94
MobyRank
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
4.1
MobyScore
5 point score based on user ratings.

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

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User Reviews

Incredible Movie-like Gameplay well worth overlooking the flaws. Dwango (292) 4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars
Super-Gordon vs Dr Breen Lumpi (143) 4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars
Fun, and innovative on a small scale, but not the "greatest game of all time" as some would have you believe. Tibes80 (1498) 3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars
Who needs a serious relationship if you can have a great one-night-stand? Unicorn B. Lynx Bronze Star Contributing Member (63675) 4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars4 Stars
Not just a game, an experience Matt Neuteboom (941) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
A thoroughly immersive, plot-centric game (no spoilers). null-geodesic Bronze Star Contributing Member (228) 4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars4.86 Stars
Outrageously overrated Sebastian Cardoso (40) 2.29 Stars2.29 Stars2.29 Stars2.29 Stars2.29 Stars
Light and fun FPS game Melody (119) 4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars4.43 Stars
Great Graphics, Great levels, but Dated Play Santa Bronze Star Contributing Member (847) 3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars3.86 Stars
"The Right Person In The Wrong Place Can Make All The Difference" MasterMegid (864) 4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars4.57 Stars

The Press Says

TotalVideoGames (TVG) Nov 23, 2004 10 out of 10 100
Gamer.nl Nov 21, 2004 10 out of 10 100
GameCell UK 2004 10 out of 10 100
Armchair Empire, The Dec 05, 2004 10 out of 10 100
UnderGroundOnline (UGO) 2004 A+ 100
GamingTrend 2004 567 out of 600 94
Gamers' Temple, The 2004 94 out of 100 94
ActionTrip Nov 17, 2004 93 out of 100 93
Gamekult Nov 22, 2004 9 out of 10 90
Joystick Dec, 2004 8 out of 10 80

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Trivia

The Vortigaunts are voiced by Louis Gossett, Jr. It is mentioned in Raising the Bar that Gossett was chosen partially due to his role as the alien in the film Enemy Mine.


This entry was contributed by DarkDante Bronze Star Contributing Member (3731) and Zack Green (1024)
 

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