| In this ongoing look at significant moments in the | | | | will shine our light on the well stocked selection of |
| history of video game design, we have already | | | | enemies. Among the wide variety of alien and |
| taken a look at Bungie's Halo, Bioware's MDK2, | | | | human enemies, the standouts in HL are the |
| Nintendo's own original Metroid and several others. | | | | human grunts and the alien headcrabs. Fiercely |
| The goal of this series is to go beyond the | | | | attacking in seemingly well trained unison, groups |
| gaming magazines and iPhone app reviews, and | | | | of human grunts are to this day among the most |
| take a closer look at what defines memorability | | | | engaging and exciting enemies to do combat with |
| and quality in game design. In this fifth part of the | | | | in the history of video games. The AI of these |
| series we will examine some more of those | | | | soldiers was an absolute revelation at the time, |
| classic moments where video game designers | | | | and is still unmatched by many of today's |
| undoubtedly got it right and delivered a | | | | technologically advanced shooters. Anybody who |
| memorable, enduring and progressive gaming | | | | has played Half-Life will recall the fear they felt |
| experience. | | | | when a group of these grunts appeared and |
| Half-Life (PC) - In our last installment we looked at | | | | began firing upon our hero. Rich, rewarding and |
| the popular Half Life (HL) mod, Day of Defeat. | | | | dynamic gunfights were part and parcel of HL |
| We will now give credit to the game it was built | | | | thanks in large part to the AI inherent in these |
| upon, the original HL. Released in 1998, HL was a | | | | soldiers. |
| first person shooter (FPS) developed by Valve | | | | In stark contrast to these battles with human |
| Software. You play the game as Gordon | | | | grunts, we have the alien headcrabs. Mindlessly |
| Freeman, a scientist working at the Black Mesa | | | | scuttling throughout the game's corridors, these |
| Research Facility that eventually becomes the | | | | little bugs wanted nothing more than to leap at |
| savior of the planet when he heads off an alien | | | | the face of our hero and take meaty chunks off |
| invasion. | | | | his precious health and shield reserves. Why are |
| Played entirely through the first person | | | | these mindless nuisances being singled out as a |
| perspective, Half-Life is absolutely bursting with | | | | standout game design choice? They force the |
| innovative game design: its innovative weapons | | | | player to take corners more slowly, to use ammo |
| and their creative secondary functions, the | | | | sparingly, and to realize the value in conserving |
| constantly forward moving narrative, the | | | | health and armor supplies. Their presence in a |
| perfectly balanced division of shooting, platforming | | | | gunfight adds fast moving and legitimately |
| and puzzle solving, challenging boss battles, brilliant | | | | threatening enemies to the mix, and their tiny size |
| enemy artificial intelligence (AI), a clever armor | | | | made them a constant point of concern when |
| health system and the beloved crowbar are but | | | | navigating the games tighter spaces. In short, |
| some of the elements Half-Life has become | | | | these crabs helped establish the tone of the |
| famous for. | | | | game and refine the player's approach. When a |
| However, since this series calls on a single | | | | simple little crab can accomplish that much, the |
| element of the game to be elaborated upon, we | | | | developers have clearly done their job. |