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I won't beat about the bush: I consider Half Life 2 (including its two episodes) the best game ever created. The game was released almost eight years ago and still leaves pretty much every shooter lagging behind. I will try to give a sommation as to why. Some points will be purely personal, some less so.
Let me start off this little review by mentioning VALVe's forte: story telling. Half Life 2 is one of the few games that does not rely on cutscenes to convey its story. There isn't a single moment in-game where you are not in control of Gordon Freeman. This means that unraveling the story is completely up to the player. You can choose to breeze past most of the story elements and rush through the game in about eight hours, or you can choose to go look for every single piece of information and absorb the atmosphere, which will considerably lenghten your experience.
And there is a lot of information to be found, already in the first few minutes of the game. You'll see a rather dilapitated rail way station, cops pushing starved-looking people around, a vortigaunt cleaning the floor and lots of Combine propaganda. One of the first things that struck me when playing the game for the first time back in 2005 was how empty and deserted everything felt, a feeling that only became stronger the more I continued playing the game. Earth and humanity sure are in dire straights and you're kind of the cause of all that. You also have practically no information on who the combine actually are, except that they're probably coming from a distant place in the universe, which adds a sense of mystery to the dystopian atmosphere of the game. Most story elements are subtly conveyed to the player, there's never anyone explicitly telling you what is what or who is who. You have to uncover the story by yourself.
Which brings me to my next point: VALVe has succesfully mastered the art of balancing linear gameplay with exploration. Half Life 2 is a linear shooter, make no mistake, but not nearly as linear as, say, Call of Duty. Most areas allow for exploration and more than once you will gain some new story information by exploring. The game gives you ample time of doing so, as well. You're constantly on your own, except in the later stages of the game, so there's little reason not to poke around. There is a sense of urgency but not that much that it stops you from veering off the beaten path. After all, you've been dropped in this mess without any explanation at all (which in itself is a brilliant way of telling people to go explore).
Then there's the fact that Half Life 2 keeps throwing new stuff at you, all the time. There isn't a single part in the game where you will be doing the same thing over and over again. You'll be running away unarmed, killing combine cops with a pistol, doing battle with manhacks, solving physics puzzles, running away from a helicopter and running around in radioactive waste while avoid being eaten by headcrabs or slashed by zombies. And that's only during the first hour and a half of the game. Then there's the air boat, ravenholm, the dune buggy ride, killing gunships, evading sand so as to not spawn a whole pack of antlions, using said antlions to assault a prison complex, escaping said prison complex, allying with the resistance against the combine in an all-out war throughout City 17 and a final showdown in the Citadel. It's quite the rollercoaster ride and never really gets boring, even after consecutive play-throughs.
Another thing VALVe has mastered unlike any other game developer is creating memorable characters you actually care about. This needs little explanation: if you play video games you will know who Alyx Vance is, who Gordon Freeman is, who Dr. Kleiner and Eli Vance are and who Dog is. They somehow also managed to make these characters interact with a completely mute lead character (Gordon Freeman) without making it overly awkward, which is no mean feat.
The last thing I would like to mention is the graphics and art direction. We are the year 2012 and I find that Half Life 2 has aged really well. It no longer looks as stunning as it did back in 2004 but the graphics still manage to convey that feeling that the game takes place in our world, that City 17 actually exists and may as well be a renamed eastern European city. It's something few games are actually able to do. Most games tell the player that they're now in city x, but they either don't quite manage to get the feel of the city right, or rush you through so quickly that you just don't care where you are. Half Life 2 really takes its time in letting that feeling of an oppressed city sink in, which more than makes up for the fact that Half Life 2's graphics are no longer state of the art.
I'll stop my little write-up here. All of the above elements make Half Life 2 a first person shooter that is yet to be surpassed for me. The only game I can ever imagine doing that is Half Life 3, but noone knows whether we're ever going to see that game.
 
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A great piece of writing on a fantastic game. I'm busy replaying it now and there are moments that grab me like no other fps. I'm yet to get to Ravenholm but just thinking about it gives me shivers of excitement. Thumbs up Valve!
