365 Games To Play Before You Die
Two blogs in two days? Madness.
Full List of Games
#150: Half-Life 2
Platform(s): PC, 360, PS3, MacRelease: 2004
Developer(s): Valve
Best Quote: 'Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman' - G-Man
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My love for Half-Life 2 is kind of weird, I find remembering the times I played the game more enjoyable then when I'm actually playing it. That isn't a bad point against it but just something that I've always found strange and hard to explain. I always get frustrated by the unnecessarily long boat sequence, at times poor enemy AI and those damn black headcrabs! But as the final battle finishes and you see the G-Man once again, I get filled with a sense of joy from the amazing gaming experience I had.
Let there be no confusion, I think Half-Life 2 is a phenomenal game. At times everyone thought that the game might never come out given how long it had been in development but in the end Valve showed us why they're considered as a top-tier developer. They'd hit a home run in nearly every department whether it be graphics, gameplay or story. Gordon Freeman was back and better than ever.
What I like most about HL2 is the pacing. Apart from the boat section the game always keeps you going at a steady pace. Things start off a bit slowly but then they have to, you're 20 years in the future so of course you want to know what's going on and who these Combine folks are (although that makes repeat playthroughs a bit boring at times). I like that Gordon is on one continuous journey and that he doesn't get any proper breaks or chances to rest. He has to keep going and he hasn't really got a choice in the matter but at least this time he's got a few more friends along the way. Alyx ranks among the best NPC companions ever both in terms of dialogue and her AI, Eli is a sagely and caring father figure, Dr. Kleiner is the comic relief and G-Man is as much of a mystery as ever.
Unlike others, I never thought HL2 was as revolutionary as the first game. What it did do was push the genre forward and continue to be a bencmark for many shooters to come. Even if the current trend is towards more fast-paced FPSs like Modern Warfare and Halo, the big sellers of the last decade, I will always prefer the Half-Life style of gameplay.
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