Half-Life: Continuity Question

[Afgncaap5]

Okay, so I bought the Orange Box for the chance to play Portal. And I loved Portal tremendously, more than any first person shooter that I've ever tried before. I'm normally not a first person shooter fan.

Anyway, now that I've beaten Portal (and a second time with the commentary on) all that remains is the challenge modes, advanced chambers and achievements. But I'm already planning what else to do (not that I don't already have some plans. I mean, City of Heroes is releasing Issue 14 soon and it sounds awesome.)

But the Orange Box came with Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, and Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. While I'm not quite ready to download/install those games and all their mandatory updates, I do wonder if I'll enjoy them having never played the original Half-Life. I mean, would the first Half-Life and its various expansions improve my fun in the game? Would it allow me to naturally learn information that Half-Life 2 might cause to be spoilers? What do you, the people at home who've played the game series, think?

[Captain Hygiene]

I've played a fair amount of the original Half-Life (and none of its expansion packs), and I don't recall anything major from Half-Life 2 that would really spoil the first game. That's assuming you know the main story from the first one, by the way, not assuming you're completely unaware of what went on in it. I think the only part that might lose you is right at the very beginning of HL2, since it follows the end of HL1, but it doesn't really spoil anything so much as leave you a bit mystified.
To me, HL2 and its sequels seemed to really concentrate on the story more than HL1, and I don't think you'd be missing all that much by skipping right to them.

[Afgncaap5]

And since I prefer story to gameplay most of the time anyway, that sounds fun. Thanks!

[Captain Hygiene]

I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it. I think it's hugely well done in terms of atmosphere, and quite a solid FPS as well. The plot development occasionally gets a bit old if you die and have to sit around through the characters talking again, and occasionally it just feels too linear - though I'm sure that's entirely intentional for the sake of developing a story.

[Afgncaap5]

Heh. In the glory days of the text adventure, you'd occasionally run across some pretty well crafted non-linear stories.

Heck, even some of the modern text adventures are good at non-linearity, though that's more the exception than the rule. Most text adventures these days are just made by fans of the old stuff.