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Yeah I have no idea if half 3 will ever come out, which is tragic because the second one was a true masterpiece. I was never bored, I was always entertained whether it be because I was engaging in intense fights, solving a puzzle or just admiring the immersive atmosphere.
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On January 20 2012 00:04 Cortza wrote:
A great piece of writing on a fantastic game. I'm busy replaying it now and there are moments that grab me like no other fps. I'm yet to get to Ravenholm but just thinking about it gives me shivers of excitement. Thumbs up Valve!
I'm replaying it as well, and for the first time in years I got that feeling of immersion again. The game just draws me in. The only other two games to have ever done that are Bioshock and Morrowind, both which I regard as classics, but not on the same level as Half Life 2. I mean, the game got a 96/100 on metacritic from no less than 81 different magazines and websites. The only game that came close was Portal 2, which while fun is not nearly on the same level (I'd even go as far as saying it started to get boring near the end).
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Personally I enjoyed Half Life 1 more, although the entire series is no doubt one of the best ever. The first game, along with its expansions (not to mention CS!), changed the fps playing field by an incredible margin. Half Life 2 was too damn short!
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I just want to play after Episode 2 cause I was sad and pissed at the same time. Sad of the ending and pissed I couldn't get revenge... Half Life 3 or Episode 3 whichever comes first better not jump forward in time. I bought my first 360 cuz of the Orange Box which is one of greatest game deals ever.
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Good writeup, HL2 is such an awesome game, I've probably played through it and the episodes a good 4-6 times each. Also has one of the best wikis of any FPS ever: http://www.combineoverwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page Still I would say the original game, was the better one. Just had such a cool feeling about it; both are really really really good though.
Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it 
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Bravo!
I played HL1 and HL2 back to back for the first time about a year ago. My only gripe about HL2 was that I found it a lot easier than HL1. One thing that I really enjoyed about HL1 was that I always felt I had to be cautious and conserve my health/energy because I never knew when I'd get more. Whereas in HL2 I felt there was always enough to get me by even if I dropped really low.
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Oh HL+HL2...Easily in the first half of my top 10 of the best games ever! Now I have to replay them...again....^^
The real question is "Where's HL3, Valve?" 
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On January 20 2012 01:23 EdSlyB wrote:Oh HL+HL2...Easily in the first half of my top 10 of the best games ever! Now I have to replay them...again....^^ The real question is "Where's HL3, Valve?"
I guess my grandchildren can answer that...
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On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it
Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun.
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On January 20 2012 01:34 DrunkeN. wrote:Show nested quote +On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun.
you should go in console and give you the blue gravity gun at start. GOD it's so fun :DDDDDDDD
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Half-Life 2 is an amazing game, I'm glad to find many who think likewise. Half-Life 1 is awesome as well but the atmosphere was not as well created as it was in the second.
On January 20 2012 01:34 DrunkeN. wrote:Show nested quote +On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun.
I got all but one larva...I have yet to ever find it >.> most of them were easily found and killed.
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On January 20 2012 02:38 Demonhunter04 wrote:Half-Life 2 is an amazing game, I'm glad to find many who think likewise. Half-Life 1 is awesome as well but the atmosphere was not as well created as it was in the second. Show nested quote +On January 20 2012 01:34 DrunkeN. wrote:On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun. I got all but one larva...I have yet to ever find it >.> most of them were easily found and killed.
The atmosphere wasn't really as in depth because the story line was far more simple.
Fucked up experiment -> kill aliens -> save humans.
Whereas in Half Life 2 you have an entire aftermath and mystery to deal with. It certainly was something special. I still remember being awed by the graphics HL2 produced. That surely was a benchmark.
Valve didn't fail me until Dota 2 (I personally don't like it because it's just a "prettier" dota for me) but other than that I can honestly say Valve is my favorite game company. Creating things characters like Gordon Freeman, Alex Vance... GLADOS...and so forth. Yea it's not a fluke.
