Half life and Unreal were at competetion at time of release. Unreal was sadly overshadowed by Half-Life, but this is very dumb, why? I'll explain.

Storytelling: Yes, logs are the way Unreal's story is put across. But the enviorments themselves have such a rich story that your intrigued with and you continue to learn about.

Story: Half Life's story is immensely cliche, while Unreal has a beautifully crafted world around it.

Levels: Half-Life is the most unrealistic enviorment I've ever trekked. Never once did Black Mesa feel like a real place I would walk around, it feels more like something an evil 1800 french sadist would come up with. While Unreal may have the same problem in places, the enviorments are still rich with history and very free-roam.

Pacing: Half-Life can't decide what it wants to be, so the pacing is all over the place between combat and puzzles. Now hold the phones, I like Puzzles and combat, seeing as I LOVE LOVE LOVE System Shock 2, but in Half life it is done so wrong. But Unreal really knows how to set the mood, one minute you could be in claustrophobic corridors, than the next your looking at the beautiful sunset, it's really something.

Music: Okay, they both have kicking music.

Artistic Design: Unreal, Unreal, Unreal

Okay, you may attack me now