THIS game has Extraordinary Graphics,Very Beautiful Gameplay,Movie like Sequences, and Awesome Sound! I hope people who play this game will last a life time in there hearts because this game still ROCKs all others ever made for the PC Valve i love your Work! please keep kickin ass on the best game series you have made in the Years and in the years to come!

Half-Life is a great game. A great storyline and great comabt makes this game feature on my list of top ten games of all time. Of course, number 1 is Deus Ex. The main reason Half-Life is below Deus Ex in my opinion is the fact that Deus Ex's storyline is so immersive and interactive. for those of you who have never played Deus ex, I recommend you do. That being said, Half-Life is still an excellent game. Valve did a great job creating an exciting and compelling game. I just dont get why it has a higher score than Deus Ex!… Expand

The good points of the game are the awesome story and creepy moments. The bad points are more conspicous. For example, as the game goes on it degenerates into one boring jumping or crate-pushing switch flicking puzzle after another, although it does have a great final boss.

PC Gamer said it best. This is the best game EVER. When will it loose? And to whom? It will loose on September 30, to Valve Software, when Half-Life 2 is released. And you can quote me on that.

Good graphics (for its day, and still servicable today) and balanced weapons are about the only thing going for this game. Level design is counterintuitive, boring and often boneheaded, enemies are poorly balanced, and the much-vaunted "revolutionary" storytelling falls flat on its face - they make the game harder to get into than any other component. Lacks even a speech log, making it possible to miss descriptions of mission objectives completely and permanently. Valve even tried to shoehorn block-pushing puzzles into an engine that was never meant to accomodate them. Bottom line: playable, but by no means enjoyable.… Expand

I'm writing this on August 25, 2009. I am a huge fan of the Half Life series. I've played all the other Half Life games in the series and I recently added HL1 to my collection. This is, without a doubt, the best FPS computer game I have ever played. And this is 9 years after its released! I don't know much about the graphics, sound effects, AI, and voice acting in '98 but these probably top most of them back then. This game does get pretty tough if you don't plan ahead but none the less, its still a great game.… Expand

This game kicks ass.

This game scares the crap out of me, but it is realy repetitive, same type of monsters all the way to the last level not many weapons, and in some parts it gets realy confusing, its like a maze that does not end but it is ok i guess.

I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I really didn't care for Half-Life. The game engine and the mods are great, but the game itself? I got bored pretty quickly. I tried, I really did, but the lame ass switch-throwing and door opening just gets old.

Just for the fact that it showed the FPS genre was capable of much more than Quake and the like were able to deliver, I award Half-Life a 7. Now let's get down to business. The game is unfortunately very uneven, and whilst the first half is excellent, I soon found myself losing interest around the middle section of the game. The pacing really starts to suffer around this point,with too many sections where it's very unclear what you're supposed to be doing. The story, for a game that recieved so much praise for its "deep" storyline, is not developed nearly enough - we're left with just "experiment goes wrong, aliens appear, government soldiers arrive to cover it up, and you have to do something about it all", and that's more or less it. Now System Shock 2, that was a game with a fully-developed backstory that you could really sink your teeth into. With Half-Life, the story was mostly irrelevant and in itself provided little incentive to continue. In addition, the final couple of stages are nothing less than ridiculous. So overall, a game that heralded a (brief) new era for the FPS genre, but didn't quite live up to its own hype. … Expand

Let me take you back to 1998. A heated battle between the two big FPS's namely Unreal and Quake II. Now, they were good for their time, but the AI was poor and both had next to no story and little interaction with the enviroment the player was placed in. Then comes Half-Life, and it features good AI and a storyline, plus interaction. With it's features many overlooked the fact that all were under-developed and the game was repetitive. My point is, it's only amazing due to the timing of it's release. A good game, just overated.… Expand

This game is unbeatable. When you think of a 1998 video game, it my be bad in graphics, lacking a real storyline, etc etc. However, still I find myself booting up the game just to re-live the action of Gordon Freeman again and again. This is truly an "oldie but goodie".

