Preston Ward Condra Plays Half-Life 2 (Let's Play)

by Preston Ward Condra

I found this in my laptop hard drive in the txt documents. I played a short stint of the campaign of Half-Life 2. I wrote this back in October 2013. The Xbox version of the game, where I simply play through the first few levels of the game, before effectively giving up on it. Krystal from Star Fox is modded in HL2 as nothing more, than window dressing. Very unconventional game.

1. Chapter 1: Point Insertion

I'm given the option to select my own difficulty - Easy, Normal and Hard.

It's suitable but, basic options that work. I opted to pick with Normal on this.

"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman."

I can barely make out anything this dunderhead is saying to me. I try to skip this but, this appears to be mandantory.

Loading screen for 20 seconds.

I'm suddenly on a train and I'm given with no weapon to start out with.

In fact, I can't do anything but, interact with two NPC's on the train by clicking the Y Button.

I jump off the train and I see Gas Masks, having the place hunkered down.

I really don't know what to do.

I walk through some, spiny automatic doors and continue to traverse through here.

Sean Connery comes up on screen and says random gibberish.

I eventually get to a check-out counter, where the Gas Masks interrogate me with more random gibberish I can't make out. They let me go and I continue on.

I come to another hurdle in my way, where one of the Gas Masks leads me to an office. He doesn't say anything.

He unmasks himself.

His name is Barney. Apparently, he knows me.

"About that beer I owe you! It's me Gordon! Barney from Black Mesa."

...Black Mesa.

"OH MAN! THAT'S WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF!"

Barney suddenly leads me out to a back door.

I close the door behind me, and I continue on to God knows where.

I still have no weapon in my possession.

I come to another hallway, deep in the train station where a Gas Mask man, appoints me to pick up an empty soda can and put it in the trash.

I do so accordingly, and he lets me through.

I'm outside.

All access is blocked off from every which corner I go.

I literally waste a good 10 minutes, not sure what to do.

I climb up a ladder - near the playground/swing set area and continue.

OMG GIANT SPIDER. OMG GIANT ENEMY CRAB.

It carelessly just walks above me, and I'm bestowed upon it and as I do, I eventually reach another vicinity for me to get through. I walk through a couple of doorways and make myself upstairs.

A strange voice came on the intercom.

"THERE'S NO TIME! GET UP TO THE ROOF!"

I see a hoard of tanks, line up outside.

So much for the calvary.

"GET IN HERE QUICK! GO UP THE ROOF!"

Some kind of camera-thing-a-bob shoots at me, while I'm on the roof.

I try jumping off the roof. I died for the first time in the game.

The game checkpoints me, back to the top of the roof as I walk across narrow pathways to another structure.

Is this...what I'm supposed to do?

No guidance whatsoever. Dead silence. Very strange.

I walk across a final piece of plywood that's conveniently, pressed on top of the roof of this building.

I have no choice but, to work from this second building, back downstairs.

I go down the stairs.

I'm heckled by three Gas Masks and they attempt to kill me.

White screen.

"Over here! Ha! Not you don't!"

I'm greeted by Alyx Vance and she saves me.

The three men that, she totally attacked on her own merit are now dead and she saves my life.

How she didn't get hurt is beyond me.

We get inside an elevator and work ourselves, downstairs.

Alyx leads me, down a hallway further back where we get off the elevator.

We come across a wallpaper with Sean Connery's mug on it. Pfft.

She pushes some kind of button, that was concealed on the wallpaper, and she directs me down, an underground passage.

I follow her and the level comes to an end.

I completed the level in 23 minutes and 42 seconds.