Anyone Else HATE the Strider Faceoff? - Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007) Discussion

[–] ManlyStump 16 years ago

The only thing I hate about it is the fact that I'm useless at driving the car! I always get it jammed on a log or something stupid. What do you hate about it?

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[–] kaluthulacult 16 years ago

Huh, I'm useless at driving too! If my driving's bad in games, wait till I get a license. I also hate the Hunters; they're so bloody hard to kill.

"I gotta jar of dirt! I gotta jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!"

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[–] ManlyStump 16 years ago

Yeah, the hunters are a menace. I've heard people say they're easy to kill if you run into them with the car, but since I'm rubbish at driving that isn't too helpful! I'll often run into a strider's leg and become a sitting target for them! Another (minor) thing that bugs me about the end battle is that when striders destroy a building you get this fantastic physics show going on, but you can't enjoy it because you're too busy thinking "Sh*t, I need to get the hell out of here!!"

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[–] kaluthulacult 16 years ago

Oh, yeah, another thing I hate is the CONSTANT amount of running and scrambling around I had to do, all while thinkin' "Oh Crap, Oh Crap!".

"I gotta jar of dirt! I gotta jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!"

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[–] Morbid_Mutant 15 years ago

Hit 'em with the sticky bomb things. They don't even need to be shot if they're fired at the hunters as far as I can tell. It doesn't always work though; I think range affects the outcome.

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[–] ltadams2247 14 years ago

Yes, the hunters are a severe pain in the butt. If you have problems aiming you car to run them over, here's some suggestions:

Drive towards one of them from the distance when you first approach the red dot on your radar. That gives you time to plot a course and get the car on a stable path towards your target. That way at least one hunter in the group is down.

Now there's usually 2 or 3 per strider so get out of the car quickly and shoot the rest. Weapons in your arsenal that work best are of course the rocket launcher (one hit) and the alternative fire mode on the combine rifle (one hit) work best (this actually got pointed out by the guy that tried to instruct other soldiers in the use of said rifle when you first entered the base). If you're a good shot, that's six hunters down without the need to get additional ammo. Also effective is the .44 Magnum which will kill the hunter in 5 or 6 shots. In any case hunter is down before you need to reload. That's another three hunters that you carry ammo for when the battle begins. Now if you don't miss and manage to take out the first hunter of each team with your car, the battle should already be won. If not, use the secondary firing mode on your shotgun, that kills pretty quick or the primary firing mode on the combine rifle. This one is also good for shooting the striders course for some strange reason they never miss the magnussen.

Personally however I like to shoot striders with the handgun course remembering the major menace they were in HL2 and HL2 Ep1 it gives me bonus satisfaction to kill them with the cheapest gun I got ;-)

In theory (this I haven't managed to do yet) it should be able to fight all of them off using the saw mill as magnussen supply point, thusly saving all buildings in the area.

Taking down the striders is indeed the least problem (however the most rewarding part ;-) )

Personally I liked it. When the resistance guys were rejoicing after the last strider got shot down, I was doing the same with my arms in the air going "YES!!!". That's what I call a rewarding gaming experience ;-)

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[–] Zanmato007 14 years ago

I did it the hard way, mainly using the alt mode Shotgun blasts, or the magnum. Next time I thinkg I will boost logs at them.

I also liked it when everyone was cheering at the end. The whole strider part is kinda exhausting in a way, and its such a relief when its over.

------

Eternal Sunshine - Best film ever

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[–] Euklides 16 years ago

I hated it until I found a way to win it by just waiting for the striders outside of the camp. My horrible sense of directions unfortunately follows me into computer games, so hunting the striders down was more or less impossible for me.

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[–] Jack_Vykios 16 years ago

You seriously hated it? It's the friggin' highlight! Seriously, not many games without a final boss battle have had that good a final fight, so far as I'm concerned.

My only issue is that the music doesn't last nearly long enough.

---sig---
My uncle Paulie threw him under the train tracks down there.

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[–] jamiemcgrory 16 years ago

I didn't like it, but only because of the hunters. If they had doubled or tripled the amount of striders and had no hunters I reckon it would have been epic, since I spent most of the time just missing hunters with my car or trying to find ammo to kill them with.

