Half-Life 2 (PC, 2004)

First off lets start with pros and cons.

Pros: Excellent gameplay, beautiful graphics, cool storyline

Cons: Less creativity the HL in the weapons selection most of which seemingly taken out of the original, various early release glitches, complete incompatability with the Intel 950 chipset, game requires a broadband connection to properly install (copy protection excessive).

Seems like a lot of cons huh? Well the pros far outweight the cons, The graphics capabilities of this game still rivel those of most console hits and the Lost Coast expansion really shows promise for even more rivaling performances. The gameplay is fairly smooth and offers a less then totally linear experiance, the open environment takes away from some of the valor in seeking secret items or shortcuts though as they feel less like secrets and more like just another way. The world area is expansive and detailed including beautiful water texture as well as reflect/refractory experiances that are enough to make you ready to take a swim. The combat is impressive, the implementation of the new source engine is impressive to say the least best exemplified by shooting a particular enemy NPC in a particular body part causeing realistic recoil actions (ragdoll physics). The weapons left a lot to be desired as your vast inventory only supplies you many of the same weapons available in the original game (and you EVEN lose a few) of coarse the weapons detail is drastically advanced in contrast, I can't help feeling a little left out from all of the cool alien weapons originally available in the original.

The game came out in 2004, needless to say each year better and more realistic games are released. That said, this game is astonishing. The physics, the story, the enemies, the environments, the soundtracks, the GRAVITY GUN..., if you though the first HL was a masterpiece, then you NEED to experience HL2. If you are planning to use a game pad, you will need Xpadder. The game is obviously meant to be played with keyboard and mouse. My brother and I simply think that such control types are meant for Nancys who need to drag the aim around the screen. But, whatever floats your boat, just get the damn game and be at peace.

If it seems like PC game fans have been waiting forever for Half-Life 2 (buy it), it's only because they have. The original game was released six years ago, and raised the bar on first-person shooters so high that it created astronomical expectations for the sequel. Fortunately, the game has seemed to live up to these expectations.
The original Half-Life made great strides in gameplay, but the graphics engine wasn't quite the kind of cutting-edge code that made it the subject of numerous benchmarks. Half-Life 2 is different. The first game was based on the Quake engine but with scores of modifications (especially to lighting and animation systems). Valve developed its own cutting-edge engine for Half-Life 2, called Source. It's a complete DirectX 9 graphics engine that scales back to even DX7 rendering if you have a very old video card, and it produces some of the most impressive visuals we've ever seen on a PC.

Performance in Half-Life 2 is going to be a key metric for video cards. The Source engine it is based on has already been licensed for several other games, one of which (Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines) is already on the shelves. More than that, the original Half-Life was host to dozens of fantastic multiplayer mods, including perhaps the most popular online shooter of all time, Counter-Strike. We have no reason to believe that Half-Life 2 won't spawn a similar mod community. In other words, Half-Life 2 performance will probably be a useful video card metric for a long time to come.

This game is great. Anyone that played the first Half-Life, any of the expansions (OpForce, Blue Shift) or mods (Counter-Strike, Firearms, ColdIce, etc) would enjoy playing this game. Take all the challenges, puzzles, and the fun you had playing HL, and add a complex physics engine, complete with ragdoll physics. Blow stuff up and watch it fly around, throw objects, complete puzzles where you have to move things around that affect balance on a lever, boyancy of a float, etc.

There are several mods available, including Garry's mod, which allows you to spawn NPCs, build things with various objects, and in general just mess around with the physics engine.

My friends have had HL2 for quite some time, and I had never picked it up. I was on eBay a few weeks ago and saw a brand new in the box SEALED copy of the game for $20. Not someone selling the username/password to their Steam account, but the actual game. It was the best $20 I've spent on a PC game in a LONG time.

If you don't have it already, HL2 is a must-have game for any PC gamer, hardcore or casual.

First and foremost, HL2 is an incredibly fun game which incorporates some of the most advanced gameplay elements out there. The graphics and physics, as so many reviewers note, are top-line. In particular, the Source physics engine sets a new standard for in-game physics and its impact on actual gameplay. If the game's storyline/gameplay is somewhat linear or guided, it is only because it has to be. If it weren't, you would easily get lost in the immensity of the gameworld and the nearly limitless options provided by your ability to play with the physics engine. It detracts little from the experience.
For fans of the original Half-Life or first-person shooters (FPS), this game is a must-own. But the fast-paced action isn't limited to simply shooting anything that moves. One of the best sequences in the game is trying to escape the city on a windboat while everyone else is shooting at you. There are plenty of surprises and innovative gameplay features, in addition to a wide variety of settings, which keep the gameplay interesting and fun throughout. This game may be the benchmark for the FPS genre for a while to come. Bottom line: it's fun!