Half-Life 2

Thought this game was amazing when I first played it, but in hindsight I find myself vastly preferring its prequel. The guns are far less diverse and less interesting, enemies have shittier ai and variety, and level design is too linear and set piece oriented. The level gimmicks are amusing at first, but it becomes a bore once you realize you're mostly just fighting generic human enemies who mostly just run at you in a straight line. It's a relatively good shooter, but the best of all time? Nah.

Innovative, brilliant, and fun. A great game at launch.

Better controls, better graphics, better story, more vehicles, more characters, more aliens, less cartoony platforming sections, slighty less good music. I liked this one. The spooky town was probably my favourite area. I hate having to kill rats in video games and I think the face huggers are the rats of Half-Life 2, they were fine in the first game in this one they got even more annoying, like cockroaches. There was also all the flying cameras and scanner things smh. Good game though.

A tech demo that aged well enough to warrant easy nostalgia runs. If you liked it when it came out, time isn't changing that.

only 1-upped by its second expansion, this game marked a volley of firsts in the video game design and development-- the impact of which is still easily seen today. a once in a decade game that will be remembered forever.

After much hiatus, the archetypal set-piece shooter returns to take lead over a now-crowded field. For better or worse, this series always reveled in showing off its engine to an often gimmicky extent... and what an engine they had to show off in 2004. The Gravity Gun was just the thing for a moment when everyone wanted to point to their physics engine, but so few could do it well.

And another game from Valve that changed everything.A landmark in the gameplay department.

Never really got into it. Feels a bit empty, but maybe that is just due to its age and me playing it only years later.

More Half Life! Same as HL 1 but with better graphics, smoother gameplay and more intense set-pieces. Awesome!

While the physics engine was a jaw-dropper at the time, the actual gameplay is only solid. There is also a lot of excellent atmosphere that is portrayed through gameplay, sound, music, and mechanics. I just wish the story wasn't such a complete and utter bore. It can't be avoided either as the gameplay screeches to a grinding halt so characters can slowly talk to you about nothing interesting or of any import.

Grew up with HL1 so HL2 didn't feel as immersive as it should. Great game though.

Just not my cup of tea. My friends raved about Ravenholm, which did nothing for me at all -- I had to double check with them that I had, indeed, gone through that area. Bland.

Still a great game today.

The gravity gun was a brilliant idea and then building areas like Ravenholm where you aren't forced to use it, but it's just so perfect to use was the cherry on top.

Valve hit it out of the park with this one, even given its troubled and long development cycle. I managed to enjoy it even on the original Xbox. Loading times on all platforms are really awful though! Plays great to this day.

So pervasive in gaming it has become one of those most famous engines, platforms, and memes for a sequel in gaming history. It was fun and original and had great characters you invested in furthering the stories out of genuine interest to see it play out.

Oh my god this was such a game-changer for me. I spent SO much time just dicking around throwing stuff and messing with the physics engine before I even started the story properly, and then it blew my mind over and over.

Review Pending