When comparing Half-Life 2 (and episodes) vs Euro Truck Simulator 2, the Slant community recommends Half-Life 2 (and episodes) for most people. In the question“What are the best games on Linux?” Half-Life 2 (and episodes) is ranked 2nd while Euro Truck Simulator 2 is ranked 14th. The most important reason people chose Half-Life 2 (and episodes) is:
When Half Life 2 came out it set the bar super high for character animation that still rivals some games today.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Amazing character animation
When Half Life 2 came out it set the bar super high for character animation that still rivals some games today.
Pro Guns are varied and interesting
Almost every gun is fun to shoot and is distinct. The crossbow is super awesome for it’s power and the gravity gun offers variety in puzzles and what you can shoot with. Want to hit someone with an explosive barrel? Pick it up and throw it with the gravity gun!
Pro Great Sci-Fi story
Aliens, portals to other dimensions, oppressive regimes, oh my! This game brings a great flavor of dystopian sci-fi as you fight part of the rebel cause to deliver justice with your Gravity Gun to the many species afflicted by the evil Combine. Also Half Life ties in somehow with the Portal series which makes it even more awesome.
Pro Commentaries
Hear from the creators about the making of Half Life 2 Ep1 and 2. Everything from level design to technical details are discussed. More developers need to use this.
Pro Very moddable
Entire games have been made from Half Life (such as Counter Strike) and the tradition continues with it’s sequel! In fact there’s a game essentially about making your own things made from a modded Half Life 2 and that game is called Garry’s Mod.
Pro Addicting progression system
The game is a classic rags to riches story that starts the player off in a little garage working for other companies and earning money to eventually buy a truck of his own. Owning a truck allows getting higher paying jobs, that allow getting the truck upgraded, that allows getting even higher paying jobs. At some the opportunity to hire other drivers presents itself and building a trucking empire is not far off.
Pro Gorgeous scenery
The game has a huge map that covers much of Europe and delivers detailed, varied scenery throughout giving each place a sense of identity and creating a specific atmosphere.
Pro Simple VR setup
To run the game in VR mode, add -oculus command line parameter.
Pro Cathartic experience
Because much of the game is based in routine and long-distance travels, it gives the ability to switch the brain off, relax and tune out the real world and supplement it with peaceful in-game representation of Europe. Minor details like local radio stations are also included, letting you can get into that driving groove without ever leaving your living room.
Pro No VR sickness
Since the player and the character are stationary with the vehicle creating a frame of reference, much of the issues with motion sickness are avoided.
It also helps that you don't need to look around very quickly either - the only time you need to move your head significantly is to look back out the window. Other than that, it's usually just slightly looking left/right.
Pro Accessible
The game is easy to pick up. It provides a friendly tutorial that explains the essential mechanics and tools used in the game in a clear and concise way.
Pro Has tons of mods
The game has a wide variety of mods available that add new locations, game content and functionality. There's even a multiplayer mod.
Cons
Con Runs on Rift in extended mode only
Runs much slower on an HMD (head mounted display) than it really should.
Con Some parts may feel slow
Since it is a simulation game, trips and progression may feel too slow for some.
Con Menues and text aren't optimized for VR
Small text and loading screens can be hard to read as they aren't optimized for VR.