The first dose of Valve's much anticipated foray into the new world of episodic content has arrived. If you are like many gamers out there, after you beat Half-Life 2 you were probably asking yourself "Wait, where's the ending?!" Well, the answer to that question is now available in the form of Half-Life 2: Episode One.

Episode 1 takes place immediately following the explosion that ended Half-Life 2. In the intro you'll not only find out what happens to Alyx and the Citadel, but the G-man himself also makes a very brief yet cryptic appearance (as always).

This episode will take you through familiar terrain as you battle your way through parts of City 17 and the Citadel. Being mostly urban and indoor combat, you'll not be treated to some of the vistas and jaw-dropping views that were so prevalent in HL2. Fear not, for there have been some nice upgrades to the graphics engine and there are areas of the game that take full advantage of them.

With the playtime averaging about 5 hours,. you aren't getting the length of a stand alone title, but the action more than makes up for it. It's nice to not have to spend a couple of hours "learning" the game (which you should have done in HL2) and to get right in there and start getting your hands dirty. While there are no new weapons added to your arsenal, there is new addition to the zombie family, but I'll leave that as an in-game surprise.

Throughout the game, you'll be accompanied by Alyx Vance. Alyx, who has always been easy on the eyes, is one of the best implementations yet in terms of FPS companions. If you listen to the commentary track (which is a selectable option, more on that in a minute) you get a sense of the work and testing that went into the creation of Alyx as an AI companion for this episode. It paid off in spades. Alyx is never prodding or annoying, and she is certainly useful. She helps explain of the game's new features and adds a very human element to the game. Also, it never hurts to have a hot chick following you around.

One example of the improved AI took place during a particularly scary venture into a pitch black parking garage. After downing some zombies, I was looking for a switch with Alyx in tow. I heard a groaning from behind me and I snapped around, only to have Alyx quip, "Gotcha! Ha ha." then put her hand in front of her face in reaction to my bright flashlight. At first I thought this might have been a scripted event, but when I played through the game a second time it happened at a completely different time. Both times I was scared out of my pants! This is a huge step in the right direction, and one of the best implementations of companion AI to date.

On the graphics front, Valve has added some new entries to the already long list of graphical jargon out there, namely HDR (High Dynamic Range lighting) as well as camera effects like Depth of Field and Film Grain. While these features certainly add a new glitz to the existing engine and make for some interesting scenery, don't fret if you're using that old Radeon 9600, as EP1 will play exactly the same as HL2 did without these features turned on.

Another feature that was carried over from the Lost Coast demo is a commentary mode. If selected, you can play through the game and click on a boatload of various nodes throughout the levels and hear developer commentary and even see short clips or demonstrations. For all you junkies out there who bought that ultra-extended-8-disc version of [insert movie here], this is for you. I'd recommend playing through the entire game first without it, as otherwise you will find yourself constantly waiting to hit the nodes instead of enjoying the game uninterrupted.

It's time to choose
One issue that some gamers may have is price and this is certainly a valid point. After all, with HL2 we got an entire game and multiplayer to boot for $50, not to mention the silver package on Steam that gave you the entire Valve back-catalogue of games. I can agree that $20 seems a little steep for 5 hours of play, especially since we were left hanging as far as an ending for HL2. All I can say is this is a finely polished and complete offering. The gameplay is intense and engaging and simply put: if you liked HL2 you will like this game. There are some deals out there to get it cheaper than $20, so it would be best to keep your eyes peeled.

Seeing as this is only Episode one, and it took Valve over a year to release it, one can only hope that they've learned a lot about the process of creating Episodic content. If they can get the release schedule down to say, 4-6 months or so they'll have a winner. If it's a year an Episode then we're better off waiting for HL3 whenever that may be.

All in all, Valve has a winner on their hands with Half-Life 2: Episode 1. A top notch shooter that not only looks great, but is challenging and satisfying to play. Combine that with the best companion AI done to date and you really can't lose.

-Adam