I can't see why anyone is slating this game for anything. It's probably one of the best games I've ever played despite it coming out so long ago. The graphics were amazing for it's time, and are great for anyone with a very bad computer. The multiplayer, while filled with bot players and very few actual ones, is quite enjoyable when you find a game with actual people. The levels were fun, getting progressively harder and more exciting. Puzzles were great. I love it, and I can't see how anyone would hate it and if they do they should sit down and eat shit waffles.… Expand

One of the greatest games of all time. This game may have pretty average graphics for the time, but the enemies are great, the story was great, and some of the easter eggs and glitches are really funny. It was a delight to play and, most importantly, it was made my the smartest game company in the world, Valve. Even though in my opinion it is far worse than Half-life 2, it is still one of my favorite games.… Expand

Didnt hold interest...never played game but for 2-3 hours max.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Half Life was a good game at his age ...I try IT recently and is very boring but I still play Counter Strike and because IT was the engine of Counter Strike you can say I LOVE IT!… Expand

Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.Best game ever.… Expand

One of the best games ever made - great story plot, one of the best introduction cut scenes to ever be in a game, well balanced weapons, variety of weapons is just right. The graphics might look dated 10+ years later, but eye candy does not make a game great.

Half-life is an amazing game. It defined storytelling in FPS games (and probably other genres too). It's FPS combat was masterful. The graphics, while outdated in this day and age, were excellent for it's time and are still excellent. It's a great combination of modern and futuristic warfare with militants and aliens. Well done Valve. Well done.

Well seems how there are not alot of reviews i will just say. Even tho this game isnt that new it is still the best PC game to ever be made. The mods make it even better. You can play the single player thru and then move easily on to the multiplayer with full enjoyment. BEST GAME EVER.

5 years later this game still kicks the ass of any major contendor. Not just in my opinion, but in the eyes of many PROFESSIONAL video game critics this is the BEST GAME EVER WRITTEN! Buy this now! Its like 20 bucks. Plus you get to play counter strike and day of defeat for 10 dollars less than the retail box's are.

First of all- this game kicks ass. Graphics-good even by todays standards story-best fps story ever gameplay- fun as hell, not to mention counte-strike w00t now for all you n00bs saying the graphics suck-- turn the graphics to Open GL mode on 1600 by 1200 pixels, if your computer can even handle that, then talk to me whether u think the graphics are good or not.

Quite simply, a classic. The graphics weren't as good as some of the other Quake 2 based shooters, but this was more than made up for by a totally immersive storyline, smart level design, and controls that felt just right. Not to mention, when you get done with the main story, there are some excellent mods available, some of which are practically entirely new games.

Truly one of the greatest games of all time on the PC. Have re-played it recently and found that it still retains much of the great addictive quality it originally had. Becoming dated now, and yes, its true, the jumps and doors did get slightly repetitive, but the game still kept me at the seat of my pants at all times just bursting to make the next jump.

MP is bulky slow and unrefined... how people continue to play this is beyond me.. sure it set a new standard on its DATE. but many games have surpassed it in the MP area. I can understand the score becoz of the date.. but thousands of people still playing this game online are misingout on much better MP games now. I dont hold any hopes for half life 2 being a big hit.. this one jsut got lucky.

"sure it set a new standard on its DATE"... What kinda of **** is that, the game is 7 years old? Of course there are "better" games now. That doesnt change the fact that it was the best for its time and continued to influence game development for many years to come. What if all FPS games released the last 7 years had been as boring as Doom3 for instance? Of course we all want nice smooth gfx, but i want GAMEPLAY as well!… Expand

This game is one of the greatest frist person shooter ever!!! So what if the grafics were bad, for it's time the AI is extremly good. Also the game play really get you invloved in the story, and leave you asking questions even after the game is over. It desidened so perfectly, and i can't wait for the sequle, i with i could give this game a 15.

It's quite possibly the best FPS ever. Yes, the graphics are aging, yes the crate puzzles were a bit on the annoying side, but they are minor flaws on a beautiful game. The AI still amazes me now, as the soldiers hide, throw grenades and constantly cause a thread, and then there's the set pieces. I always get excited when I see the G-Man. The story is excellent, people who complain about it clearly can't be bothered to chase after it. Like so much about this terrific game, you have to work at it. You need to discover every clue, talk to every scientist, that's the way to play the game. And what a game it is...… Expand

Absolutely fantasic game, that deserves every award it's has ever received. For the people that say they get stuck, I agree, it can be quite a challenging game, but like so many people have said, games like this take time to complete, you can't go through just shooting and running! It takes some lateral thinking! Graphically, it was on par for games of its time, although HL2 far surpasses anything HL could ever have given us. Great stuff Valve, I will continue to play games that you create like this for ever! It truly makes game playing enjoyable.… Expand

The original and best, gameplay, graphics (at the time), plot and story line, character interaction, aliens, anti gravity, it had it all. The weapons were varied and each had to be used in different situations, so you had to think. Not a mindless shooter by any means. I think when it came out I played this game 5 times over before I even touched any other game, it really was that good!

