I hate playing on PC and kb/m, but I want to try out Half-Life so I was thinking of playing these.

It seems like people always shit on perfectly competent, or in some ways even superior, console ports. Everyone said Deus Ex and Max Payne 1/2 console ports were terrible, but I thought they were great, and I definitely enjoyed them much more than I would have hunched over my desk on keyboard and mouse.

>>11872320 (OP)
The PS2 HL1 port is alright, but the new models honestly suck. Also bilinear texture filtering is just not how the game was meant to be experienced. You have to experience HL1 in its raw pixel glory.

Avoid the HL2 xbox port at all costs though, you are much better off playing The Orange Box on the 360 if you absolutely HAVE to play a console.

Im not really sure why you would want to play on console though, the PC versions of both games have full controller support, and HL1 got updated recently to run well on modern machines and gives you the option to turn off texture filtering in the menu which is how the game was intended.

>>11872329
/thread

>>11872320 (OP)
>Everyone said Deus Ex and Max Payne 1/2 console ports were terrible, but I thought they were great
Just imagine how good the original versions are if those were terrible in comparison.

>>11872320 (OP)
HL1 is good on PS2.
But PC has Opposing Force and Blue Shift so you might consider going PC.

>>11872329
I dropped them after I was unable to backup my saves. Was unable to back them.
Waste of time.

>>11872320 (OP)
The VR mod for HL2 is unironically the best way to play it. The game feels like it was made for VR, because it is essentially a physics demo that also has tons of environment interactivity. The intro is more immersive. Ravenholm is more atmospheric. The shooting sequences are more intense. The driving sections are more terrible. Everything has been turned up a notch.

>>11872418
Not good for me because I hate playing on PC and with kb/m.

>>11872320 (OP)
You missed the boat, anon. The magic was in the moddable engine and all the wild stuff people made with that. Barring some custom servers, that’s over. Roblox is unironically where the best creative energy remains these days.

>>11872320 (OP)
You can connect your PC to your tv.

You can connect a controller to your PC.

You can sit on any furniture you want while using a PC, even with desktop monitors.

It's entirely possible to be reclined with a keyboard and mouse, especially if the mouse is a trackball.

I've often started games with gamepad but switched to keyboard and mouse when parts of them were too difficult with sloppy sticks.

Recently, i've been sitting upright more to prevent core atrophy

>>11872565
Gamepad is always superior. I just beat Max Payne 1 on DoA with a controller and it was very easy, and retards act like that's impossible without mouse

>>11872320 (OP)
The PS2 version is really fucking annoying because they got rid of checkpoints. You have to pause the game every time you feel you've made satisfactory progress, and then select "Quicksave". There's also a lot of questionable framerate dips; we know the PS2 can do better than this. This port is a curiosity best left for revisits rather than first playthroughs.

The Xbox version of HL2 drops to single digit framerates in heavy encounters and doesn't really run that great altogether. Once again, I'd only play it on revisits as a curiosity.

>>11872584
What's wrong with quicksaves?

>>11872589
Nothing, as long as they're not your ONLY option, which they are on the PS2 version. The PC original had checkpoints which the PS2 version just got rid of (with no chapter select either)

>>11872589
>>11872603
Also, creating checkpoints is extremely cumbersome on the PS2 version. Even if you plug in a keyboard, you cannot simply press the function keys to read/write a quicksave; you gotta pause the game, select "Quick Save" from the menu, and then proceed.

>>11872615
Why are you acting like something that takes 3 seconds is some major inconvenience?

>>11872603
I am fairly confident that the original version of HL1 didn't have autosaves or that at least mine didn't

>>11872615
>Modern post 00's PCfag at a loss when confronted with a console game that doesn't allow quicksaves
Many such cases

>>11872320 (OP)
HL1 on the PS2 is excellent. The control scheme and implementation of lock on make the whole game feel dynamic and fun, retaining the sense of chaos in combat and still giving you the freedom to dish out all kinds of damage just like on PC. It's a really fun way to play the game. It also has an interesting scene, regrettably the guy who has been doing all this work modding and hacking the PS2 version has disappeared. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O_P_vte-q0 He was working on porting over Opposing Force until he suddenly stopped updating and the reason for it is pretty grim if I'm right in linking up certain dates. Still check his youtube channel, he's documented and has a lot of his work on github. Hope he is alright and can finish his work one day.

