When Gordon and Alyx explore City 17 Underground in Episode One, they eventually come across an elevator which needs to be powered on. After flipping the switch across the room, Zombies, Fast Zombies and Headcrabs begin to invade the area, as intense music ratchets up and you have to keep yourself and Alyx safe until the elevator is fully powered up. Making smart use of your Gravity Gun and flashlight is essential, though that's a lot easier said than done: this section of the game is one of the more infamously challenging sections of any Half-Life title, and once you finally make it into the elevator, the relief is like nothing else. Given how relatively easy most of the Half-Life games are, this is one significant difficulty spike that has caught casual and hardcore players totally alike off-guard. To many, it's the one of the most frustrating sequences in the entire series, but it's also one of the most tense portions as well, and as such extremely effective at creating a terrifying atmosphere.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