At the time of publishing Half-Life it was simply the Best Game ever and continued to hold that position for a lenghty period of time. Now Half-Life is naturally out-dated game, especially in graphics point of view.. But still it is worth every penny you need to invest in buying this masterpiece of Gaming History.

Perfect! This game is way ahead of its time. It is the BEST game ever made! There is absolutely no real comparison, even between it and the sequel, which is also ahead of its time. Valve is an excellent company! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THIS GAME, BUY IT IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!

Its simply the best game ever made, no comments. Those who say its not, it either cuz they are not huge game fans, or they did not play it when it was released, of course if u play doom 3 and farcry and other games, and then u meet half life, u wont find it as good as if it was before.

When i began playing, it went slow, then it began to pick up. I espicially liked how the player must think to progress, i personally am a adventure and puzzle player, and that's why i liked this so much, also the puzzles give a much needed break in action, if i wanted action, i'd just go outside, but the puzzles out side, i have to make...

When this game came out I hadn't really gotten into computer games much, the FPS's at the time being very boring and unimaginative. I played this, and i was hooked! Fine- so its very dated now, and you youngsters giving it such harsh reviews may be used to all your Halo and Halo 2 graphics (Halo was great, but Halo 2? now there's overrated). Of course HL2 is better in every way- they had all the feed back gotten from the original to work off of, as well as 6 years to make what is still the best graphics engine in existance. For its time and even now, i still think Half life has one of the most rewarding single player experiences in the industry, both in length and quality. it took me a year to beat it on hard mode, and still takes a comparable amount of time to do the same. to mr. Rami W.- please, play the game before reviewing it. there is no "money" involved whatsoever in half life. maybe you're thinking Counter strike. there aren't even "objectives" in half life.… Expand

You know, I used to hate fps. I thought, well, killing people wouldnt seen right, even virtually. Then, my best friend GAVE me the game: Half-Life One Anthology. I stared my vibe of fps ever since. This game, even years after release, is still one of the best games out there, and it plays on most computers, ensuring your satisfaction for the game. I love EVERYTHING about it, form the mysterious G-man to the puny litte, cute headcrabs. This game will NEVER get old. Garanteed.… Expand

this game is great. THE 2nd best pc shooter ever created, 1st obviously being half-life 2. the graphics were astonishing, and still are better than halo's graphics. considering this game came out 3 years before halo, it had way more variety in weapons, enemies, environments, etc. and its easy mode is 10 times more challenging than halo.

Still one of the greatest shooters out there. Half Life 2 has a ton of potential, but valve kinda tripped at the finish line when they released what felt like a partial attempt at a game. I play the original to get that feel good sensation that HL2 was kinda lacking.

one of the best games ever made. It's rare that you find a sequal to a game such as this that kicks just as much ass also I might add. I'd been playing this game since my dad bought it and i'd never beaten it until I got steam and Half Life: Source. This game never stops entertaining me, with or without cheats, on any difficulty, its fun to play over and over. Anyone who wants to get one of the best games ever created, buy this game.… Expand

Greatest PC FPS ever... as long as you get the High Definition pack. Without it, the guns look like toys. With it, they look and sound nice enough to get you involved in the game. The best action sequences ever - take on an entire alien army and an entire marine corps. Brilliant AI ends the "spray, take cover, reload" sequence. You will still be taking cover and reloading, but when you do, expect a grenade to be tossed your way or a swarm of thornets to seek you out. Puzzles are not all that puzzling since there is usually only one path open to you, but are still interesting enough to keep the non-combat portions of the game fun. Guns are varied and interesting. This is the game that created genre mainstays like vent crawling, squad based AI, and seamless first person scripted events. A true masterpiece. When combined with Opposing Force, the massive amount of quality is astounding to behold. I simply cannot get into the mods for the game and the multiplayer, because all-together the massive amount of perfection is too staggering to fit in this blurb.… Expand

good game

I am a big fan of teamplay FPS games, and I loved games such as TF, Quake 2 CTF, and CS. FLF is quite possibly the best team FPS out there because it combines teamwork and strategy while maintaining a frantic pace. I would give it a perfect 10 score but the lack of players is an issue that can't be ignored. Graphics, sound, animations, levels, it's all excellent. A must play for any teamplay FPS fan.… Expand

This game is kick .ss for it is the best old FPS ever to own on your PC along with Blue Shift and Opposing Force and Team Fortress Classic. Get the Anthology pack asap to get all these for a nice cheap price and rock ass online with em and well enjoy!

