So how good did HL2:Ep. 2 look on the 360?

[Smooth Groove]

I finished EP2 on the weekend and was stunned at much Valve improved the visuals over HL2 and Ep1.  Not only are the graphics much improved, the performance also seems to be much more optimized than ever.  I went back to EP1 and it actually felt more sluggish than the far prettier EP2.  Props to Valve for squeezing so much out of a 3 yr old engine.  So anyways, I was wondering if it was the same thing on the 360?  Does EP2 look much better than the  2 previous chapters? 

[MrAngryFace]

VOMIT RITE

[Sho Nuff]

AFAIK texture details are cranked to max on 360, the only downside is that the IQ is not so good. I'm not sure what kind of FSAA it's using, but I've certainly seen far better on the xbox.

[demi]

Dunno, I only just beat HL2 today.

I have to go back through and find the last 6 Lambda Caches to complete the achievements for it.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Lemme know if EP1 & EP2 are worth playthroughs. I've been a lazy ass Half Life fan and haven't tried out either and now I may not have time to play them unless they're REALLY GOOD™ or REALLY UNIQUE™!

Well neither are REALLY UNIQUE™ and only Episode 2 is REALLY GOOD™ but they're both worth a playthrough™ if only to know what the hell happened after the citadel collapsed in HL2. 

And yeah, ep2 looks absolutely amazing on the 360.  It's a substantial step up from the original game and is on par with some of the best graphics I've seen on the system to date.

[demi]

Short like your stubby dick, hon

[demi]

I'm pretending right now

[demi]

Finished Episode 1, but I left off on a really sour note because even though I didn't fire a single bullet, I didn't get the achievement. Apparently Crossbow counts as a bullet. Apparently.

Guess I'll do another run with Developer Commentary on

[Sho Nuff]

I'm totally amped to try doing Ravenholm with only the grav gun. Wonder how beastly hard it is?

[demi]

It's not hard at all, theres lots of crud to throw around

[The Fake Shemp]

I'm almost at the end of Episode Two, I gather.  Looks great.  I'm having a ton of fun.  The Orange Box has not disappointed.

[drohne]

i did ravenholm with just the gravity gun. there are a couple moments where there's nothing good to throw and you have to run like fuck, but mostly it's pretty easy. try to keep a sawblade handy. and you can kill the little spider guys just by jolting them with the gravity gun

[The Fake Shemp]

Combined with the episodic content, I've really enjoyed this installment of the Half-Life franchise (Half-Life 2 as a whole, I mean).  I'm with Zero Punctuation on the minor complaint that the puzzles and set pieces are beginning to repeat themselves; they seem to be creating the same puzzles in different environments and it's getting repetitive.  I can understand the reasoning why Valve pushed that with Episode Two, as Episode One hit too far from the mark, albeit with shoddy level design and not puzzles.  I look forward to some kind of resolution to this installment when Episode Three hits, especially since Episode Two is good enough to compare to the original, but quite honestly, I'd really like to see what Valve can do from scratch.

[Smooth Groove]

Finished Episode 1, but I left off on a really sour note because even though I didn't fire a single bullet, I didn't get the achievement. Apparently Crossbow counts as a bullet. Apparently.

Guess I'll do another run with Developer Commentary on

So if you can't fire a bullet for that achievement, then how are you supposed to beat that helicopter-like vehicle on the roof? 

Combined with the episodic content, I've really enjoyed this installment of the Half-Life franchise (Half-Life 2 as a whole, I mean).  I'm with Zero Punctuation on the minor complaint that the puzzles and set pieces are beginning to repeat themselves; they seem to be creating the same puzzles in different environments and it's getting repetitive.  I can understand the reasoning why Valve pushed that with Episode Two, as Episode One hit too far from the mark, albeit with shoddy level design and not puzzles.  I look forward to some kind of resolution to this installment when Episode Three hits, especially since Episode Two is good enough to compare to the original, but quite honestly, I'd really like to see what Valve can do from scratch.

I think one's enjoyment of Ep.2 is also dependent on how recently that person played Hl2 or EP1.  I haven't played HL2 in more than a year so EP.2 felt pretty fresh to me.  I could do without the platforming crap though.  Gordan Freeman has to be the most unathletic game character yet Valve somehow thinks that platforming elements would be fun.  I wish there were more sequences like that final boss fight though.  The final level was one of the best FPS levels I've played in the last few years.  Overall, I still think Valve proved that they're better at making FPS games than anyone else. 

[Solo]

HL2 looks kind of crappy on 360, but then Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 look fantastic. You can really see the progress that Valve has made with Source since 2004.

[Smooth Groove]

HL2 looks kind of crappy on 360, but then Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 look fantastic. You can really see the progress that Valve has made with Source since 2004.

There isn't such a big gap between HL2 and the other two episodes on the PC.  IGN mentioned that HL2 was just a port of the Xbox game which explains why EP1/2 look so much better on the 360. 

On the PC, EP2 looks really great.  In fact, I can't think of any console FPS game, other than Bioshock, that looks just as good as EP2. 

[Solo]

HL2 looks kind of crappy on 360, but then Ep. 1 and Ep. 2 look fantastic. You can really see the progress that Valve has made with Source since 2004.

There isn't such a big gap between HL2 and the other two episodes on the PC.   

I believe that, since the reason I say HL2 looks crappy on 360 is because I have the PC version too, and it looks a lot better. But I dont have the PC versions of Ep. 1/2, but I would imagine the same is true there.

[Fragamemnon]

Episode 2 really does look outstanding save for a few things like the occasional bad ground texture, but it's not a big deal.

The lighting/shadowing and animation-particularly the Hunters and Striders-are out of this world good.

[demi]

Finished Episode 1, but I left off on a really sour note because even though I didn't fire a single bullet, I didn't get the achievement. Apparently Crossbow counts as a bullet. Apparently.

Guess I'll do another run with Developer Commentary on

So if you can't fire a bullet for that achievement, then how are you supposed to beat that helicopter-like vehicle on the roof? 

The achievement is called "The One Free Bullet" -- meaning you only shoot the lock off when you find the Pistol and Shotgun

You can use Grenades, Crowbar, and Rockets and Gravity Gun

I thought Crossbow would fit since its not technically a "bullet" but I guess that isn't the case here

[Solo]

Episode 2 really does look outstanding save for a few things like the occasional bad ground texture, but it's not a big deal.

The lighting/shadowing and animation-particularly the Hunters and Striders-are out of this world good.

The caves in the first level are amazing. The lighting, the water, the detail on the stalagmites, etc. Really impressive.