HALF LIFE II [2004] STEAM PC REVIEW

🏆  MASTERPIECE  🏆

The positive:

💗 Ambitious storyline for a 2004 game

💗 The characters that you encounter along the way are memorable 

💗 Source Engine featured groundbreaking graphics & physics-based puzzles

💗 The use of physics extends into fun combat with the gravity gun

💗 Great fast-paced gameplay with advanced AI enemy encounters

💗 Good variety of enemy types & Weapons

💗 The sound design is great both the guns & the combine soldiers / alien ships

💗 The experience is still immersive, fun and story-driven

The negative:

👎 Level design is brilliant for the time, but Some segments can get boring

👎 The game itself is like a terrarium for bugs  

👎 Valve never delivered the final episode 💔  

Half-life 2 revolutionized the gaming industry in 2004. Both the game and its source engine were way ahead of their time. The graphics engine was so realistic that you felt like you were participating in a movie. The implementation of the Havok Physics engine was superb too, and the character's facial animation was unprecedented. The creative gameplay mechanics & storytelling format would inspire future generations of developers to incorporate and evolve them in many ways, as you can still see the influence in modern games. 

DEFINITION OF MASTERPIECE

What a masterpiece! I considered myself a gamer since 1998 half-life. That was the 1st time I took interest in a video game story, searched the internet for answers about XEN, black mesa, and Gordon Freeman. I was just a kid and I was already doing my research about a videogame Lore. I wanted to know if Valve was planning to continue this exciting venture with a sequel! If we rate games in the context of the time period in which they were released, then we can all agree Half-Life 2 is the best game ever. But, if we compare a game released in 2004 with games released almost 20 years later, there is no way to say that. Many modern games took the valve guidelines and created games that surpass HL2 in every way. We all HL & Valve fans must admit to that.

The gameplay is plain fun and innovative with set pieces that are extremely well-scripted and fit into the game world. New weapons and abilities are introduced just as you start to get the hang of it. Combat is highly enjoyable and rewarding. The combine forces are highly intelligent and behave more like real enemies, truly new and refreshing. The Overall enemy AI was highly advanced for the time, except for your teammates. The way Valve implemented Havok Physics into actual gameplay mechanics is brilliant. 

The Story of Half-Life 2 makes for an incredibly impressive experience. You step again into the role of Gordon Freeman, several years after the events at the Black Mesa facility. The first chapter takes place in the dystopian atmosphere of City 17, which looks mostly like a destroyed civilization. A mysterious Alien organization known as the Combine exerts control through a brutal police force overseen by alien troops. Valve does an excellent job of imposing a sense of despair within the populace of City 17. The massive cliffhanger at the end, left many including myself searching for answers about the game's universe, which would be addressed in the episodic chapters released later on by valve. 

CONCLUSION

2004 saw the beginning and the end of an entire era of gaming. Valve raised the bar with Half-Life and they have done it again with Half-Life 2. This is not just a video game but a milestone for developers and gamers alike. I recommend the HL2 update MOD as the best way to experience the original game.