Half-Life 2 redefined first-person shooters when it launched in 2004 with its groundbreaking graphics, exhilarating action, and intelligent enemies. Nearly 20 years later, speedrunners have found new ways to experience this classic game at unbelievable speeds. One incredible example is waezone‘s speedrun of Half-Life 2 which demonstrates advanced movement techniques like prop-jumping and prop-flying.
Overview of Half-Life 2 Speedrun Categories
There are four main categories for Half-Life 2 speedruns, with options for running on the original "Old Engine" or the updated "New Engine." Some runs also allow movement automation scripts for certain exploits:
Old Engine with scripts: Allows bunny hopping scripts and out-of-bounds climbing/flying for extreme times, current world record 41m 51s by iNSM.
Old Engine scriptless: Pure skill and precision, no automation allowed. VehicleRonald holds the record at 1h 18m.
New Engine any% no voidclip: Updated engine and glitches but no out-of-bounds clipping. maltemller leads with 43m.
New Engine any%: Anything goes, fastest times with all glitches and skips. maltemller again in first with 40m 42s.
Highlights of waezone‘s Gaming Exhibition Speedrun
Gaming veteran waezone set up an exhibition Half-Life 2 speedrun to showcase his skills live to an audience. He introduces viewers to speedrunning concepts and narrates his thought process throughout.
What‘s immediately impressive is how waezone strings together movement abilities for incredible flow. He seamlessly bunny hops, long jumps, and redirect-jumps off props to swiftly navigate maps. This "prop-jumping" lets him reach areas far ahead long before intended.
Equally jaw-dropping are the mid-air "prop-flying" moves where waezone appears to stand atop floating objects. This technique exploits source engine quirks – he builds vertical momentum by hopping on a prop before it starts falling.
Other highlights include "seam-walking" past the terrifying Antlion at 38:06 by squeezing along edges, and an enormous grenade boost at 45:06 to launch himself upwards to skip a lengthy battle.
While not record-pace, the run is mightily impressive, especially for a live performance. It shows off waezone‘s deep mastery of Half-Life 2‘s mechanics.
Half-Life 2‘s Lasting Appeal and Replayability
Half-Life 2 was revolutionary in 2004 for its realistically interactive world powered by advanced physics. This made possible many of the physics-defying tricks speedrunners now utilize. The excellent enemy A.I. also added an intensity lacking in competitors of the era.
These strengths combined with a compelling narrative, memorable locations like City 17, and new traversal option of the Gravity Gun cemented Half-Life 2 as an all-time great FPS. Fan mods like Garry‘s Mod extending its life even further.
For me personally on countless playthroughs, Ravenholm and Highway 17 stand out as incredible chapters I never tire of revisiting. Speedrunning has let me rediscover Half-Life 2 all over again.
I recommend all FPS fans check out waezone‘s speedrun which is both an excellent intro to Half-Life 2 and a masterclass in high-level play. Few games have as much depth to exploit or fun factor to experience nearly 20 years later!
