Half Life 2 is without a doubt the best game ever created in my opinion. It has everything and makes concessions on nothing. The graphics are groundbreaking, the sound is immersive and the gameplay is varied and most importantly jus plain fun. Also the story is top notch, I did not play the first game but in Half Life 2 it doesn't matter because players are supposed to be disorientated when they begin so returning players and new players are sucked into the game immediately. The Source engine that runs Half Life 2 is fantastic while many claim Doom 3 has the best graphics, I think that the Source engine is much more realistic the Doom 3 engine is good and all but the way everything comes together in the graphics in Half Life 2 is unprecedented. The art direction is brilliant and gives the game a lot of atmosphere the scenery is disturbing and yet beautiful. There are many times I have been distracted simply by the scenery around me looking so good. The physics implementation in the game can't go unmentioned either VALVe have used physics in a way that hasn't been done before. The gravity gun may seem gimmicky when you hear about it but it is a very fun weapon to use and can be used in any situation almost. The sound in Half Life 2 when you play the game may not be something you pick up on when you play the game but this is a good thing because you get lost in City 17 even more then you would if oyou had an elaborate orchestra etc playingi in the background so the sound fulfills its purpose well. The weapon sounds are also very well done with all weapons sounding as you would want/think them to sound/. The story in Half Life is different to the way stories are usually told in games because the stroy is not spelt out for. The characters will give you tid bits of info but not the long overblown cutscenes we have seen in the past. Speaking of cutscenes Half Life 2 has no cutscenes at all. All of the game is rendered in real time using source. This adds to the experience also as you are not taken out of the game for a loading time while wating for cutscenes. Once you have completed Half Life 2 you can go online with the multiplayer component I have written a review of that here http://gamespot.com/pc/action/counterstrikesource/reader_review.html?id=3987091. So is Half Life 2 the game people were expecting. Yes, definately. Valve have again redefined the genre and set the bar for any other developers for years to come.
1998, half life comes out, rocks the planet. Six years later, half life 2 comes out, rocks the galaxy. Gordon is back and so is perfection. For six years the world has been waiting, and now it is here. The game play ... Read Full Review
First person shooters changed forever in 1998 when an unknown gaming developer known as Valve released a game known as Half-Life. It revolutionized the genre with cinematic gameplay, intense combat, and a story filled wi... Read Full Review