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On January 20 2012 01:23 EdSlyB wrote:Oh HL+HL2...Easily in the first half of my top 10 of the best games ever! Now I have to replay them...again....^^ The real question is "Where's HL3, Valve?"
everyone here should join this steam group: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/messagetovalve
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replayed HL2-series like a week ago. one thing i had forgotten was the small moments that scare the shit out of you. headcrabs, headcrabs everywhere
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Yes, Half Life 2's forte has always been the subtlety of its narrative. The game tells itself. It does not rely on exposition. I consider Half Life and its derivatives (Portal, etc) the hallmark of a modern, progressive game developing philosophy which is sure to supplant the brutish, market-oriented design process currently reigning. Cheers, OP.
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On January 20 2012 02:53 Jayme wrote:Show nested quote +On January 20 2012 02:38 Demonhunter04 wrote:Half-Life 2 is an amazing game, I'm glad to find many who think likewise. Half-Life 1 is awesome as well but the atmosphere was not as well created as it was in the second. On January 20 2012 01:34 DrunkeN. wrote:On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun. I got all but one larva...I have yet to ever find it >.> most of them were easily found and killed. The atmosphere wasn't really as in depth because the story line was far more simple. Fucked up experiment -> kill aliens -> save humans. Whereas in Half Life 2 you have an entire aftermath and mystery to deal with. It certainly was something special. I still remember being awed by the graphics HL2 produced. That surely was a benchmark. Valve didn't fail me until Dota 2 (I personally don't like it because it's just a "prettier" dota for me) but other than that I can honestly say Valve is my favorite game company. Creating things characters like Gordon Freeman, Alex Vance... GLADOS...and so forth. Yea it's not a fluke.
Something else you have to bear in mind about Valve is that they aren't a one trick pony. Like, they released Portal, Half-life 2 and Team Fortress 2 in the same box, but they are all completely different games and yet all are timeless classics of their genre. I don't know any other company that has come close to that brilliance in one package.
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The ambiance is way, wayyyy better in HL2 and the EPs, but I agree with what somewhat said higher up in the thread about HL1 being more difficult, because you had to be so cautious because all the sudden you'd fall into a room where you'd get your shit ruined.
I want HL3 so bad 
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On January 20 2012 04:10 Hawk wrote:The ambiance is way, wayyyy better in HL2 and the EPs, but I agree with what somewhat said higher up in the thread about HL1 being more difficult, because you had to be so cautious because all the sudden you'd fall into a room where you'd get your shit ruined. I want HL3 so bad
I'd insert a question as to whether or not HL3 or BM:S will be out, or even announced first, but I think we all know the answer to that one...
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On January 20 2012 04:10 Hawk wrote:The ambiance is way, wayyyy better in HL2 and the EPs, but I agree with what somewhat said higher up in the thread about HL1 being more difficult, because you had to be so cautious because all the sudden you'd fall into a room where you'd get your shit ruined. I want HL3 so bad
You ever try to play HL1 on the highest difficultly? Vorts can 2 shot you; end up spending a lot of time shoting around corners with the hornet gun. I made it all the way to Nialith and could not beat him on hard. On my list of unfinished accomplishments
On January 20 2012 01:34 DrunkeN. wrote:Show nested quote +On January 20 2012 00:39 TheToast wrote:Although I should say, you haven't really played HL2 until you've gotten the gnome achieve in ep2. I did it during exams a few years ago (instead of studying, good decision IMO). Took me about 5 hours straight, but was totally worth it Hardest part of that is when you're running from the Helicopter, that gnome would bounce out of the car so easy. Only Achievement I didn't have the patients for is killing all the Larvae. Also playing through Episode 1 with gravity gun is fun.
Lol yup! You pretty much can't even bump anything or the fucking gnome goes flying. The earlier part of that same sequence is just as absurdly difficult. The problem is, when you leave the barn with the advisor, the car is moved. No matter where you parked it the car will be in a different spot when you leave the barn. So either you have to take out the hunters and shit or while under fire you have to grab the gnome, get him stuck in the car, and escape without hitting anything. Crazy hard but so worth the effort I was excited once I finally understood Sheckly's comment when you are leaving the mine.
Though despite several attempts, I'm still missing like 3 larva.
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Yeah I've tried before. Hard as balls.
Funny thing about this thread is a week or two ago I dled HL1 with Garry's mod and a few other things. I played it for a day or two and stopped, but now I want to start again.
