and the ammo is incredibly common That’s the issue with a lot of games, sure there are lots of diversity in a game when there’s a ton of different guns, but HL2 has one of the most refined weapon pools I’ve seen in a game, everything has a purpose for both combat and utility, with very good strengths and weaknesses that help balance out each weapon

[@Hewasnumber1]

@@kazcav I never said otherwise. I was merely trying to illustrate why Doom Eternal’s weapon balancing is the BIGGEST flaw with the game, whereas Half-Life’s weapon roster is expertly handled. And personally, I am extremely tired of Doom fans acting like Doom Eternal is the quintessential FPS game and drag it into any discussion about any other FPS game ever. Doom Eternal is just fine, it’s okay, but it struggles with the aforementioned weapon balance and repetition.

[@Dovah_Slayer]

​@Zarrlpg3d I found myself using the crossbow to deal with snipers, too (though the magnum would've sufficed). idk why I just find it easier to counter snipe with the crossbow

[@chocolates182]

i think hl2's weapon design was suffering from the "copy quake" philosophy of many early shooters. reminds me of the redundancy of having a super shotgun and super nailgun

[@havememesgonetoofar64]

ratlobber, i love your videos' aesthetics, they always have some unique transition going on I want to know what inspired them since they kinda remind me of MDE.

[@ratlobber]

MDE adult swim vh1

[@CDGActual]

@@ratlobber based

[@HolyCobalt]

@@ratlobber I hope you comprehend the unforeseen consequences of calling my brother "friend" in those audio recordings.

[@outlavv9892]

what’s MDE?

[@CDGActual]

@@outlavv9892 Million Dollar Extreme

[@DizDizaster4]

While I can agree on your points of visual design and weapon pacing, their variety in usage does tend to struggle. The Pulse Rifle flat-out outclasses the SMG in terms of damage and accuracy (though it is balanced by its low ammo count, but then it’s just a thought process of, “Do I have Pulse Rifle ammo? If yes, use Pulse Rifle. If no, use SMG”), the crossbow and revolver both serve the same purpose and both have limited ammo, so it’s just up to personal preference at that point, and the pistol is useful in no combat situations unless your only other option is melee (and even then, it would be more useful to fling boxes at the enemies with the Gravity Gun). However, I will say that the game does a good job at mixing up situations in which different weapons would be better for, but that has more to do with pacing and map design than weapon design. Also, the Gravity Gun is useful outside of Ravenholm, since you can pick up large boxes to use as temporary portable cover. And you didn’t talk about weapon feel, which is where most weapons fall apart, in my opinion Edit: Also, the explosive weapons are all designed well and have different uses in different situations, while also leaving room for flexibility in others

[@migueeeelet]

The pistol is great at igniting barrels. It's got good accuracy, decent damage, and it's disposable!

[@DizDizaster4]

@@migueeeelet Yeah, I do like the pistol just because of its visual design and how intelligently the red barrels were designed around it. And also because it's a USP and I

[@jonathansmithers2763]

@@migueeeelet "Good Accuracy" my ass. That thing couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The Half Life 1 Glock is significantly more accurate and actually has a place in the late-game arsenal for precise damage at range, especially due to the fact the marines will always kindly lend you their ammo.

[@forple8930]

@@jonathansmithers2763 yeah, source games in general give weapons a really irritating spread. I really like HL1 glock because, well, it's actually accurate. the USP may look better than a weirdly modeled rectangle, but it feels annoying to use when half my shots miss when they wouldn't with the glock.

[@banguseater]

I agree with your points, I love HL2 but to say these weapons are "genius" just hella insults me considering I feel like HL1 had a way way way better strategy when it came to weapon mixing.

[@FranzJx]

it's kind of like the cars at the time (look at early 2000s toyotas)

[@scarletcrusader5431]

ratlobber I adore your intros, they're always really well made and invokes some form of nostalgia

[@nickhazerk]

what are you doing here go kill the scourge

[@RedPineaplleStudio]

I think that all normal guns done much better in HL1 - pistol feels heavy and cool, SMG doesn't feel like a louder version of it from TF2 and even shotgun can explode enemies into pieses making it carry more weight. On the other hand in HL2 Crossbow can nail enemies to walls, RPG has auto-aim and also there is Gravity gun. I still think that in HL1 it feels better to shoot from normal guns but in the end of the day it is all pretty subjective.

