Half-Life

In 1998, A software company names Valve Software released a game that would forever change the way we look at Action Games. That game was called Half-Life. Hailed by PC-Gamer as "The Best 3D action game ever made", and I couldn't agree more.

The game itself won about 45 game of the year awards from many different publications.

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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 Nowadays the graphics are sort of outdated, too.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.

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.

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!

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.