This game has everything; I just wanna say to all low- rating people that this game has been made 8 years ago !!! For windows 95/98 !! Of course if you play it now the graphics are less then you are used to. But it still takes HOURS to complete the game. I can't believe some are saying the game wasn't well tought out.It's GENIUS ! And.. DON'T vote low if YOU can't solve a level. If you would end the entire game without dieing a single time, the game would s**ks.… Expand

I didn't think this game was going to be a cool one. After about 5 months of playing Counter-strike, I was getting to be bored. I'd see the pre-loaded Half-Life everytime i started steam thinking that there was nothing in Half-Life fun. Then finally, I gave up. Before going to sleep at 10:05, I decided to buy the game. Each step of the buying process lead me to bet me more and more anxious. After I finished buying the game, I immediately got on it. I tried to keep myself form going on anything but the training room at first, so that i may not spoil anything yet. Even that tutiral made me anxious. Forgetting i had to be at school at 8:00, i kept playing. I finally told myself to go sleep, but iIcouldn't. I lay in my bed all night curious,desperate for more Half-Life. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning tp play the game. I found myself "sick" at school and came home to play this great game. I give this game a 100 outta 10, but it could use a graphics improvement.… Expand

This is the best game ever made, I dont care about the GRAPHICS i care about the plot and well everything that makes a game good (besides graphics) This game Half-life1 got me into creating games you know that? and im only 13 and i have 4 good games with the FPS2 graphic card.

Alright, I read some very disturbing reviews, made by illiterate idiots who don't know how to spell, I just want to say that if you think you can make a game better, then do it rather than b****ing about how other games suck and how you'd rather play the sequal, obviously if there's a damn sequal, the game is pretty old, take this detail into perspective before you make a complete bafoon out of your already idiotic review. Thank you and have a nice day.… Expand

I found this game extremely entertaining and the ability to surprise me. To me the story of a game is very important, maybe even more important than the gameplay, but this game gave me a new standard to follow, when reviewing games, which new games has a very hard time following up to!

9.4 To the point:: This game should become an all-time favorite, even 15 years from now. P.S. cincinati gamer, you guys are such an embarrasment to the gaming world. you're bitching at a game (that took me 1 DAY to beat) b/c it was too hard for you? do you even known how to play video games? are you mentally challenged? do you lack 1 or more appendages? maybe a dick or a ball here and there? In any case, u dickless, retarded freaks, giving a game a lower than suited score simply b/c you suck at video games is not an ok option. If its too hawd fo da lil baby, don't fucking play it pussy. i mean cmon, you sound like a such a big vagina... "you'll be forced to make almost impossible jumps" DUDE, STFU!! I've seen 8 year olds that would own you in gaming.. and yet your a game critic? Dude, kill yourself b4 i have to.… Expand

Half-Life earns a sure fire 10, and to Jerry H who gave it a 1... your reasoning has nothing to do with HL1, the game is great because it came out many years ago and revolutionized FPS games. Its not great because there is a huge amount of people playing its multilayer mode. Think about it this way, without HL1 you wouldn't even be playing Day of Defeat or Counter-strike- their based on the HL1 engine!… Expand

its a really hot game! the best FPS ... its a legend man! and who ever posted 1 ... i think he didnt know what r the FPS reevolutions ... this game its a re-evolution of the FPS its all! it got all! mods, good graphics(for the year), music, history, the second shoot, and the fisics... damn... its just too good

Mister shgiot ktiv gave it a 1: Bad grafiks, bad criters, bad saund, bad stori, bad controll, all the gaim is bad. Wow, not only can he not spell, he's crazy too, haha. Simply amazing, years ahead of its time. I would give it an 11 out of 10 if it were possible.

Perhaps the most recognized PC game ever....... This one will last for ever. Your great grand kids will be asking someone in there family did they ever play Half-Life? My answer is all the time! I will always love to set down on a winter day and load up the original just to make my way to the end and yell "AWESOME"

This is a perfect game ever made the graphics are the best more of half life 2 (but are the games of half-life are great)and the g-men is spectacular and the last boss is spectacular (all of the boss are grats ) this game have spectacular fps. this game is the best ever made.

This is the game that changed gaming. You aren't even a gamer unless you've played this game through at least once. It's one of the most compelling, intuitive, and fun to play games ever made. The story is still incredible if you have enough brain cells to deal with a story that isn't spoon fed to you. This game is for thinking players, if you don't like thinking or are too young to think, then I'd advise you to go play Halo. Otherwise, welcome to the big leagues!… Expand

ive been playing dis game since i bought it back in 2001 (wen i was 9yrs old), and ta tink dat i at dat age could crack da puzzels dat half da guys dat rated da game bad couldnt... , its actually quite sad, really, i'll bet dey didnt even play da game. or dey got bored within a 1st 5min cause it didnt start in a battlefield wit gut and gore flying in al different directions. P.S. all da guys dat guys dat gave da game a bad rating cuase da reason i just mentioned or da fact dat dey just couldnt play r luzers:)… Expand

The game that set the standard... Has the perfect blend of action and puzzles that makes for a truly unique expierience. Being extremely lengthy, you won't forget about this games for a long time. The ending is absolutely incredible, giving the feeling of a dorky scientist turned epic hero of humanity.

