Developed by Valve Corporation and released in 2004, “Half-Life 2” is a first-person shooter game built on the foundation of the original and revolutionized aspects of game design. On November 15, the game saw a handful of more refinements in the form of a new update to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
“Half-Life 2” revolves around Gordon Freeman, the player character, a key member in the resistance against the Combine, an alien empire that has taken over the Earth. Armed with a selection of handguns, submachine guns, a crowbar, and other special weapons, the player must fight their way through the Combine’s army of foot soldiers. Aside from the typical health pickups, the player wears an HEV suit that can absorb some damage taken and be recharged at certain stations.
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Dr. Isaac Kleiner (Left) and Barney Calhoun (Right), “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Alyx Vance, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Dr. Judith Mossman (Left) and Dr. Eli Vance (Right), “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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HEV Suit worn by Gordon Freeman, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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The main story picks up several years after the incident at the Black Mesa Research Facility, Gordon Freeman is placed on a train headed for the dystopian metropolis, City 17. He quickly finds Barney Calhoun, the undercover metro cop, and is directed toward the hidden laboratory of Dr. Kleiner. While there, Freeman is acquainted by Alyx Vance, the daughter of Dr. Eli Vance, a former Black Mesa colleague and the current resistance leader.
Alyx is successfully teleported to the main resistance base; however, the sequence is interrupted, leaving Freeman to fend for himself in the city’s system of canals. Arriving at the base via an airboat, Freeman meets with Eli and acquires the Gravity Gun. Not long after his arrival, the Combine forces attack the resistance base and Freeman is separated from Alyx, once again. He travels through the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm and makes his way to Nova Prospekt, the prison where Eli is being held.
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Gameplay of the Gravity Gun holding a crate, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Gameplay of combat encounter against the Combine, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Gameplay of an underwater physics puzzle, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Gameplay of combat encounter against the Combine, “Half-Life 2”, Valve Corporation
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Building off the simple interaction with physics items from “Half-Life” (1998), the game introduced more realistic and detailed physics simulation. Using the Gravity Gun, players can interact with props such as fuel barrels and buzzsaws and use them as makeshift weapons against enemies. Solving environmental puzzles is another important aspect, one example involved stacking cinderblocks on a seesaw to make a ramp to the other side.
With the leap in visual graphics since the 1998 original, the game has now adopted a more realistic art style that I believe still holds up to this day. Improvements to the facial animation really benefited the overall narrative and presentation, with little to no breaks of immersion as everything is shown through the eyes of the player.
The 20th Anniversary update brought a handful of changes and improvements. The subsequent story expansions, “Episode One” and “Episode Two,” were integrated into the menu of the main game. With the development team reunited once more, interactive commentary has been added throughout the story campaign. And finally, Steam Workshop integration will be an easy hub for people to easily upload and download modifications for the game.
All in all, I see “Half-Life 2” as a cornerstone of the first-person shooter genre from its solid gameplay and great narrative. I recommend everyone give this game a try, 9/10.
