So here's the thing, I have a history with the First Person Shooter Genre. My experience with the genre dates back to the Die Hard trilogy in 1996 on the Playstation one. I remember playing the trilogy with a peripheral much like the sharpshooter, but a cheap third party one my dad bought. Ever since Die Hard, I've played probably every major first-person shooter to date. You state any AAA shooter, I probably have played it somewhere in those 15 years. From Die Hard to Medal of Honor to Halo to Call of Duty to Battlefield, Counter Strike, Left 4 Dead, Killzone, Resistance, Unreal Tournament, Quake, Doom, Bioshock, Crysis, and much more... If I ever were to become a game reviewer, I would be reviewing First-Person shooters just because I have 15 years of knowledge with that genre.

In that massive list of shooters there was one franchise that was missing. "HALF-LIFE" I was a console guy, I just played strategy games on PC. And I played Crysis 1 on my desktop PC. Other than that I play all my games on consoles like normal people. And because Half-Life never came to consoles I just never got around to it... until now.

So out of all the shooters I have ever played (15 years) It's pretty scary when I play a 1998 shooter that is better than all that list. For one, I have never seen a shooter so "smart" and "incredible" as Half-Life. The closest thing to this is the original Bioshock. Most shooters today just emphasize on the shooting and the set-pieces. Or should I say, copies of Duty Calls. So its incredibly fresh to play something that is so different, and so immersive at the same time.

One thing I have to start with is the level design in this game. The level design here is in the same league as something like Portal 2. Remember those moments in Portal where you try to figure out where to go next, or how to solve a certain puzzle, all of that is present in Half-Life. There is a certain level of exploration that I haven't yet seen in a first-person before. You dont just go straight. Here there are vents, ladders, elevators, and much more that you need to use to go from one point to the next. And once you find out how to get there its so satisfying. Also the levels are so connected that sometimes once I get out of a vent, I return to areas I were in an hour ago! Moments like this speak a lot about how well designed the game is, and I can't think of any shooter that is expertly crafted as this one.

Sound, Lighting, voice acting all hold up pretty well, but the visuals don't. But I can imagine playing this in '98 would be a visual spectacle! Narrative isn't the most exciting thing, but it's still interesting. The premise is simple, Freeman is part of a science experiment, something bad happens, you have to know what, and get things back to normal again. But the adventure to doing is that is crazy, and you can't help but be overwhelmed by the massiveness of Black Mesa. (Where the game takes place in)

I loved this game so much, I wanted more. Yes I went and played Opposing Force, and Blue Shift. Even though they're not as "good" as the original, they're still great expansions in their own right.

I've heard great things about the sequel, I'm hoping it's as good as this game. Cause Half-Life is a gem that should not be missed. Go play this game!

Score: 9.5