One of the best games of all times, despite some shortcomings.
GRAPHICS: 10
There is only one word to describe Half-Life 2's graphics: INCREDIBLE. The Source engine has done a great job at powering this game. The textures are very detailed, the lighting is excellent, the models are great, the reflections are very accurate and everything is very lifelike; also the game doesn't need a ultra-powerful PC to run the game at high quality settings. The lip-sync is perfect, both in English and in Spanish, which is something I've never seen before. The only problem are the shadows: although they look good, they sometimes don't behave the way they should. Doom 3's shadows are way better; but this doesn't quit value to the game's graphics. Half-Life 2 is, along with Doom 3 and Far Cry, the best-looking game of 2004.
SOUND: 10
The sound doesn't get far from the graphics in terms of quality. The sound effects are very realistic, the voice acting is excellent and the sound technology does a great job. The music is well done, and, although I don't like electronic music, I actually enjoyed some of the tracks.
GAMEPLAY: 8
Gameplay is very good, although not as good as the graphics and sound. The action is very well implemented, and the arsenal is amazing. All the guns are good, but the Gravity Gun stands up above everything else, adding a whole new dimension to combat. You can now pick up saw blades to slice zombies in half, or a wooden board to protect yourself in a tight situation, among other things. The difficulty is right, but perhaps the game is a bit easy. The AI is fairly good, but I expected something more. The physics are excellent, incredibly realistic and interactive. You can pick up a can and throw it at someone. The immersion is also incredible, not only because of the great graphics, but also because of the great level design. Unfortunately, there are small loading pauses between sections that can make you lose momentum. Also, the story is pretty hard to understand if you didn't play the first game.
The Good:
¤ Perfect visuals.
¤ Great SFX and voice acting.
¤ The Gravity Gun.
¤ Perfect and very accurate lip-sync.
The Bad:
¤ Several loading pauses through levels.
¤ Poor storytelling.