Chapter 1: Undue Alarm
The title appears telling us that this is Half-life 2 Episode 1 and then it disappears. Then, a couple strange objects rotate before falling into the void in a direct quote of the opening of the Twilight Zone TV Show .
One such piece of debris is a video screen showing the former leader of the Earth’s suppressive government (and Christopher Lee doppelganger) Wallace Breen calling out for Gordon Freeman. We see the top of the Citadel at the moment the portal generator was destroyed. Alex, suspended at the moment of the explosion, is safely rescued by the Vortigaunts. The G-man appears and is about to give another lispy speech but the Vortigaunts keep him back using some sort of handmade force field that would make playing Vortigaunt in football really hard. Frustrated, he straightens his tie and says “we’ll see about that.” I wish those Aliens would come in more often to block long-winded cut scenes. A couple more Vortigaunts appear and pull the viewer (Gordon Freeman) out of wherever the heck he is now.
It’s black again. Dog pulls Gordon out of the Citadel wreckage. Alex is happy to see he is alive and she gives him a first-person style hug. Her cheek takes up half the screen. She says that she was so worried then blushes after realizing that she is indicating her affection for him. Dog holds out the gravity gun and then she sends him off to fix the monitor. Still no response from Gordon. She is likely use to his taciturn ways and they have probably worked out a system of one stomp for yes, two stomps for no.
This whole scene is set among the wreckage under the still standing Citadel. You are probably standing on Wallace Breen’s turtleneck. It even seems as if a gentle snow is falling. But, that could be nuclear fallout though so I won’t say it is pleasant. Follow Alyx by using the Grav Gun to remove the boards on the right side of that rubble pile she climbed up on.
At the top, Dog proves why he is the most likeable character in this whole series by grabbing the antenna of the suitcase monitor they have setup in order to improve the signal. Alyx’s dad, sounding more and more like Bill Cosby, wonders whys she has not escaped the City. The other Scientist, Dr. Kleiner goes on and on about the fall of the Citadel. As a side activity, turn around and see if you can get that red bike off of that tall spike. While you are working on that, Alex and the Scientists determine that it would be best to head back into the Citadel to turn off the reactor in order to buy them some more escape time. Without even asking for Gordon’s thoughts on the matter, Alyx pulls him back to the base of the Covenant.
Jump down to the little ledge that Alyx is looking at and continue to hug the edge of the canyon. There will be a car in the way so hit it a few times with the Grav Gun.
When you get to the final junk clearing, Alex looks around for a way across the chasm and into the Citadel. Dog perks up and then jumps and swings over the pile of rubble returning with a red van. He motions for Gordon and Alex to sit in it while he throws it through the Citadel opening. Basically this van proves that a robot is more creative and resourceful than this Nuclear Engineer and Scientist’s Daughter.
Climb aboard the magic bus and watch as Dog picks it up and sends the two of them careening across the gorge. Then, like in an Star Tours, the Van dives through the bowls of the Citadel. It really is an exciting moment.
Inside the Citadel
The Citadel is really just the Death Star in building form. Every surface is either black and shinny or grey and fairly shiny. Similar to the Death Star, and any other HQ for the forces of evil, it is also a weapon. In this case the main reactor is going to blow and destroy the city.
From the van, cross the little bridge and continue through some generic grey hallways to emerge in front of a frighteningly deep orange fissure that make the scale of this level feel so sublime. If you look over the edge you can see those little pods falling right off the side of the track.
Continue on until you reach the emaciated and grub-like Stalkers; the scariest creature in this game. This one is working really hard at preventing Alyx from hacking the force field. To get past, Alyx figures that we should go get a roller mine. Here is how to do it:
- Turn around and head through the door that is next to the window. Walk around the path and drop down to that generic piece of high tech black machinery.
- Walk across to the faulty elevator, to the platform with the single red light switch. When pressed, it releases a batch of those roller mines on your head like a futuristic recreation of Captain Kangaroo’s ping-pong ball gag.
- As soon as they fall, grab one and run for that faulty elevator.
- Bring it over to Alyx and she will reprogram it for you.
- When it glows yellow, fire the ball through the force field and it will take out the Stalkers.
Follow along the path through the debris pile and jump over the balcony that overlooks another blue fissure. When you reach the huge sucking machine that pulls soldiers off like little ants, stop and time your sprint so that it occurs the moment it is done sucking.
At the next terminal Alyx uncovers a video of Wallace Breen addressing some higher-up. He says that he might be able to deliver Earth to these evil worm-overlords but is having portal problems. Turn around and a pod slowly rises in the tube behind you. It hits both you and Alyx with some sort of mind blast that just looks like that bright light ophthalmologists use when examining your retina. Then next chamber supercharges you Grav Gun into the improved version I like to call “so this is what God’s hand is like.”
In this next section of the Citadel you will need to fix a series of broken energy bridges. For the bridge to extend, both of the nearby sockets (seen by looking over the chasm) must be energized. In this first one you can see that the left socket is un-energized and glowing red. Use the Grav Gun to grab one of the free roaming energy balls and fire it at the socket with the red light.
Fought off the waves of soldiers on the other side and complete the second energy bridge the same way as before.
The third energy bridge also is protected by a platoon of soldiers. When you crumple all of them, you will have to negotiate a socket that is blocked by a transparent shield. Aim the energy ball just above the clear shield so it ricochets into the socket.
Follow the next series of hallways until you reach another red fissure. Take a sharp left and jump to get to a bridge. A drop ship flies overheard but is struck by a random concussive explosion and is thrown against the opposite wall.
When you reach the transport elevator you will have to power it. Grab the energy ball that is suspended in the white light and fire it at the socket across the gap.
- During the descent, large pieces of debris will fall on you. Just look up and hold the left trigger and any dangerous debris will automatically will be caught. Fire it off to the side.
- The elevator will stop in front of another socket that will be blocked by glass. Fire an energy ball at the computer terminal that is located on the lower right corner and then suck the debris with the Grav Gun. Fire an energy ball into the newly opened hole and it will ricochet itself into the socket.
- The elevator will stop a third time in front of another socket. This time there is a large bit of machinery blocking a clear shot. Hit the junk a few times with an energy ball and then suck up the wreckage. Aim the energy ball so it misses the monolithic pole but still close enough to hit the socket. There is also a stalker there that will stop your elevator from moving. Ricochet another an energy ball into its station to kill it.
When you reach the bottom there are these really cool doors with imbricate rods that rise up when it is opened. This is the entrance to the core of the Citadel.
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