[@thepacific2933]

"smg is the main weapon of HL2" tell that to my unreasonable shotgun alt fire

[@soullessneutral8226]

soething equally as important to consider about HL2's weapons is how much ammo you get in reserve: the AR2 (arguably the best weapon) only allows you 60 in reserve, plus 30 in the chamber. It forces you to manage your resources, while allowing you to pick which weapons you do use, and every weapon has its niche

[@realcopoolman]

I love ar2 so much

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

tbh i kind barely used the ar2

[@darthgiorgi4990]

I personally HIGHLY disagree with usage, especially coming off Half Life 1. By design or by accident, Valve made the first game's arsenal amazing and, most importantly, ballanced with each other. What I mean by that is that all weapons have some sort of purpose, and most of the time, no weapon becomes absolutely obsolete because you picked up a new one. Crowbar is for melee and to smash boxes and obstacles. Pistol is extremely accurate with abundant ammo, allowing it to still be useful and is tied with the hivehand as the best Headcrab killer. Smg is great for low-medium tier enemies mid range but is weaker than the pistol long range (because of this a single barney can kill a squad of marines alone if he has good distance) and greneade launcher is good for groups or big enemies, shotgun is strong up close, the croosbow is good for long range or when enemy is unaware, revolver is all round amazing but has limited ammo, tau Canon is good for high tier enemeis or vehicles, gluon is good for groups, rocket launcher is good for vehicles or high tier enemies, hivehand is good for unlimited ammo and killing small enemis (baby headcrabs especially), grenades are just grenades and satchel is an advanced rarer grenade, trip mines are good for mobile enemies (grunts and assasins), snarks are good for killing enemies you don't see and making them leave positions. There isn't much a moment in the game a gun becomes useless when you get another, which was a big problem in games at that time. It made swithcing guns an actual potent tactic. Compare this to Half Life 2 - gravity gun basically makes crowbar obsolete in its entirety. The fact that it can hit headcrabs, clear obstacles, and launch projectiles makes crowbar obsolete. Just look at Ep1 - crowbar is one of the last weapons you get. Did you even notice its absence? Pistol is only useful before you get the smg, and it's not as accurate as the glock was, meaning it doesn't fill the niche of longer range combat weapon. The only role it kinda serves is to ignite explosive barrels and kill normal headcrabs, and even that can be done by gravity gun's primary fire. SMG is EVEN LESS accurate. The only saving grace it has is that it has a grenade launcher. You might ask why is it a problem that these two are innacurate? The shotgun. They try to go into the territory that the shotgun is already a king of. Not only that, but shotgun, from what I have played, highly outclasses SMG and the Pistol even at medium range combat. Add to that that a SINGLE ammo pickup for the shotgun gives you 20 shots out of possible 30 (unless it's hard mode, but even then, it's 12). You said that Half life 2 didn't have the one-weapon-itis, which is not exactly true. The shotgun comes very close to being the dominant weapon. Especially considering the game favours close combat in the first place. The AR2 is the only weapon that competes with the shotgun because it's the only actually usable medium range weapon. By itself, it makes smg even MORE worthless. The moment you need to use it is against combine soldiers, who will often drop the ammo for it so the low ammo capacity is counteracted somewhat. The crossbow, contrary to what the scope would make you believe, is a close to medium range weapon. The bolt travel time and drop make it unsuitable for long range. Which brings us to the revolver, and if you know the zoom trick (hold the fire button while aiming with the zoom, aim, and the second you take the hand off the zoom button you will fire), it's the ACTUAL sniper rifle. As the game doesn't have ranged enemeis untill ep2 that need bigger firepower (and are vulnerable to bullets), it doesn't have any other role to serve as the sniper rifle. The explosives are fine as is. Bug bait is a tool that also can stun the enemies, which is something, I guess. In the end, you tend to generally use only 3 weapons - shotgun as the main dominator weapon, ar2 and the gravity gun. Pistol desperstely needed to be more accurate, as did the SMG. P.S. The USP match is visually the same as the ones that Lara Croft uses in Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies.

[@NorthRoyalton]

Half life 1s weapon usage incredible outshined half life 2s

[@dreamingisfree]

Nah

[@roboquebrado5360]

this man said exactly what i was thinking, the thing that annoys me the most in hl2 is the fact that weapons like the smg and pistol are basically useless when you have all the weapons, combos never have the "click" that hl1 had, especially with the slow ass switching speed. If the switch speed were actually decent, the pistol were accurate and it share's the ammo with the smg, the combat would be WAY more fun, but yeah the design and timing of the weapons were perfect 👍

[@wheezymac]

