MobyRank MobyScore
Windows
94
4.1
Xbox
87
2.4

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 title (traditional)
  • "半条命2" -- Chinese title (simplified)
  • "HL2" -- Abbreviated title
  • "Bantiao Ming 2" -- Chinese title
  • "하프라이프 2" -- Korean title

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

Incredible Movie-like Gameplay well worth overlooking the flaws. Windows Dwango (292)
Super-Gordon vs Dr Breen Windows Lumpi (143)
Fun, and innovative on a small scale, but not the "greatest game of all time" as some would have you believe. Windows Tibes80 (1498)
Who needs a serious relationship if you can have a great one-night-stand? Windows Unicorn Lynx Bronze Star Contributing Member (70603)
Not just a game, an experience Windows Matt Neuteboom (941)
A thoroughly immersive, plot-centric game (no spoilers). Windows null-geodesic Bronze Star Contributing Member (228)
Outrageously overrated Windows Sebastian Cardoso (40)
Light and fun FPS game Windows Melody (119)
Great Graphics, Great levels, but Dated Play Windows Scott Monster Bronze Star Contributing Member (864)
"The Right Person In The Wrong Place Can Make All The Difference" Windows MasterMegid (868)

The Press Says

Just Adventure Windows Dec 24, 2004 A+ 100
UnderGroundOnline (UGO) Windows 2004 A+ 100
EmpireOnline.com Windows 2004 5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars5 Stars 100
Armchair Empire, The Windows Dec 05, 2004 10 out of 10 100
DarkZero Windows Jun 06, 2006 9.6 out of 10 96
Fragland.net Windows Dec 03, 2004 94 out of 100 94
Gamers' Temple, The Windows 2004 94 out of 100 94
PC Action Windows Jan 12, 2005 94 out of 100 94
Gry PC Windows Feb 26, 2005 9 out of 10 90
Gamekult Windows Nov 22, 2004 9 out of 10 90

Forums

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Trivia

Despite the complex graphics, including ragdoll physics and pixel shaders, the Source engine was designed to support cards that offer only DirectX 6 hardware support. The original Source engine code would run by using the software emulation encoded in the DirectX 9 library.

That means that you can run this game even if you have Intel 846g card or a Nvidia TNT chipset. To give you some perspective, The TNT chipset was introduced in 1997.


This entry was contributed by DarkDante Bronze Star Contributing Member (3726) and Zack Green (1024)
 

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