Half Life was one of the most successful PC shooters of out time. Even after six long years, it is still being played to his day. Now, finally, the next chapter has been given to us. After so much, it is finally done and finally, millions of Half Life fans around the world can play one of the greatest games ever. It’s 23:55 on a Monday evening for the people on the west coast of North America. Only five minutes remain before the clock strikes midnight, and the release of Half Life 2. The seconds are counting down slowly, everyone waiting for Half Life 2, waiting to see their PC unlocking something that has laid dormant for such a long time. Three minutes remain on the clock, I slowly preparing my room, closing the curtains, closed my door, and took another sip from my coke. I, was ready for Half Life 2. I was listening to GameSurge Radio and talking to Skullhozer and a few other friends during the last few minutes before the game was released. We talked about how cool it’s going to be, how much we are going to play it and when we will ‘brag’ to other people that we have Half Life 2. I just never had a clue, about how good this game actually is. One minute left before HL2 was released, I took another sip of my coke, looked at my watch, and said to myself, “this is it, this is the last time I will be without Half Life 2.” Everyone on IRC, MSN and all the people from GameSurge Radio started to count-down that last 10 seconds before midnight. My heart was racing, knowing that in a few minutes, it will experience something totally new, and so very strange. Half Life 2has been released onto thousands of home PCs around the world. Everyone watching the game authenticate through steam, and waiting for it to finished decrypting. The Half Life, is out. Half Life 2 starts out with a man whom we call, the G-Man. Someone very mysterious, and someone we don’t really know much about. The famous “Wake up, and smell the ashes, Mr. Freeman.” repeated in my head as I watch the screen. You start off once again on a train ride, en route to City 17, luckily this time the ride is not as long as in the original. At this point, you are very much confused, you don’t know where you are, and you don’t really know what you are doing there. As you step of the train, you immediately notice how well this game actually looks, and while hearing the “Welcome, welcome to City 17” in the background, you can’t help but be amazed. Everything is just so confusing, you have absolutely no idea where you are, or even where you have to go, but you just keep walking. I remember being told to pick up a can by one of the combine soldiers, being who I am, I did not throw it in the garbage bin, instead I threw it at the combine soldier. He quickly rushed up to me and started hitting my with his batten. After a few hits he returned to what he was doing. So, in the future do not throw anything at them. This kind of interaction really sucks you into the game world, and shows you what the source engine can do. As I walked through City 17, I couldn’t help but just stare at the amount of detail put into this game to create a living breathing gaming world. From citizens sitting on benches, to Combine guards patrolling the streets. The sound in this game is also something to behold From radio chatter on Combine guards to normal environmental sound effect, everything just adds to the realism. Further on in the game you’ll once again face headcrabs. Everything is still the same with those very annoying creatures, (well, except they look better/uglier now) everything about them reminds me of the good old days at Black Mesa. The weapon sounds are also something that shines from the game, and they do sound like that they should. In Doom 3 the weapons did sound like they were underpowered, but luckily it’s not the case in Half Life 2. Story wise, Half Life 2 is just like the original, with you having no idea of what is exactly happening around you, and how it all started. All you know is that the Earth is being taken under control by the Combine. As you progress through the single player campaign, a very big conspiracy starts to unveil itself. Playing this game open eared and minded is a must. It’s vital to gather all in the information, otherwise you will really get lost early on in the game. Valve really worked on their character animations, and how they interact with you and with each other. It is actually really freaky looking at these realistic characters talking to you. The facial animations are just so unbelievable, and really gives you the feeling as if you are watching a movie, where you are the one of the lead characters. It really is something every gamer should experience. Half Life 2 is probably the greatest game that I have ever played. Yes, you might have read that the ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger, so what? Valve did say that they are going to work on Half Life 3 (not officially, but we are hoping.) Everything about this game is great, graphics, physics, sound, characters, story and everything else present in this game. It really is a must have for all gamers, and especially fans of the original Half Life.
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