You make a lot of good point to be honest. Something that I would like to bring up is, VR Half Life 2 solves a lot of what you mention in this! The crowbar fulfills a completely different role by acting as the perfect counter to manhacks AND headcrabs. The free movement of your hands and head allow you to aim the crowbar far better than in normal gameplay, therefor making it easier to hit manhacks. The pistols aim is much more accurate allowing for mid range attacks, and the smg is similar but less accurate until the late game where it takes on a new use. It’s used to kill the weaker enemies while the AR2 handles the tankier enemies. The crossbow’s scope is fully working in VR and allows for fun long range kills, as long as you can learn to lead your shots The shotgun still remains supreme as the main weapon, but the reload is much slower to handle than any other weapon. In my opinion, this incentivizes the player to quick swap to another weapon (like the smg) to clean up what’s left of the enemies. The gravity gun is the gravity gun, but more fun with the addition of moveable hands. I would highly recommend trying out the Half Life 2 VR mod, as I believe it could change you opinion on the weapon sandbox

[@sharoyveduchi]

You shouldn't be breaking everything with the gravity gun. The crowbar is faster at killing headcrabs (one shot) and the crowbar is more predictable when breaking something in particular. Like if you just want to break a supply crate you don't want to launch the supply crate if there's explosive barrels nearby and you don't want to launch it because it will send the contents flying. The pistol is useful for barnacles (don't tell me you waste smg or shotgun bullets on these) and far away non-ranged enemies like zombies. The crossbow is fine. Skill issue if you can't use it. Don't forget the smg for a long time had infinite ammo because of the buggie having that ammo crate. The only weapon that loses its purpose is the bug bait.

[@bruhman2089]

The sound design for them is also memorable. I can always recognize the sounds of the weapons from hl2 anywhere.

[@fiji9258]

Good video, but I couldn't disagree more. I agree that you're given the guns at good times of the plot (including when they're taken away) but otherwise they are quite lacking. From a design perspective they feel kind of generic, the SMG/shotgun don't really have much identity and the pistol just looks odd. The sound design makes each gun feel like a peashooter because they're so tinny, and they all feel far too similar. The only ones that sound satisfying to me are the RPG and crossbow. When it comes to usage, I all but abandoned the pistol after Route Kanal because it was effectively useless when dealing with multiple enemies at once, the same rang true for the SMG, which I pretty quickly replaced for the Pulse Rifle except to switch for the grenade launcher (or when I ran out of pulse rifle ammo). Besides the revolver, none of the hitscan weapons do enough damage and it makes enemies feel like bullet sponges. It is patently ridiculous to need to shoot any enemy (besides maybe the elite overwatch soldier for the challenge) twice in the head with the shotgun at close range, when the point of the shotgun in games is that it offers you a trade-off: get up close and personal and do high damage (and take high damage) or stay away and do less.

[@denbotgaming]

Ultrakill is also a game with a great arsenal that works together.

[@purpleflurp6601]

I find that HL’s combat was always “good enough” to keep you stuck to what really makes you play a HL game: clever design with great pacing and a big test at the end of each level with a kickass setpiece all layered in a killer soundtrack and palpable atmosphere.

[@tigranmelconyan5562]

In the 2000s Biodesign took off(or whatever tf it was called) so bubblier softer lines were extremely popular(just look at mercedes benz w140 and its successor)

[@vxscarr]

the break beat, the transitions, the vibe, the content. I love your style and videos, appreciate the effort.

[@kingbump6829]

I love HL2 but cmon, that pistol is probably my least favorite in any FPS ever. Any time I accidentally pull it out I wanna turn it around and shoot myself instead. also Opposing Force gave you a little guy that you feed peas and pet. Nothing else beats that.

[@xxraptorsc0pezxx]

Bro whaaat nahhhh. The Half-Life 2 pistol is so good it's super fun to use and it actually feels like it does some damage unlike a lot of other pistols in other FPS games.

[@zebos2432]

Its pretty ok compared to most FPS games.... Oh it can also set explosive barrels on fire instead of exploading it so theres that

[@fiji9258]

@@xxraptorsc0pezxx damage?! u gotta stand there blapping civil protection six times in the head to kill em

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Pistol do go 'ptooie' when fired. I hate it too.

