Half-Life 2

Simply Amazing

Reviewed by desolate_grave on June 17, 2008  |  report this review

I think it's safe to say that everyone who is a fan of FIrst-Person Shooters should own this game. Its great use of physics creates an interactive experience for gamers that sets it apart from other games of its kind. You play as Gordon Freeman, a scientist who attempts to stop the world from an alien invasion. I've never played the original Half Life, but I think it's safe to say that the story in HL2 is very difficult to follow, and anyone who is not willing to observe every single detail they had missed will probably not understand it. This being said, the story in Half Life 2 can be very lackluster, which does drag the thrill of the game down a bit. Nevertheless, the enjoyable experience it makes for gamers more than makes up for its flaws.

As stated before, the physics that Half Life 2 has to offer will show gamers a new experience that they haven't had in many other games before: environmental interactivity. For example, when I hit a wooden shelf with a crowbar, I want it to break. Half Life 2 demonstrates just that. In fact, one of its most important weapons, the Gravity Gun, focuses solely on this factor of the game, and it will be useful for many things you come across. While you aren't busy engaging in an intense battle of non-stop action, you will often find many mind-challenging situations you run across. Some of these may be as simple as moving cement blocks off an object, while others may take some time to figure out. There are many of these puzzles that are more obvious than others, but they create an inviting experience that you probably haven't had with any game other than the Half Life series.

Like many other shooting games, you won't always be on foot shooting up enemies. In a point of the campaign (one that you will reach rather quickly), you have the opportunity to travel in a boat. This will be very useful and is necessary by all means for you to make it any further in the game. Due to the game's open environment, it makes traveling in vehicles more fun than you could ever imagine would be possible in a video game. This is a good thing, because you will be traveling in this boat for quite a while if you decide to take advantage of the area you are around. You can travel to areas that you don't need to, but the areas you do decide to opt-in on usually give you somewhat of a rewarding compromise. This makes the game even more enjoyable to explore, and makes the game feel much less linear.

If you are a fan of FPS games, or even only a casual FPS player, Half Life 2 is a game that will offer an incredible experience that will be well worth your money.