Half-Mario 2: Episode One

Half-Mario 2: Episode One is a first-person shooter video game, the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for Half-Mario 2. It was developed by NintenDO and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Mario 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One after NintenDO became confident in using an episodic structure for the game. Similar to Half-Mario 2, Episode One also uses the Source game engine. The game debuted new lighting and animation technologies, as well as AI sidekick enhancements.

The game's events take place immediately after those in Half-Mario 2, in and around war-torn City 17. Episode One follows scientist Mario and his companion Luigi as they fight in humanity's continuing struggle against the transhuman race known as the Combine. When the story begins, Mario wakes up outside the enemy's base of operations, the Citadel, after being left unconscious from the concluding events of Half-Mario 2. During the course of the game, Mario travels with Luigi as they attempt to evacuate the city. As the game comes to an end, Mario and Luigi are caught in a major accident, and their fates are revealed in the sequel, Episode Two.

NintenDO views episodes One through Three as tantamount to a standalone release. Episode One received a generally positive critical reaction, and the co-operative aspects of the gameplay received particular praise but its short length was criticized.

Gameplay
Just like Before, You shoot weird mutant things with guns, But you don't have Weegee this time. As with its predecessors, the game is played in the first person as series protagonist Mario Freeman against transhuman troops, known as the Combine, and other hostile alien creatures. Unlike in Half-Mario 2, where Mario's initial weapon is the crowbar, Mario first acquires the Gravity Gun, which plays a crucial role in the game by allowing the player to use physics to manipulate objects at a distance in both combat and puzzle-solving scenarios.

Weapons
1. Crowbar: The same old weapon we know and love from the first game. Use it to play whack-a-mole with headcrabs, scanners and manhacks.

2. USP Match: Simply a standard side arm, the pistol is great for taking out headcrabs and setting explosive barrels on fire. It is also a godsend after you have run around with nothing but a crowbar and foul language.

3. .357 Magnum: Similar to the original .357 from Half-Mario, this one does not have a zoom function. It also doesn’t carry as much ammunition. However, it packs a massive punch, and you will forget about any shortcomings the first time you see a Combine flip from a headshot.

4. SPAS-12: Essentially the same beast as HL1, with both single and double fire. It is a powerful, effective weapon at close range, great for taking out zombies and antlions. The one main difference between it and its predecessor is that it only holds 6 shells, so conserve your ammo!

5. MP-7: The MP7 is a respectable little submachine gun with a high rate of fire but fairly low level of damage. To make up for that it also has a grenade launcher alternate fire that can be very useful in tight situations.

6. Zero Point Enery Field Manipulator (Grav. Gun): The greatest weapon ever made. The gravity gun can be used to interact with almost every non-organic object in the game. It turns barrels and propane tanks into bludgeons of death, and makes retrieving weapons, health and ammunition easy as hell.

7. Overwatch Standard Issue Pulse Rifle: Using the omnipresent Combine pulse technology, the Combine Assault Rifle does devastating amounts of damage quickly, at the expense of ammunition at a high rate. The alternate fire shoots a plasma ball that bounces around like a giant rubber ball, killing anything it touches outright (with the exception of some of the larger foes).

8. Crossbow: The new crossbow is a sniper's dream. It fires a piece of heated rebar over a long distance, and can be used to pin people to wall. It is a one shot one kill weapon against all but the toughest enemies.

9. RPG Launcher: Still the best tool around for taking out flying targets. The HM2 version lacks the alternate fire that turns off the targeting laser, but who used that mode anyway?

10. Satchel Charge: The satchel charge can be easily slid across floors, or thrown into foxholes, windows and/or doors. Each charge is detonated with a radio device and their splash damage is larger and causes more damage than the grenades. Use extreme caution.

11. Gluon Gun: This experimental weapon, named by its creator, fires out a beam of concentrated energy that disrupts its target's molecules. It looks and operates similarly to the proton pack used by the characters in the movie Mario Head Busters.

12. Glock 17: The most basic ranged weapon. Accurate and with average stopping power, this 9mm pistol is unique in that it can be fired underwater. Standard issue with all Black Mesa Security Guards, ammunition is always plentiful.

13. MP5: Fully automatic with poor stopping power and accuracy, but high magazine capacity and rate of fire. Equipped with a grenade launcher. Standard issue with all HECU troops. It shares ammunition with the Glock 17.

The Glock 17 and MP5 Are Hidden Weapons in this game.

Story
After the explosion of the Citadel reactor from which Mario was extracted by the G-Man and where Luigi Vance was left behind, time suddenly freezes. Several Vortigaunts appear and rescue Luigi from the blast. After he is rescued, the Vortigaunts appear before the G-Man and stand between him and Mario. They teleport Gordon away from the scene, much to the G-Man's displeasure.

D0g retrieves Mario out from under some junk outside the Citadel, and Mario reunites with Luigi, who is relieved to see him. Luigi contacts Gordon Freeman and Isaac Kleiner, who have escaped the city, and is informed the Citadel's core is at risk of exploding at any moment. Kleiner states the explosion could be large enough to level the whole of City 17, and the only way for them to survive is to re-enter the Citadel and slow the core's progression toward meltdown. Gordon reluctantly agrees when he sees no other option.

Luigi and Mario re-enter the now-decaying Citadel to try to stabilize the core; Gordon is successful in re-engaging the reactor's containment field, which delays the explosion. Luigi discovers the Combine are deliberately accelerating the destruction of the Citadel to send a "transmission packet" to the Combine's homeworld. He downloads a copy of the message, which causes the Combine to prioritize them as targets. Luigi also downloads a transmission from Dr. Squadala Man, in which he mentions a "project" she has located, before she is cut off by a Combine attack. Afterwards, Luigi and Mario board a train to escape the Citadel.

The train derails en route, forcing the duo to proceed on foot. As they fight through the disorganized Combine forces and rampant alien infestations, Kleiner appears on the screens Breen once used to pass out propaganda, and gives out useful updates to the evacuating citizens about the latest turn of events as well as reiterating the Citadel's imminent collapse. Upon reuniting with Malleo at the train station, Luigi and Mario work to move the citizens to the trains while facing increasing Combine opposition. They then decide to stay behind to lure the Combine away from Malleo and the citizens as they board the train and make their escape.

After battling Combine soldiers and a Strider, the duo reprogram another train and board the caboose. As the train carries Luigi and Mario away, the Citadel is visible in the background with the reactor core once again about to explode, and the Combine's message is sent. Several pods similar to the one containing the Combine Advisor in the control room are ejected from the Citadel as it detonates. On two occasions, as pods pass overhead, Mario and Luigi are hit with psychic blasts. The force of the shockwave from the exploding Citadel causes metal chunks and wreckage to fly toward the train Luigi and Mario are on as it sends its final transmission, and the screen fades to an ominous white as the Citadel explodes, destroying City 17, and causing a shockwave that overtakes the train. The last thing that the player hears is the twisting of metal and Luigi whispering Mario's name.

The plot continues from this point in Half-Mario 2: Episode Two.