Half-Life 2

 PC
Half-Life 2 Image
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 81 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 10341 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: [Metacritic's 2004 PC Game of the Year] By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment[Metacritic's 2004 PC Game of the Year] By taking the suspense, challenge and visceral charge of the original, and adding startling new realism and responsiveness, Half-Life 2 opens the door to a world where the player's presence affects everything around him, from the physical environment to the behaviors -- even the emotions -- of both friends and enemies. The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people -- people he cares about -- are counting on him. [Vivendi Universal]… Expand
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  • Developer: Valve Software
  • Genre(s): Action, Shooter, Shooter, First-Person, Sci-Fi, Sci-Fi, Arcade
  • # of players: No Online Multiplayer
  • Cheats: On GameFAQs
  • Rating: M
  • More Details and Credits »

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Half-Life 2 Gameplay Movie 3

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 81
  3. Negative: 0 out of 81
  1. Gaming Age
    100
    Where it goes beyond a typical first person shooter is in its story telling. The graphics engine is so realistic that you feel like you are participating in a movie. The character's facial animation is incredible. It's done so well, you can get a sense of how the characters are feeling.
  2. Eurogamer
    100
    Half-Life 2 has astonished us from start to finish. Valve has done to the FPS genre what restaurants in Chinatown do to ducks; shredded it, smothered it in a delicious sauce of their own devising, and served it up in a way which you simply couldn't have imagined when looking at them in the pond.
  3. CPUGamer
    100
    Nothing less than a revolution in the gaming industry that will keep gamers busy for years to come, just as the original did.
  4. Game Over Online
    97
    It's a beautiful game with fantastic design and writing that's a little short but delivers boatloads of action in what time you do end up playing.
  5. Play.tm
    95
    An ephemeral and controversial ending, along with the few issues described above, means that for me, Half-Life 2, while a compelling and highly enjoyable game, falls short of the size of impact that the first title had on the gaming world.
  6. Electric Playground
    95
    With tasty graphics and gameplay that is sheer madness, Half-life 2 is sweeter than a chocolate-and-honey lollipop coated with sugar, and it provides twice the rush.
  7. netjak
    85
    I think this is probably the worst teammate AI I've seen in an FPS since "Daikatana." It's like every one of your followers are the Redshirt sidekicks from "Star Munchkin."
    All this publication's reviews

See all 81 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,822 out of 2074
  2. Mixed: 140 out of 2074
  3. Negative: 112 out of 2074
  1. MathewO.
    May 30, 2006
    10
    Best. Game. Ever. It has physics, great storyline, stunning graphics and great gameplay. I can't get bored of this game!
  2. BenF
    Apr 20, 2010
    10
    This game is FPS at its best! No matter how many times you play it, youll either crap your pants or have your mind explode out of the sheer This game is FPS at its best! No matter how many times you play it, youll either crap your pants or have your mind explode out of the sheer awesomeness of this game!! Incredible puzzles, Frightful and disgusting enemies, superb dialogue, and best of all a gun like no other that allows you to turn every day items to super destructive items of terror!!! I dont care if you're the world's greatest gamer, if you havnt played this game...you havnt lived yet.… Expand
  4. GypsyD.
    Jun 19, 2007
    10
    Hard to be as good as Half Life 1, but it made it! The river ride was tremendous fun, even the third time I did it.
  5. UnfixingMite500
    Apr 23, 2020
    10
    Сюжет просто божественный как и gameplay игра для своего времени это лучшее что может бытьСюжет просто божественный как и gameplay игра для своего времени это лучшее что может быть
  6. heinrichheine
    Sep 7, 2012
    10
    This game is a must-play. It´s a prime example for storytelling and the graphics were and still are quite good. It's not simply aThis game is a must-play. It´s a prime example for storytelling and the graphics were and still are quite good. It's not simply a FPS-shooter, also a puzzle-game with lots of vehicle-passages mixed in, so that despite its length of about 20 hours Half-Life 2 never gets boring. What makes the Experience so great is the authentic way the story of Gordon Freeman is told. Never does the player see or hear anything else than Dr. Freeman would, nor is he ever interrupted by instructions or else on the screen. He simply IS Gordon Freeman.… Expand
  7. FrankLicorice
    Dec 30, 2013
    9
    A heavily anticipated sequel to the seminally influential Half-Life, Half-Life 2 is an indubitably well-executed and enthralling mediaA heavily anticipated sequel to the seminally influential Half-Life, Half-Life 2 is an indubitably well-executed and enthralling media experience. The game artfully exemplifies a precipiced human race beset with the horror of a xenocratic dystopia whilst also providing interaction and levity with relatable characters, both central and minor. From the very outset, I was immersed in the eerie mystique of the opening characters and the ostensibly artificial setting. The player's character, Gordon Freeman, never speaks, nor does he need to; his humanity and heroism become progressively apparent as the player completes the game, despite the perennial air of mystery he conveys.

    The immersive realism of the game is brilliantly augmented by precise and complex game physics, impressive facial animation, and the perpetual necessity for the player to utilise his environment to complete chapters, rather than the gameplay being excessively linear and unchallenging.
    The dark, tyrannical undertones of the game stir the player to empathise with the plight of the fledgling resistance movement and become further psychologically involved in the plot. Half-Life 2 is gripping, stimulating and revolutionary. I wholeheartedly recommend it.    … Expand
  8. EvanT.
    Jun 14, 2006
    0
    The worst game ever it is all fake and the guns are crap. do not get this game!

See all 2074 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2004
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

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