A great game that feels somewhat odd at the end due to being the middle of a series of games.
The problem I understand is that I haven't played anything before or after in the series so I played this as a stand alone game. This is not my fault I argue vehemently as they cancelled HL on the DC! But my arguments fall on deaf ears.
Gameplay wise the game is pretty good, however, like many sequels it relies too much on you having played or having fairly decent knowledge of the first game and/or blueshift.
There are some classic touches to the game such as the battle against the tripods, the long drive between the cities and playing with the physics weapon. However, for me this game never quite lived up to the hype.
There are different types of aliens running around and I know not what the difference is. There's also hints of moments of grandure and a scope to the back story that are never really developed.
The ending is the greatest problem for me, unlike most games it left me thinking I'd been robbed and not with the euphoria I like to feel at the end of a game. This for me all adds together to make an almost great game but it gets an 8.0 for being not quite there.