[@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413]

@@xxraptorsc0pezxx bro what? every other weapon outdamages it the smg has better accuracy and better firerate, there is literally no reason to use it outside of route kanal the usp is a disappointment compared to half lifes glock

[@realpajaro222]

"Ay, take this cool ass shotgun brother" - Human cookie monster

[@Nafiur13]

2:22 ratlobber really respects his viewers and doesn’t troll them at all And I like it

[@bigweld6792]

I feel like most things you say here applies just as much if not more to Halo

[@zOOpygOOpert]

I def prefer HL1's weapons as I like the feel, damage, and how cool they are, but I only used like 3 for most of my playthrough. In HL2 while I used mostly 2, I fealt a better spread and felt like I got to use every weapon in a decent amount, and fealt satisfied. Also HL2's weapons are so iconic

[@realcopoolman]

I LOVE HL2 ARSENAL🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@oskarsiwik3517]

How is HL2 the game that gives you 'tools' when HL1 is the one that allows you to experiment with snarks, satchel charges, trip mines, tau cannon for movement? Outside of the gravity gun, the weapons are not as creative, and a lot of people now install Mmod just to make some of the weapons not feel like peashooters, and this is coming from someone who prefers 2 to 1. I will agree the pacing at which you receive guns is well thought out

[@Babybarschalarm]

I really have no idea. The video seems like an incromprehensible amalgamation of points that have no basis in reality

[@Gearsy]

Pacing seems to be only good point he makes throughout the video, I thought he would talk about the Crossbow and how it nails enemies to walls or using the Gravity Gun with grenades which would have been better examples to draw from.

[@teopazdrijan1008]

I also prefer 2 to 1. but find the whole weaponry a joke compared to HL1. Same with the enemies. It's not that they didn't add enough new weapons and enemies, but they actually removed a ton and downgraded existing ones...but everything's okay, we got two vehicles and a gravity gun? Right? Right?! Jesus. It seriously could have been so much more, man! Imagine if it released in 2006 or 2007?

[@christopherjobin-official7440]

Gonna have to disagree here. In 1 you'll basically just be using the newest weapon you get, except in the specialized case of crowbar, crossbow, and rocket launcher. I dont see the point of not using the Tau Cannon or Gluon Gun when the usage is so forgiving. All of HL2's guns are specialized and get use thruout the whole game. Ultrakill, a game Im sure you've heard of, is very similar, except it very few weapons that are even more specialized and also have great synergy. Having a few guns isn't always bad... I have to admit that a lot of the guns in HL2 do feel a bit crappy and have lack luster sound design.

[@unoriginalperson72]

In a normal playthough you'll probably never use some of the weapons you get. You'll get a weapon like the tau cannon and snark and only use them once or twice unless you're some god sweat HL1 player who's like 47 years old and has played the game for most of their life. HL2 gives you only the weapons you need for the situation. And besides who would have the time to make a gluon gun when the combine have taken over

[@sfm_pakic3527]

the shotgun in half life 2 is the gun i have use the most next to the ar2 pulse rifle

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

the shotgun is the best

[@Froggyburger0308]

Valve definitely did great making these weapons, there isn’t a single one where I never use it

[@ygorschuma3059]

My problem with Half-Life 2's weapons comes around balance, the thing is while yes, every weapon has it's own situations, some weapons are generalized, and can be used in almost all of said situations, with absolute no downsides when it comes to ammunition. Said weapon is the Shotgun: the SPAS is capable of 1-2 shotting every common enemy in the game, has incredible range with little damage falloff (if any), and you're gonna be using it as your main weapon all the way to the end of the game, specially due to how strong it is, and how later areas are very tight in space. AR2 on the other hand falls on the opposite side of the scale, a weapon that *should* be in the SPAS's spot, is almost rarely used, due to how scarce it's ammo is, and how you have only 2 magazines to work with at max ammo, sure, it's damage is great, it's accuracy is not that good and it has the ball secondary, but still is no excuse to how weak it feels when it comes to ammo, since the game forces you to use it situationally, and this situation never comes around, as the SPAS can do everything it does, with more ammo to work with, giving the player no reason to use it (or any other weapon for that matter) other than the SPAS, unless the situation requires, like, bossfights like the Antlion Guard where you can kill it in 3 hits by the Crossbow, and the RPG vs vehicles battles.

[@BoTl1ke1]

Doom 2016 and Doom Ethernal guns are also very refined.

[@robin_bites]

i don’t play a lot of shooters, but with half-life i always appreciated the way that selecting weapons went. being able to press the number keys a few times to switch between certain pistols or rifles was really nice. tapping a key a few times right where my hand is already over WASD was so much better than losing control of my character for a moment

[@TheRadioSquare]

Any doom or quake game clears HL2's weapons both in terms of sound and design, play more than one game dude.

[@barj]

Half life 1 no feedback. Half life 2 JUICY

[@nein4013]

briish :vomit:

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

half life 2 eh*

[@cooler_carpington]

I think the sound design and how they overall feel to shoot is what pushes them back for me.

[@peppermillers8361]

Yeah, the sounds haven't aged all that well outside of the pulse rifle and the gravity gun.

