MobyRank MobyScore
Macintosh
...
5.0
Windows
95
4.1
Xbox
87
2.6

Description

Half-Life 2 is an FPS game where you once again play as Gordon Freeman, the MIT graduate from the first game. You awaken a number of years after the original game on a train to City 17, an Eastern European city which is reminiscent of the World War II ghettos. And the people kept in City 17 are the remains of humanity, left at the will of the Combine, a mysterious alien group who retains totalitarian control of Earth.

You are soon brought into a resistance group, and make an attempt to bring down the Combine and liberate Earth. Why you? You saved it the last time. Or did you?

The player guides Gordon through the City 17 and the wilderness that surrounds it. On his way, he'll encounter a lot of friendly characters, but also fight dangerous foes and solve puzzles to progress. As Half-Life 2 features a realistic physics system, Gordon can pick up objects and toss them freely, and many of the puzzles are physics-based - for example, at one point the player has to weigh down a seesaw with bricks at one end to turn it into a ramp.

Gordon's enemies, apart from alien wildlife which found its way to Earth, are mainly Combine forces, which utilize a variety of firearms, gadgets and vehicles. Policemen and foot soldiers work along with helicopters, gunships and gigantic walking machines to hunt you down. To defend himself, Gordon has a range of weapons available: from the iconic crowbar for close-quarter fighting, through pistols and rifles, up to grenades and a rocket launcher. Most notable weapon is the "gravity gun", with which one can pick up objects, hold them in the gun's antigravity field, then hurl them at the enemy with great force.

Also with Half-Life 2 is Counter-Strike: Source, a version of Counter-Strike made with the new Source engine which powers Half-Life 2, and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, an online multiplayer game featuring the same physics and weapons as the single player game.

Alternate Titles

  • "戰慄時空2" -- Chinese spelling (traditional)
  • "半条命2" -- Chinese spelling (simplified)
  • "λ²" -- Common abbreviation
  • "HL2" -- Abbreviated title
  • "Bantiao Ming 2" -- Chinese title
  • "하프라이프 2" -- Korean spelling

Part of the Following Groups


Merchant Title Platform    
Amazon
Electronic Arts 101276 Half Life 2 Xbox    
ebay.com
Half-Life 2    
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User Reviews

Who says ports are bad? Xbox Sam LaSelva (10)
Incredible Movie-like Gameplay well worth overlooking the flaws. Windows Dwango (292)
Who needs a serious relationship if you can have a great one-night-stand? Windows חד-קרן·山猫 Bronze Star Contributing Member (88736)
Super-Gordon vs Dr Breen Windows Lumpi (196)
Fun, and innovative on a small scale, but not the "greatest game of all time" as some would have you believe. Windows Tibes80 (1498)
Not just a game, an experience Windows Matt Neuteboom (941)
The half life of Half-Life turned out to be about seven years Windows Peta Michalek (9)
Outrageously overrated Windows Sebastian Cardoso (40)
A thoroughly immersive, plot-centric game (no spoilers). Windows null-geodesic Bronze Star Contributing Member (228)
Light and fun FPS game Windows Melody (119)

The Press Says

GameCell UK Windows 2004 10 out of 10 100
GamePro (US) Windows Nov 17, 2004 5 out of 5 100
Game Freaks 365 Windows 2004 9.8 out of 10 98
GameCola.net Xbox Dec, 2005 9.8 out of 10 98
GameSpot (Belgium/Netherlands) Windows Nov 17, 2004 91 out of 100 91
Silicon-Fusion.com Windows Nov 25, 2004 9 out of 10 90
GamesFirst! Windows Dec 29, 2004 4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars 80
GameDaily Xbox Nov 18, 2005 4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars 80
JustPressPlay Windows Jul 07, 2005 8 out of 10 80
Game Informer Magazine Xbox Dec, 2005 7.25 out of 10 72

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Trivia

Half-Life 2 was the first game to tie PC Gamer's 98% rating of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, previously their highest rated game ever.


This entry was contributed by DarkDante Bronze Star Contributing Member (3728), Agent 5 Bronze Star Contributing Member (7436) and Zack Green (1020)
 

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