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With Half-Life, 1998's Game of the Year; Team Fortress Classic,
the incredibly popular multiplayer-only game; and sing Force,
the most impressive expansion pack we've ever seen, Half-Life:
Adrenaline Pack is a complete collection sure to alter any
gamer's body chemistry.
Half-Life quietly debuted in late 1998, and the gaming community
was forever changed. Instantly soaring to bestseller status, the
groundbreaking title eventually earned over 50 Game of the Year
awards. The combination of an intriguing, well-paced plot, smooth
graphics, cunning enemy AI (artificial intelligence), brilliant
level design, and revolutionary in-game scripted events make
Half-Life an unforgettable gaming experience. You play as Gordon
Freeman, a mild-mannered scientist assigned to handle hazardous
materials in the government-funded Black Mesa Research Facility.
Something goes wrong--horribly wrong--with one of the more exotic
experiments, and Gordon must try to escape. Along the way, he has
to try to rescue his fellow scientists, master the use of
conventional and not-so-conventional weapons, avoid or kill
bizarre alien monstrosities, and learn the true nature of the
research at Black Mesa.
Team Fortress Classic is a multiplayer-only action game that uses
the Half-Life game engine and interface. Ease of use and
pulse-pounding game play have made TFC one of the most popular
action games on the Net. Finding and connecting to games is a
quick and painless process; once connected, any gamer will
quickly feel at home. Players choose a character class from such
World War II movie favorites as Scout, Pyro, Soldier, Engineer,
Medic, , Sniper, or Heavy Weapons Guy. The class determines
your , armor, speed, available weapons, and special
ability. Special abilities range from the Medic's ability to heal
comrades and poison foes to the 's ability to assume the guise
of any other class.
It's the teamwork that makes TFC so much fun. Each player is a
member of a team and must work with the other team members to
accomplish the goals, of capturing the , base defense, or
planning to kill the enemy VIP. An effective team includes a good
mix of character classes and a leader of the team's efforts. The
person in charge might assign a sniper to cover a large expanse
of open ground or tell a team to take out an enemy bunker. The
s included with TFC emphasize team-based play, and the
surprisingly productive Half-Life/TFC player community constantly
produces new s and modifications.
sing Force returns the player to the Black Mesa facility, but
tells the tale from the perspective of Col. Adrian Shephard, one
of the soldiers sent to clean up the scientists and their
reality-altering mess. Just as in Half-Life, things quickly go
badly for Colonel Shephard and his men. Ambushed by aliens,
scattered and confused, Adrian must fight his way through the
ruins of the facility in an attempt to reach a helicopter
extraction point. Gameplay is similar to that of Half-Life:
Adrian must collect weapons; get over, around, or through
collapsed passages; fight aliens; and contend with the
mysterious--and murderous--Black Ops agents.
All three games in Half-Life: Adrenaline Pack could easily stand
alone on their own merits; being able to get them all in one
package is a real treat. Half-Life will draw you in, Team
Fortress Classic will keep you in multiplayer heaven for months,
and sing Force will remind you just what makes the Half-Life
game world so good. --Mike Fehlauer