[@realcopoolman]

​@@peppermillers8361i honestly really like the sounds

[@peppermillers8361]

@@realcopoolman they're not godawful and are nostalgic, but I think they've aged and suffer from 2000s stock sounds with how overused they are.

[@favkisnexerade]

what you talking about lol? after few hours pistol is never used and just sits there as garbage, same for crowbar, same for SMG (only alt is useful) before ravenholm I use SMG (never using pistol or crowbar after I get it because there is no reason) after ravenholm you get shotgun and ar2 and these are primary guns, as well as revolver, RPG, crossbow lol gravity gun is forced and used only in ravenholm and to pickup annoying mines

[@realcopoolman]

Id disagree if you dont want to use the guns its entirely on you

[@koishicat2]

while i agree, i do not agree on the AR2. It was literally a fucking reused beta asset of a combine flare gun reskinned ontop of pre-existing weapons that had already been coded and made etc which were the AR1 and OICW

[@Gearsy]

I have to disagree with you, the pistol has to be one of the worst base pistols in any FPS I've played and its sound has been mocked for over a decade now, Gordon holds the AR2 in one hand, after nova prospekt there is almost never a reason to use the Bugbait again. The Crossbow, Shotgun, Revolver and Gravity Gun are the only great feeling weapons out of the bunch, The RPG lacks the ability to turn off the laser sight, which would have increased its value against snipers and more stationary targets, the lack of Tripmines or Satchel Charges becomes clear during the few defense sections of the game. Can you really tell me that Satchel Charges wouldn't have benefited HL2 especially if they could be combined with the Gravity Gun? There are many things to compliment HL2 on, map design, lighting and physics engine however its arsenal is not one of them.

[@imembridibuddha]

*pew pew*

[@miguelpereira9859]

I think thr guns sound great and have a uniqur vibe to them but I also think that HL2's arsenal os quite lacking for such a highly regarded FPS title. Would have been nice to have more tactical options, while cutting some weapons from the game like the SMG and the Pistol

[@meow--77]

bringing up how bubbly and soft the weapons look made me want a plush usp and spas12

[@Taldaris]

I only wish the Gauss gun from the scout car was de-mountable, as it was meant to be originally. Thankfully MMod adds/fixes that problem.

[@Nova7805]

Half Life 2 has the weirdest effect on my brain on where I can remember most of the fricking sounds in the game in my head and anytime I hear one the sounds I'm like- ohhh it's that one sound! Don't get me started on the pressing interact when you can't interact with anything sound idek why that one is so nostalgic it just is to me TwT

[@BartJBols]

Most of the weapon designs were slapped together in a week from reused models and such in some panic scramble because they used to have a massive list of weapons and none of them really 'worked'. To say these weapons were some genius composition is like saying a dumpster fire is a genius composition of reducing waste to its essentials. Yea, they are 'ok', and halflife 2 is a really great game, but weapon design was one of its most weak points imo, only really saved by the grav gun and upgraded grav gun.

[@ICANTFINDNAMELOL]

Half life 1: weapons from real life Half life 2: modified verison of real life weapons

[@Cheerybelle]

I would personally say Half-Life 2's arsenal is kind of unsatisfying but overall serviceable. It's not the worst I've seen, but it's not as tightly designed (imo) as Doom 2's exceptional weapon sandbox. The Gravity Gun is pretty amusing, though. ...I wish the weapons in HL2 were just a little bit more accurate, though.

[@dariuskikstra3994]

“And usage, which is how the weapon is used” He’s a fucking genius

[@chickendrawsdogs3343]

I'm not a big fan of HL2's Pistol and Shotgun, they feel too...soft. The Colt Python, MP7 and OSIPR, on the other hand, feel GOOD, sound good too. The Gravity Gun is a godsend, a marvel of game and game weapon design. I still would've liked to have the Tau Cannon though.

[@rawpowerjagg]

Mmod

[@smartphonegeek4332]

The weapon selection sound is still stuck on my head to this day lmao i love it

[@pixel279]

I feel like it's important to note that the USP in Half-life 2 is NOT the same kind of USP that is used in Counter-strike. The version in Half-life 2 is a USP Match, which is also used in the Tomb Raider Legend game and the Tomb Raider movies with Angelina Jolie that were out around the same time. It's slightly edited in design to fit the theme of Half-life 2. Which also is where the main reason they look different is, the theme. HL2 is a semi-realistic sci-fi shooter and CS is a more realistic modern style shooter. The extra detail from the HL2 variant is missing simply because the realism of the weapons wasn't a major factor, especially considering he one hands the thing and can potentially snipe with it. Just my two cents lol.

