Half-Life 2

"The Freeman returns."

Half-Life 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the original Half-Life that came out several years ago. I never played the original so I wasn't up on the story but since I bought the guide it filled me in on the past game's events. Half-Life 2 is an adventure game with first-person shooter and puzzle type elements. If you get this game then you will probably just spend an hour walking around interacting with objects and staring at the great graphics.

Game play: 9
The game play in this is very well done and has a good controller lay out so it's easy to get used to. you can interact with everyone and everything in your environment like you could throw a brick at the Combine soldiers and they will chase you or talk to people for advice. Since this is a first-person shooter you know it has a whole bunch of guns and weapons like the crow bar, pistol, sub-machine gun, and the gravity gun. Now if you are like me then the only reason you got this game is because you saw a preview that featured the gravity gun. The gravity gun is a device that allows you to pick up just about anything you see around you and throw them at your enemies, it is also used to solve some puzzles.

Story: 7
You are Gordan Freeman who is fight the Combine, a type of alien invaders from another dimension released after an accident at your old job at Black Mesa releases them. At the end of the first Half-Life a very creepy mysterious man in a suit called the G-Man asks you to accept a job for him and Gordan accepts and is told he would be called on when who the G-Man works for needs him. Gordan is awakened years later by the G-Man to lead the humans, who are now enslaved by the Combine, in rebellion against the Combine. You start the game on a train arriving at City 17 and are found by your old friends from Black Mesa.

Graphics: 10
The first thing you will notice when you play this game is how beautiful the graphics are. This game probably has the best graphics of any game so far. The environments look amazing and the people models look real.

Sound: 10
The music in this game is very well done and makes you feel like you are a part of this game. The voice actors do a great job and when they talk it looks like they are really talking to you instead of a voice coming out and no lips moving.

Rent or Buy?
I say rent because it's is fun the first time around but how many times can you play through a game with the same story each time but I highly recommend this for a rent.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/05