This is absolutely my favorite game of all time (along with Half-Life 2)!!! This game revolutionizes how FPS's to this day are made and played! The extremely immersive atmosphere and high levels of interactivity with objects and characters in-game provides you with the most jaw dropping, and one of a kind experience you will ever have in a video game. You don't just play Half-Life, YOU LIVE IT! This is truly, the best game ever made! (along with Half-Life 2)… Expand

It is very hard to make a "critic" to H-L, since H-L change my life, in a way, like F1 Racing simulators did. It is not new that H-L change every little thing from the universe of FPS, but, in the other hand.. H-L have changed the point of view of many people, through gamer to developers. The week point of H-L was that you can actually see, that the physics seem to fail in many ways... for example , you can shoot a bow from 10 miles and the impact is instantaneous... anyway... Me, (and I think many people too) didn't realize off that things until we've got H-L 2 to compare. The best game ever... H-L… Expand

Great game! Really really addicting... hard at first recommended to play on easy haha but after you get used to the game the game is outstanding and makes you want to play it till the end. I mean I evan played Opposing Force + Blue shift to continue the half life story cause I can't play the newer half life 2 cause of my grafix card but still Those games are great to! (but they are shorter lol!) So everybody should get this game number one hell yeah!!! was kinda like wtf at first but then the story makes sense and you won't want to stop playing untill you get kiked off.... ok I'll stop typing now haha....… Expand

This is the first computer game I have every played.... I have been playing games ever since, I think that says something about the impact that it had on me. This game brings a whole new meaning to the words challenging and strategie. All in all one of the best games of all time.

i found the program limiting as all closed in screens are in real life. theres no perifegy vision and its hard getting used to. story line is lame as the head suckers have no purpose other than to jump on your head and become a parasite. its action is almost believable. as you go thru the story looking for whatever. i was always unsure of what i was after.

Half-Life is the game that started it all, the multi-player and single-player first person revolution. A game that managed to make its playing experience just that, an experience. You will be sucked in right away, no boring cut scenes, you play the story. This game will probably be one of the few games you just wont be able to stop playing until you finish it. Single Player not your thing? Well guess what, not only is half-life deathmatch really fun. but theres about 20 QUALITY Total Conversion Mods out there.. From Counter-Strike to Vampire Slayer. This game started it all in the mainstream.. Valve learnt well from id's quake in the realms of multiplayer and single-player and really turned it into a masterpeice.… Expand

Those people who didn't like the game are probably about 11 years old and can't appreciate a game that came out when they were about 2. I think its sad then, that they can't look past a game's graphics, and can't keep focused on a game that is longer than 8 hours. But for those of us who are older than 18, we will remember this as a game that completely changed FPS's forever, and is still, in my opinion, better than almost half of the FPS's that are out today, dates ignored.… Expand

This is possibly--No, this is without a DOUBT the best game I have ever played in my entire life. And trust me, I've played a looot of games in my time and Half-Life just beats them all. The story, characters, cinematic qualities and innovative gameplay make this a true work of art. I played this game for the very first time when it first came out and I was overwhelmed by it completely. Even now, 9 years later, I will never, EVER uninstall this game. I will play it until I'm too old to see the screen.… Expand

Perhaps its too late for me to be rating this game, but it's puzzling gameplay, along with incredible graphics and life-like ai, make it a true Half-Life. Even for the ps2 platform, Half-Life is a memorable game, that evolved the way games of our time are made. Major kudos to Seirra! This game is a must play/have. The storyline is scary, freaky and phonomonal. I continue to play this game, roughly 10 years later.… Expand

I was bored and on my steam and i wanted to read some of the reviews of my games i was so amazed to see that some people actually gave half life less than a 10 half life changed gaming it was more than just like ever other stupid game that made you shoot and then shoot and then shoot some more.The Ai was amazing for the time and the storyline was by far the best in any fps at the time if you can somehow rate this game badly you are not a gamer and do not respect the field you need to just go play with your myspace and never game agian.… Expand

There are two games in the world whose status and influence have endured over the years without fading one bit...I actually think they've just gotten bigger over time! These two games are of course Doom and Half-Life, and nothing can ever make such an immense impact on the gaming world as they did back in the day. An undisputed masterpiece.

