<b>Minor spoilers ahead! Nothing major, though.</b>

Well I just got off of Half-Life 2: Episode One. No, I haven't beaten it yet, but the past two-and-a-half hours were simply amazing.

Alyx is with you almost the whole time now, and her AI is excellent. Anywhere you can go, she'll find a way to get there too. I can't tell if it's all scripted (I'm pretty sure <i>some</i> parts are, but I don't think most of it is), but it looks good nonetheless.

There's also some great dialogue between you and Alyx. Well…monologue, actually, seeing as how Gordon is mute. Anyways, I was in this really dark underground place hunting zombies, and I turned my flashlight off for a second so I could build up my auxiliary power. I hear a zombie moaning right behind me, so I spin around and snap the flashlight on to find Alyx saying "Haha…gotcha!"

There's some new enemy types as well; the only one I've seen so far (and perhaps the <i>only</i> one) is the Combine Zombie (or the Zombine, Alyx jokes). It's just a headcrabbed version of the Combine soldier, but a.) it's faster than normal zombies but slower than fast zombies, and, more importantly, b.) when threatened it can whip out a grenade and suicide-bomb you.

Having Alyx around also introduces some new gameplay elements. For example, remember the Rollermines from HL2? Yeah, they're back, but now you can pick one up with your Gravity Gun, put it in front of Alyx, and she'll rewire it to follow enemies instead of you. It's insanely funny to watch one rollermine wipe out an entire Combine squad, especially when there's one guy left who keeps inadvertantly avoiding the Rollermine.

And speaking of the Gravity Gun…

For the first hour or so of the game, you are without a weapon of any kind, except for the Gravity Gun. This was fun for awhile, but it got too old too quick, so VALV^E makes you walk into a Citidel (sp?) weapon-stripping chamber, and, of course, the Gravity Gun gets re-Superified. Actually, Alyx never explains how it got <i>de</i>-Superified.

But then the weakest part of the plot kicks in. Since it would be <i>way</i> too cheap, 'cause that's all you would use. So, for some reason or another, the Superness of your Gravity Gun "wears off." Yeah, lame excuse, I know, but come on…it would be <i>so</i> easy just to pwn everyone if you had the Super Gravity Gun the whole game.

There's still some physics puzzles, including a variant of the evil "seesaw" one, but this time a lot of them have to do with those energy orb dealios from the Citidel. One of them was actually pretty challenging.

As for characters…well, I haven't completed the game, like I've said, but so far I've seen Alyx (duh), Dog, Dr. Kleiner, Eli Vance, Dr. Mossman (dun dun DUN!!!), and (a recording of) Dr. Breen. However, the coolest part of the game (to me) thus far was when you get to see a close-up of the Combine Advisor. Yes, you get to actually see the real thing, and not a video feed. It's crazy awesome.

And no, I haven't seen the G-Man yet. Meh.

The most memorable moment of the game so far was this: I was in an underground parking-garage type thing, and I had just restored power to an elevator with Alyx. We're running over to the elevator when my flashlight turns off 'cause I used up all of my auxiliary power. In a blind panic, I ran for the tiny light around Alyx (who was like sixty feet away), and got owned by zombies from all directions. I got into the elevator as fast as I could, and Alyx shut the door, leaving the zombies clawing steel. I sat back and caught my breath, and saw that I had a meager 29 health left (and no suit power). It felt exhilarating, just like something out of an action/horror movie.

If you didn't preorder it, it sucks to be you, 'cause now you have to spend a whole four dollars more. But if you didn't preorder it, I would highly suggest ordering it now. You won't regret it.