From Nerd to Legend.............
The game starts very peacefully with Dr. Freeman (MIT physicist) traveling on a tram as he awaits his first day in the New Mexico underground research facility, Black Mesa. Little does Freeman know he has quite the journey ahead of him and his prestigious college education will be of relatively no use. Without spoiling what happens in the game, you end up having to fight for your life as you try to break free of the depths of Black Mesa.
The game-play is absolutely phenomenal. The pacing of the game is very well done. The game consists basically of shooting, problem-solving, and even platforming. Enemies take just the right amount of hits to go down. There are different techniques for taking down different types of enemies. There are tons of guns available, and each one is awesome. One example is the Tau cannon, a immensely powerful particle beam capable of taking down the strongest of enemies (just don't overcharge it!). Also, a nice touch is secondary fire for some of the weapons. For example, the assault rifle is also a grenade launcher. The controls work flawlessly with the all too familiar WASD keyboard movement and mouse. You will have a blast.
Even though the game-play is great. The atmosphere is the best part about this game. No words or videos could ever express the absolute feeling of dread and loneliness one feels as he or she traverses the research facility. Certainly, the well scripted events do keep you on the edge of your seat and the revolutionary artificial intelligence keep things realistic, but it is a combination of the imagery, lighting, and sound that completely immerse you.
You are Gordon Freeman, and you never leave, not even once, that first person perspective. When you finally manage to beat the game, you feel relief and utter bliss. This is what gaming is all about.
Half-Life is a very long and challenging game. I am not going to say how long the game is, only that it is longer than most games today. As for the difficulty, it can get frustrating, especially when you get to some of the tougher puzzles and enemies, but I cannot really call this a flaw.
The soundtrack is great as well. It is so much fun to be able to blast enemies while listening to awesome techno music. The music really kicks in that adrenaline. On another note, the reloading sounds, shooting sounds, enemy sounds, and ambient sounds all work together beautifully to make this a very scary and realistic nightmare.
The graphics were amazing back then. Today, however, one may be put off by them. To give you some perspective, the graphics are a little better than Ocarina of time. If graphics are very important to you, then I strongly suggest you suck it up and at the very least give this timeless classic a try.
Finally, we get to the most important part for many people: the storyline.
I have tried my best to not write any spoilers in this review and will continue doing so. Suffice it to say, the story will keep you hooked from the beginning tram ride to the final boss. The climax of the game is unforgettable, and the ending is as good as it gets.
Overall, this is the game that changed fps games forever. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.
10/10