[@shpeck_]

Ultrakill is a early access game with 2 developers (excluding contributers) and nails the categories you mentioned pretty well

[@tigersympathiser2265]

'The Sound Design' 'The way guns are held' Yes this video is very subjective and I respect that, but the fact you use the USP for the clip whilst you say that is criminal. Love ur videos btw, not here to just be that guy who's saying 'Yo HL2 sucks'

[@chandude3]

There are tons that smoke hl2s weapons, that statement at the beginning is a huge long stretch. Hl2 is great, I'm a huge fan and been playing it since release. The weapons are good, and there really isnt anything bad about them, but to call them perfect and hit it with all this praise just feels unwarranted.

[@tristanhartman356]

the hl2 weapons are just so simple like "hey heres this big ass gun now go shoot some shit" they also just feel really good to shoot

[@Finnishnat-conservativedot7126]

Great videos, I love your aesthetics. Do you make music yourself or lend it?

[@Kyle29168]

I wish the Tau Cannon was not scrapped as a usable weapon, unused icon in the weapon select and animations for the vortigaunt taking it off the Jeep and animations for actually using the gun

[@leonader9465]

I very much agree with this. The game really encourages you to mix up your arsenal as much as possible by givint each weapons their own strengths and weaknesses. Although I think what contributes even more to that is the ammo system. Every gun has a limited pool of ammo that prevents you from using it exclusively, and the game's ammo system always force you to use different weapons at any given time, even if there might be multiple suitable weapons for the situation. My only criticism of it is that certain weapons like the pistol, the crowbar and the bugbait become entirely useless or outclassed after a certain point, but that isn't a huge issue.

[@ptolemaicfoxxo3032]

I love when i dont have time to reload and i pull out the shotgun and charge like a mad man

[@hanoimenace]

Hey man, love the opening Dnb tunes. I just can’t put in word how much I adore your intros. Can you make a playlist of the tracks you use for them?

[@knoxiegb1782]

The pulse rifle main fire is nearly the same the smg. At the same time the ammo count for any of the fun weapons (except the g-gun, obviously) was cut ridiculously short compared to HL1. It's as far from perfect as it can be not dragging the game down.

[@GrayStream-pl7ot]

Halo 2 weapons

[@PikkaBird]

"...the gravity gun doesn't get much use after Ravenholm [...] you'll find yourself using it pretty damn often..." That's a little contradictory, isn't it?

[@BreadTeleporter1968]

I’m pretty sure he meant as in a weapon, it’s used often as a tool but not as a weapon like is encouraged in Ravenholm

[@TimelessWonderOfficial]

I always thought the pistol and SMG were pretty bad due to their inaccuracy and weirdly stiff animations. The shotgun definitely feels way better, though.

[@TheEmeraldSword04]

The arsenal in Half-Life 2 is a greatly toned down and concentrated setup compared to the first game, nut there are some gripes here and there, like for example how the USP Match has okay accuracy but the longer you keep firing the less, and less accurate it gets, to the point some shots land near the edge of the screen on a wall just three meters away (I'm barely exaggerating, the accuracy can get quite low). If they toned it down and made the gun a last resort sniper like in Half-Life 1 and Black Mesa that would help improve the reliability and longevity of it.

[@plastiquemonk]

great video, ive always loved HL2's arsenal and coming from it backwards to HL1 was kinda jarring since the amount of options felt like too much to use any of them optimally, maybe im just a smallbrained gamer tho. what im surprised didnt get mentioned was ammo management. its not like doom eternal where every single gun is empty all the time but its just enough to make you think about how you should take on an upcoming fight. like do you fire a single barrel of your shotgun to maybe finish off a mid range target, use both barrels costing twice as much or keep firing with your limited AR2 ammo? its a dynamic that hasn't been quite as cleanly perfected by many games since, and i really like it.

[@S1nwar]

i loved that they gave us an alien grenade with a unique function with the pheropod but on the other hand the pulserifle was kind of boring as a lategameupgrade to the smg. too similar.

[@peppermillers8361]

The super Gravity Gun is more of a late-game weapon

[@nelluc8831]

Watching this video I realized how similar Half Life 2's weapon sandbox and Halo CE's weapon sandbox are, both of which are fantastic

[@anusername8350]

My two favourite games

[@flowstate_vfx]

hugely underrated channel, love your stuff your editing the aesthetic everything keep it up

[@PurpleColonel]

Couldn't disagree more. Outside of the shotgun, AR2 and crossbow, pretty much none of the guns in hl2 are really impactful or even super useful. Good video tho :)

[@WELSHGAMER99]

Why tho? Each weapon encorauges the player to strategize in tight spots. Not every weapon is going to be useful in every scenario to make an interesting weapon. Sometimes the pistol might not be useful later on and that's ok since it filled its role. HL2's combat is special since it doesn't have that fluff that other FPS games have where it has too many samey yet satisfying weapons.

