"Nothing's better than a tried and true method with a new and classy twist"

I feel so easy, for all three of the games I have reviewed so far have obtained perfect tens. Fortunately all of them have been legendary games, Half-Life 2 included.

I know what you might be thinking, "Oh, it's another first person shooter, generic controls, generic story, generic guns, and generic, numerous fanboys." Or perhaps the classic one "OMG HALO 2 WTF? HALF-LIFE 2? WTF? OMG HALO 2." Those, among numerous other, rather negative, thoughts, are to be expected. But let me break any suspicion that Half-Life 2 is your average first-person shooter.

First off, an important aspect,
Graphics-
Graphics, even in FPS games, may not affect the gameplay a huge amount, but admit it, a game with pretty graphics makes it all the more fun to play. The graphics in Half-Life 2 are amazing. Perhaps you have seen better, in fact, you have probably seen better, but that's not the point. They're excellent graphics, no one can deny. Even if it isn't the prettiest you've ever seen (though, for certain, it must be way up there somewhere), the attention to detail is obvious. For example, the characters have 40 "muscles" in their faces alone. Think about how well expression can be manipulated. While characters talk their mouths move in realistic ways, and differently while they pronounce different syllables, not just a generic up and down movement. Their eyebrows move up and down, eyes widen or narrow, and actions such as frowns, smiles, and laughs are done extremely well. Water is another good example. Looking into water, with the water reflection graphics on full detail, is great. You can see the reflection of everything around you, and if the water ripples it all ripples with it (unfortunately getting this effect requires a pretty nice computer, but I'll cover that in a second). We all know that real water reflects images to an extent, but not so much that you can't see down under the surface. Well, apparently Valve knew this as well, because looking into water, you can still see through the transparent reflection and into t he water, while the two aren't so prominent or unbalanced as to cancel each other out. Under water is lots of fun too. If someone shoots at you while you are under the surface of any given body of water, the bullets will make a really nice looking trail of bubbles that rise toward the surface. This is great fun when, say, a helicopter is chasing after you and you are frantically swimming away towards shelter and the bullets are slicing into the water all around you, it really makes for an intense feeling.

Computer Requirements-
Most of the computer gaming population have excellent computers, but some of us don't, which is perfectly fine. If you like your Halo 2 more that's perfectly fine... spend your money on Xbox live... Half-Life haters... nah, I'm playing, but seriously. Half-Life 2, on full-graphics at the highest resolution, and running smoothly, would require somewhere around a 3.0 ghz proc, a healthy amount of RAM (512 is the recommended amount on the box), a (preferably ATi, for the moment) video card, at least a 128, preferably a 256mg one. Nerd language aside, Half-Life 2 requires a kick-ass computer to run at full detail. Run it on low graphics and resolution, and you should be able to push the needed processing power and RAM far, far down, but a nice video card is basically a necessity either way. I suppose I just wanted to say all that because it is important to know when considering to buy the game or not.

Sound-
Music in HL2 is rather rare, as in many FPS. It generally only presents itself in a few intense ocassions to make you feel more immersed in the game. It serves its purpose, too. The music that you will hear is a very deep trance/techno sort of thing that, while maybe not what you would listen to on your stereo for enjoyment, heightens the mood of the game. The ambient sounds, like the voices, gunshots, and water sounds, are all well done. As I mentioned earlier, the water supplies good opportunities for intensity through the graphics, and the sound applies here as well. Recall that helicopter chase scene-keep it just the same, but add some sounds that make you FEEL underwater, and then make those bullets have some really cool, hard to describe sound, sorta like TSHEW, TSHEW TSHEW. Okay, sorry, that was dumb, but seriously, think about it, it's great fun, especially to experience in the actual game.

Gameplay-
With what I think is the best physics engine in the world (yes, the whole wide world), coupled with some of the best AI in the world, and weapons, enemies, and graphics that reflect and take full advantage of these features, HL2 is a stompin' good time. Somewhat tied into graphic detail, the physics engine encorporates size, weight, friction, and even bouyancy to produce a world that you really feel you could live in (but don't try, with some pocky and a magical, mysterious burst of energy I think I did once, and it didn't turn out pretty). Weapons aren't extremely numerous, but they all serve a purpose, there's no useless gun. Use that pistol to blow up oil barrels, use that SMG to take down guards, and use that grenade to start a firework show that can be enjoyed over and over again. Done rambling about the gaming mechanics, how does the game actually reflect these things? Just as a shining example, there is a gun called the gravity gun, capable of picking up objects and shooting them. Think about it, the source engine (that's the physics engine) is one of the only ones in the world that could allow that gun to be used to its full extent. Weight affects speeds and distance able to shoot the given object, you can have fun fun fun in the sun splashing stuff around in the water, and different objects present different uses, making one gun in itself an almost infinitely enjoyable and at the same time useful tool. Those bastards decide to throw a grenade at you? No problem, whip out your gravity gun (which, due to its frequent use, has its own keyboard shortcut) and fire it right back at em. Got a group of zombies, with no explosives in sight? Again, no problem. Pick up that saw-blade on the ground and shoot it through them. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination (coupled with how long you play the game, of course. To top off the increasingly long subject of gameplay, I'd like to add the numerous ways to dispatch enemies. Going much farther than just presenting the choice of what gun to use to take out those aliens, you can do it in rather creative ways. As I've already mentioned, the gravity gun works great, but in many situations, provided you use your head a bit, you can find creative ways to deal with your foes. If they are standing on piers, you know what to do. If they decide to travel too close to a group of flammable barrels... you know what to do. And don't forget to emit some sort of evil giggle after you do it.

Storyline-
Last, but not least, the story. Half-Life 2 IS an FPS, and even if it does revolutionize other parts of the FPS world, storyline isn't one of them. Not to say it's terrible, but it's not any better than, say, the first Half-Life, or Halo. The reason this doesn't subtract any from the score for me is because I honestly don't think storyline is a huge necessity in an FPS game. It's there, it works, it's fine.

Summed up, HL2, bragging the source engine and incredible gameplay, gets itself a 10 out of 10 from me, kudos to Valve.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/05