On every level, this game is superb.
User Rating: 9.6 | Half-Life 2 PC
I'm a self proclaimed super-fan of the run-and-gun stylized first-person-shooters of the olden days, that's why I like Halo, and that's why I like Unreal. Half-Life, though it was a evolutionary game for the genre, was not my cup of tea, on many levels. I liked the atmosphere, and I liked the immersion, but I thought the gameplay was lacking overall and I also thought the presentation was a little low-key for my liking. Games like the Quake, Halo, Unreal, Doom, and Wolfenstein series were much more up my alley with fast, blast everything in your path, styled gameplay. Half-Life 2, on the other hand, takes the formula its predecessor set forth and ups it on every conceivable level. It isn't hard to say that Half-Life 2 is one of, if not the single best campaign-driven FPS around. I can't stress enough just how much fun this game is. Not only does this game offer enough in terms of variation to the gameplay, but its physics engine in more ways than one doesn't just add to the originality of the game, but it also plays a marvelous role in making you feel like you're in the role of a real person. This is a reader review, so we can get personal here. I'm known for being a staunch defender of Halo when it's compared to Half-Life, let me just tell you, Halo 2 and Half-Life have no reason to be compared. Halo 2 is multiplayer focused, it's simple. Half-Life 2 is single-player focused, it isn't Halo 2, and it doesn't try to be, besides, why would it anyway? Half-Life 2 is a grand opus of a technical masterpiece combined with a high-budget cinematic epic. It's quite simply the most engrossing game the genre has ever seen, at least in my opinion. The gameplay is flawless, really. It may not take the revolutionary step we all had hoped it would, but it's better it didn't. Instead it took two things that developers have tried to blend together this well for a very long time; superb action with an incredibly detailed world. As you probably know already, you're playing the game as Gordon Freeman, the scientist hero that starred in the first one. A silent, paper-thin, character that for some reason is amazingly interesting despite having no real depth to him. You are in City 17, a concentration camp set up by the Government to keep the people in check. Hounded by the Overwatch, you are not the predetor, you're the prey. The greatest part about Half-Life 2's world is how you feel like you're on the run. You're Gordon Freeman, you're the one man out of a legion of enslaved who is actually making a difference and showing the Overwatch that you are here to stay. All the way from the beginning of the game, to the spectacular climax, you'll find yourself engrossed in this creepy tale of Big Brother as you'd never want to see it. As seen in many of the videos prior to its lengthy and troublesome development process, the physics engine is one of the main draws of the game. The Source engine is an absolutely stunning technical achievement in every aspect. It's easily the best around, and it's certainly the most capable. There are so many ways to do what you're trying to do, thanks to the versatility of the engine. It adds variety to the gameplay, it adds life to the world, it makes it seem real. It's something I've never seen before, and that's what makes it so special. Graphically, the game starts off looking pretty good. To say the least, it's not better looking than Far Cry or Doom 3, but damn, it's number 3 then. The graphics look better and better as the game progresses. The beginning levels start out in the main area of City 17, you can see buildings, see people walking, basically you can see how the city operates. As you get further and further the areas start to spread out and change quite a bit. From the main city to Ravenholm, back to the main City, then in to the Citadel, it's going to blow your mind. The graphical presentation isn't only technically impressive though, it's easily the best looking game in the genre artistically. Naturally, that's more subjective than not, but I certainly believe it's true. As far as games go, it's the most photo realistic game I've seen before. There are some weak textures here and there, but everything else makes up for that ten-fold. The character models especially are breathtaking, and though it shouldn't be a big deal, the lip-synching in the game is amazing and it really draws you in further to the already immersive gameplay. Everything about the game's look is flat-out awesome. Half-Life 2 has some really awesome voice work, and it also has some really awesome sound effects and music -- that is, when it has music. That's one of my only complaints with the game, usually it's pretty quiet around City 17, you hear some sweet sound effects around there, especially the Strider, which will make you tremble with fear, but the music that should be there to back up the intense style of the game isn't always there. But you will be so sucked in to the game that you probably won't really care either way -- I know I didn't. Everything about the game, from its gameplay, to its presentation, to the graphics, and everything in between, is unbelievable. I couldn't tell you if this is the absolute best game the genre has ever seen, but damn, it's pretty close. This is one of those games that will take you on a thrill-ride that makes you happy you are part of the gaming community. This is one game you will never forget, it's going to go down in History as one of the greatest games of all time.