[@Grayson-tk5hn]

what about the gravity gun?

[@0Scoops]

Nearly perfect? Sure, but I'll never shake how irritating it is that the shotgun has a double shit and the mp7 just spawns a grenade out of thin air in front of it

[@ic0nic707]

I just think it’s funny to think that the grenade comes out of the MP7’s second barrel.

[@Kadeo64]

my only complaints with hl2's weapons are the mp7's weird grenades (specifically the lack of a grenade launcher) and the lack of the tau cannon

[@GustaCairac]

The grenades in the SMG don't make any sense, there's nowhere that the grenades would actually fits in the weapon, just take a look at the model of these grenades, they are too big.

[@aperturearmyapar810]

I think insurgency sandstorm has some really well made weapons, best recoil in a game I've ever 'felt'

[@banguseater]

its too bad they couldve been even better but the devs decided to tone down some of the weapons for "gameplay purposes" and even went as far to remove custom muzzle flashes for each weapon to "optimize" the game.

[@sandwichboy2511]

This vid seems so weird to me because everything you say about the hl1 guns is how I feel about the hl2 guns. The crowbar is useless after the Gravity gun comes in and the pistol is only good at the start. The smg is overshadowed by the ar2 and the shotgun as well. But in hl1 all of the guns have a situation that they do best

[@ImDaRealBoi]

May I recommend ULTRAKILL? The weapons have quite nice density to their mechanics and usages, the rocket launcher being an underrated one. While you _could_ use it to launch at enemies, even though you already have a grenade launcher shotgun and can punch those pellets to make them explode; the rocket launcher is by far the greatest _movement_ option, with both rocket jumping AND rocket surfing. And I also have to state that the timing of their introduction was pretty good. Pistol at the start, introduces the variants after you beat lvl 1, the shotgun comes AFTER you master the basic combat and beat the first boss, which gives you better ways to move down the masses (plus the hidden shotgun parrying attack and proboosting), and then the nailgun once you meet more stone husks and single targets. There's more but I don't feel like listing more that's not in the demo. I'd like to see you take on them as their roles in the game are very unique, chain together and fit special niches. Also the lore for them is great.

[@NickyIntensifies]

One thing I do like about Half Life 2's SMG, is that it doesn't get overshadowed by the AR2, like in most games. Instead, by the time you get the AR2, which should completely outmatch the SMG in every way, you also get SMG grenades, giving you a reason to keep using it. The only weapon that sadly falls behind is the 9mm pistol, but I frankly don't see a way to make it catch up. (Except maybe pistols akimbo. Maybe.)

[@DeepseaOddities]

Ep2's finale made the pistol relevant again via the Magnusson devices. Personally I find it the most reliable along with the AR2 in popping those striders

[@Mopsie]

I must say, your narration was truly captivating and enjoyable to listen to. It's refreshing to come across content that is well-presented and informative, and yours definitely hits the mark. Compared to some other opinion-based videos I've seen recently, your content stands out for its quality and attention to detail. Thank you for sharing your expertise and creating such great content!

[@danielbrophy6356]

Ratlobber I love your bumpers so goddamn much they are very cool and funky fresh

[@geraldoh9090]

what are these bangers every intro

[@spicyair2752]

I can describe hl2 weapons in three words weak plastic toys

[@homegrown6845]

Compared to Half-life 1's weapons though? I beg to differ.

[@danshakulawrence983]

idk if I was just an idiot when I played Half Life but I often end up defaulting to certain weapons and only really use the others when the defaults don't work. HL2 was different.

[@818suki]

It's gonna be hard for us to have an era as iconic as the Source Engine era. Nowadays everything is either too realistic or too goofy, never the perfect mix.

[@muggins2279]

Loved this video but immediately had to comment that I fucking love the Sega Marine Fishing music when I heard it, that game had no business having such a banging ost

[@Stribog1337]

I imagine the spas double [barrel] shot came as a result of lack of gun knowledge... probably went like this: "Nice shotgun. Tell me about it" "Ok. It can fire in pump action or semiauto" "...what do you mean?" "In the pump mode you can only fire *once*, then you have to pump it. In the semiautomatic mode, not" And so the developer thought: "This gun can fire once... and also TWICE" 💀 Or they knew exactly what they were doing 🤷‍♂️

[@CricetoFunni]

It's not even meant to be a double shot, it's meant to be a single shot that fires, and I quote, "both barrels", so props to Father Grigori for somehow adapting the loading tube into another fucking barrel.

