Half-Life

"A blessing for the PS2"

5 or so years ago, a revolutionary game for the PC was released that changed the face of first person shooting just like games such as Doom and Castle Wolfenstein had done. Now it's arrived for the Playstation 2, and it's even better than before.

Graphics - 9/10.

The graphics in this game are some of the smoothest and sharpest I've ever seen. There's no jaggies or pop-ups, and the gun's attention to detail is surprising. Facial animations are excellent too.

Sound - 9/10.

The sound in this game is excellent. There are 27 tracks, each of them different and are used in different contexts in the game. For example, if you were about to do a lot of shooting, fast-paced, exciting music would play. The sound effects for the guns are good, and each enemy has it's own dialogue and is well performed by the voice talents.

Story - 9/10.

You are Gordon Freeman, an untalkative researcher working at the Black Mesa Research Facility somewhere in New Mexico. You are told to take part in an incredibly dangerous experiment. After the incredibly dangerous experiment goes horribly wrong and creatures from another world pour in, Mr. Freeman tries to make sense of the world that's changed around him and attempts to escape Black Mesa - alive.

The story is incredibly good and diverse. The script is full of twists and is well written. Kudos to the scriptwriters.

Gameplay - 9/10.

This is a fun and challenging game, well worth the money you will shell out for it. Black Mesa is massive - just enough for 3-4 days gameplay, not counting the other difficulty levels.

Along with this game is a side story to Half Life; Decay. It stars two female scientists, Collette Green and Gina Cross, who, along with head researcher Dr. Keller, attempt to seal the portal with Xen and end this catastrophe for good. Decay can be played on your own, switching characters with the select button or with a friend, one controlling Green, the other controlling Cross.

There is also a multiplayer which isn't the best I've played, but good enough to whittle away a few hours with a friend.

The controls are well implemented and seasoned FPS players will slip into the controls like a pair of comfy slippers.
Using the shoulder buttons to shoot, the D-pad to switch between firepower and the triangle, circle, square and cross buttons to reload, talk to characters and push buttons the controls are excellent and no one should have a problem with them. Even if someone does, there's an option to custom-make your control settings, which is very good.

Replay Value - 8/10.

While Half Life doesn't have much going for it, Decay is a different matter. You'll spend ages trying to get A's in every level with both characters and unlocking the secret mission at the end.

Overall - 9/10.

Half Life is excellent. The graphics are excellent, the sound is excellent, the controls are excellent, the whole game reeks excellence. I would have loved to give this game a perfect ten, but it unfortunately doesn't give off the 'killer app' that it should do. Shame, really.

Rent or Buy?: An obvious buy, but people unsure about the FPS genre should rent first.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/03, Updated 07/28/03