HL2 on Xbox is flawed and gets a bad reputation based on some Digital Foundry videos. I've beaten it two times on Xbox, and no it is not the worst thing ever, it's playable and retains much of the spirit of that 2004 Half-Life experience. It was an interesting version that didn't have HL2's trademark audio stutter, anyone who played it in 2004 can tell you about that. This one also has a very interesting hacking scene. Excuse the zoomer style video but it's a fun watch if you're into Half-Life/Source/Xbox/modding/gmod.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXdJKoKrhsc
https://www.ogxbox.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18308-half-life-2-modding-tools/

Personally I want to see some work put into hacking Counter-Strike on Xbox and loading HL1 games through that.

>>11872320 (OP)
PS2 version of Half-Life is actually the best version of Half-Life because it comes default with the HD models and has engine enhancements no other version has like a automatic targeting mode, NPC's have animated eyes, hands with actual fingers, etc. It also slightly edits some of the levels so they are less bullshitty. The controller is also completely remappable to your preferences (or to another controller style entirely if you are emulating with an xbox 360 controller) and I believe it even supports the use of a USB keyboard and mouse (even though you probably won't prefer that it seems.) The hazard course has also been slightly reworked so it is actually a part of the story now and not just a separate thing from the game.

If you emulate or have a modded PS2 then someone also ported blue shift and the uplink demo to PS2 for even more content.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-blue-shift-playstation-2-mod/downloads/ps2-blue-shift-anniversary-update-v120

https://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-uplink-playstation-2-mod/downloads/ps2-mod-half-life-uplink-beta-release

The Xbox version of Half-Life 2 is perfectly serviceable but it is a much older build of Half-Life 2 circa 2005 and the textures are heavily nerfed. It's still my favorite xbox game though.

>>11872320 (OP)
the reflection on the HL2 box makes it look like gordon's bald lol

>>11872664
You are misreading it. Half-Life on PS2 does allow quicksaves. In fact, you HAVE to because there's no checkpoints.
>>11872660
Because it constantly breaks your immersion.

>>11872329
I played HL2 via the Orange Box on 360 and absolutely loved it, one of the better games I have ever played.

>>11872664
You are misreading it. Half-Life on PS2 does allow quicksaves. In fact, you HAVE to quicksave because there's no checkpoints.
>>11872660
Because it constantly breaks your immersion, and while you are immersed it's easy to forget about quicksaving.

>>11872792
The PS2 version also removes quite a lot of enemies and they feel lacking imo

>>11872883
bullshit, no it doesn't.

Why is it every thread about console port you get PC dickheads just posting blatant misinformation?

>>11872582
>Gamepad is always superior.
Depends on the game and your preferences, nerd. On that metric, the mobile version unironically controls and plays the best.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2Dcz-JFbJsM

Hell, all of rockstars mobile ports not counting the new gta remaster versions and bully 0are good.

>>11872664
>Trying to console war on post 7th gen /vr/
>He misreads checkpoints as quicksaves somehow
Pathetic. Why do keksole and sneedc fools mock mobilebros while acting like this? We literally have the best ports and exclusives.

>>11872589
I assume his issue is more with the fact that you'll have to constantly decide to save yourself and then menu towards the save option. The point of quicksaves is they can be done without leaving the game for a menu and generally with the press of a single button.

>>11872884
Yeah, it does. Quite a few enemies are missing especially in the more busy areas. You're just not familiar enough with the game to have noticed.

My PC didn't have a GPU besides some integrated graphics on the CPU so I couldn't even render the flashlight in my 3 fps version of HL2 with zero shaders on all low.
Xbox version was my first time playing it all the way through and I thought it was great despite the textures and models looking worse than my PC version on all low.

>>11872897
No the fuck they aren't. Post concrete proof or fuck right off.

>>11872320 (OP)
PS2 port of 1 is good. Plus it has an exclusive new co-op campaign for the game. Well worth it for that alone.

Xbox port is SHIT.

Did anyone else find the view swaying in HL1 to be completely insane? You walk around like a metronome. I don't think you can disable it like you can in the PC version either.