I loved this game. And I have comments for those who rated horribly. Erick: I have something to say specifically to you. You said "same type of monsters all the way to the last level," What last level? It's one frigging level all the way through. Of course there's going to be all the same monsters! Mister shgiot ktiv: You said "Bad grafiks, bad criters, bad saund, bad stori, bad controll, all the gaim is bad." What the hell are you even saying? Apparently you're such an idiot you don't know how to spell "game," so why should we care what you say? Rami W.: You said "is that how much you guys love this game all you do is kill people for money to complete objectives." How the hell is that a review for this game? Did you think you were playing Assasin's Creed? Because last time I checked, no money system in Half Life one or two.… Expand

Best FPS for its time, don't be shunned away when you see the graphics, it was freakin 1998/9! I used to look at a games graphics first in till i got half-life. I bought the Anthology and was dissapointed with the graphics. But 1/4 way through I suddenly realised I did not give a crap anymore. I was too busy having fun.

Half-Life is probably the best game to ever have been produced. Sure graphics nowadays are much better but the impact the game had on all the gamers at that time, in 1998 changed their world. Let's put it this way, Half-life was so ahead of it's time in terms of graphics and storyline that it definitely leaves an imprint in you - an imprint of amazement and surrealism. Today games come out with really good graphics - Half Life 2, Halo 3...but you're sort of expecting that, since we've done leaps in graphics technology. But picture this - let's say that by magic you manage to get your hands onto a game that actually belongs to the future - 5 years from now and you're playing it! Well that's exactly how it felt and that's why half-life deserves a 10!… Expand

HL is just the best game with best encheted engine with best platform for mods and HL borns the best gamers on world Adrenaline Gamers ! it made relationships on whole world and it is a reason why gaming & games are so famous today but Valve today is a imperialism crap :P

For its time, it simply couldn't be beat. Even by the graphically superior Unreal. Excellent story progression through "chapters" that never pulled you out of the story. And TFC...man, it was worth the price alone! Never found another online game I enjoyed to that extent. I was still playiing some great SP mods & TCs up until a year ago (2007!). One was, IMO,even better than the orginal. And those mods are all FREE. Never have or liekly will get that much mileage out of any game, period. And it's fun to mess with Worldcraft to see if you can make some interesting levels/encounters. This is perhaps even more fun than the game itself, if such is possible. HL2 was really cool, but HL1 was most definitely the best, most long-lasting fun I ever had.… Expand

The first time I saw a headcrab, I nearly crapped my pants. Even though this was a good 7 years after the game was released, I was still scared to be alone. Just screenshots of the game scared the crap out of me when I was in fifth grade. All the intuitive enemies; barnacles, headcrabs, bullsquids, marines, black ops, vorginauts, headcrab zombies, tentacles, and those giant blue things that were really hard to kill, they all haunted me for another 3 years to come. The playstyle, everything about this game sent shivers down my spine. You'd have to be a monster to not like this game.… Expand

Simply one of the best games ever. The single player mode was one of the best I ever played, and the multiplayer was fantastic, with very original maps and fun weapons. The graphics are not that great today, but a team of game developers are making a free mod called Black Mesa: source, which has graphics that are as good as Half-life 2. This will always remain one of the best games ever.

Wow. This game was one of the many few that games I've played that still manages to beat modern-day video games. Excellent, easy to understand, basic storyline (aliens attack after a portal opens from thier alien world), great graphics (well, they were in 1997), great gameplay (I loved the gore), great physics, and I loved how you could go into thirdperson (though traditionally, this game should be played in first-person view). Overall, this game was the best of the 1990's.… Expand

Also to people that had trouble PLAYING the game, get over it! I understand how annoying Half-Life can be, but you don't have to give it 0 just because you couldn't jump over electrified water and press a switch! This game was most likely designed to be hard because Gabe Newell and everyone else at Valve thought that people might be just smart enough to jump over a hole! This is why critics can be annoying; because sometimes they only look for the bad things! 'This game had lot's of bugs, and was found difficult by 56 percent of its players.' What about: 'This game was exciting from start to end; from escaping the Black Mesa complex to exploring alien worlds, this first-person shooter will be a hit!'. OK, some people might not agree, and might say something like 'It was repetitive'. OK, even I agree that it was repetitive. But I don't agree with people saying 'this game sux its to hard scientists are funny why can you kill them'. This is the best game of 1998 (other than MGS)… Expand

