- Publisher: Sierra Entertainment
- Release Date: Nov 19, 1998
- Also On: PlayStation 2
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It isn't everyday that you come across a game that totally revolutionizes an entire genre, but Half-Life has done just that.
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If you want an incredible 3D experience that will cause you to lose sleep, meals, PTA meetings, and romantic rendezvous, this is the game.
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The way scientists and guards talk to you and each other, the huge stages that you can make a little bit more progress in each time you play, the absolutely amazing animation...it all adds up to a totally immersive gaming experience that makes everything else look quite shoddy in comparison.
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I have yet to play a more immersive game period. From the word "go", I found myself completely engulfed into the pseudo world that is unfolded before your eyes. [6 "drips"]
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It features a fully interactive environment that's a blast to play through. It's really like an interactive movie because it's so immersive. It's easily the most revolutionary shooter since "System Shock."
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Single player has a great story line with lots of twists and turns that keeps you interested.
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A masterpiece of epic proportions, the "Saving Private Ryan" of first-person shooters.
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Everything about Half-Life smacks of quality: the storyline, the gameplay, the graphics, the sound effects and last, but not least, the obvious level of committment Sierra and Valve have invested in it. Half-Life is, without doubt, the best PC game I have ever played. Ever.
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A fantastic single player experience, with reliable and customizable multiplayer support...what more could a FPS fan ask for.
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It is, without a doubt, the best single-player first-person shooter ever. Period. It is so good for so many reasons. But most importantly, it is fun. I mean really fun.
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PC GamerThis is The Big One, and it's even better than we could've hoped. [Jan 1999, p.166]
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Half-Life is brilliant in every respect with huge monsters appearing later on, Half-Life gets so spooky it hurts, so frightening people simply watching jump!
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It combines a balance of tense action, puzzle solving, story, and fun that has yet to be equaled on in the FPS arena.
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The best FPS ever created. Makes everything else pale in comparison. It's everything you always wanted in a FPS.
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Everything in this game is perfect, including the excellent characters and graphics, and the realistic sound effects. Half-Life is not a game, it is an adventure.
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It constantly presents you with variety, surprises, and new challenges to keep you hooked. It is a tour de force in game design, the definitive single player game in a first person shooter.
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The storyline runs in perfect harmony with the action and acts as a conduit not a stopgap, or a padding device. Each gaming element compliments the next and the entire presentation is nothing short of, well…dare we say it…revolutionary.
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It's atmosphere and unique style have changed the face of PC gaming.
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The closest thing to a revolutionary step the genre has ever taken. Through a series of subtle and artistic design decisions, Half-Life creates a reality that is self-contained, believable, and thoroughly engaging.
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Call in sick at work, unplug the phone, cancel all your plans, and prepare yourself for one of the most intense, exciting, and downright brilliant gaming experiences of your life.
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Realism aside, Half-Life provides some of the best unrealistic opponents seen to date as well. The creature design here is outstanding.
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Once you have dominated the death match realm, you can truly call yourself either an expert gamer, or an obsessive stinking nerd.
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I have never had a more immersive and engaging entertainment experience than I had with the first half of Half-Life...[but] the game peaks too soon.
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Unfortunately, Half-Life’s puzzle-oriented play leads to some problems. On several occasions, you’ll be forced to make almost impossible jumps. The difficulty of such maneuvers finds you making 10, sometimes 15 attempts. The frustration distances you from a story that should have you absorbed.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 3,566 out of 3982
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Mixed: 231 out of 3982
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Negative: 185 out of 3982
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mikegJul 13, 2009
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Sep 16, 2010
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Dec 1, 2011