[@spazjackrabbit61]

i mean people are just nitpicking these days especially in games that they're never meant to be realistic

[@Stribog1337]

@@spazjackrabbit61 yes I am a gun enthusiast I will nitpick every single video game gun I ever lay my eyes upon but it's still just a game 🤷‍♂️

[@peppermillers8361]

I think they just did it because why not. Most games didn't care about realism back then.

[@spazjackrabbit61]

@@peppermillers8361 and still is

[@muertolamento]

I love your channel, but this video is basically "these guns look weird and don't make sense, here's why that's good."

[@derzyjams6708]

👍

[@coltforceplayer]

We can all agree the Pulse Rifle sounds beefy as fuck

[@georfemeyer5664]

Just finished my first play through of Half Life 1 going to beat Half life 2 now excited (I was a console kid so I’m replaying old PC games)

[@gregoryberrycone]

as much as i adore half life 2, ive always thought the weapons looked pretty bad, not that the ideas were bad just the execution

[@hubanimations]

I think the SMG and the Pulse rifle struggle with the fact they are similar use weapons with one being objectively more powerful than the other but with less ammo. Bugbait also becomes completely useless after Nova Prospekt. So there is the issue of having overlap and a weapon that becomes worthless after the very chapter it is introduced to the player since you don't see any antlions after that point. In HL1, there isn't really any overlap with the weapons even if a lot of HL1's weapons are gimmicky and sometimes too niche to use in most situations. However, I will agree that HL2 is much better with timing when it comes to how, where, and when the player acquires new weapons.

[@rench1es]

I love these intro and outro feels on your vids man

[@Iron_Soil]

Only think i didint liked in half life 2 about weapons was that 2 rifles existed There shoud be one Either smg or pulse rifle

[@FlyboyHelosim]

I actually prefer the diversity in HL1's weapons more, and the alien and experimental weapons are a welcome inclusion that feel organic to the environment. I feel like HL2's weapons are fairly restrictive and don't offer much satisfaction. The HK USP Match is just a strange inclusion, the MP7 is not accurate, the SPAS-12 bizarrely only holds 6 rounds, there's literally oddities with all the weapons that I can't even be bothered getting into.

[@rmod8]

"A weapon is given when you're supposed to use it" I know that sounds simple but that's a great quote to keep in mind when balancing weapons in games/maps.

[@melc311]

I love how all HL2 weapons have very unique first person silhouettes and specific parts that glow in complete darkness so you can know what weapon you're holding in complete darkness.

[@RC568]

usp match is kinda cute idk why

[@realcopoolman]

It is a cute pistol (in game)

[@bigblue344]

It's one of the reasons why I was kind of disappointed in Alyx, all the weapons were just hitscan that was just burst fire, close range or automatic. No crossbow, you had grenades but you needed a free hand to carry around and while I didn't expect the gravity gun they had no other sci-fi weapons. Even the combine rifle is a downgrade from the original.

[@Sigmachode905]

The crossbow had good set up because its given to you when you see many enemies far away.

[@iamheavyweaponsguy2831]

Your editing styles are insanely addictive

[@irvindness3488]

The most memorable part of HL2's weaps was the complete downgrade of everything after HL1

[@fausto123]

Everytime that I play HL2 brings me back to the middle of the 2000s when games used to be good and not a DLC machine.

[@peppermillers8361]

There are still good games that aren't DLC machines.

[@newlandpencilnut4754]

Indie titles bro, cheaper and better than most Triple A games

[@JeBubbieSpubbies]

It's worth remembering that Half-Life 2 had an additional 18(?) weapons cut from the final game. Most of them are redundant and seem to have only been for world-building, like the sniper rifle, smg2 or the AK-47. Some of the cut weapons are really cool, like the immolator or the hopwire grenade (or the vortex grenade as well). But I get why Valve cut even the cool weapons though, because Valve was refining the weapons sandbox down to a perfect balance. In the final game there really isn't a single weapon that feels completely useless (other than the bugbait after Nova Prospekt I guess).

[@forple8930]

I mostly agree, but the SMG is useless outside of its grenade feature once you get the AR2. It's literally just directly replaced by that point, and the only time the SMG becomes useful is when the AR2 is out of ammo.

[@JeBubbieSpubbies]

@@forple8930 Honestly that's fair, the SMG is only useful because of the limited AR2 ammo. Although I still really enjoy using the SMG it's just really fun to shoot.

[@realcopoolman]

​@@forple8930id say smg is very effective when you want to shoot fast while the pulse rifle has less speed and bigger recoil