Half-Life

"After all these years, still a great game."

Half Life. If you've ever played first-person shooter games, you've most likely heard of it. Infamous on the PC for its multi-player modes, us PS2 gamers have the opportunity to enjoy it's equally fun single-player story.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)
You play as Gordon Freeman, a scientist at the top secret Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico. This setting is a welcome change from the space atmospheres most shooters are known for, i.e. Doom and Red Faction. Its controls feel great once you get used to them, and its variety of unique weapons will give you a hard time choosing which one to use, and the massive length of the game will have you playing for a long time. A PS2 only cooperative 1 or 2-player mission set, Half-Life: Decay is also included and it also comes with a requisite multi-player mode. Once you crank up the difficulty level or enter the later levels of the game, it gets quite difficult, and will have you scrambling for health packs and frantically dodging attacks from your adversaries.

CONTROL (10/10)

Half-Life's control settings worked perfectly for me. I've played many shooter games all with the same move-and-rotate combination using both sticks and it seems so much more fluid than other control sets. However, to the first-time shooter player or to players who do not strafe (move side-to-side) as often, this control set may be very awkward. However, Half-Life includes alternate setups and even has the ability to tweak the controller settings to make your perfect set.

STORY (9/10)

The story that Half-Life covers is quite possibly one of the benchmarks all new shooters with story-based gameplay attempt to live up to. Possibly one of the largest and most complex story-lines, you'll replay the game all over just to figure out what happened the first time through. The setting, characters and attention to detail is great, and around almost every corner you'll view some kind of scripted event to further the story, whether it be a cut-scene you interact in, a conversation with a friendly guard, or an intense action sequence.

GRAPHICS/DETAIL (9/10)

Half-Life's graphic engine has been totally revamped for the PlayStation 2. Character models are smoother than their PC counterparts and they come complete with all manner of details. Environment detail looks like it was ripped from an early shooter game such as Quake at times in terms of low quality, but at other times the graphics really shine. Wet floors are really wet, and during a jaunt through the ceiling above a hallway, you take a step on the acoustic tiles only to find them break under your weight. Crossing a corner into a repair bay, the cinder block wall flies towards you while a marine is kicked through by an alien. In the bay itself, the marines seem outnumbered by their foes until a tank smashes through a wall and unloads more troops into the fray. I could go on about the amount of detail Half-Life contains for hours, but we'll stop here because of review length.

SOUND/AI SYSTEM (9/10)

Half-Life boasts an incredible AI system. Most times this is true, but occasionally your ally scientists or guards will do something incredibly stupid, like walk straight through a row of trip mines or run blindly into a room filled with enemies. I watched more than one occasion where my allies acted quite realistically, however, and you'll laugh watching scientists complain about their ties, guards pound on the offices they're locked out of, and marines rush at you while their buddies sneak up behind you. The AI makes for a truly impressive experience, and the sound compliments the AI well. Scientists chatter about test samples, guards on duty tell you to come back after work for a beer and the alien enemies make all sorts of strange noises. Weapon effects aren't the best in the FPS universe, and at some times the ambient sounds don't make sense. Half-Life does have music, but plays it sparingly. It also plays it when its appropriate, and the type of music it plays is appropriate to the situation. In a level filled with marines you are forced to run quickly, so expect a fast-paced, action track while when you're in the desert surrounded by dead marines in a minefield, the game plays a slow track that evokes the feeling that you're all alone.

FINAL SCORE (10/10)

If you're a fan of shooter games or looking for a game with a great, yet intriguing storyline, Half-Life is for you. Its myriad difficulty settings coupled with Decay will keep you playing for hours, and its story will keep drawing you back.

Rent or Buy?

Half-Life, being a relatively old game, is hard-to-find in rental stores. Don't bother renting it if you're a fan of shooters or action games, and put your five dollars towards buying the game. However, non-FPS fans may want to try a rental first, before buying. If you cant find a copy, this game is 100% worth the time searching for a copy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/24/04