Half-Life
Is this the big Unreal beater? Well, let's see ...
First, it's clear that Half-Life can't really hold a candle to Unreal's brutally impressive graphics and enviroments. Put your nose to a wall in Unreal, and you get to see the veins of the marble, or any other subtle detail of the material, invisible from two steps away. Half-Life, however, is more down to earth in the MIP-mapping department, producing the usual smoothed-out textures when you get too close to things. And those research facilities of Half-Life's aren't really that cool after you've seen the vast valleys and castles of Unreal's. But Half-Life is based on the good old Quake engine, whereas Unreal has its own if not spanking-new so at least much newer game engine. And if Half-life's architecture isn't as cool as Unreal's, it certainly is a lot more realistic. You are in a man-made complex, no doubt about it, and it feels naturally laid out. It also has some nice details Unreal lacks. Remains of killed enemies remain where they fell, they don't just disappear aftera while. Blood, and other unmentionable stuff, stain the walls and those cockroaches can be stept on ...
Secondly, one area where Half-Life scores big points, NPCs and AI. The scientists and Guards of the Black Mesa facility aren't just standing around, waiting to get killed or just show you a secret. They can help you with doors, heal your wounds and dispose of enemies on their own initiative. Also, that talk about your actions altering the outcome of different events actually is there too. Kill that monster sneaking up on that guard, and that guard can provide you some valuablr ammo and cover. And people speak to you, and eachother. And when they do, their mouths move and they look at the person they are talking to. Those wimpy Nali ought to go stand in a corner and be ashamed of themselves ...
As for the actual gameplay, Half-Life feels more innovative than the rest. Some sections are outright platform games, without requiring pixel-perfect jumps however. Personally, I could live without them, but they don't feel out of place and they do add some variation. Also, things aren't spread out or hidden in illogical places. Things are found where you'd expect them to be, and there's nothing like invisibility or quad damage powerups. Nice and realisitc, but probably not to everyone's liking.
Choosing between Unreal and Half-Life isn't easy, but I think I have. Half-Life is more inventive and interactive, but not as graphically advanced as Unreal. Also in Unreal's favour are its enviroments, fully using the engine's capabilites. Both games are great, so you should play them both. I personally still favour Unreal, its atmosphere and graphical overkill being the main reasons. If you are one of the persons who favour more "real" settings for your first person shooters however, Half-Life is probably what you want. It also doesn't require a monster computer to run ...