Many people this this is one of the best games out there. I would agree. Portal was amazing but this you could get free mods and thats what put it over the edge. I happen to be a fan of Valve's games but I will say if its a bad game. This was the most fun i have had in a long time. A lot of people are just about running and gunning but hate game were you might have to think a little. The puzzle are not impossible and they are fun. I could tell people about this game but most people already know about it. I just wish they put this game into the orange box as well the game would be complete! altogether this IS the best game on the PC and one of the more fun times you will ever have!… Expand

There is something about this game that I love. It is not the graphics or story line. It is just a well developed game with smooth, fast paced action and intelligent, inspirational obstacles that give you a sense of proudness if completed. Some people do NOT respect this game for its graphics or style BECAUSE they don't know WHEN it was MADE. This unforgettable game was created in 1997.

10 seriously is not a high enough rating for this game, there should be a "Half-Life" rating, exclusive to this game. This is and possibly always will be my favourite game. The game play is absolutely amazing. The attention to detail on every level is superb (the casserole in the microwave). It had that something special that made it such a special game, maybe it was the awesome scripted sequences, the excellent graphics (for its time) and sets, or the good storyline. If you are an FPS fan, you have to complete this game. Just a hint, if you get this game these days try and find what is known as the High Definition pack, it gives the game a great overhaul and the graphics increase is excellent. It basically adds new textures to most of the characters and makes the weapons look far more realistic. It really does add to the playability.… Expand

This is seriously one of the best games i have ever played. I just spent my whole day yesterday playing this game. Not only does it make you think (which is great fro most people), but it also scared the crap out of me at some times, surprised me at other times, and it totally broke the annoying box that Videogame companies usually stay in.

That game is awful. Not to mention frustrating. First of all, the parts where you have to ride around in vehicles are horrible. Those parts are long, boring, and frustrating due to the horrible controls. But the vehicle part of the game was only the first thing that made me hate it. Then on top of that you have annoying characters. If it were possible, I would have killed all of my allies within the first 5 seconds of meeting any one of them. And believe me, I tried. Alex is the worst by far. Everyone is useless and annoying. Seriously, every five minutes it's "Oh, look, Freeman's here. He'll do all of our work for us because we're lazy/incompetent/useless." If I was Freeman, I'd just let everyone die. Or better yet, kill them all myself. The only thing that would get me to consider playing the sequels would be if I got to go on a murderous rampage killing all of my allies. You waste more ammo than anything. With any automatic weapon, it seems that at best 1/3 shots hit their mark. It's impossible to aim with them because instead of your spray pattern being affected by how long you hold the trigger, it follows some kind of pattern. Your first shot might hit its target. It might not. It's horribly frustrating. I bought the Orange Box back in January after hearing how great it was. Worst $50 I've ever spent, since the only good part of the whole thing is Portal. About 4 months ago I got killed somewhere near the end of the game. After this, I exited the game and haven't played it since. I have no desire to go back and finish it, or play Episode I or II.… Expand

A wonderfull game for 1998, bought when he came out. The voices, ambiance and the storyline are very good. The game play is quite a revolution in the FPS at this time, only deus ex was released and wasnt that fluid. Very nice game, still worth to play ... 10 years later.

First off, Steve M. has no idea what he is talking about because this is Half-Life 1, not Half-Life 2 OR The Orange Box. Secondly, this game was and still is a masterpiece of its time. Although it was built off the quake 2 engine, it completely shattered Quake as well as Doom, completely revolutionizing First Person Shooters. Also, just because some amateur from the Cincinnati Enquirer does not know how to use the jump button, does not mean the game is frustrating or "almost impossible". Take it from a 10-year Half-Life veteran, there is no better game around than the HL series. Period.… Expand

U know what Steve M, u must be one of the dumbest people i've ever read about. First of all ur talking about Half Life 2 U DIPSHIT! Second, Halflife 2 doesn't suck, and u should keep your fucking negativity to yourself and third the original half-life doesn't suck either... So if u hate these games soo much don't fucking waste ur time writing stupid reviews... As for a review, I give this game a 9 and Half Life 2 a 10.… Expand

Graphics: suck but if you buy Half-Life Source then you can purchase a High-Def pack for it on www.fpsbannana.com. (this rating is not advertising) The High-Def pack gives the weapons a new look. The machinegun in Half-Life looks like an M4. The shotgun looks like it can blow a hole in through a wall. The scientist,security guards and marines all look better with smoother animations. (as do all the monsters) Gameplay: Good Weapons: Good.… Expand

