Staying the course
I recently replayed Half Life 2 to make sure I had all of my lore in line when tackling the second episode. Although this was my third play through and there were no more surprises, the game still holds up well and delivers a thoroughly enjoyable game play experience. The game can do this a few years after its first release by pioneering many new concepts and additions in the first person shooter genre. Concepts that were refined in the subsequent episodes. These include the lip syncing technology, physics based puzzles, vehicle based combat (although this was done outside the series) and of course some innovative weapons additions. The standout weapon of course being Gravity Gun and all the puzzle solving and creative killing opportunities it presents. Nothing is more satisfying than lining 3 or four zombies and letting rip with a saw blade. It is a pity that achievements were not retrofitted into the first game and episode for the Orange Box on PC, as these would have provided opportunities for some interesting achievements. The only real criticisms I can level at the game are unevenness in the graphical quality, with a few blurry low-res textures here and there and the lack of any multi-player with the initial release. As somebody who always places a well designed single player experience first however, I highly recommend Half Life 2. It continues the good work of its landmark predecessor and improves both the story and game play experience in ways that help it stay the course as the benchmark FPS on the PC.
