Half-Life is a game that changes the way you look at shooters, and raises the bar for shooters to be judged after it.
I actually didn't play this game until a few years ago. Having played Halo 2, some of the great titles that have come out since then, I figured I'd look at it and see what was up. What I realized is this game, despite the graphical difference between it and other games, and other newer games advantages over it, still is one of the best immersive experiences out there. It really feels like you are in a movie.
The game starts out simple enough. At the time it was Revolutionary to see you start the game just as a normal day as our hero Gordon Freeman, a regular scienist, goes on the cart to the Black Mesa Research Facility, gets his things out of his locker, gets on his HEV suit and gets set to go to work. You can talk to scientists around the area and it's a normal day. However that all changes when Gordon in the testing chamber puts in the sample which causes all hell to break loose. When Gordon gets out he sees many of the science team dead and the facility in shambles. What's worse is the aliens that the scientists were studying are now loose. Gordon picks up a crowbar along the way, and so begins the story.
This game even as I'm playing it about 7 years later still is a great experience. You'll still freak out when an enemy jumps out at you from the shadows. The other cool thing is there are no mission objectives, just survive. You will have plenty of weapons available, some human and later alien weapons will fall into your hands. Also the Research Security will help if you keep them alive for a while. Enemies will transport into a area through teleportation, and immediately go to kill you. Also you will contend with Mercenaries later in the game, as someone wants everyone involved with the project dead.
The scope of the levels is huge, and the game stays fluid, as you just go from one level to the next, no cut scenes, no break away from the action to tell you how you did on that level. This is what makes the game so amazing as it puts you in the fray from the moment you load it up and never lets go.
The controls are good, but jumping is still a problem as it is in every FPS.
Overall Half-Life is still a great game even years after it's release. You can find a High Definition pack somewhere with the game, which improves the graphics considerably, but even if you can't still a game which everyone should own.