I just completed Half-Life, and boy am I tired. I've gotten little sleep these past 3 days, my eyes have been glued to a monitor for hours and hours on end, and I would do it all over again many times. Of all of the games I've ever played, none have ever reached the level of absolute excellence of this game has. It raised the bar back in 1998, and is still a very stunning action/story oriented game that every gamer should play.… Expand

daca mie mia sa stricat si intru in joc si dau clikpe server si imi apre acolo tot dar apas tab si lista nu apare si ami aleg sa iu tero dar nu ma pot misca si nu pot impusca si cumpara ce sa fac va rog frumos sami raspundeti

Steve M needs to stop sucking at games. It's hard to hit while spraying because spraying is a terrible technique. Anyway, ignoring idiots, this game is amazing. It has a few sections that are tough to get through, but nothing impossible, and the story is one of the best I've seen of any game (and movies actually) to date. If you have not played this game, you do not deserve to play video games.… Expand

This is the best game I've ever played!! I've loved this game!! Every body should play it!! I've had finished this one 48 times... and I keep finishing it... I love this serie! I love Dr. Freeman... I have The Orange Box, the HL2 ep.1 and Half-Life Generation!!! I just thing that you (Stem) shoud re-build this great game, not like you've done ai Half-Life Source, but whil all the grafics of HL2... I loved every minute of them! You should make the Opp. Force 2 and Blue Shift 2 too... it would be nice!! I'm sure that everybody will want to play these game more then it was played... Thanx!!… Expand

Half-life redefined the first person shooter genre into what it is today. It took a stagnating genre and rewrote the rules. It proved shooters could have a story, friendly characters, and do without key cards. This game has never gone stale. All the mods for it kept it alive well after Half-life 2 came out. If you have never played this game, do yourself a favor and get a copy.

Half-Life is undoubtedly the single greatest singleplayer videogame ever created, and it will probably stay that way for a long time to come. Every technical aspect of the game was far ahead of its time, and the guys at Valve made it clever and intuitive, mentally stimulating, intriguing, and most importantly, fun. I have beaten it at least a dozen times now, and even though at this point I could probably beat it with my monitor turned off, I still haven't grown bored of it. I'd give this game 100 out of 10 if I could. It really is that great.… Expand

@ Steve M. Really, people, get your games right! This is HALF-LIFE not HALF-LIFE 2!! And, in it's defense, they are both part of the greatest series of all time, trust me, I would know. Physics puzzles, action, a new twist on the whole "zombie" concept (which Halo ripped off, by the way), alien border worlds, thousands of multiplayer options, and more, make pretty much any game created by Valve a piece of artwork. And seriously, if you are complaining that you won't play a game because you died near the end, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE HARD, then you really need to work on your skills. Stop abusing a game just because you can't play for crap.… Expand

Good game, but i found a few things that prevented it being great, at least for me, confusing me somewhat about how it gots its iconic status. This may simply be because i played the half life 2 series first and expected the same level of gameplay - it did begin very fun but sagged a little in the middle. Also, the crowbar is not just as good; i have had limitless fun whacking headcrabs just as they leap for my face. I found the gameplay a little too hard; for example, the tentacle level took me a very long time and i felt i would have enjoyed it more were it to at least have not made this so confusing.… Expand

If you played Half-Life when it first came out, you will never have that same "unbelievable...wow!" experience ever again in gaming. Half-Life was unlike anything else before or since. You were fully absorbed in another world that seemed so real in a story that was so incredible with creatures that were so unexpected and unforgettable. Now, years later, Half-Life has been imitated to infinity so it's impossible to experience it like we did years ago. This is the greatest PC game of all time!… Expand

This is the greatest game I have ever played. Everything is amazing. It has the greatest storyline I have ever seen in any type of game on any platform, be it MMO, strategy, or FPS. This story includes mysterey, lack of any cutscenes, and wonderfully thought-out details. Coupled with healthy doses of puzzle game, combat, and skill, all aspects of this go together pefectly. This is the best game of all time and really deserves an award to be named after it.… Expand

To this day one of the better FPS games of all time, in my opinion. I've played it through several times over the years and still get to enjoy moments that I'd forgotten about. I'm not sure the PC has had a shooter since Half-Life that could equal it's legendary status. Gordon Freeman is a PC pop icon. If you've never touched the HL series, play this first!!

It's the best FPS shooter to ever come out. There's nothing wrong with this game at all. People who give this a thumbs down because of graphics are obviously idiots, since they forgot this was released in 1998!!!!!!!! It's got tons of actions, puzzles, and a GREAT story. What more could you want? If you think this is a bad game, then you need to lower your standards for good games.