HL2 on Xbox is pretty cool if only because of how visually impressive it is for the hardware, but you're lucky if it runs at 20 FPS while staring at a wall. Copies of it are usually very cheap though so you might as well pick it up for $5 and play up to like route kanal or something and turn it off. It's also the easiest way to experience HL2 with all its original graphics and visual effects before they started fucking with the source engine too much for later games.

Also I'm pretty sure HL1 and 2 on PC have controller support now anyway.

>everyone saying HL2 Xbox port is shit
It's the only version I could play because my computer was an emachines :(

>>11872320 (OP)
Half-Life and Half-Life 2 have gamepad support on PC.

>>11872329
I would highly recommend against playing the Orange Box console ports, they are supremely scuffed, pitched up audio, dogshit collision detection, etc.

>>11872742
>He was working on porting over Opposing Force until he suddenly stopped updating and the reason for it is pretty grim if I'm right in linking up certain dates
So tell us.

Don't listen to the mustards. PS2 is perfectly fine if you are used to early 2000s console shooters. 2 is a lot better on the 360 and you get the expansions too

>>11872320 (OP)
You’re a moron.

>>11872424
>guy working on Opposing Force port for ps2 is dead in the trenches of ukraine
That conflict really took a lot of autists out and it is sad.

>>11873001
It was a fine version, just zoomers repeating what they heard on plebbit and their favorite youtubers without playing the game.

The Xbox port of HL2 is worth a playthrough.
I can't speak without bias since I've probably played HL2 on xbox over fifteen times and have since played HL2 on basically every other release more than three times but the Xbox port is a really good look into the game around release versus now
It's sort of like comparing release Team Fortress 2 to now, there's some minor things that weren't re-enabled for over a decade or just changed like models having death animations or the blood spray when you shoot enemies, some textures being older and graphical differences
The loading screens can suck ass but it's still a fun port of it and makes the game a bit cozier since you're on a console

>>11872320 (OP)
Stay away from the XBOX version of 2, but the PS2 version of 1 is the definitive edition.

>>11873223
Russian modder stops updating projects he was actively updating in February 2022. No update since.

HL1 on PS2 is a great version to play, it's definitely worth a playground. It has the exclusive co-op mode Decay, and also allows for playing Uplink if you have the proper PSM demo disc.

>>11873405
Fucking ruskies.
Hope someone rape Pootin.

>>11873769
Russians are cool. Putin can suck a dick.

>>11872320 (OP)
PS2 HL1 is good. Xbox HL2 is impressive but inferior to the PC version in every way.

XBOX HL2 was my first contact with the game. I had a fine enough time but it's clear the system struggles with it at parts, although nothing too horrendous if you're used to N64 framerates. Still, there's something chilling about the Xbox running the game, it was a nice effort despite the troubles.

>>11872582
There is no cross platform mp fps where kbm isn't a clear advantage.

>>11872792
There was already an official PS2 port of Uplink so it's very weird someone remade it as a mod.
It was obtuse to obtain, though, so he probably didn't know it existed. You had to own both Half-Life and a demo disc from a magazine with a different Half-Life demo on it, then enter a cheat code in the full game and swap discs to the demo.

Both ports run rather poorly but play more or less fine.
People shit on HL2 for Xbox a lot, but if you've played the game on a toaster with DX8 and low graphics settings, it will be a familiar experience. It's also fun just to play such an old version of the game, you can trivially bunnyhop for speed just by mashing the A button.

>>11873405
It's always sad to see. Back in like 2011, when Japan got shrekt by that Tsunami, one of my favorite H-artists stopped posting, he was never heard from since.
Another case was a less known mapper on Doomworld, who one day back maybe a decade or more, simply stopped posting. Nobody knew why, until one of his friends did an inquiry with police and looked at local news from his town, and they discovered that some unknown person had broken into his home at night and bludgeoned him to death.
Who did it? Why? Nobody knows, nothing was stolen, he was just killed by someone for no clear reason, and neither his friends nor family knew of him having any enemies.
His maps were alright, felt worth my time playing.

And that's just when you can do detective work, or at least put two and two together and reason one of the probable outcomes. When there's no such event there's at least the ambiguity, maybe they just decided to change their life and do something else.
As an end result to their community, maybe that makes little difference, but it's still sad to think of people like these being killed.