I eat Lions

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[–] kaluthulacult 16 years ago

I had the same problem.

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[–] JonasSantos 16 years ago

I found that the easiest way to kill em off is to pick up logs with the G-gun and shoot att the hunters. Good stoping power, wich can provide more than enough time to pick up the log again and throw it. The bad thing about this tactic is that you have to move around alot.

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[–] brizen_beez 15 years ago

I completely agree. The end battle against the striders raised the bar in terms of what is a final epic battle. Sure, at first I sucked and they kept blowing up the missle, and those damn hunters would always kill me. I got so frustrated that I kept failing but eventually I managed to succeed at the last possible second. That was the first time I felt like I just won a true battle. After so many attempts and just squeaking by to finally move onto the cliffhanger ending, I was just thinking "wow".

I totally agree on the music. Didn't last long enough to keep my heart racing with the intensity. When I finally revisited the game, I ace the final fight scene after I found out I could just run those hunters over and not face them individually. Still, initial impressions was the first time that a sandbox game ending like that really put pressure and importance on how you attempted to defeat the striders.

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[–] jeroenstubbe 15 years ago

has anyone managed to get the achievement of not letting one building be destroyed by striders? I managed to do it on hardest with 2 buildings gone but damn even on normal I can't preserve one building

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[–] sannitti 15 years ago

the f-n striders are one of the most imposing vidoe game presences I've dealt with in a video game. the first time I fought them in HL 2 outside with the rockets (and the way limited ammo for 3 of them) I remember running around hiding in corners hoping the owner big footsteps i heard coming closer would not see me and kill me. It was an amazing feeling like being a character in the Cloverfield or something. This final battle of ep 2 was crazy hard but it was mostly because of the hunters.

"I am the cheese,I am the best character. I am better than both the salami and bologna combined"

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[–] btl14 16 years ago

It was a very hard battle, but i loved it.

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[–] zZenoXx 16 years ago

Yeah it was a little anoying, especially the Hunters.
Untill i figured out the perfect way to take down the Striders!
I took me a while though before I could get the hang of it.

First I picked up a Magnusson-thingy, and I put it at the back of the car.
Then I drove over all the Hunters that were guarding the Strider.
After the Hunters were gone it was pretty easy to take down the Striders.

It still was a great faceoff!
I like that about HL2...
No matter how anoying something is, when you take it down you feel extra happy. And you feel like you can't be beaten. I love these games!

That's why I gave this game a 10/10.
Here's the overall ratings:

Half-Life 2: 10/10
Half-Life 2 Episode 1: 9/10
Half-Life 2 Episode 2: 10/10

Half-Life 2 Series so far: 9.8/10

''TECHNOLOGY IS A LIE, SENT BY LIBERALS TO KILL US!''
- GTA IV, WKTT Talk Radio

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[–] Lempea 16 years ago

I liked it and I a keyboard and a real car have nothing in common, really, even though they're both easy when you get used to it. So I'm not saying I'm the best HL2 vehicles driver, but I can manage and it didn't cause me many problems to finish this part the first time without dying once. You just have to be fast and aim well, other than that it's just much less difficult than it looks.

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[–] Gus-69 16 years ago

I hated it because it was frustrating and just too difficult. If it weren't for that, I'd give EPISODE 2 my highest rating.

____________________________
Cinephile Empire: http://imperiocinefilo2.blogspot.com/

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[–] kaluthulacult 16 years ago

Actually, the rocket launcher works well against Hunters; one shot, a few pretty pretty lights, and KER-PLOP! Then all have to do is take down the Strider, head back to base, and reload.

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[–] lucasfunkt 16 years ago

The car is way too hard to drive that makes it a little annoying. I wonder if the controls are better for it on the console versions rather than using a PC?

Makes me consider getting Episode 3 on my Xbox 360 instead of for my laptop...

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[–] taylor88 16 years ago

run the hunters over and then jump out get your mag and kill the strider, rinse, repeat, win

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[–] enkephalin07 16 years ago

It got pretty annoying when the Magnussens bounced off the strider's legs, or got blown out of your hands by a hunter you didn't notice. I noticed you don't have to be driving at top speed to kill the hunters though, you can coast toward them and steer carefully, then boost forward when they're practically touching your bumper.