I also forget if I ever finished Blue Force. I know I finished Opposing Forces.
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This blog post got a lot more response than I had expected! I wrote this down because I wanted to write down my thoughts but I'm positively surprised that HL2 still gets so much praise nowadays.
To be honest, I don't think I'll ever play a game that will top Half Life 2. It doesn't have anything to do with nostagia, I still play it to this day, and I will still be playing it ten years from now. It's a single player game that I keep coming back to. Bioshock was a game that came close to HL2 but sorely lacked gameplay diversity (I never really used plasmids because they barely did any damage during the later stages of the game, something Bioshock 2 corrected), and thus replay value.
Half Life 2 was also the first game I was really hyped up for. I was 15 years old back then and had just finished the first Half Life. I was very disappointed when I found out that my PC couldn't hande HL2 so I had to wait a year. When I finally got around to playing it, I was hooked. I can still remember that constant feeling of awe when I was pushed from area to area. It's something I had never experienced before and frankly never experienced again.
When EP1 eventually came out in 2006 I immediately went out and bought it. I finished it practically in one go, and immediately started playing it again. It was as good as the original game, and better in other areas, and the addition of developer commentary was nothing short of brilliant. It did add very little in terms of story advancement as it was basically a four hour flight out of City 17.
Then in 2007 I bought the Orange Box (solely for EP2, I did not really care for Portal or Team Fortress 2), and experienced what up to this date I consider gaming perfection: Half Life 2: Episode 2. That game did everything, and I mean literaly everything right. Gameplay variation, graphics improvement and optimalisation, pacing, different environments, a lot of questions answered while making some matters even more mysterious than they already were and one HELL of a boss battle. Man, the defense of white forest remains the most adrenaline pumping gaming experience I've ever had. I had difficulties pulling it off on normal, I don't want to know how hard it is on hard. It was ridiculously hectic. It really required you to have mastered everything: your vehicle, your weaponry and the gravity gun. But when you eventually destroyed the final strider and went back to the base with everyone cheering around you I had a feeling of "fuck yeah, I did it!" I was actually nodding and fistpumping to the NPC's on screen I was so immersed. If Half Life 2 Episode 3 or Half Life 3 somehow manage to improve on that same formula, I will probably wet my pants from excitement.
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Awesome write up on one of the best games ever created! Really hoping for a Q3 release of HL3, that would make my year!
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Loved the OP and the responses. HL2 is such a great game. I remember playing the majority of it with my friend who had already completed it and he would sit next to me and shove me whenever a headcrab jumped out .
I think a big part of the general ambiance that no one has mentioned yet is the music. Valve did a great job of using the music and general audio cues to immerse you in the game... Just the sounds combine soldiers made, from their boot tramps to garbled radio was just perfect.
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kind of bummed that I still haven't beaten this game after having it for 5 years because it makes me nauseous after 30-60 minutes of play. Weird because it's one of the few games that gives me problems (probably something to do with the funky FOV)
I did beat Portal a few years ago though. So as long as I can beat HL2 before Hot_Bid gets to it, I'll be satisfied (assuming he hasn't played it already...)
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On January 20 2012 16:59 Erik.TheRed wrote:
kind of bummed that I still haven't beaten this game after having it for 5 years because it makes me nauseous after 30-60 minutes of play. Weird because it's one of the few games that gives me problems (probably something to do with the funky FOV)
I did beat Portal a few years ago though. So as long as I can beat HL2 before Hot_Bid gets to it, I'll be satisfied (assuming he hasn't played it already...)
A lot of players have trouble with the FOV of Half Life. I think there are ways to fix this, do a little searching online.
I was playing through HL1 on hard, but I got stuck on the part where I need to jump into a lake and shoot a fish with a crossbow.
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On January 20 2012 16:45 Meapak_Ziphh wrote:
I think a big part of the general ambiance that no one has mentioned yet is the music. Valve did a great job of using the music and general audio cues to immerse you in the game... Just the sounds combine soldiers made, from their boot tramps to garbled radio was just perfect.