>>11873769
I don't like Putin or the Russian government, but Russians are literally just dudes, man. I have friends there who I worry for.

>>11872329
HL1 wasn't 'intended' to be run with the software renderer

>>11873896
You’re against one of us, you’re against all of us

>>11874413
Most Halo games are much easier with a controller, even in multiplayer, due to the generous aim assist.

>>11872320 (OP)
PS2 port is actually pretty good with higher poly-count models. It was better than the PC version at the time.

HL2 on Xbox was a disaster. Just play it on PC.

>>11874832
>It was better than the PC version at the time.
The framerate was ass and the multiplayer mode was gimped—to say nothing of the nonexistent mod support.

Valve!

>>11874596
I know there was an ukr working on Warhammer Dark Omen port to unreal engine and the mad lad did port first map and battle mechanics and even released it on github but then 2022 happened and he hasn't appeared since.
I hate this brother wars shit so much

>>11872320 (OP)
HL2 on og Xbox? are you a masochist?

HL1 on PS2 is on pair with the PC version for obviously reasons.
HL2 on xbox is just putrid. Like why would you use a 2001 PC to play a 2005 high demanding game? the result is clearly very unpleasant and nearly unplayable.

People need to stop with this delusional nonsense of using a Xbox in 2025. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but burst this bubble already.

>>11875849
it's like you're playing the whole game through one of the gmod camera monitors lol

>>11872320 (OP)
HL1 is a pretty good port but it looks different from the original PC version and uses the "HD models" which aren't to most people's taste.

HL2 is an impressive port on a technical level but it has some pretty significant framerate and performance issues. I would recommend the Xbox 360 version of The Orange Box instead. The Steam version also natively supports Xinput and other controllers.

>>11875849
>HL1 on PS2 is on pair with the PC version for obviously reasons.
Absolutely not.

>>11876060
This, PS2 version is clearly superior.

>>11875849
OG Xbox fags are the absolute worst. They're as pretentious as PC users and as stupid and illiterate as console gamers. They're like Neo Geo owners, but poor. They treat the Xbox like it was God's gift to gaming, when in reality it was:
>a PC shoved into a console case, except not modular like a PC
>had a library of mostly watered down PC ports, or games which ended up getting ported to PC (and are better on PC)
>hardware so shitty that it literally kills itself if you don't replace the capacitors quickly enough (and even then, the disc drive is going to give out every few years)
>paid online service that went down in 2009 and was unplayable again until the last two years due to fan efforts
>couldn't even play a fucking DVD without extra peripherals
But uhh you could install (awful) emulators and XBMC on it if you had the technical know-how... that was cool for that period of 3 years where some people didn't have more than one PC or a Wii, I guess.

>>11872320 (OP)
HL1 on PS2 is good. Just beat it this year (also the first time I've played HL1). The only issue I had was audio. You either turn the audio up enough to understand dialogue and have your ears blown out by the guns or you just never really get any dialogue for the whole game.

>>11876107
It had the best multiplats usually and a modded Xbox is nice. A PS2 is better because of the large library of course.

>>11876107
Anyone who isn’t a fan of the og xbox is just a pretentious prick who hates the console because the popular kids enjoyed it to and we can’t have the captain of the football team playing and having a good time w nerds and generally brining people from different social classes and whatever all together to have a good time.

>>11876158
I think all 6th gen consoles are good, they all have their strengths. There is good games on almost every platform.

>>11876107
>>hardware so shitty
I was surprised by how cheap and chinky the Xbox is on the inside. No wonder reliability is low.

>>11876426
I've taken apart everything from an NES to a GCN, and the Xbox was by far the biggest piece of shit I've ever worked with. The PS2 might be slightly shittier in terms of build quality, if only due to the awful ribbon cables connecting to the optical drive that fall out from the puff of a fart, but the Xbox is the only console I can say that I've actually cut myself on while trying to get the faceplate off, among other headaches. I hate this fucking thing like you wouldn't believe.

>>11872320 (OP)
If Gearbox's PS2 port had a toggle to switch to original models then it would be a pretty fantastic port

>>11872320 (OP)
I think the ps2 halflife 1 is the superior experience

>>11876107
>I'll chime in and say... MY PEESEE is SUPERIOR!!!
No one gives a damn, shut up.