MattPlays » First Person Shooter

Half-Life 2

Matt — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:28:47 +0000

What more can be said about Half-Life 2 that hasn’t been said already? It’s a genuine classic at this point, and one of the few games I have played and beaten more than 3 times since it came out. Continuing from the riveting story of the first game, Half-Life 2 introduced a whole new graphics engine (Source Engine) that is immeasurably flexible, physics-based gameplay that isn’t gimmicky, and a whole new cast of lovable characters.

Not to mention it spawned off a bunch of mods; such as Counterstrike: Source, Dystopia, Day of Defeat Source, The Hidden – Source, the Minerva episodes, and Mistake of Pythagoras. While the collection of mods isn’t as extensive as the ones we saw from the first Half-Life, it’s still impressive.

Half-Life 2 also introduced drivable vehicles, which some people complained was too long and boring, and others got severely ill from motion sickness. While I didn’t get sick, the giddiness of climbing in the buggy and driving around was palpable. The weapons introduced into this game are all memorable, and just like in the first game, feature some of the best sound effects ever. The kind that you dream about because you’ve heard them so much that they become a way of life. The same can be said about the music, which are short and infrequent but just as memorable.

When you get right down to it, Half-Life 2 raised the bar when the first one set it so high for first-person shooters. Not many developers can follow a legendary classic with another legendary classic, but Valve managed to do just that. Be sure to check out my video for Half-Life 2: Episode 2, as well.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Alpha Protocol, Mafia