A standalone (very alone) part of HL2.
User Rating: 7.5 | Half-Life 2: Episode One PC
HL2E1 could be a part of the original HL2. It is very short, looks very similar, has almost nothing new in it in comparison to HL2. However, the feeling about it is that it was made by a different team (the same feeling I have about E2 too). It is not that good any more! Despite what almost everybody says, it is not that good and it is not THE HL2. It is like HL2 but in a different universe: everything is kind of the same but not quite. And this small difference shows. Characters are a bit less likable for some reason (the SAME characters), the setting and story are a bit less engaging, controls are a bit less responsive and so on. It feels like the developers moved to a more mainstream game making, it is technically better, probably has more action and stuff, but it is just a mainstream, as like any other game, maybe a good one, but not having the peculiar personality of HL2. HL1 and HL2 are so different in everything, but they share the same "soul". E1 and E2 are new personalities. Of course, games have to move on and develop, but look how it was done with HL1 and HL2, it was a huge development, but HL2 preserved this something that made the difference. In general, E1 and E2 feel more flashy and less substantial. But if we step down from the heights of HL2 a bit, the E1 and E2 certainly still have great action and environments, and can be easily recommended as sufficiently good games. 