Indeed and i think the gravity gun did not get as much glory as it deserves. The amount of fun situations and funny gameplay it creates is huge, i still play hl dm just to throw a toilett in someones face
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One thing I find vastly overstated is the play time. When you read reviews you see reviewers mentioning 10 to 20+ hours. I'm two and a half hours in now and I'm already in Ravenholm (and this is on the Xbox360 where aiming isn't nearly as smooth as on the PC or other console shooters). Three quarters of an hour later I'll be cruising on Highway 17. I'm not exactly rushing through it either. The game is a good 8 to 10 hours long, 12 at most. EP1 is about two and half to three hours if you're not playing for the first time, and EP2 around 4.
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Wow. + Show Spoiler +I remember playing... well watching my older brother play through the first half-life and always had a fond memory for the series, but for some reason I never got around to playing the second one. So, I picked up the orange box at gamestop for the 360. (yeah I know its not the same as the pc.)
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I've recently been re-playing through all the HL2 games, (though it's been years since I played the original hl1), and I'm amazed on my latest playthrough just how dark HL kinda is.
It's never struck me as a "scary" or "dark" game, (though Ravenholm was terrifying). Overall the game's always seemed rather happy. But when I was just replaying ep2 and Gordon found himself wading through piles of decomposing people being used for food for giant maggots in the middle of an underground giant insect lair, I just had to stop and think "wow this is actually some really sick shit."
Then I started thinking about all the other terrrrible stuff Gordon's been though. How is this man still mentally stable????
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On January 20 2012 04:45 Hawk wrote:
Yeah I've tried before. Hard as balls.
Funny thing about this thread is a week or two ago I dled HL1 with Garry's mod and a few other things. I played it for a day or two and stopped, but now I want to start again.
I also forget if I ever finished Blue Force. I know I finished Opposing Forces.
Haha same. I know I beat Opposing Force yeeeaarrs ago, but I don't think I ever even played Blue Shift... hmm
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I didn't even know opposing forces and blue shift were complete expansions for half-life. Thought they were just removed content like HL2 Lost Coast and never bothered to play it. Either of them worth playing?
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On February 22 2012 09:28 mrgerry wrote:
I didn't even know opposing forces and blue shift were complete expansions for half-life. Thought they were just removed content like HL2 Lost Coast and never bothered to play it. Either of them worth playing?
Opposing Force is pretty fun. Better than Blue Shift, IMO. It has a lot of cool new weapons and enemies, and in general feels like a better expansion than Blue Shift.
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Opposing Force is really nice. The idea of the "view from the other side" is really nice; plus there're plenty of new and creative weapons (fuck yeah fish weapon), new enemies and, most importantly, there's a lot of backstory for the original HL provided (in particular in the the spirit of the Questionable Ethics chapter), at some point you even cross the path of your alter ego in HL, Gordon Freeman :-) - would recommend it 100%.
+ Show Spoiler +God I hated that dark passage with the big ass dangerous enemies, always gives me the creep.. :D
Blue Shift tried too hard in my eyes; the idea wasn't new (basically the idea from OF..) and there's less new stuff around. However, there's again more additional info on the original HL; and, most importantly, Blue Shift introduces some characters from HL2. So Blue Shift isn't bad, but it isn't as good as OF, I'd compare it to EP1 and EP2. Good game/extension overall, but can't stand against the other _really_ good one.
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Ravenholm made this game for me
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Speaking of OF, does Sheppard ever come back in any of the HL2 episodes, even for a cameo?
+ Show Spoiler +At the end of the OF I got the impression that you are put into the same sort of time/space stasis thingy that the G-man puts Gordon in between games. Think he'll ever be re-introduced into ep3 or HL3?
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Ill never forget of playing the HL series until i die. And i wont die happy because Hl2 Ep3 still wont be released then
On February 23 2012 06:56 Haemonculus wrote:Speaking of OF, does Sheppard ever come back in any of the HL2 episodes, even for a cameo? + Show Spoiler +At the end of the OF I got the impression that you are put into the same sort of time/space stasis thingy that the G-man puts Gordon in between games. Think he'll ever be re-introduced into ep3 or HL3?
nope
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EPT
