Gaming Review - Half-Life 2

In conjunction with the reviews about gaming-centric movies, I figured I might as well do an actual gaming review. And considering it got a prequel and a remake of its predecessor this year, why not review the 3rd-highest rated game on Metacritic, Half-Life 2?

Half-Life 2, as well as its two story continuation games Episode 1 and Episode 2, was the sequel to 1998’s Half-Life, a game I’ve also played and unfortunately has not aged as well as Half-Life 2 (having only 5 voice actors, no physics programming and a mike straight out of early Jazz radio didn’t really help). Once again, it followed Gordon Freeman, the strong, silent theoretical physicist who has been kidnapped and used as an interdimensional mercenary, this time placed in a dystopian Earth run by the Combine Empire, aliens allowed into Earth by dimensional fractures caused by the previous game’s events. Freeman must once again take up his trusty crowbar and save the world.

This game has aged phenomenally well. The graphics haven’t (obviously), but the sound design, art direction, voice acting, combat and story all feel like they’ve come out of a triple-A game. It’s intense, action-packed and totally understanding of what its audience needs.

There's a reason we don't go to Ravenholm...

Let’s focus first on the art design. Understandably, the graphics from the first iteration of the revolutionary “Source Engine” haven’t aged well, but the game thankfully never makes the mistake of thinking we want to lavishly stare at those graphics. Instead, it focuses us on pushing forward, with a few nooks and crannies about to provoke our exploring tooth should we want it.

But stopping to look at the actual design of the world, it’s pretty phenomenal. Viktor Antonov, the art director behind this and similarly beautiful games such as Dishonoured and the rebooted Wolfenstein, created a world of crumbling, decaying, almost crushing structures in the bleak police state of City 17, based on his own upbringing in Communist Bulgaria. Then there’s the overcast beaches, the winding, detailed forests and caves of Eastern Europe, and the blue, coldly metallic hue of the Citadel, one of the greatest end levels in gaming history. Even though the game can’t render more than 20 people in one area, it always feels alive, like you’re being watched, or that something will jump out at you.

Gameplay wise, Half-Life 2 is intense, almost Doom-like in the fact that simply pushing forward and taking punishment instead of hiding behind cover is encouraged, as health drops are behind every corner. Every major point in the game constantly introduces a new mechanic or weapon to encourage the player to experiment and expand, and gameplay varies between awesome mowing-down of enemies, intense survival horror and some fast-paced driving sections with very strong mechanics. Add in an awesome soundtrack to slay to by Kelly Bailey and Mike Morasky, and the gameplay frikkin’ skyrockets.

An excerpt from the final battle of Episode 2.

The developers of this game, Valve Corporation, have an amazing skill with characters, where they are not overly edgy or exaggerated, but feel like real, quirky people. I connect with a lot of NPC’s when playing this game, even some guy randomly in a sewer defending himself from ManHacks whose name I never learn. They’re charming, simple and never feel like some sort of obligatory cliché.

And the lead characters and voice actors breathe a ton of life into everybody. Robert Guillaume, rest in peace, gave so much warmth and personality to Eli, while Merle Dandridge as Alyx Vance is one of the best video game sidekicks ever, if not the best. Robert Culp may be limited to the base game and Tony Todd to Episode 2, but they still give amazing performances (especially Todd) in the short time they have. And of course, Michael Shapiro as the G-Man. Need I say more?

Of course, Gordon Freeman, our lead, has no voice. The entire game is a one-shot from his perspective with no cutscenes, but we never hear him speak. And to be honest, I’m kind of relieved. Most FPS game leads are either relatively uncharismatic, silent or come off as edgelords whose faces we barely see (lookin’ at you, Call of Duty). Because Gordon is silent, the game encourages us to imagine him, to project ourselves into his head, and because the game is so intense, we feel everything as a result instead of hearing some generic white guy spewing one-liners. I’ve heard great impressions of Gordon Freeman’s possible voice, but his silent badassery was the best choice to honestly make, both story wise and (true-fact for the first Half-Life) financially.

If I were to order Half-Life 2 and its two story continuations from worst to best, I would go Episode 1, Half-Life 2 and Episode 2. I love Episode 2, especially the final battle which is so well handled and so awesomely done, and it really makes the characters feel dirty and desperate. Episode 1 has some outstanding moments, especially in the middle segment where it becomes a survival horror game, but it does lose a bit of momentum in the final frustrating battle. And the base game of Half-Life 2 is great, just not quite reaching the heights of Episode 2.

Overall, this game is one of the greatest and most influential titles ever made, and it still holds up 16 years later. The base game is currently very cheap on Steam, about $2.90 on 6/07/2020, so check it out. In the meantime, I’m going to give this game a 9.5/10.

Have you played Half-Life 2? If so what did you think? Leave your answers in the comments below.