Half-Life

Before 1998 typical FPS games consisted of the player simply blasting their way through endless numbers of monsters in hellish and alien landscapes with an extremely vague plot that seemed like a 5 year old's daydream. Half-Life revolutionised FPS gaming by providing not only a story, but an excellent story that was highly immersive.

On the gameplay and graphics side of things, Half-Life uses a heavily modified version of the Quake 2 engine. However, the monsters are not Quake 2's mindless zombies, they are soldiers that work in teams to flush you out of hiding spots. This means you have to think about how you play the game. Blindly running into a room shooting will get you killed very fast! :-)

Until Deus Ex came along, I called Half-Life the best game ever, so it is only fair to give it 10/10.

This is, quite simply, the best PC game ever. Period. It doesn't short-change you in length, like most games do these days. At the same time, it isn't overly long. There isn't a single point in the game where you wish you could skip ahead to the next area. Difficulty level is not a concern; you can make it as hard or as easy as you like. Quick save and quick load are done better than any game to date. Most important is the atmosphere this game creates. When you finish Half Life, you will look back on your adventure and truly feel like you have taken a journey. The game is MASSIVE. And the many places you visit along the way are extremely convincing. When stuck on the alien planet Xen or trying to find signs of life after the initial disaster, you will feel isolated and alone. When in a firefight with Marines, you will feel a rush of adrenaline. This game does it all and is beautiful-looking to boot. In addition, it will run smoothly on nearly any PC setup. I highly recommend this game to all audiences.

Dr. Gordon Freeman is a scientist in a remote lab who survives an accident - some sort of portal is opened and soon alien creatures are attacking from everywhere. Armed with a limited supply of weapons, the man in the white lab coat unleashes some serious hell.

This game is often considered "the" first-person shooter (along with "AvP," etc.) and to be fair it is very good. The cinematic experience of the story is involving and it takes its time getting started - which is good. Once it does, it's non-stop action and highly entertaining.

I can't say this is the greatest FPS I've played. Nowadays the graphics are sort of outdated, too. It's not as good as the sequel (or so I've heard) but I won't put it down - it's still an excellent, excellent game...

Overall this is a must for any PC gamer.

This game requires patience, quick wits, quick fingers, and good problem solving skills. So do games like Mortal Pongbat. What makes Half-Life exceptional is the senses-shattering realism which laces the entire in-game environment. The textures are realistic, the colours appropriate, the sounds rich and flawlessly integrated for stereo separation (as in a monster on your left will always be heard from your left speaker), the level of interaction possible with the environment and the human characters is above and beyond what one might expect (FYI: punch the red button under the security guard's desk to set off an alarm and make everyone mad!), and the monsters are just as scary, slimy, and vicious as they come, and backed by a good AI to boot. The level design is incredible, with a perfect balance of problem solving and creature-killing, and the environment and enemies never seem repetitive, so you always have a sense of progress and a need to trudge on in the hopes that your goal might be just around the bend. All this makes this came perhaps the most addictive and awe-inspiring game of all time. And if you pass it and get bored, try the new alternate-take-on-the-same-story game, Opposing Force. And then if you get bored, join the even MORE addictive world of Half-Life online gaming (Team Fortress Classic or Counterstrike)!

Half-Life was and is a major breakthrough in the world of first person video games. A great story along with fast paced shoot 'em action make this one of the greatest video games of all time!

The adventures of Gordon Freeman, a young scientist battling bloodthirsty alien invaders, will leave you breathless and your jaw dropped at the sight of the game's breathtaking visuals.

The final Xen levels seem like something out of a bad 50's sci fi movie though. But that is the only bad part in an otherwise great game.

Half-Life has also spawned a great selection of modifications. Thanks to the level maker included in later versions of the game. Mods such as the great horror fest They Hunger and the flawed but fun Gunman Chronicles.

Get your ass a copy of Half-Life pronto and feel what it's like to be an arsekicking, rock 'em, sock 'em video game superhero!