Review: Half Life 2

Genre: First Person Shooter

            Half life 2 is everything a great shooter should be. It manages to really stand out with its engrossing story, memorable characters, and solid puzzles. Though its shooting mechanics are basic compared to other games, it is still very rewarding and rarely gets tiring.

Gameplay

            Half life 2 is a single player first person shooter. You start out as Gordon Freeman, a physicist working with rebel forces to rid the planet of a recent alien domination of the planet. You follow a linear path, meeting many new interesting characters on the way. As you progress, you encounter various easy yet entertaining puzzles that you will need to solve in order to continue on your way. These are very fun and take full advantage of the game’s realistic physics engine.

            Shooting in Half life 2 is in simple first person aim with no ability to look down the barrel of your weapon. This detracts from the experience somewhat, as this sometimes results in a lack of accuracy. However, these weapons alone are still highly enjoyable.

Graphics

            Released 7 years ago, Half Life 2 still looks very good in today’s standards. Some textures appear blurry up close, but not enough to complain about. Effects such as lighting and explosions are basic, as expected from a title this old. All of the environments, which range from the beach, to sewers, to abounded villages and run down dystopian cities are all well crafted and feel unique.

Conclusion

            Half Life 2 may only take you about 12 -15 hours to complete. Though this is a relatively short game, it is always fun to play it over. In addition, there are hundreds of mods created for Half Life 2, most of which are free, that add countless hours of gameplay. If you like first person shooters and haven’t played this already, you owe it yourself to check it out.

Gameplay: 9.5

Graphics: 8.7

Lasting Appeal: 9.0

Overall: 9.3