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[–] soren7550 16 years ago

I hated the end battle, simply because it was too hard.(it is rewarding when you finally win though.)

I really suck at driving in the Half Life games (it's one of my only gripes about it. Half the time I was either stuck in a tree or some unseen crap below me.) so that just made it more difficult for me. Plus, often for me the stupid bombs just bounced off the stupid things.

Love the ending though(even though it's sad.)

"Greetings! This is not God, but his close friend, Officer Boscorelli. Please pull over."- Bosco

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[–] KeiraZodiac 15 years ago

My favourite trick is to pull out as many of the sticky bomb things as possibly (the ones named after the annoying professor) when there's not much activity going on. Then towards the end I can throw so many at them that it just makes me feel like a god damn sexual tyrannosaurus.

There is no spoon

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[–] Wannie_The_Sane 15 years ago

"makes me feel like a god damn sexual tyrannosaurus."

It's only 9 in the morning and I'm sure that's the funniest thing I'm going to experience all day.

Thanks.

Anyway, this cake is great. It's so delicious and moist.

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[–] KeiraZodiac 15 years ago

Sad to say it's actually a mis-quote from Predator. The only time I'm funny is when I quote other people...

There is no spoon

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[–] thedudeabides-2 15 years ago

Nope. It was one of the most epic moments i've experienced in a game. I ran the hunters over, but it was still hard. I killed the last strider by ramming both hunters, stopping right underneath the strider then firing the bomb up at him, all while he was seconds away from the main base. Epic as hell. Loved it. My adrenaline was going a mile a minute.

These pretzels.... are making me thirsty.
George Costanza - Seinfeld

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[–] Wannie_The_Sane 14 years ago

Haha, well you used the quote well anyway.

Anyway, this cake is great. It's so delicious and moist.

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[–] Coccyx 15 years ago

Hated it the first time. The second time I started to learn how to use the car properly. The third time, I loved it. It's a nice and frantic battle.

The Magnusson device was a serious plot hole, though. There's absolutely no logical reason why you would have to shoot it to set it off. If they could build it, surely they could add a fuse.

----
No police, no summons, no courts of law
No proper procedure, no rules of war

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[–] shinyary2 15 years ago

Some of my favorite ways to kill hunters:

- Running them over with the car (best feeling EVER).
- Letting them shoot their spikes into a log, then picking up the log and shooting it at the hunter (works amazingly well).
- Alt-fire on the overwatch pulse rifle (one-hit kill).
...and when all else fails, rocket launchers and grenades. :D

As for the end fight, I found it to be quite enjoyable. Much like the final darkfight right before the elevator with all the zombies before they neutered it. For me it was just the right amount of challenge on hard.

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[–] Coccyx 15 years ago

I just run the bastards over in the final battle. Before that, I use the overwatch rifle's alt fire or I unload with the SMG's alt fire and finish them off with the shotgun, revolver or crossbow.

Of course, the easiest way to kill them is to throw stuff at them with the gravity gun. A couple of hits with a truck tyre is enough to kill them.

----
No police, no summons, no courts of law
No proper procedure, no rules of war

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[–] ianmorgan70-1 15 years ago

"Of course, the easiest way to kill them is to throw stuff at them with the gravity gun. A couple of hits with a truck tyre is enough to kill them."

I'm partial to logs - they're abundant and one good hit is enough (in easy mode at least).

All The Best Hunters Have Daddy Issues

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[–] boogles 15 years ago

The throwing things at them with the gravity gun sounds good. I didn't do it that way though. I used the shotgun and magnum for a bit then used the car!!! The car is tricky to control and running them over isn't easy. The Striders are the uber baddie of Half Life 2 with the Hunters in second place, then I'd say the Helicopters!!!!!

The heli battle earlier in the game obviously prepare you for throwing bombs!!!!

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[–] Coccyx 15 years ago

I hate Hunters with a passion, at least Striders don't throw screeching, exploding darts at you and your magnussons. But the fast zombies in Ravenholm really twist my nuts the most.

----
No police, no summons, no courts of law
No proper procedure, no rules of war